Chapter 2

The last thing Evelyn felt... was a pair of strong arms holding her tight, like she was the most precious thing in the world.

Was it you, Alexander?

Her mind struggled to come back to reality, and when she finally came to, she felt weightless, floating mid-air in a daze.

Looking down, she saw two figures clinging to each other. Alexander had caught her in his arms at the final moment.

Blood drenched the ground beneath them. That's when Evelyn realized—she was already dead.

But why had he jumped too?

Tears trailed down her face, only to vanish into thin air.

Her soul had no form. She drifted downward, settling gently on top of Alexander.

"Alexander, I'm right here..." she murmured, voice trembling. "You're such a fool... I wasn't worth your life."

But he couldn't hear her. No one could.

Her shoulders shook as she choked back sobs.

She wrapped her ghostly arms around Alexander's already frigid body and stayed there until his men arrived.

Leading them was Lucas Gray, his most trusted right-hand man. His face was grim as he gave orders to collect the bodies.

He'd had a bad feeling before coming and hadn't expected Alexander to treasure Evelyn so deeply.

Alexander must've planned everything far in advance. Maybe he'd already known Evelyn wouldn't make it out alive.

Evelyn silently followed behind the group, tears still falling.

Lucas locked Lillian and Nathaniel in a dark back room and let them starve to death. Then he arranged a funeral for Alexander and Evelyn.

Evelyn stood amidst the familiar sorrow-stricken faces, her eyes filled with tears.

"If I get another chance... I won't make the same mistake again..."

As the coffins were lowered into the ground, her consciousness began to fade again.

...

Mitchell Manor, Caelton.

In a beautifully decorated bedroom, a woman lay frowning in her sleep, seemingly trapped in a nightmare.

Her lashes quivered nonstop, but she just couldn't open her eyes.

"Alexander... Alexander..."

She muttered weakly, just as a maid quietly entered the room. Hearing the name, the maid rushed to the bed.

Even though she couldn't make out the exact words, it seemed like Evelyn was about to wake up.

Carefully, the maid dabbed the cold sweat from her forehead. "Miss, wake up!"

Suddenly, Evelyn's eyes snapped open. The maid gasped and backed away quickly.

She panted heavily, her gaze lost as she stared at the ceiling.

Where am I? I thought I fell...

And Alexander—!

Just thinking of him made her eyes sting. She sat up, dazed, tears slipping down her cheeks.

"Miss?" the maid said softly.

Evelyn finally reacted. "Hmm?"

The maid let out a relieved breath.

"Thank goodness... You're finally awake, Miss. You've been unconscious since the crash," she said, voice full of excitement. "Madam's been so worried. She told me not to leave your side..."

Then the maid went quiet, realizing she'd said too much.

The tension between Evelyn and her family was common knowledge—mentioning them was always risky.

Seeing Evelyn stay silent, the maid quietly slipped out of the room.

"Where... am I?" Evelyn murmured, holding her head.

She glanced around, picked up her phone off the nightstand, and lit up the screen to check the time.

May 2024. Three months before everything fell apart.

She blinked several times, checking it over and over.

Could it be...

She pinched her thigh hard with both hands.

"Ow!" She winced from the sting and quickly wiped away her tears.

The obvious bruise on her leg left no room for doubt.

"This isn't a dream... I'm really back!"