Bringing His First Love Back to Life

A stranger moved into our house recently.

He and my husband, John Rios, kept whispering about things like soul revival and rituals.

They even slipped some white powder into my food.

John always looked at me with strange eyes.

I knew he wanted to use my body to bring back his true love.

But I couldn't understand one thing.

How could a dead person come back to life?

1

In the third year of my marriage to John, he started treating me well.

Before that, he despised me, the wife he was forced to marry.

Even though I was accomplished, beautiful, gentle, and took care of him, it didn't matter.

Nothing could change the fact that I wasn't her.

But now, he stayed by my side every day.

I looked at the glass of milk John brought me and saw the expectation in his eyes.

Suddenly, I felt exhausted. I wanted to end it all right then.

"Let's get a divorce," I said.

John froze for a moment. He came over, wrapped his arms around my shoulders, and kissed the top of my head affectionately.

"Honey, I was wrong before, but I'll make it up to you. Let's not divorce, okay?"

So he wasn't willing to stop.

Tears fell one by one into the milk.

"John, are you sure you won't agree to a divorce?"

He looked at me, gentle but urgent. "Don't be silly. Why would we divorce when everything's fine? The milk will taste bad if it gets cold, Yvonne. Drink it."

I picked up the glass and drank it all.

Before I passed out, I grabbed John's hand.

"John, I don't want to love you anymore," I said.

2

I woke up in a dim basement. John held me tightly.

He kept calling someone else's name in my ear. "Sapphire, Sapphire..."

I gently pushed him away.

When he saw my expression, he realized something. His face twisted with panic as he glanced at the corner.

That's when I noticed the strange man, the so-called master, was there too.

He stepped out from the shadows, calm and composed.

"No need to worry, Sir. Sapphire's soul is still weak, so she can't stay awake for long. She needs to rest in the body. This is normal," he said.

John let out a sigh of relief.

I looked at the intricate ritual circle on the floor, the offerings, and the incense burner nearby.

There was a photo of a girl on the wall.

It was Sapphire Rios, John's sister.

In the picture, she smiled brightly, her youth forever frozen at twenty-four.

John lifted me into his arms, handling me with extreme care, as if afraid the body might get hurt.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, watching his irritated, barely contained expression. I leaned close to his ear and chuckled softly. "You succeeded, didn't you? Sapphire's going to wake up in my body?"

John didn't answer.

I laughed until tears streamed down my face. "John, I hope you don't regret this."

His eyes were cold and resolute. "I'm sorry, but I'll never regret it," he said.

So that's how it was.

Fine. Let's all live without regrets.

3

I liked John since high school.

I was drawn to people who shone brightly. In a crowd, he was like a diamond in the desert, dazzling.

But John didn't like me.

No matter how much I followed him or tried to please him, he never spared me a glance.

He liked someone as radiant as him, Sapphire.

But they were siblings.

Even though they had different fathers and mothers, the Rios family would never allow such a scandalous marriage.

So the family sent Sapphire, the daughter of the second Mrs. Rios and her ex-husband, away.

They also wanted to find John a wife to put an end to his feelings.

At the time, John and Sapphire's affair was the talk of the town. No respectable heiress was willing to marry him.

But I was willing.

My love for him came from nowhere and consumed me.

I was ready to leap into the abyss for him.

But he hated me.

Our marriage cost Sapphire her life.

According to John's parents, Sapphire, who was overseas, heard about John's marriage. She wanted to return to the country but got into a car accident at the airport.

That day was the first day of our marriage.

John cried like a broken man. When I tried to comfort him, he shoved me away.

"This is all your fault. Why are you so pathetic? Why did you insist on marrying me?" he said venomously.

He glared at me with hatred. "Why wasn't it you who died?"

The joy of our wedding felt like it had been doused with ice water.

It left me frozen, chilled from head to toe.

3

For three years, John barely spoke to me kindly.

That changed half a month ago when a man dressed in black moved into our house.

I overheard John call him Master.

The two of them often huddled together, muttering about soul revival and rituals.

At first, I didn't pay much attention.

