Her Rebirth.

Amelia felt bile rising in her throat, nausea gripping her with brutal force. Her vision swam as a sharp, searing pain twisted through her abdomen, forcing her to double over. A strangled gasp escaped her lips as her fingers dug into the folds of the bed, trembling.

She felt fear. Suffocating and visceral fear.

She was locked up again. And they were going to do things to her.

Her body shook uncontrollably, her lips quivering. The panic clawed at her insides, and a sharp pain struck her abdomen.

Lilac, who had been relishing the thought of breaking Amelia apart, frowned at the sound of Amelia’s soft groan. Her amusement faltered the moment she saw Amelia hunched over, face pale and drenched in sweat.

She frowned. "Amelia?" she said cautiously, leaning forward. "What’s wrong?"

She reached out, hand hovering inches from Amelia’s shoulder.

"Don’t touch me!" Amelia snapped, swatting Lilac’s hand away with what little strength she had. Her voice was hoarse, choked with pain and fear.

Lilac stared down at the rejected hand, blinking in momentary disbelief.

Amelia’s breath hitched, another wave of pain crashing over her, curling her into herself. Her arms trembled as she tried to hold herself up.

Lilac stepped closer again, more urgently this time. "Amelia, you’re in pain. What is it?" Her voice cracked; it was filled with panic.

Amelia looked up, eyes wide and glistening with tears that streamed down her cheeks. "Stay away from me!" she screamed, flinching violently as Lilac moved closer, her posture instinctively defensive, like a cornered animal.

That made Lilac freeze. She stared at Amelia, at the terror in her eyes, the desperation in her voice and something inside her cracked.

"Alright," she whispered, her tone quieter now. "I won’t touch you. Not if my touch disgusts you that much." She crouched down a few feet away, keeping her hands in sight. "But let me take care of you, please. Just let me help."

---

Kai stood at the gate of the dilapidated estate which was once a rehab facility. The place was as Kyle had described. The surrounding grounds were overgrown, the garden long surrendered to weeds and vines. Cracked windows reflected the bruised sky, and the paint peeled from the walls like scabs flaking from decaying skin.

The thought of his butterfly being kept in this garbage can disgusted him and made his stomach churn.

But right now he was more keen on rescuing her from that damn bitch and keeping her safe in the villa he had bought just for her. He had planned on moving there with her after they both got married, which he wanted to do immediately, but somehow Amelia felt they were moving too fast. But it seemed like he would no longer wait for that.

He would keep her safe in the villa and protect her from anything and anyone who sought to harm her.

His men fanned out silently, checking the perimeter.

Kai approached the rusted front door, eyes scanning every inch of the frame. Something felt... off.

Just as he was about to step through, a glint caught his eye.

A thread— it was thin, almost invisible—stretched across the doorway at ankle height.

He froze.

"Trap," he muttered under his breath, raising a hand to halt his men. He crouched down, tracing the thread with his eyes. His expression darkened.

"She was expecting us."

Maybe this Lilac is smarter than he thought her to be, and maybe she wasn’t so wrong when she said they were alike. Though he would disagree and say he was far better than her, he could certainly see the similarities.

A crazy person often knows their own kind, after all.

Kai looked up, taking in the huge mansion, and a fleeting thought crossed his mind.

What were the chances they were here?

If it were him orchestrating this, this entire place would be a decoy, a killing ground meant to lure enemies into a false sense of opportunity. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Kai smirked,

And for certain, he wasn’t wrong.

---

Lilac stepped back into the room, a small bottle clutched in her hand. She held it up slightly, her voice softer this time. "Mother said this might help with the pain."

Amelia didn’t respond. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, her body still curled in on itself. She only shook her head slowly, her voice coming out in a weak, broken whisper. "Please... let me go. I don’t want to be locked up again. I’ll do anything... just don’t keep me here."

Lilac hesitated, her jaw tightening. She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood before replying.

"If you take this," she said, holding the medicine a little closer, "I’ll consider it. I promise."

Amelia looked up, suspicion flickering through her pain-clouded gaze. "You’re lying."

"Maybe," Lilac admitted quietly. "But you’re hurting so much you can’t even think straight. If there’s even a chance it helps... take it."

Amelia bit her lips. Lilac was right.

The agony she felt was too much. It was like she was about to die. So with trembling fingers, she reached out and took the medicine, swallowing it down with a grimace.

Lilac watched her down the medicine, and her brows furrowed in confusion.

She was sure of one thing: Amelia had no known illness. No record of chronic pain, no symptoms. She had never seen Amelia in so much pain until now...

So what the hell was happening to her?

She wouldn’t be pregnant, would she?

Lilac’s eyes darkened at that thought.

The fact that Amelia may have gotten pregnant for another... a man, made her heart brim with fury.

If it was so, she’d make sure to purge out the nuisance from her angel’s body.

However... on second thought, it may not be so bad after all. While the baby contained the disgusting blood of a man, it still contained the blood of Amelia. So she could manage it. She could raise the little creature together with Amelia as parents.

This thought made Lilac giddy with joy.

That wasn’t a bad idea after all.