Chapter 2
ALINA’S POV
still
skin My eyes shot open in sheer terror, and I let out a scream, tears streaming down my cheeks. The burning sensation on my there, and as I frantically tried to claw at my body, I realized, my hands were cuffed to the headboard of the bed I was lying on
Panic surged through me as I blinked away the tears, my eyes darting around in confusion like a scared mouse, desperately trying to make sense of what was happening.
“What’s going on? Let me go!” I yelled, my voice trembling with fear as I struggled against the cold metal cuffs, my wrists already raw from my frantic attempts to break free.
I wasn’t dead
I wasn’t in that burning warehouse.
1 was
alive. Cuffed, but alive.
“Adrian‘ Seraphina!” I called out, my voice cracking under the weight of my emotions.
Was this their doing? Another one of their sick games? Had they come up with new ways to torment me?
A deep, anger–laden voice sliced through the silence, sending chills down my spine.
“It’s bad enough that you tried to elope with your lover on the night of our engagement, but calling out for him? You really are testing my patience, doll.” Only one person ever calls me that.
A figure stepped out from the shadows, emerging into the dim light.
Lucian
My breath caught in my throat. My heart raced in my chest.
He wasn’t dead.
He was here, alive.
Wait.. I had been reborn.
“You… you’re alive.” I managed to choke out, tears of relief spilling down my face. “Please, uncuff me.” I pleaded, my voice thick with
emotion
All I wanted to do was to wrap my arms around him.
Lucian scoffed, his tone icy. “You think crying will make me uncut you?” His cold hazel eyes were filled with nothing but resentment and anger
And I couldn’t blame him
I had humiliated him.
Memories of this night four years ago flooded back to me. I remembered it all too vividly. This was supposed to be our engagement ceremony, but I had listened to Seraphina’s venomous instigations and tried to run away with Adrian. Lucian had caught us before we could escape.
“Lucian, please.” I whispered, my tear–filled eyes locking onto his
A flicker of surprise danced in his eyes. I understood why, I’d never actually called him by his name before. Not once. I always stuck to Mr. Blackwood, even though I knew how much he hated it. This was the first time I had ever uttered his name aloud.
But just as quickly as the shock appeared, it faded, replaced by his familiar cold indifference.
“You’d do anything just to be with your lover, wouldn’t you?” He scoffed. “Too bad I’m not falling for your tricks. You’ll stay cuffed to that bed until you realize that beside me is where you will always belong.”
“I won’t run away again, Lucian. I promise.” My voice was soft, laced with sincerity.
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Chapter 2
For a fleeting moment, his icy gaze softened, but he quickly masked it.
He turned to leave, but I couldn’t let him walk away like this,
I had been given another chance, a chance to make things right. And I refused to let history repeat itself.
“My wrists hurt.” I murmured, barely above a whisper, a pout forming on my lips.
Lucian froze mid–step. Slowly, he turned to face me. His eyes lingered on my pouted lips for just a moment before shifting to my pale wrists, now raw and reddened from my desperate struggles against the cuffs.
A flicker of pain crossed his face.
Then, without a moment’s hesitation, he rushed to my side.
If there was one thing I remembered about Lucian, it was that no matter what I did to him in the past life, he could never stand to see me in pain.
“I’m sorry.” He said, his deep voice softer this time. He pulled a small key from his pocket and unlocked the cuffs.
My eyes never left his face.
The moment my wrists were free, he stepped back, creating distance between us, aware of how much I had hated him being close to me in our past life.
But before he could retreat any further, I threw myself into his arms, wrapping him in a tight embrace, my face buried in his neck.
I held onto him as if my life depended on it.
Because this time, maybe it really did.
Lucian’s whole body tensed against mine, but honestly, I didn’t care. He was alive, that was all that mattered to me right now.
“I’m going to protect you this time. I’ll stay right by your side. I won’t go anywhere.” I whispered into his ear, my voice shaking with determination.
I knew he might think I was rambling or that the chloroform they used to knock me out earlier was still clouding my mind. But I meant every single word.
After what felt like an eternity, he pulled hack, his hands gripping my shoulders as his piercing hazel eyes searched my face. For what, I couldn’t say. And truthfully, I didn’t care.
All I wanted to do was to love him better in this life.
“What do you think you’re doing?” He asked, his voice low and filled with suspicion
“I’m not letting you leave the mansion if this is your idea of another little stunt, doll.” His tone had a warning edge, but all I could do smile.
He had always said I looked like a porcelain doll–with my flawless pale skin, big gray eyes, and delicate features. I used to hate that nickname, but now, hearing him say it made my heart swell.
WILS
His expression shifted, confusion mixed with something deeper, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. His gaze had been more intense since the moment I saw him, his presence heavier, more possessive. It felt like he was hiding something
I pushed that thought aside and met his gaze with unwavering resolve.
“I don’t want to go anywhere, Lucian,” I said softly, my smile bright as I wrapped my arms around his neck again. “I want to stay right here with you.
His entire body went stiff.
“Stop it. Just stop it!” He growled, roughly prying my arms from around him and taking a few steps back.
“Stop what?” I asked, confused, moving toward him again. “You want me by your side, don’t you?”
Suddenly, his hand wrapped around my throat–not tight enough to hurt, but just enough to keep me still. His eyes burned into mine, dark and blazing with fury.
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“You really expect me to believe that, out of nowhere, you suddenly want to be obedient?” He said, his voice dropping to a dangerously low tone. “You’ve been pushing back against me, defying me since the very first moment crossed paths. And now, just like that, you
want to play nice?”
He leaned closer, his breath warm against my skin, his grip firm and unyielding.
“Whatever game you’re playing, you’d better cut it out. Because I swear if this is just another trick, I’ll kill that lover of yours and make sure those pretty legs of yours are broken so you can’t escape me ever again.”
Let him kill Adrian. Honestly, I didn’t care.
I was planning to take that bastard down myself soon enough.
Right now, the only thing that mattered was earning Lucian’s trust.
“I don’t care about Adri-“I began, but he interrupted me sharply..
-Don’t you
dare say his name in front of me
Before he could finish his thought, I grabbed his face and pulled him in for a kiss.
AD
