Todd stared blankly at the woman before him, as beautiful as a flower. Meredith's words suddenly flashed through his mind, and he blurted out, "If you believe me, why won't you tell me what's going on in your life..."

Rachel's eyes widened, her face showing disbelief: "My own...thing?"

"How did you live your past? Who are your parents? What are you doing now?" The inner turmoil caused Todd's face to contort. "And why won't you stay with me?!"

Tears welled in her eyes, and Rachel gently closed them, letting two clear tears stream down her cheeks: "Todd, I'm begging you, please don't ask me these questions anymore..."

Todd pulled his hands away from Rachel's and said painfully, "I don't understand, sometimes I really don't understand what you're thinking. When I needed you, you chose to leave. Do you no longer care about me?"

Rachel's hands fell limply to the ground as she shook her head and sobbed, "Do you know how much I envy the lives of ordinary women? They have parents, children, brothers and sisters, and families of their own."

"When she's sad, her family will gently pat her back and tell her everything will be alright; when she's lonely, her family will come to her side and tell her she's not alone; when she gets married, her mother will mend her wedding dress, and her father will turn away and shed tears..."

Rachel gripped Todd's hands tightly and shouted, "But what about me?! What am I?! The body I inhabit is the corpse of my best friend! My soul has nothing to do with the Emperor; it's entirely a product of the experiment!"

"Look at me! I'm not even a mutant! I'm a freak! A monster who doesn't even deserve to have children!"

Completely devoid of her usual calm and composure, Rachel struggled to her feet, tears already soaking her clothes.

"Do you know what I'm most afraid of? I'm most afraid of mirrors. Whenever I look at myself in the mirror, all I see is a broken shell and a deformed soul. A monster like me doesn't dare to hope for happiness. Staying away from each other is probably the best choice for both of us."

Todd stood up, his body trembling with anger and grief. He shouted at the woman before him, "Ratchet! In your eyes, am I such a narrow-minded idiot?! If I cared about the human body and soul, how could I have chosen the path of a tyrant?!"

"Whether your body belongs to someone else or your soul comes from the Emperor, I don't care! I don't care at all!"

“But I care!” Rachel pressed her right hand tightly to her heart and cried out, “I care!”

Rachel stepped back, her eyes filled with endless sorrow and despair: "You simply don't understand where a woman's self-respect and self-confidence come from!"

Todd opened his arms, intending to walk toward Rachel.

The latter, wiping away tears, shouted, "Don't come any closer!"

The two stood there, several meters apart, staring at each other in silence for a long time.

Rachel closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and, having composed herself, said in an unusual tone, "Todd, let's put aside those personal matters and talk about serious business. I've heard someone say that whoever holds power will be the target of the purge. Because the abilities of the aliens are the biggest obstacle to the rule of those in power."

Rachel straightened her makeup and said in a suppressed voice, "These words have made me start thinking about what might happen in the future. If you intend to give up the throne of Twilight City, then I cannot believe that your so-called civic rationality can create a bright future for the aliens of Twilight City. Therefore, in order to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, I intend to take my own way and try to find a new, alternative sanctuary for the aliens."

Todd took a step forward: "Ratchet..."

“I told you not to come over!” Rachel said sadly. “Todd, do you still remember the promise you made to me? You promised to do your best to protect all the aliens in the city. I hope you won’t forget your promise… Now, send me out of here… before our relationship gets any worse…”

Seeing the woman's resolute expression, Todd closed his eyes and waved his arm.

Rachel's figure faded more and more in the soul space until it finally disappeared.