Since Sapphire's death, a new master showed up every six months.

John truly loved her. He'd rather turn to supernatural forces than accept she was gone.

That kind of love? He never gave me even a fraction of it.

But after this master arrived, John started showing me a bit of tenderness.

He ate meals with me, took me out for walks, and gave me jewelry and clothes.

I wore the dresses and accessories he gave me to banquets. The women there always looked at me strangely, whispering among themselves.

At first, I thought they were mocking me, saying I finally won him over after chasing him so desperately.

But I didn't care. When I saw John's gentle gaze, nothing else mattered.

That is, until one of Sapphire's old friends stopped me.

She yanked the necklace off my neck and threw it in my face with a cold, disdainful sneer.

"Does it feel good to wear Sapphire's clothes, her necklace, and be with the man she loved? They're right. You're disgusting."

The necklace hit my forehead and fell to the ground.

Startled by the commotion, John rushed over, his face full of panic.

But he didn't notice my reddened forehead. Instead, he picked up the necklace and inspected it carefully.

"It can't be damaged. It can't be damaged," he muttered.

When he saw the necklace was fine, he sighed in relief.

He carefully put it back around my neck.

I resisted, my eyes red as I struggled. "I won't wear it, John. I don't want to wear something she wore!"

John restrained me forcefully, his eyes fierce, like he could devour me.

Only after securing the necklace did he show a faint smile.

I stared at him, my shoulders burning from his grip.

He cared about the necklace but seemed blind to my bruised neck and swollen forehead.

He told me impatiently not to cause trouble.

As I felt the stares from those around me, exhaustion washed over me.

Maybe they were right. My love was nothing but repulsive.

Even I found it disgusting.

4

Later, I learned it was part of the ritual.

The items Sapphire loved in life needed to become familiar with the body that would host her.

That way, the chances of success would be higher.

Maybe it worked.

Sapphire might have truly awakened in my body.

From the day the ritual ended, my memory started to fragment.

Sometimes, I was writing in the study, and the next moment, I'd find myself in the kitchen.

The clothes I put on would change into a different style.

Once, I woke up to find John holding me having sex, calling out Sapphire's name.

I wrapped my arms around him, chuckling with malice as I leaned closer. "I'm Yvonne, darling."

John froze, his desire vanishing instantly.

But I didn't care. I clung to him shamelessly, ignoring everything.

When it was over, John put on his shirt and started to leave.

I called out to him. "John, I'm going to die soon."

He didn't look back.

I knew he didn't care if I lived or died. He only cared about Sapphire.

That was fine. I didn't want his love anymore. I just wanted him.

I grabbed a knife from the nightstand, closed my eyes, and aimed it at my heart.

When I opened my eyes, John was gripping the blade tightly, blood dripping from his hand, refusing to let go.

I released the knife. John raised his hand, as if to strike me.

But he was afraid of harming this body, so he just clutched his bleeding hand and called for the family doctor.

When the doctor arrived, I sat on the bed.

Looking at the pool of blood on the floor, I felt nothing but satisfaction.

I stepped through the blood and stood before him. "From now on, if I say east, you don't go west. If I'm unhappy, I'll cut off a finger."

I smiled faintly. "I remember Sapphire loved playing the piano and dancing, right? If she wakes up in a body missing fingers or feet, will she still be happy?"

5

John agreed. He had no choice.

At my demand, we started going on dates.

He was responsible for planning everything. If I wasn't happy or satisfied, his precious sister would pay the price.

John found some sort of guide somewhere.

He spent three days preparing. I saw red roses, an amusement park, a candlelit dinner, and a sky full of fireworks.

As the fireworks bloomed, he looked slightly proud.

He probably wanted me to praise him.

But why would I do that?

"I like roses, but I'm afraid of heights, so I can't enjoy most of the rides at the amusement park. I prefer my steak medium-well, but you ordered it medium-rare."

John's smile faded. He looked at me nervously.

I brushed my hair back and turned to leave. "Don't make these mistakes again. I'll let it slide this time, but there won't be a next."

John sighed in relief and hurried to follow me.