**Audrey's POT

I didn't want to waste another minute with these two. I looked directly at Victoria, completely ignoring Blake beside me.

"Let me make this crystal clear." I said. "We're not sisters. We never were.Moreover. I'm living with Astrid now. You know her temper. Show up at my door causing trouble, and you'll regret it."

"Not only will Astrid handle you. I'll call the police."

Victoria's eyes widened slightly.

"And I won't stop there. I'll tell every media outlet exactly how you and Richard treated me. How my biological parents favored their adopted daughter while mistreating their own flesh and blood."

I grabbed a napkin and scribbled down my address, then tossed it at her."

There. Now you don't need Blake as an excuse."

I stood up and walked away without looking back. Blake wasn't my husband anymore. Whatever game he was playing with Victoria didn't concern me.

As I pushed through the restaurant doors, the cool night air hit my face.Standing at the curb. I raised my hand to hail a taxi. A yellow cab quickly pulled over. and I slid into the back seat.

"Where ro, miss?" the driver asked.

I hesírated. Going home meant facing Astrid, who'd take one look at me and know something was wrong. She'd want details, want to fight my

battles. I wasn't up for explaining my impromptu dinner with Blake and Victoria.

"Take me to Pinehaven Village, by the beach," I finally said.

The driver glanced back. "'Pinehaven Village? At this hour?"

"Yes," I said firmly. "Is there a problem?"

"That place is abandoned," he explained. "Hayes Group bought it for development four years ago. Everyone moved out. Nothing there but ruins now."

His eyes showed genuine concern.′′Ayoung woman like yourself, alone there at night... are you sure everything's okay?"

I gave him a tired smile. "I lived there five years ago."

"Even if you're nostalgic, couldn't you visit during daylight?" the driver persisted. "It's not safe after dark."

"I'll be fine," I assured him.′′Igo there often. I'm not depressed or anything. It's just... quiet. Full of memories."

Five years ago, I'd stumbled across Blake unconscious on the beach during one of my evening walks. I was working at the tiny clinic in Pinehaven then, barely making ends meet as an aide. I'd managed to get him to the clínic and ended up using a whole month's salary to cover his medical bills.

For weeks after that, I juggled my shifts while taking care of him. Rachel would drop by to help whenever she could, bringing food and keeping us both company.

Funny how you never appreclate moments untll they're gone. Back then,it

just felt like life - exhausting shifts, a blind patient who didn't know my name. Rachel teasing me about developing feelings for him.

Now I'd give anything to go back. Those simple days in this forgotten village were actually the happiest I'd ever been.

I had Rachel. I had Blake, even if he couldn't see me. I had his promise that when his eyes healed, I would be the first person he saw.

"Take my card," the driver said, passing it back to me. "Call when you want to come back. Don't get stranded out there."

I accepted with a nod.

"Miss," he said suddenly, "have you upset someone recently?"

"Why?"

"That black luxury sedan behind us... it's been following us for a while now."

I turned to look. Even in the darkness, I recognized Blake's car immediately.

*Why is he following me? Why isn't he with Victoria?*

During our marriage, I could go weeks without seeing Blake. Now that we were divorced, he was everywhere.

"Your boyfriend?"

"No," I said, turning back. "He's my ex-husband."

"Ex-husband?" The driver sounded surprised. "Is hestalking you? Is that why you're heading to this ghost town? To escape him?"

Despite everything. I laughed. "Something like that."

"Can't stand men who can't take a hint." he muttered. "Divorced but still chasing you around? Pathetic."

He gripped the wheel tighter. "Don't worry, I've got skills. I'll lose him."

"Hold on!" he warned before accelerating.

I was pressed back against the seat as the taxi lurched forward. I quickly fastened my seatbelt, watching Blake's sedan trying to keep pace in the side mirror.

**Blake's POV**

"Sir?" The driver was still sitting nervously beside me. "The taxi's gone.Should we head back?"

I glared at him. "Which direction were they heading?"

"Toward Pinehaven Village," he replied.

"Pinehaven Village?" The name struck a chord.

"That old village," he explained. "Four years ago. Hayes Group bought the whole place. Everyone moved out, all buildings demolished. It's abandoned now. Why would Ms. Sinclair go there so late?"

I frowned, memories surfacing. Laurel's uncle had purchased shorefront property that Parker Group had deemed worthless. I'd advised Laurel against it, telling her it made no financial sense.

Hayes Group had started demolition, then inexplicably stopped.Pinehaven Village had remained a ghost town for four years.

What business could Audrey possibly have there at this hour?

"Sir, should we follow or turn back?" the driver asked, his voice strained,"They say that place is haunted now..."

I turned to him with cold contempt. "Audrey Sinclair, a woman alone, is brave enough to go there at night, but you're too frightened?"

"I've always been easily scared," he mumbled. "Mr. Chen only mentioned driving you during daytime."

"Get out," I ordered.

His head snapped up. "Sir?"

"I'll drive myself," I said, opening my door. I walked around and yanked his door open. "You're fired. Report to Michael tomorrow."

He hesitated, so I pulled him from the seat. I slid behind the wheel and drove off withouta backward glance.

The road grew darker as I approached the coast. Streetlights disappeared.buildings gave way to scattered trees and then open fields.

Logically, I questioned why I was pursuing Audrey. She was my ex-wife;her choices were no longer my concern. If she wanted to wander an abandoned village at midnight, that was her business.

Yet something inside me couldn't accept the thought of her alone in such a place.

*It's too isolated,* I thought, pressing harder on the accelerator. *1can't leave her there by herself.*

The GPS announced my arrival just as the paved road becamo gravel,I

parked,grabbed my phone for its flashlight, and stepped into the darkness.

Most buildings were half-demolished, roofs caved in and walls crumbled.

Then I saw it - a larger structure at the village's edge,less damaged than the others. As I approached, I recognized a small clinic. Moonlight streamed through broken windows, illuminating a slender figure crouched by the entrance.

Audrey. Her shoulders were shaking slightly. She was crying.

"Audrey!" I called,striding toward her.

She looked up, tears visible on her face in the moonlight. The sight stopped me in my tracks. Something twisted in my chest. The fear I'd felt about this dark, abandoned place vanished, replaced by an unexpected protectiveness.

"Thought that taxi lost you," she said, her voice raspy. "What are you doing here?"

I picked my way over the rubble. "You think I can't follow a GPS?"

"It's after midnight," I added. "I can't leave you alone out here."

Audrey bit her lip, then stood up. "I don't need a babysitter."

She turned and walked into the clinic with stiff shoulders."I know every inch of this place. Nothing's going to happen to me here."

I frowned at the crumbling building. "How? Why would you know an abandoned clinic in the middle of nowhere?"