Reborn in the Enemy's Embrace

"Hello, Dad." Ashton looked up at Dexter.

Dexter held Ashton’s hand and gave it a playful shake, and Ashton blinked in return. They were seemingly engaged in a silent conversation.

I looked from Dexter to Ashton, sensing that two were definitely keeping something from me. But it wasn’t the right time to ask now. As such, I could only hold onto Xan while standing behind Dexter.

He had always subconsciously shielded me behind him. It was as if I felt a sense of security when he stood there.

"Sophia, regardless whether Miguel would wake up or not, I’ll do my best to convince that crazy bitch to let all of you go later. Listen to me and don’t hesitate," Dexter reminded me softly.

Clearly, he wasn’t sure if the experiment would succeed as well. There were many factors that would affect the success rate of the experiment.

"Why was mine successful?" I asked.

"Firstly, both parties involved for the reincarnation would have to be on the brink of death. Back then, when the serial killer took you away, he did not kill you immediately but kept you hanging on. That gave me enough time to track and pinpoint the location of your soul." Dexter looked at me.

His gaze was intense and unwavering when he said, "I knew that you were right by my side during that time."

I looked at Dexter in surprise. I had indeed stayed by his side after I died and turned into a soul.

"I couldn’t touch nor see you, but I could feel you," he mumbled.

I smiled, the corners of my eyes reddening slightly. He said that he felt my presence.

"What about Simeon? He was dead at that point." I was curious. Simeon would have died instantly in the fire.

"He had a deep obsession. His reincarnation wasn’t part of my experiment. I only used it as a demonstration for Genome Society. My only accomplishment was with you." Dexter looked at me before continuing, "He reincarnated on his own and came looking for me after that."

I looked at Dexter, astonished. I almost forgot that Simeon was also a genius. In fact, he was just as impressive as Dexter.

"One of the most important mediums for reincarnation is that the soul must have a strong will to live. The experiment wouldn’t succeed without it." He looked at me and smiled bitterly. "Do you know how many times I’ve failed?"

Back then, Dexter had gone to the extreme using every means at his disposal, yet he couldn’t get Sophia Milford back. That was because Sophia had no will to live in the first place.

He said, "I knew you were around, and I knew you could see Juliet and Damien. That was why I hoped that you would hate them no matter the reason as long as it spurred your will to live."

Juliet’s uncooperativeness and lies, as well as Damien’s foolishness and indifference, continued to provoke Sophia, leading her to develop hatred and anger. This, in turn, sparked her will to live.

The reason why she could reincarnate was because she had a strong will to live in the first place. Simeon had already possessed a strong will to live during the fire. That was why he could reincarnate into his own clone subject.

I looked at Dexter in shock as I processed everything. As expected, my reincarnation was entirely orchestrated by him.

Without him, I wouldn’t have been able to observe everything from a soul’s perspective. I wouldn’t have experienced hatred, anger, and despair, which fueled my intense desire to live.

And now, my reason and belief in staying alive had only gotten stronger after going through so much.

I have a lover, children, friends, and family—no matter how hard it was, I have to keep on living.

The door to the laboratory opened, and Daisy walked out. She had a pale look on her face. "Why hasn’t he woke up yet?"

"The anesthesia hasn’t worn off yet. The host body has to be on the brink of death and physically weak in order to allow someone else to reincarnate. That’ll take time," Dexter replied indifferently.

Daisy looked visibly upset, yet she couldn’t refute it.

Suddenly, the medical equipment by Damien’s side started going off.

The doctors inside began performing emergency procedures and ran out in a hurry. "He’s awake, Mrs. Coleman!"

Daisy’s expression changed. She was anxious to rush in, yet she halted her steps outside the operating room. She was probably afraid that the person who woke up wasn’t Miguel.

"Dexter." I subconsciously tightened my grip on Dexter’s hand.

I hoped that Damien would be the one who had woken up. But at the same time, I knew that Daisy would go mad if that were the case.

"Don’t be afraid." Dexter held my hand tight and pulled me into his embrace. I nodded while waiting for the outcome.

It was just like opening a blind box-nobody knew if the original body now had a different soul.

Daisy eventually mustered the courage to walk in and stand by the bed.

The person lying on the bed still looked weak. He opened his eyes a few times before closing them again, as if his eyelids were too heavy.

Daisy stood by the bed with her breath held. Her overwhelming love was truly suffocating.

She had raised a clone subject of her own husband right by her side, wholeheartedly wanting him to take over the clone’s body.

I thought Damien was rather pitiful. His mother never loved him and only wanted his body and life. He had spent all his life being manipulated and was unable to have his love reciprocated.

"You" Daisy nervously started as soon as the doctor took away the oxygen mask. She didn’t know who was the one who had woken up.

The man on the bed glanced over at her somewhat helplessly. He then let out a soft sigh before closing his eyes.

Daisy nervously straightened up. That gaze evidently belonged to Miguel.

Did they actually succeed?

"Miguel-" she called out anxiously.

"This body is still tired, Mrs. Coleman. You should take it slow," the doctor softly comforted her.

Daisy nodded before wiping her tears and straightening up once again. "You should get some rest—"

Just as she was about to leave, the man on the bed suddenly extended his arm and weakly linked his pinky with hers. It was as if they had a promise only both of them knew.

Daisy stiffened, the corners of her eyes reddening rapidly. She turned back to look at the man, trembling slightly.

"Shouldn’t... have done it," the man said hoarsely. He was telling her that they shouldn’t have done that. "It’s against nature" He slowly closed his eyes as tears slipped out from the corners of his eyes. He was probably mourning for Damien, who was gone for good.

I stiffly stood behind Dexter, unconsciously tightening my grip on his arm.

Did Damien end up disappearing anyway?

Damien had no will to live, and Miguel didn’t want to die. Was that why the experiment had succeeded?

Miguel propped up his youthful body and cast a weak glance at his "other" body beside him. His gaze was beyond conflicted.

"Do you still remember what I told you before you entered the operating room, Miguel?" Daisy was a wary person. Although she could confirm that the man was indeed Miguel just by his gaze, his expression, and the way he spoke, she still asked him cautiously.

She had told Miguel a secret code before he lost consciousness. Only by answering it correctly could he prove to be the real Miguel.

Dexter and I were also paying closer attention as we alertly watched the man on the bed.