Chapter 17

Selorne's heat was relentless, but Keith felt nothing but cold. His body was numb, unable to move as he watched the spot where Iris had disappeared. Only now did the searing pain in his chest hit him. It was an unbearable ache that made the world spin. Keith's world had become a vacuum when Iris left without saying a single word. The grief of losing his most cherished person swallowed him whole, and with it, his rationality returned. He had always been quick to see through Erica's manipulations, effortlessly uncovering her deceptions. Yet every time Iris was the one suffering, he had turned a blind eye. For six months, Keith had searched for Iris obsessively and was willing to risk his entire future. However, the National Defense University's cryptography division was impenetrable. Marcus couldn't bear to watch him waste away any longer, so he called in a favor with an old friend—only then did Keith finally learn where she was. The moment he got the news, Keith rushed over withou