A month had passed, and with it, April Winter was officially declared deceased.

Her body was never recovered, but Alex made the final decision to close the investigation. There was no point in continuing, not when hope was futile.

Ophelia’s "condition" had worsened in the aftermath. She was diagnosed with depression, and the doctor advised the family to tread carefully—avoid triggering her emotions, speak only of things that made her happy.

"Her condition isn’t irreversible," the doctor had assured them, "but if she’s triggered too severely, she might harm herself."

And so, Alex and Kelly did what they thought was best.

They erased April.

No one spoke her name. No one acknowledged her absence. No one dared to mention the tragedy that had unfolded that fateful night.

They had lost one daughter. They couldn't afford to lose the other.

Even Sen, who had once stood at the edge of the ship, desperately searching the waters for April, now consoled himself with the idea that after Ophelia recovered, their wedding would take place once again.

Life went on.

April Winter no longer existed.

Grey Family Villa – A Private Island

Mrs. Georgia Grey paced in frustration, glancing at the unconscious girl lying still in the hospital bed.

It had been a month.

A month of waiting.

A month of watching.

A month of wondering when the girl she had saved would finally wake up.

She had expected April to regain consciousness after a few days. The doctor had assured her that she was stable, but when Georgia pressed for answers, the only thing he could tell her was that April could wake up in two days… or two years.

Felix, standing near the doorway, clenched his jaw. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" he swore at the doctor.

Georgia’s sharp eyes cut to her youngest son. "Felix."

Felix groaned, raking a hand through his hair. "Sorry. But it’s been a month, Mom. Are we really just going to sit here waiting?"

The doctor sighed. "Her body endured a great amount of trauma. It’s a miracle she’s even alive. But her mind…" He hesitated. "She’s been through something terrible. That kind of pain doesn’t heal overnight."

Georgia’s gaze softened as she looked at April’s motionless face.

"She’ll wake up," she said with certainty.

The doctor simply nodded before excusing himself.

Moments later, Felix returned, looking annoyed. "Lucian says you’re needed back at the company. Apparently, some of the shareholders are causing a ruckus."

Georgia raised a skeptical brow. "Oh, really?"

Felix folded his arms. "That’s what he said."

A smirk spread across Georgia’s lips. "Tell him to come up with a better excuse if he wants me back. That one’s weak."

Felix sighed. "And if it is true?"

Georgia let out a small laugh. "Then he can handle it. My son just misses his dear mother."

Felix rolled his eyes. "You’re one of a kind."

Georgia turned her attention back to April, her expression growing serious. She had originally planned to stay at the villa for just the weekend, but now, a month had passed.

And she wasn’t leaving.

April wasn’t strong enough to travel yet, and Georgia refused to abandon her.

She didn’t know why, but something about this girl made her stay.

She just knew—April was meant to wake up.

Inside April’s Mind – The Dream

April was trapped.

Darkness surrounded her, thick and suffocating. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t move.

Her hands slammed against the invisible walls around her, the sound echoing in the silence.

A glass cage.

No matter how hard she pounded, no matter how hard she screamed, the walls wouldn’t break.

"LET ME OUT!" she cried, her voice raw with desperation. "PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP ME!"

The glass felt cold against her fingertips, as though she were still submerged in the freezing ocean, still drowning in the merciless waves.

A wave of panic surged through her chest.

She couldn’t take it anymore.

She was going to suffocate.

She was going to—

Suddenly, a burst of light.

Her body jerked, her lungs gasping as she sucked in a deep, desperate breath—

Her eyes fluttered open.

Grey Family Villa – The Awakening

April’s chest rose and fell in rapid succession as she stared at the ceiling, her mind still trapped in the terror of the dream.

The cold. The suffocation. The helplessness.

The drowning.

She wasn’t in the water anymore.

She wasn’t drowning.

But her heart raced like she still was.

The sound of hurried footsteps filled the room, and within moments, the doctors rushed in, their voices urgent but reassuring.

Mrs. Grey stood frozen at the doorway, her breath catching in her throat.

"She’s awake," the doctor announced. "She’s actually awake."

Georgia let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, her hands gripping the doorframe.

The relief that flooded through her was overwhelming.

The girl she had spent a month waiting for, the girl who had been on the brink of death—

She had survived.

April's body trembled slightly as she tried to process her surroundings. She felt something sharp in her arm—a needle, an IV drip. Machines beeped softly around her, a sterile smell filling her senses.

Her throat was dry, her voice hoarse as she forced out her first words.

"Where… am I?"

The doctors reassured her that she was safe, that she had been rescued and brought here to recover. But April barely registered their words.

Her mind was blank.

Her memories—gone.

Then, she saw Georgia standing there, staring at her as if she had seen a ghost.

April’s lips parted, confusion clouding her dazed eyes.

"Who…" Her voice cracked. "Who am I?"

A silence so thick it was almost suffocating settled over the room.

Georgia’s sharp gaze didn’t waver as she took in the young girl’s lost expression.

She had expected April to wake up in distress.

She had expected her to be traumatized.

But she hadn’t expected this.

Felix, standing just outside the room, let out a low whistle. "Well," he muttered under his breath, "this just got interesting."