CHAPTER 57: A PROMISE

As the door clicked open, a female doctor stepped out.

She was clad in a pristine white coat, a pair of glasses resting on her nose, giving her a sharp, professional appearance.

Each step she took toward Caleb carried weight and purpose.

Stopping in front of him, she let out a long, weary sigh.

"We did everything we could," she said, her voice heavy with regret. "But the damage was too severe. I’ve never seen anything like it—some of her internal organs were even burned."

Caleb remained silent, holding onto a fragile hope that her next words would offer something different—anything but the worst.

But then came the blow.

"I’m sorry, sir... we couldn’t save her. We lost her."

In that moment, Caleb froze, struck by the harshness of reality.

His eyes stared blankly into the void. He was still standing there, physically present—but his mind had already drifted far away.

Even after witnessing the way the fireball had burned deep into her body, Caleb still clung to a sliver of hope—that somehow, she could be saved.

That hope was why he did everything he could. He pushed himself to the limit to get her there in time.

"We can preserve her body for a few days. Whenever you’re ready for the burial, you can come to claim her," the doctor said softly, her tone practical yet distant.

With those final words, she turned and left, leaving a broken Caleb standing in silence.

It was only now that he truly felt the crushing weight of the system’s mission.

This wasn’t just about enjoying pleasures, sleeping with women, and collecting their money.

No... it was far from that.

These women—all of them, the Cardholders—they lived every day in fear.

In fear of losing their lives at any moment.

Julia didn’t run from it—unlike the others. It was almost as if she had prepared herself for it.

As if she had always known it would come for her one day.

’That’s why her eyes never lost their color. That’s why she never asked anyone for help... She carried her burdens alone, resigning herself to a cruel fate. But why? Why did she have to give up everything—for me? Someone she didn’t even know!’ Caleb thought, his blood simmering beneath his skin.

Yes—she never knew him.

She never knew that the brother she loved was no longer the same.

And yet, despite it all, she gave him everything.

Every ounce of love she could offer.

The more Caleb thought about her, the heavier the weight became.

The more his anger swelled.

She had done everything for him.

Not just for him—but even for the Caleb who came before.

From the very first moment they met, he’d felt it—

A debt of love he could never repay.

And even after all that...

She still chose to give her life in place of his.

Caleb’s fists clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white.

Unconsciously, a tear slipped from Caleb’s eye.

Naya stepped closer, closing the space between them, and gently held his clenched fist.

She didn’t know what to say—or what she could say. For someone who had only recently begun to understand what it meant to love someone, she could still feel the depth of Caleb’s pain.

She had seen their bond. Of all the Morrow siblings, Caleb and Julia had seemed the closest.

The way they spoke, the way they moved around each other—it was natural, effortless.

Sometimes, it even made Naya jealous of Julia’s boldness. And through it, she could see clearly where Caleb’s confidence had come from.

"It’s not your fault," Naya said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I’m sure Julia wouldn’t want you like this... She’d want you to keep moving forward."

She spoke as gently as she could, her words meant to soothe, not fix.

But Caleb didn’t seem to hear her—his mind too clouded, his ears deaf to Naya’s words.

Without a word, he walked into the ward.

Naya stayed behind, watching his back as he disappeared through the door. Understanding flickered in her eyes.

He needed this moment—alone. She knew that much.

Still, she followed quietly, stopping just at the doorway as she watched him approach the bed.

There she was.

Julia lay on the surgery table.

Her once-vibrant skin had turned pale, drained of all color and life.

Her lips were dry, bloodless.

A gaping hole remained in her stomach, the edges crusted with dried blood.

It was a gruesome sight—haunting—but Caleb didn’t flinch. He couldn’t look away.

That wound wasn’t just a mark of death.

It was a symbol.

A mark left by someone who had sacrificed everything... for him.

His eyes locked on the wound, unable to turn from it.

And yet, despite the horror of it all, her face wore a faint, peaceful smile.

As if, in her final moments, she had found peace—without a single regret.

That smile twisted something inside Caleb’s chest.

It made his heart ache.

Caleb stepped closer to her, each stride slow and deliberate—weighted with purpose.

He paused at her side, taking a quiet moment to admire everything about her.

Even in death, Julia remained a figure of strength and grace.

A woman worth looking up to.

’Regretfully... not everyone in this world will be like you,’ Caleb thought, kneeling beside her.

He gently cupped her cold hands in his, as if cradling something precious and irreplaceable.

’Now I understand what this whole thing was about...’

Clarity flickered in his eyes.

It had finally dawned on him.

This wasn’t just a twisted mission to seduce Cardholders and drain them of their wealth.

No.

He hadn’t met all of them yet—but between Naya and Julia, one truth had already become crystal clear:

These women were living in fear.

Cardholders weren’t just part of the mission.

They were the victims of it.

The mission had always been about ’X’.

He had overlooked it—dismissed it—because it hadn’t seemed to concern him directly.

But now?

Now, they had made a mistake.

A grave mistake.

"Julia," Caleb whispered, his voice low and steady.

"If there’s one thing I promise you... I’ll find the bastard who killed you. And I’ll destroy not just him—but that damned association he works for."

His eyes gleamed with raw resolve.

He had two primary missions now.

To destroy ’X’.

And to conquer all the female Cardholders.