Ivy opened her eyes.
She was met with a pair of eyes so terrifying that even her soul trembled.
"Ah-"
Her pale fingers instinctively clenched the blanket beneath her.
She was reliving the pain all over again.
Was this hell?
Why was she back here, back at this demon's side, when she had already died?
Out of sheer instinct, she struggled. "Don't touch me!!!"
The man reacted as if she had touched a raw nerve. His bloodthirsty expression darkened instantly, and his cold, thin lips descended upon her with destructive fury, biting down as if he wanted to devour her whole.
Pain shot through Ivy's body, leaving her unable to think. She could only mumble unconsciously, "Why... Why me... Richard... Why does it have to be me..."
"Because it can only be you."
The deep, hoarse voice whispered beside her ear like an unbreakable shackle, binding even her soul.
Hearing the same answer as in her past life, Ivy finally succumbed to the darkness and lost consciousness.
-
When she opened her eyes again, the night had faded into daylight.
The air was filled with the refreshing scent of flowers, and the warm morning sunlight streamed in through the window, bringing a fleeting sense of peace.
But in the next second, Ivy's nerves tensed abruptly.
A suffocating pressure filled the room as the man woke.
An arm tightened around her waist, pulling her into his embrace like a pillow.
"Still trying to run?"
The chilling voice beside her ear sent shivers down her spine.
Driven by survival instinct, Ivy shook her head desperately.
Whether or not the man believed her was unclear, but his sharp gaze lingered on her face for a moment, radiating danger.
Like a fawn caught in a predator's jaws, Ivy dared not move.
She didn't know how long the suffocating silence lasted until, finally, the man let her go.
He got out of bed, the morning light outlining his tall, lean figure and taut waist.
The sight lasted only for a fleeting moment before he picked up his shirt from the bedside, his long fingers buttoning it up meticulously to the very top.
Just moments ago, he had been as ruthless as a beast, yet now, his strikingly handsome face was devoid of warmth, exuding an icy indifference, untouchable and distant.
Only when the door clicked shut behind him did Ivy finally relax the nerves that had been stretched to the breaking point.
At last, she could take a moment to process her situation.
Slowly, she took in the familiar furnishings of the room and the reflection in the vanity mirror across from her-
The girl in the mirror had smudged smoky eye makeup streaked with tears and sweat. Her body was covered in large, bloody, grotesque tattoos.
To escape from Richard, she had once deliberately made herself look as repulsive as possible.
She had... truly been reborn...
A wave of sheer terror and despair nearly suffocated her.
She had returned to the very night she had been punished by Richard for trying to escape!
Why...
Why had she been sent back to seven years ago?!
Even if it meant death, she never wanted to return to this place, to this man.
She had lost her lover, her family, her dignity, her identity-she had lost everything.
Did she really have to suffer through it all again?