Zoe took a moment to glance at the necklace before placing it back into the paper bag. As she contemplated tossing the bag into the trash, she quickly dismissed the thought.

Her sudden impulse was simply a reflection of her deep-seated aversion to anything associated with Barrett.

The blood she had shed for that man, willingly or forcibly, seemed to linger on the delicate paper bag before her, now tainted with repulsion and disgust.

Touching the bag felt like grasping a hot potato—she couldn't wait to discard it, to rid herself of it completely.

But such impulsive thoughts were fleeting.

Even now, she hadn't reached the point of losing her...