Ss watched, his emotions a tangled mess, as his wife did the unthinkable-she saved his arch- nemesis.


    "Mr. Myers, what''s going on with Mrs. Myers?" Fagan couldn''t hide his surprise. Everyone knew Ss and Nigel were sworn enemies, and seeing Calliope save Nigel stirred up a cocktail of emotions.


    Ss stood silently, leaving Fagan too wary to probe further. They both watched as the chaos of the explosion subsided. And the ambnce arrived, carrying Calliope and Nigel off together.


    Valerian was in a daze. He had witnessed Calliope''s bravery firsthand, how she had pulled Nigel from the wreckage. It had triggered a throbbing ache in his head-a memory, just out of reach.


    Three years ago, he had been in a simr situation. He''d cked out, remembering only the sensation of someone soft yet powerful pulling him to safety. Those faint memories ovepped with the scene before him.


    Calliope had once told him that she saved his life, but he had never believed her. He credited his survival to Lisette, the first face he saw upon waking. Lisette had been crying, and Calliope was nowhere to be seen, who was abroad, caught up in some drama with Gideon.


    Whenever Calliope mentioned saving him, he''d dismiss her ims, convinced she couldn''t have been his savior. But now, as the pieces clicked into ce, a chilling thought surfaced.


    Valerian felt a strange rity, like a veil had lifted. The ident he remembered his car was wrecked, and someone had tried to save him but couldn''t. He recalled Calliope''s voice, urgent and frantic, calling his name. He had dismissed it as a hallucination, convinced she was overseas.


    Now, the scene from moments ago mirrored that buried memory so perfectly.


    Valerian''s heart pounded as he realized the truth. Had he been wrong all these years, wrongfully using Calliope of lying?


    Calliope had tried to exin, but he had always shut her down, using her of stealing credit for something so sacred. He had called her shameless, and over time, her eyes had grown cold with resignation.


    "Valerian, are you okay?" Lisette''s voice snapped him back. She clung to his arm, her face a mask of worry. "I was so scared something happened to you!"


    "I''m fine, Lisette," Valerian replied, though his mind was elsewhere. He needed to know. "Lisette, do you remember what happened when I had my ident?"


    Lisette hesitated, caught off guard. "I... I don''t remember much. It was terrifying. I just wanted you to survive. I would''ve done anything to keep you alive, even if it meant getting hurt myself!"