Reborn in the Enemy's Embrace

"The truth is, Sophia didn’t push Juliet down the stairs," Jack stated between sobs as he leaned against the wall. "I saw everything from downstairs."

"Just get to the point!" Damien demanded coldly.

Jack said, "Eva and I were at your place that day. Juliet and Sophia got into a heated argument and Juliet... She accidentally fell down the stairs. It wasn’t Sophia’s fault."

Then, he cried and confessed, "Okay, I lied. I purposely framed Sophia... I didn’t speak up for her."

Without saying anything, Damien grabbed Jack’s collar. In a sudden burst of fury, he struck Jack squarely in the face.

Jack’s panic surged as the force of the punch struck him. "Why the hell are you hitting me?" he shouted desperately. "You were the one who doubted her!"

With uncontrollable rage driving him, Damien landed another punch on Jack as if he aimed to kill Jack.

I looked at Violette and asked, "No one’s going to die, right?"

Violette clenched her fists. "Well, Jack deserves it."

I nodded. Jack was unmistakably a scoundrel, and what he did to me would remain etched in my memory forever.

"Damien, why the hell are you still hitting me?" Jack coughed up blood. His agony deepened as he felt the jagged edge of a broken tooth.

"What makes you think you have the right to hit me? Do you think I’m blind to what’s happening between you and Sophia?

"You’ve slept with her, right? Yet, you refuse to admit it! Why?"

"Why is it acceptable for you to be intimate with her but not me? Every damn time I touched her, she went ballistic. Despite her pretense of innocence, you’ve been intimate with her..."

Jack had a habit of spilling everything when he was agitated.

Damien’s face turned red with embarrassment. He grabbed Jack’s head and slammed it against the wall. He roared, "Did you fucking touch her?"

Jack was terrified, and he tried to escape. Unfortunately, Damien caught him and pinned him against the wall again.

Damien shouted frantically, "Tell me, what did you do to her?"

I watched from the doorway and noticed Damien’s cold, indifferent smile as he confronted Jack. It made me wonder if Damien truly didn’t know what Jack had done to me.

It was during the Coleman family’s party that Jack tried to assault me sexually. Disheveled and distressed, I pleaded with Damien for help.

To my dismay, not only did he take Jack’s side, but Damien also accused me of intentionally behaving provocatively to seduce Jack. He even labeled me as cheap and dirty.

I thought that being reincarnated would rid me of such bitter memories, but reliving these painful moments still sent shivers down my spine.

I stormed into the room as my emotions were in turmoil. After shoving Damien aside, I grabbed Jack by the collar and smacked his face. Then, consumed by a frenzy, I continued to hit him relentlessly.

"Why don’t you go to hell!" My grip on Jack’s collar tightened as the urge to strangle him rose within.

Jack, battered by Damien’s earlier assault, lay sprawled on the ground. He looked at me with a feeble smile. "Sophia... you... you’re alive..."

When I heard that, my body tensed up, and I instinctively kicked his abdomen.

Suddenly, he laughed hysterically. "Sophia... I didn’t mean to kill you... it was never my intention." Amidst his laughter, tears cascaded down his cheeks, and soon, they turned into audible cries.

It dawned on me that his remorse wasn’t for killing me but for the consequences it brought upon him. He was grappling with the notion that my demise had shattered his world.

I screamed at Jack, "I can’t believe you think a simple ’I didn’t mean to kill her!’ will fix everything!"

"You’re damned! Your filthy sins will stick to you like stench forever! Just go to hell!" With uncontrollable rage, I kicked him frantically.

"And you, Damien! You’re no better!" I glared at him with my bloodshot eyes as I gritted my teeth. In my eyes, he bore the weight of utmost condemnation.

His suspicious gaze lingered on me as he asked, "Who are you?"

I took a deep breath and smiled sarcastically. "I’m your mother."

Damien lowered his head and chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"No, it can’t be... she’s already dead," he muttered, retreating a step and bracing himself against the wall. "She’s long gone! Even if you bear her likeness... you’re not her."

