Reborn in the Enemy's Embrace

"The weather’s perfect today, Sophia. How about we register our marriage today, just like you’ve promised me?" Damien seemed eager to register our marriage.

I looked at him for a moment, feeling inexplicably resistant. "I keep feeling that my mind’s a mess right now. How about we head down to meet up with our friends first, and we’ll talk about it later?"

I suggested going down the mountain, looking at him.

"Sophia..." Damien subconsciously held my hand tight. "It’s not safe to head down the mountain.

"You’ve seen what’s happening with the exposure of Genome Society-everything is still unsettled and everyone’s fearful. It’s quieter and safer up in the mountains."

"Your memory hasn’t fully recovered yet, so it’s normal for your mind to be a mess. I’ll stay here with all of you, and we can head back down after a while, okay?" he said, seeming a little nervous.

I nodded before leaning back against the couch.

"Dexter," I instinctively called out a name.

I did it subconsciously. Who was Dexter?

Damien evidently stiffened before turning to me, his gaze wavering. "Are you calling for Stevie, Sophia?" Stevie turned to look at me and gave me a bark.

I rubbed my temple. Why would I call out for "Dexter’? Was it supposed to be Stevie?

"Why do I keep thinking about someone who’s supposed to stay by my side?" I mumbled.

"It’s your PTSD, Sophia. The doctor said that your mind created a person to stay by your side and protect you when you were scared and anxious, but this person doesn’t exist in reality,’ Damien patiently explained. I nodded, somewhat getting what he meant.

Feeling tired, I got up and looked at Ashton and Xan. I told Damien, ’You should stay and play with the kids for a bit. I’m sleepy, so I’ll head to sleep first.’

I drifted off into a deep sleep as soon as I returned to my room.

I dreamed of a vast lawn with flowers, forest, sunshine, and a flowing stream.

Ashton and Xan were running freely while playing with kites under the sun. Stevie was running with them too.

I smiled softly as I sat on the lawn. Time seemed to stand still, and everything seemed so beautiful.

There was a man by my side. I couldn’t make out his face clearly in the dream, but he was holding my hand.

In the dream, my gaze remained focused on his hand that was tightly holding mine. It was a hand covered in scars.

Everything felt so blurry, yet that hand was oddly clear.

"Dexter," I called out instinctively again.

The sky was dark by the time I woke up. Damien entered the room holding a glass of water and some pills." It’s time for your medicine, Sophia."

I looked at the pills in his hands and swallowed them without a second thought.

"I’ve got some work to take care of at the office, Sophia. You can get some rest at home. Good night. Damien kissed my forehead before he got up and left.

Those pills made me sleepy. I felt drowsy all day long. Even though I just woke up, I quickly became tired again after taking the medicine.

I suppressed my drowsiness and sat up. I didn’t feel like sleeping for some reason.

I wanted to look at the sky.

I walked to the balcony on the second floor and stood there watching the sky. The sky was covered with dark clouds, completely blocking the stars.

Suddenly, I heard some noises coming from the courtyard. I warily glanced over.

Damien’s car had already left the villa, speeding away down the winding mountain road. I headed downstairs with a flashlight, finding the villa eerie and unsettling for some reason.

"Who’s there?" I walked out to the courtyard and stared at a corner. There was no answer.

Ashton and Xan were already asleep. The courtyard was eerily silent.

Suddenly, a figure emerged, covered in blood and dressed in torn clothes. It was evident that they had just escaped from somewhere. "Don’t take those medicines, miss! Don’t take them! They’re trying to change you! Don’t believe in any of them-don’t trust them!"

The person madly clutched at my hands, yelling out strange things.

I was startled and backed off in fear. I could only make out the person’s face after I calmed down. "Ms. Ewing?" Ms. Ewing stumbled onto the ground and looked at me intently. "They’re trying to change you, miss. You’re no longer yourself. Please don’t let them get away with this. Don’t take those pills."

Stevie ran out upon hearing the commotion and started barking. The next moment, the bodyguards rushed in and took her away.

I stared in shock at Damien, who had just returned. "Isn’t she Ms. Ewing?"

He rushed toward me and pulled me into his embrace. "It’s all my fault, Sophia. Ms. Ewing couldn’t take it and lost her mind. I’ll take care of it. Just listen to me.’

Stunned, I watched them drag Ms. Ewing away. She lost her mind?

She asked me not to take the medicine because they were changing me? What did that mean?

"Go to the basement," Ms. Ewing mouthed those words to me before she was dragged into a car.

She asked me to go to the basement.

I stood numbly in place. I couldn’t register any of Damien’s comforting words in my mind.

What kind of secret was hidden in the basement?

"Go back to sleep, Sophia." Damien took my hand and led me back to the living room. He only left after seeing me head upstairs.

I stood on the balcony, watching his car drive away into the distance once again.

Was Ms. Ewing’s escape the work he had to take care of at the office?

I felt confused. Why did I feel that everything and everyone around me was fake, as if everything in my life was a lie?

I carefully went down to the basement after finding the flashlight.

There were three levels to the basement. I didn’t know which level Ms. Ewing wanted me to go to. So, I decided to head straight to the third level, making my way up level by level.

The basement was dimly lit. I couldn’t tell if it was because of the old wiring or if someone had deliberately cut the power, leaving it pitch-black.

Suddenly, something scurried past my feet. Without thinking I lifted my foot and crushed the scurrying rat beneath.

I felt numb both physically and mentally.

I looked down at the lifeless rat on the ground and took a deep breath. I backed away in fear and bumped into a cabinet as reality sat in.

Did I just kill a rat emotionlessly?

I knocked into something on the cabinet, and a box fell onto the ground. Its contents were scattered out, containing some books, old photos, and also some handwritten notes.

I crouched down and looked at the photos on the ground. Among them was an old photo with a woman who looked a lot like me. The man looked familiar as well.

They were taking a commemorative photo on the mountain, looking happy as the young man hugged the woman

I turned the photo over and saw the delicate handwriting behind it. It said, "A memento of Sarah Leigh and Andy Black.’

Sarah Leigh... Andy Black...

My head hurt so bad. For some reason, I found those two names familiar.

I flipped through the photos on the ground. They were mostly photos of Andy and Sarah, as well as photos of only Sarah alone.

The handwritten notes showed a young woman’s innocent hopes for love and her dreams for the future.

In the letters, this young woman named Sarah was filled with dreams and hopes as she described their future to her lover. She mentioned Andy in nearly every paragraph.

She wrote, "Meeting you is the luckiest thing that has ever happened to me. I want to marry you and start a family together."

Sarah probably wasn’t the most skilled in literacy; her letters weren’t the most moving, yet they were sincere. Her words expressed her joy and dreams.

She wrote, "I want to bear your children. I like daughters. What about you?"

There was Andy’s reply in the letter. He wrote, "I want a son. Even though I don’t mind having either, I need to have a son to get my father off my back."

He also wrote, "I’m hiding you here. Listen to me and don’t go anywhere. I’ll take you home once I deal with the problems."

It wasn’t hard to tell that the two of them initially loved each other. But the tone of Sarah’s handwritten notes gradually changed, andher words grew hostile.

She wrote, "I want to kill you so that you’ll stay with me forever."