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However, when she arrived at the hospital and questioned the doctors who regularly checked on Zane, they had no answers.

Their response was earnest. "We're sorry, we really don't know. The machinery was shipped directly from overseas and bypassed the hospital entirely. Those machines are essentially dedicated solely to Zane. As for us, the head of our department assigned us to his case. But he was headhunted for a high-paying job in Switzerland years ago and cut ties with everyone here."

Over time, their visits had simply become a routine monthly task, especially since they were receiving extra compensation for it.

As a result, nobody had a clue about the identity of the benefactor funding the equipment or depositing money into Sylvia's account.

Winona pressed several hospital administrators for more information, but none could offer any clarity. She had no choice but to drop the matter.

She boarded the train back to Empire City, her heart weighed down by an oppressive heaviness the entire ride.

Arriving in the city that afternoon, she made a detour to visit Jeffrey.

Refusing to accept the first result without a fight, she had submitted new hair samples from both of them for testing—this time sending them to two different independent labs.

Jeffrey was now confined to a solitary hospital room, looking completely unhinged. He muttered deliriously on an endless loop, "I was wrong. I swear I'll never mess with Winona again. I swear..."

Since she wasn't technically family, she had no legal standing to keep him locked away long-term, but given his current mental state, he wouldn't survive a day on the streets anyway.

Winona stood over him, her voice chillingly quiet. "I took a paternity test. I'm not your daughter. Where did you take Sylvia's real baby all those years ago?"

But Jeffrey just lay paralyzed in the bed, repeating his paranoid mantra over and over, completely oblivious to her words.

The man had lost his mind entirely, yet he wasn't allowed the mercy of death.

Realizing she wouldn't get any answers from him, Winona accepted that she would have to investigate the truth herself.

Returning home, she unlocked the door to find Zachary sitting in the living room.

Even though he spent most of his time at the house since returning from abroad, Winona still hadn't gotten used to his presence.

She didn't even bother greeting him, heading straight for the stairs until his voice cut through the silence. "Logan hit a snag in Oceanport. I booked a flight for tonight. You're coming with me."

She froze on the bottom step, half-wondering if he was talking to someone else.

After all, simply existing in the same room without hurling insults at one another was a victory for them. Why on earth would she accompany him to Oceanport?

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