Reborn in the Enemy's Embrace

The sound of laughter sounded.

It was Dexter laughing coldly. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

I wished for him to hurry and escape.

Damien was nothing but a scoundrel.

"Sophia won’t go with you." Damien’s voice was deep. Then, he ordered his bodyguards to take action.

"Did you actually think I came alone?" Dexter chuckled. His voice was cold and hoarse with an unnerving edge.

"Damien..." Juliet’s trembling voice came from outside the door.

As I forced my eyes open, I saw a tall figure in a cap holding a knife to Juliet’s throat.

Dexter didn’t come alone.

I felt rather relieved.

"Damien..." Juliet’s face was pale with fear. Half of her face was swollen from a burn, and her long hair was cut short due to being singed by the fire.

"Dexter!" Damien looked at Dexter with intense anger.

Dexter scoffed and there was a frightening chill in his eyes. "What’s more important to you? Your lifesaver or your personal interests?"

Juliet, who couldn’t help but tremble, cried out, "Damien, save me."

Damien gripped his hands tightly and glanced back at Juliet.

Clearly, he was unable to decide.

He knew if Dexter lost control, Juliet would likely be killed.

I struggled to sit up and shook my head to clear the dizziness . Though I felt a bit confused, I was mostly okay.

An unexpected advantage seemed to be that Sofia’s body, as a new vessel for my soul, didn’t fully align with the drugs’ effects.

However, Peter was a dangerous element to me. His hypnosis treatments had a significant impact on me.

I needed to stay away from him. He was like my biggest threat.

Dexter had a moment of panic when he saw me wake up. Fear flashed in his eyes.

He probably feared that I might have forgotten him again.

Damien, too, watched me anxiously. Hopeful yet unsure, he called out to me tentatively, ’"Sophia."

He hoped I had forgotten Dexter and only remembered him.

"Sophia, come here." Damien gestured for me to choose his side.

I glanced at Damien and then got off the bed.

Dexter tried to reach out at me but quickly withdrew his hand as if he’d been electrocuted.

He was unsure if I still remembered him or if I would be frightened by him

I reached out and took Dexter’s hand and asked with a hoarse voice, "Where did you go?"

Dexter went stiff. His eyes were red as he pulled me into a tight embrace. "Some rats were chasing me. I’m sorry to make you wait again."

I leaned my head against his chest and smelt blood. I smelt blood on him.

He was injured again.

Those people deserved to die.

Those who hurt him deserved to die.

I wanted to kill them all so badly.

"Sophia..."" Damien sounded panicked. He clearly didn’t want Dexter to take me away.

With Peter’s treatment, it wouldn’t be long before I forgot Dexter again.

But if I left now, his plan would be ruined.

"If you don’t let us go, Juliet will die." ] looked at Damien and forced him to choose.

Juliet continued to cry, ’’Damien, I’m scared."

Damien got annoyed and clenched his fists. I could tell he was hesitating.

"Sophia, he’s insane. He will only worsen your condition. Your parents made me promise never to let you be with him. Sophia, please come back to me, will you?"

Damien pleaded softly.

Ignoring his plea, I looked up at Dexter and said, "Dexter, I want to eat mango pudding."

Dexter shook his head. "You can’t."

"Why?" I asked softly.

"You’re allergic," Dexter whispered and held me close.

"But I like it..." I whispered softly.

I loved mango pudding, but ironically, I was allergic to mangoes. So every time I sneaked a purchase, Dexter would cover for me, claiming it was his favorite. He only allowed me to have a little while eating the rest himself.

He said he loved mango pudding.

But in reality, it was "Sophia" who loved it.

He was just "forced" to like it.

"Just a little then," Dexter said softly. He was ready to take me away.

Damien stood rigid while trying to make an explanation.

"Sophia...

"I remember telling you ’Sophia’ is allergic to mangoes." Before, his ignorance was excusable, but now,

his continued obliviousness seemed glaring. Love was apparent even in the little things.

"Sophia, it’s not like that. Since you’re Sofia now, I assumed..." Damien was trying to explain that Sofia wasn’t allergic to mangoes.

Still, he was subconsciously suspicious of my identity as Sophia.

Yet, he stubbornly and obsessively wanted to transform Sofia into Sophia,

He wanted to treat me like his puppet, a perfect substitute.

"Damien, you’re as selfish as ever. You love no one, only yourself. Didn’t anyone ever tell you fade? Especially love that’s obtained through deception." I retorted sarcastically while firmly holding Dexter’s hand.

He went to great lengths to deceive me, yet still failed to cherish what he had.

Damien’s hands fell limply. He wanted to say he loved Sophia.

However, his throat seemed to hurt so much that he couldn’t speak.

He had put in so much effort to make Sophia love him, to become the lover in her heart.

But in the end, he only moved himself.

"If you don’t want Juliet to die, let us go," I spoke again while holding Dexter’s hand firmly.

I would not let go of him anymore..

I owed him too much.

Dexter’s aggression seemed much lessened perhaps because of my presence. He would look at me softly.

"Sophia, he’s bad. He always wants to take you away," he whined again.

I tightened my grip on his hand.

Damien’s eyes darkened. In fact, he had no intention of letting us go.

I knew he was stalling for time. Martin’s men were probably already on their way.

"Damien, save me!" The threat to Juliet escalated as the knife nicked her neck. She cried and begged Damien to save her.

I looked into Damien’s eyes. He was waiting.

Suddenly, I grabbed a knife from one of the guards and held it to my own neck.

What if "Sophia" died?

"Sophia..." Dexter panicked and looked at me helplessly.

Damien, too, became frantic. "Sophia..."

"Let us go." My gloomy eyes were fixed on him.

Damien had no choice but to give in. He stepped aside, and the guards opened the door.

I took Dexter’s hand and led him out.

"Dexter, let’s go home."

I took him to escape.

Dexter smiled as he watched my back and felt me holding his hand.

"Sophia, let’s go home."

"Sophia, he can’t protect you. The loss of memory isn’t a choice that can be controlled, but you can. It’s only the memories you strongly want to forget that get sealed away. You don’t love him! It’s you who wants to forget him!" Damien shouted from the doorway.

I stopped, but I didn’t turn back.

Dexter looked at me anxiously. He was scared.

What exactly were the memories that made me so desperate to forget, to erase Dexter and everything related to the orphanage from my mind?

"Sophia, don’t listen to him," Dexter’s eyes went red. It was as if he was begging me not to abandon him.

"I don’t care what memories I’ve lost. Right now, all I want is to go home with you." I held his hand and was ready to leave.