My fists tightened as I shot him a look of pure disgust. "Sophia didn’t push Juliet down the stairs. Both of you are murderers! You both deserve punishment!"

Violette hurried over and pulled me away. "Damien, open your eyes! It’s Juliet who’s been setting up Sophia from the start. She’s the one who killed Sophia!"

Damien said nothing as he leaned against the wall.

Violette frowned at Damien. "Even after everything that’s come to light, you’re still defending Juliet?"

"She fell down the stairs on her own. She probably didn’t see properly... She thought it was Sophia. Also, Jack was lying..." He tried to defend Juliet, but his tone betrayed his uncertainty.

What was he trying to justify? He was just defending himself by supporting her.

I knew he would deny any involvement in what had happened to me, no matter how damning the evidence might be.

"Sophia, I... I thought you were dead. But why are you haunting me? Just leave me alone!" Jack’s words were slurred from drinking before Damien hit him. Now, he was even more agitated.

He wiped blood from his mouth and pointed at Damien. "You’ll pay for what you did, Damien. You should be the one she’s after, not me."

His words were desperate. "Sophia, I swear it wasn’t me who caused your death. It was him. He let you die for Juliet, not me."

Damien glared at Jack. His hands clenched tightly until his knuckles turned white. It was clear that Jack’s words had struck Damien’s nerves.

"Jack!"

Suddenly, Eva Turner barged in with a group of people. She was Juliet’s sister and just as mean. Eva led the bullying against me in school.

Juliet’s voice, choked with sobs, called out from outside the door. "Damien..."

Moments later, she appeared, and a surge of anger rose within me at the sight of her.

Juliet’s hand was on her belly, and her eyes were swollen with tears. "Damien, I’m not sure if what Jack said is true. I was indeed arguing with Sophia, and then I fell. But that’s all I know..."

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she continued, "Damien, I swear I don’t know." She tried to sound vulnerable."

Then, she doubled over in pain, clutching her stomach and leaning against the wall. "Damien, my stomach hurts..."

Damien stood perfectly still. His eyes reflected a myriad of emotions as he looked at Juliet.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked at him. "Damien, perhaps this baby... it’s Sophia’s way of making amends with you."

"She couldn’t bring her own child into this world... If she were still here, she’d surely have your child. That’s why we must protect our unborn child for Sophia’s sake."

I stared at her in disbelief. Could Juliet, of all people, really be showing empathy?

"You make me sick!" I approached and slapped Juliet. Who did she think she was, causing me such revulsion?

"Who the heck are you?" Eva confronted me angrily.

"Damien..."

Juliet pretended to have a stomach ache and fainted.

Damien rushed over, pushing me aside before swooping her in his arms. I staggered as he whisked her away.

Despite Jack’s revelations, Damien stubbornly held onto his trust in Juliet, refusing to waver.

"Damien, Juliet is the one who killed Sophia," Violette shouted. "I’ll gather evidence, ensure she’s brought to justice, and face the consequences!"

Damien’s conflicted expression remained unchanged as he glanced at Violette. With Juliet in his arms, he didn’t utter a word as he walked away.

"Violette, you’re quite persistent, huh?" Eva smirked, glancing between Violette and me. "And you’ve got a partner in crime, too? Is it just the two of you?"

She glanced at the people beside her. "Do you think you can just show up uninvited and start throwing punches? How can I keep my reputation intact if I don’t put my foot down?"

Violette stood on guard as she eyed Eva, and her group approached. She instinctively tugged me behind her.

Eva attempted to strike me, but her arm was swiftly intercepted.

As I retreated, I stumbled into a solid chest. He pulled me close with one arm, shielding me, while his fierce gaze bore into Eva.

His voice, deep and threatening, cut through the tension. "Lay a finger on my woman... and I’ll kill you."

Eva’s eyes widened in fear as she stared at Black. "You... it’s you! You’re that lunatic, the murderer..."

Upon hearing that, I was surprised and arched my eyebrows at him. "What... how..." It puzzled me why he would come here when he should have been resting at home