Reborn in the Enemy's Embrace

The air fell quiet for a moment.

I sat on the couch, my fingers tensed up. "What?"

I thought I heard it wrong.

Or, could it be possible that my memory was wrong?

I recalled that I was in 12th grade that year. I was exhausted after all my studies, so I fell

asleep as soon as I got into the car.

In my memory, Dad drove for a long way. I couldn’t remember where we were headed, but I remembered lying on Mom’s lap, sleeping soundly.

"Turn down the music. Sophia’s sleeping." I vaguely heard Mom softly scolding Dad.

"Andy asked me to meet at the Hymn Bridge. Let’s head over there."

I couldn’t quite recall Dad’s exact words, but I remembered feeling excited to meet

someone.

"Isn’t that Andy’s car?" Mom asked.

"The orphanage has fostered two geniuses, and the superiors have high expectations for them. This is a good opportunity to promote our cause and inspire more people to join the public welfare movement. We have to raise awareness about orphaned and neglected.

children..."

Bang!

The moment Dad stopped the car, a loud bang echoed, and a powerful impact nearly threw me out of the car.

"Sophia..."

My final memory froze as Mom held me tightly, sheltering me in her arms.

Her blood mingled with mine.

"Sophia..."

"Stay alive..."

"Sophia... Sophia!"

But I couldn’t recall anything beyond the crash. I was stunned the moment it happened.

I couldn’t tell when it occurred, or how much time passed. It just felt as though time had frozen.

All I remembered was that when I regained consciousness, Damien was there beside me and was repeatedly calling my name.

I also vaguely remembered a figure rushing into the flames, risking his life to get Mom and Dad out of the car...

And then, the figure gradually merged with Damien’s.

Could it be that my memory was distorted?

Aunty Lisa continued, "It was the day of the award ceremony and the children’s graduation ceremony at Double Stars Welfare Home. Sophia’s parents and I had agreed to meet there. Then, when I saw the car accident on the bridge, I realized that Sophia’s parents and Andy Black were involved in it."

"It was a terrible accident. The Carlsons and the Blacks were caught between a dump truck that was traveling in the wrong direction and an overloaded semi–truck. The Blacks were instantly killed."

Aunty Lisa sobbed and continued her story.

"According to witnesses, a teenage boy had bravely rushed into the flames to save Sophia. But when Sophia woke up, she couldn’t recall who had saved her, so she

assumed it was Damien.

"But before I could tell Sophia the truth, Damien had already taken the credit... I was surprised, but I didn’t want to meddle, so I never imagined that it would bring harm to Sophia!"

I sat on the couch, bewildered.

I stiffly stared at Aunty Lisa, feeling as if my head were about to explode.

Apparently, your own memory could deceive you, especially in times of immense trauma and shock.

The brain would fabricate false memories of the moments preceding unconsciousness.

I always thought that Damien was the one who saved me, and I’d never once doubted it.

And whenever I asked Damien about it, he would quietly concede too.

"Damien’s father and I were on bad terms, so Damien never received the love he deserved from a young age. He knows how to possess, but not to love."

Aunty Lisa wiped her tears before continuing, "I was close friends with Sophia’s mom, so we arranged Damien and Sophia’s marriage early on. We hoped to be in–laws someday."

"Damien was a rebellious kid with opinions of his own. And if he didn’t like Sophia, he would never accept the arrangement. Yet, he’d quietly accepted it. So, I knew Damien liked Sophia. He really did! Though he never admitted it."

"Sorry, Mrs. Coleman. The Damien that you just described seems to be different from the man Sophia described to me," I interrupted Aunty Lisa’s story because I refused to believe that Damien had loved me.

I shook my head and added, "Love isn’t about possessing or hurting someone. Yet, Damien had brought Sophia nothing but pain. No matter what his reasons were, it doesn’t change the fact that Damien had lied to Sophia and caused her significant

harm."

Aunty Lisa lowered her eyes and said, "Ms. Miller, Sophia loved Damien. She loved him deeply... Can’t you give Damien another chance, for Sophia’s sake? Damien’s the president of the Coleman Group, and his reputation carries weight on the fate of the entire corporation. He cannot afford any tarnish on his record."

Aunty Lisa was trying to convince me that Damien had also loved Sophia. And so, I should give him another chance for Sophia’s sake.

"Why didn’t you tell Sophia the truth? You had so many chances..." I asked in a hoarse voice.

Was I blaming Aunty Lisa? Perhaps a little....

"Because I loved Sophia dearly as if she were my own daughter. Since Sophia was in love with Damien, I was looking forward to the day Damien would marry her. Then, we could finally be a real family.

"I prayed that Damien would one day recognize his true feelings and treat Sophia with care. I knew Damien loved Sophia too..."

I laughed with my head down as welled up with tears.

Suddenly, I realized how selfish people could be at times.

During my days in the Coleman family, did Aunty Lisa not notice the harm and emotional abuse Damien had inflicted upon me?

Was she not aware that I constantly felt like I was walking on eggshells living under someone else’s roof?

All she needed to do was tell me that Damien wasn’t the one who rescued me, and I wouldn’t have had to tolerate Damien out of my sense of indebtedness toward him.

I too, had my own dignity and pride.

If I had known that I wasn’t indebted to Damien, I wouldn’t have let him hurt me. I

would have had the freedom to choose whether or not to love him

I shouldn’t have been bound by him. I could have called the police when Damien forced me to do things against my will and let him get the punishment he deserved.

However, because I had believed I owed him for rescuing me and my parents’ bodies. from that fire, I tolerated his emotional abuse and torture for so

years

All of this could have been avoided if Aunty Lisa had just told me the truth.

Yet, she and her son held me captive in the name of love. One was afraid of me leaving while the other had claimed it to be love.

"So, do you know who rescued Sophia, Mrs. Coleman?" I took a deep breath, tightened my hands, and looked up at Aunty Lisa.

Since Damien wasn’t the one who saved me, I had no reason to show mercy to him

anymore.

He was the reason me and my unborn child had died! He and Juliet had to pay for what they did!

Aunty Lisa shook her head. "The person left when we arrived. There were no surveillance cameras on the bridge too, so no one knew who saved you."

"But according to the witnesses, it was a teenage boy. I placed ads to find him, but no one came forward. I’ve never stopped asking around since."

I silently lowered my head.

"Ms. Miller, could you please give Damien another chance? I hope we can settle this in private..." Aunty Lisa said with a gentle voice.

I was aware that she wouldn’t sound so gentle anymore if I turned her down again this time.

Before Damien took over the company, Aunty Lisa had been running the company alone. She was a strong and decisive woman.

"Sorry." I shook my head.

I would not compromise again, Damien Coleman.

"Damien’s abduction charge won’t hold, so that leaves only the assault accusation that you’ve made against him. However, it appears that you haven’t suffered any harm, Ms. Please check Sophia".

"There are better ways to handle this, ways that won’t lead to a feud between our families," Aunty Lisa’s voice turned cold.

"What he’s done to me goes beyond physical injury. He abducted me, threatened my husband, and even mentally abused him. I will not tolerate any of this," I stated solemnly and firmly.

After a moment of silence, Aunty Lisa placed her phone in front of me.

On the screen were images of Dexter, still homeless at the time, holding an abused

animal.

He was covered in blood and was cradling a kitten that had been severely abused and mutilated.

"Since the Black family wants to wage a public relations battle, the Coleman family will see it through to the end," Aunty Lisa declared.

With that, she stood up and left.