Chapter 2

In the middle of the night, Madelyn jolted awake from a terrifying nightmare. She sat up abruptly, her forehead drenched in sweat. In an instant, a familiar scent of disinfectant invaded her nostrils, the one she detested above all. Madelyn paused for a brief moment, questioning herself, 'Am I not dead? Why am I still alive?' Just then, a click echoed, and the once-dark hospital room was light up. The lights were strong that made her hard to open her eyes. A man's icy voice sounded. "Did you have a nightmare?" He strode forward with long steps, approaching her bedside. His tall figure blocked the light, and his long shadow enveloped Madelyn. "Z-Zach?" Madelyn looked up. As she caught a glimpse of the man's face, her eyes widened, and a look of terror washed over her. "Stay away!" she thought, 'Why am I back in the clutches of this devil?' Instinctively, she recoiled, trying to prevent him from approaching further. Madelyn's mind was in chaos. The sight of Zach filled her with overwhelming fear and despair, suffocating her. Zach's movement froze. As his narrow eyes shot her a cold glare, his handsome face darkened. "I'll go get the doctor," the man's hoarse voice sounded intimidating. With the sound of the door slamming shut, Madelyn's nerves finally relaxed. Anxious, Madelyn threw off the covers. Suddenly, a sharp, piercing pain emanated from her wrist. She lowered her head and noticed her wrist wrapped in gauze. She wondered, 'Did I cut my wrist?' Enduring the pain, Madelyn reached for the cellphone on the bedside table. Pressing the buttons, she glanced at the calendar. The moment she saw the date, she was numb with disbelief. It was the year she turned eighteen. Struggling to piece together her fragmented memories, Madelyn realized that she was currently hospitalized, seemingly because she had resorted to cutting her wrist in an attempt to force Zach to be her boyfriend. Zach had become Hayson Jent's godson when Madelyn was ten years old. Her true feelings for him had blossomed when she was fifteen, on the day when Zach saved her from an attack by their family's mastiff. The dog had suddenly gone into a frenzy and lunged at her. Zach shielded her with his own body, but his arm bled because the dog clamped onto it firmly. His voice echoed in Madelyn's ears, "Don't be afraid! Close your eyes." Trembling, she felt the warmth of his gaze upon her before closing her eyes... Madelyn couldn't forget the sense of security that Zach provided back then. Zach was now in his twenties. He exuded a mature aura beyond his years. His features were strikingly handsome, with well-defined eyebrows and sparkling eyes. He had broad shoulders, a slender waist, and a lean hip. However, he always maintained a cold demeanor and rarely displayed a smile. Just a few days prior, it had been Zach's birthday, and Madelyn had planned to surprise him by becoming a gift herself. She had undressed and laid on his bed, thinking that she was now an adult capable of anything. Zach returned in the early morning. As soon as he saw her on the bed, he flung her off with disgust and scolded her for her audacity. She had never seen him that furious before. That night, Zach stormed out of the room, purposefully avoiding her for several days. No matter how diligently Madelyn searched, she couldn't find any trace of him. In desperation, she cut her wrist to force him to appear. Madelyn was gripped with fear as she thought of the tragic end she’d ended up with after being with Zach in her previous life. A few minutes later, the doctor in charge of Madelyn rushed into the room along with his colleagues. Zach stood at the doorway, his face clouded with gloom. He glanced at Madelyn’s face coldly. He wondered, 'When Madelyn first woke up and looked at me, her eyes were filled with fear and despair. Why is she terrified of me?' After assessing Madelyn's condition and consulting his colleagues, the doctor said to Zach, "The patient's fever has subsided, and she can undergo the discharge process tomorrow. Regarding the wound on her wrist, please ensure she keeps it dry once she's back home. She can return to the hospital after a week to have the stitches removed." A faint hint of relief softened the man's previously stern expression as he added, "Thank you." The doctor didn't linger and left the room with his colleagues after providing a few instructions. Left alone in the small room with Zach, Madelyn lay on the bed uneasily. She purposedly kept her eyes shut to avoid meeting his eye. Zach glanced at his wrist to check the time and spoke softly, "I have a meeting in half an hour. I need to return to the company. I'll come to pick you up tomorrow at eight in the morning to take care of the discharge procedures." Madelyn pressed her lips together. Zach always rejected her love but showed kindness to her. That gave her an illusion that he deeply loved her. She didn’t want to speak or look at him. The pain she had suffered in her past life hadn't faded yet. She couldn’t face him calmly. Seeing Madelyn's silence, Zach's eyes narrowed with a dark intensity. A trace of displeasure flickered in his gaze. "Don't hurt yourself like this again. If you desire a relationship, seek someone else. I am not suitable for you," Zach declared firmly. Madelyn’s heart constricted at his words; they were exactly the same as what Zach had said in her previous life. She still vividly recalled that, after he had uttered those words, she wept inconsolably and even tried to end her own life. Yet, Zach responded with icy indifference, stating, "If you wish to die, it’s your choice." Madelyn had already experienced death once. Her love for Zach had been eroded by countless days of despair. She opened her eyes and regarded Zach with a calm gaze. In her heart, she uttered, 'Zach Jardin, from this moment onward, I no longer love you.'