Chapter 2

"Let go of me!" I demanded calmly, gradually regaining my composure. I tried to keep my expression blank, avoiding any sign that I could see. Over the past three years I had been with him, Samuel had remained faithful to Yvette, never crossing the ultimate boundary with me. However, he had dressed me, kissed me, bathed me—things that pushed far past the line. I had once thought he did these things because he cherished me. But now, I finally understood—he was simply humiliating me, exacting cruel revenge for Yvette. "Looks like I've been far too kind to you. What's with the angry, humiliated look?" Samuel sneered coldly, pressing his fingers hard against my lips before swiping them across. To my surprise, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then let me go. "Change your clothes right here in front of me," he commanded, pulling me to my feet and settling himself leisurely on the edge of the bed. He even unzipped his jacket collar to cool off, his gaze lingering on my neckline as he swallowed hard. "Your friend is still waiting downstairs," I reminded him. Samuel stood abruptly, frowning as he zipped his jacket back up. I knew he wouldn't let Yvette wait too long downstairs, nor would he reveal his darker side in front of her. "Hurry up and come down. And don't test my patience again," he said before striding out of the room. The room fell into complete silence. I stumbled to sit on the bed, finally feeling a sense of reality. I had been reborn. The excruciating pain, as though I had fallen and smashed onto a boulder, couldn't have been a dream. Even now, the ache lingered in my tailbone and head. Suppressing the fear of death clawing at me, I changed into my ski suit, grabbed my cane, and headed downstairs. I wasn't the only guest staying on this floor. As I approached the elevator, a kind young man stepped forward to press the button for me. "Thank you," I said. "Don't mention it," he replied, his face flushing as he locked his gaze on me. "Which floor are you going to? I'll press it for you." "First floor, please," I answered. After he pressed the button, I asked, "By the way, is there a store around here?" "Yes, of course," the man responded. "By the way, I'm Jack Baker. Why don't you tell me what you need, and I'll go buy it for you? Do you have a number I can call, or—" I listed a few items, and when the elevator reached the first floor, Jack mumbled the list under his breath as he hurried out. Before long, he returned, panting slightly, and handed me a bag. "Here, I bought them for you." Feeling for the plastic bag, I replied, "Sorry, I don't have a phone. Why don't you leave me your contact number? I'll pay you back as soon as I can." I removed my gloves and held out my palm. "You can write it here." "No, no, no. That's not necessary. It wasn't much—" Jack stopped himself mid-sentence and added, "No, wait. If you insist, I'll take it. I-I'll leave you with my number. Just give me a second. I'll write it down for you. You can add me on WhatsApp with my phone number. When you're ready to pay me back, just send me a message." Jack's face flushed bright red as he asked the front desk for a pen. However, just as he was carefully writing the digits on my palm, the pen was abruptly snatched away. Toying with the pen between his fingers, Samuel smiled before snapping it in half with a sharp cracking sound. Jack frowned. "Sir, what are you—" "This is the woman I ordered from an app. First come, first served, right?" Samuel's voice was laced with coldness. My face turned deathly pale at his words. Jack froze for a moment, then looked at me in disbelief. "No way… You're what they call a… No, it can't be. I don't believe it. You—" Samuel, growing impatient, wrapped his arm around my neck and dragged me outside. My nails dug into my palms. They had been trimmed short, so they caused only a faint sting, but even that slight pain was enough to keep me clear-headed. I had to stay calm no matter what. I had to survive this new life—long enough to send Samuel to hell. Samuel grabbed the plastic bag from my hand and tossed it into the trash without even glancing at its contents. "Stop doing things that piss me off," he said. In my previous life, I often heard Samuel say that. Back then, I was naive enough to believe he said it out of jealousy. But now, it was clear he was simply venting his frustration at me for wasting his time. He felt sorry for his true love—Yvette—who was waiting outside in the cold. As soon as we stepped outside, the biting cold wind swept over us, but I gritted my teeth and endured it. Yvette, standing not far away, sneezed. Samuel strode across the snow and handed her the hand warmer he'd been carrying. "Take this before you catch a cold." Yvette's nose was red from the cold. She blinked her innocent eyes and said, "No, you should give it to Jules. Leonardo gave me one before I came here. One is enough." In truth, I didn't know Yvette well at this point. Yet despite it being our first meeting that day, she kept calling me "Jules", sounding so friendly and familiar. In my previous life, I had been completely fooled by such a warm address and thought of her as a friend. Samuel stubbornly pushed the hand warmer into Yvette's arms. "Mine's better." Yvette glanced at my frozen hands, then shifted her gaze, pouting as she tucked the hand warmer into her clothes. "Alright, alright, yours is better, Mr. Childish." I remained quiet, like an invisible presence. After regaining my sight, I noticed the world was somehow different from my memories. Clearly, Yvette was aware of what these people were doing to me. Yet she ignored it—and perhaps, she even orchestrated it all. As I was pondering, someone lightly bumped into me, nearly causing me to fall into the snow. "Sorry, I didn't see you there." I turned around and saw a young man smiling at me apologetically. "Is this your first time here?" he asked. "Want to hang out with me?" Before I could respond, Samuel stepped in and said impatiently, "Get lost!" Startled by Samuel, the man quickly walked away, his expression dark. "Jules sure is popular! All the men want to talk to her. But it's understandable. After all, Jules is the most beautiful lady I've ever met," Yvette said with a smile. She came closer, hooked her arm around mine, and waved her finger before my eyes innocently. "It's a pity Jules can't see. Samuel, will she regain her sight?" "It's not likely," Samuel replied, his expression still sour. Yvette sighed softly. "What a shame. She should see how beautiful this world is for herself!" I smiled silently. When Yvette said the same thing in my previous life, I felt deeply hurt and inferior. Now, I finally realized—she was intentionally rubbing salt into my wounds.