The nurse returned carrying Vicky's blood-stained clothes. As she shifted them in her hands, a small object slipped out and clinked against the floor.
A compact AID device, scuffed and slightly dented, lay forgotten beneath the bench.
No one noticed.
The nurse handed the clothes to the detective. He unfolded the shirt and examined it.
"This is men's clothing," he said, raising a brow. "And not even close to her size. What happened here?"
Vicky squinted, trying to focus. "I… I remember leaving home. I don't know how I left, but I definitely wasn't wearing that."
"Are you suffering from memory loss?" the detective asked, pen hovering above his pad.
Vicky's face twisted with frustration. "No."
"Then why are you struggling to remember?" Ruben asked carefully.
Nathan glanced sideways at Ruben, his expression unreadable. Ruben leaves again.
"I'm not losing my memory," Vicky said. "I'm Victoria Samuels. I'm 24. I cater for events and weddings. I live with my two siblings. I—"
The detective cut in. "Then since you remember everything, tell me—what time did you leave the house last night?"
She blinked. "I think… around 6 or 7 p.m."
"Who saw you leave?" he pressed.
"My siblings. I live with them… But after I left, everything's just… gone."
The door opened again. Ruben walked in, followed by Karen—and behind her, a team of specialists from AID. Karen's eyes lit up when she saw Vicky.
"Paige! Thank God—you're okay!"
Vicky stared back, blank. No flicker of recognition.
The tension spiked.
Ruben stepped forward. "Karen was with her the entire night. She can give a statement."
"Do you confirm this?" the detective asked.
Karen nodded. "Yes."
"Alright. Mr. Shikongo, Miss Samuels, and Miss Karen—we'll be heading to the police station now."
"Police station?" Kuku asked, concerned.
"It's okay," Nathan said gently. "We'll be fine."
"You should go with Ruben," Kuku insisted.
"I'm grown, Ma… did you even have breakfast yet?" Nathan said, half-smiling.
"Kuku, let's all just head home," Ruben added.
Vicky walked up to Kuku with a mischievous smile. "Your son's trying to prove he has muscles."
Kuku chuckled and pinched Vicky's cheek. "His muscles are weak."
"Well, don't you trust me?" Vicky asked.
"You're the victim here—or maybe the guilty one—and you're still playing the might card?" Catty snapped.
Nathan turned, his gaze icy.
"You're not even concerned that I'm going to the police station. Who's playing the might card now?"
Catty, touched by the attention, tried to caress him—but Nathan shifted away, clearly uncomfortable.
Vicky leaned toward Kuku, whispered, "We'll be fine, Grandma."
In the background, Simon, Karen, and Ndeshi were watching closely.
"There's something wrong with Paige," Simon muttered. "She looked at us like strangers."
"She did the same yesterday," Ndeshi added. "Like she was undercover."
"No…" Karen said. "When I hugged her, it was like she was seeing me for the first time."
"What are you even going to tell the detectives?" Ndeshi asked.
"Everything," Karen said firmly.
"You don't have proof. Just like Mr. Shikongo, you could become a suspect."
"I'm not a suspect. Kyle won't pick up my calls. That only means one thing."
"I know," Ndeshi said softly. "If Nathan's alive, everyone sent to kill him probably died. You know what that means."
Karen's fists clenched. "I won't let him get away with what he did to my father…"
"We don't even know his name, Karen. Or his face. And we don't know if Paige really lost her memory—or if this is all just a dangerous act. Do you really want to dig up the past?"
Karen stared at her, fear suddenly rippling through her expression.
Meanwhile, at the far end of the hospital, a male nurse wearing a lab coat, safety glasses, and a face mask handed a small object to Ruben.
"Here—this was found near the victim's belongings."
Ruben turned it in his hands, then realized. "This is… the AID device?"
Vicky turned toward the nurse and froze.
A flicker. A flash. Something clawed at her mind.
She saw a faceless man. A lab coat. Raised voices. A threat.
"I'll eliminate your entire family if you move out of line again."
"Thanks…" Ruben said slowly, eyes narrowing.
Simon appeared beside him. "Wait—is that AID? Yes! That's it!"
"Paige recovered it?" Ruben asked.
"Yeah—she did!" Simon replied.
"Then why isn't she talking?" Ruben said, voice low.
"Let it go," Simon muttered.
"Let it go?" Ruben repeated.
Back outside, Karen and Ndeshi's conversation continued in hushed tones.
"I'm tired of running from this," Karen said. "We have to expose him."
"That man—Karen—we don't know his face. We're getting too deep into Paige's mess. And if she's faking this whole thing…" Ndeshi paused. "Do you really want to dig up the past?"
Karen stared at her sister, stunned and suddenly scared.
In her chest, a war was being waged—between truth and survival.
And the clock was ticking.