Chapter 9
Moonlight spilled into the bedroom, illuminating one side of Rowan’s sharply defined face-
his high–bridged nose, his sculpted jaw, the soft shadow of his Adam’s apple as it moved.
He was breathtaking.
“My lady,” he murmured, voice husky with restraint, his fingers burning hot as they brushed against mine, “are you… having indecent thoughts about your husband?”
Flushed red, I ducked into his arms and looked up at him seriously.
“When did you fall in love with me?”
That question had haunted me in my past life. In all my memories, I had no recollection of ever
meeting Rowan before. Not even his face.
Rowan reached into the drawer and pulled out a small wooden box. Inside it lay a faded cord,
knotted around a colorful seashell.
My breath caught. It was a shell bracelet. I’d made it as a child–my mother had taught me how.
“How… how do you have this?”
Rowan flicked a finger against my forehead, half teasing, half exasperated.
“You heartless little thing. You told me you’d marry no one else–and now you’ve forgotten all
about me?”
My gaze drifted to the tiny mole by the corner of his eye. And suddenly–everything came rushing
back.
I was seven years old, combing the tide pools, when I’d pulled an eighteen–year–old boy out of the water. He was beautiful, with clear eyes and gentle features–and that mole.
I’d given him mouth–to–mouth and saved his life. That boy… had been Rowan.
“You remember now? I’ve loved you ever since. That’s never changed.”
A childhood promise–silly and light at the time. But he had taken it seriously. He’d waited for me. Loved me for years.
In my past life, he had given up everything–his body, his soul–to protect me.
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I lowered my head and kissed him. Tears welled in my eyes, but this time–they were sweet.
Then the phone rang. It was Vivian.
“Serena… Adrian’s fading. He says he only has one wish left–to see you. I beg you… just give him
this.”
After hanging up, Rowan took me to the hospital.
Adrian lay alone in the sterile room, his face pale, lips nearly colorless. His eyelids struggled to stay
open.
The moment he saw me, he coughed up blood, breath catching in his throat.
“You came… Serena, I’m so sorry. I was wrong–I was so, so wrong. It wasn’t until yesterday that I realized how blind I’ve been. Lydia… she never loved me. It was you all along. If I had a second chance, I swear–I’d treasure you.‘
I looked at him without a word. My gaze cold. Distant. Then I turned to leave.
His voice cracked behind me, desperate. “Serena–there has to be a way, right? I remember your kind–Tidefolk. You have life–binding magic, don’t you? You don’t really love Rowan. You only married him to hurt me. I see that now. Please take his life and give it to me. I swear I’ll marry
you. You’ll be the one and only mistress of the Miller family.”
So that was it.
Even on his deathbed, he still wanted to twist my love into a weapon.
A
I turned and slowly walked back to his bedside. Met his eyes, which was full of regrets now.
And laughed.
“Who told you I don’t love Rowan?”
“I love him deeply. More than I ever loved you. Rowan isn’t like you–he truly loves me. He would never rip out my oxygen tube. He would never make me carry a child that wasn’t mine.”
Adrian’s bloodshot eyes widened, pupils trembling with disbelief.
I leaned down and studied his failing body.
“You’re not dying half as miserably as I did last time. But don’t worry–this is your punishment.”
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I unclasped the charm bracelet from his wrist. Instantly, he coughed up more blood. His body began to twist and convulse, a giant spectral clam began to swallow him whole.
The agony on his face… mirrored mine from my last life.
I turned and walked out of the room. Outside, Rowan seemed to sense the heaviness in my chest.
He looked at me with that soft, teasing expression.
“Still upset? Should I cheer you up with… a little seduction?”
One look at that annoyingly handsome face, and the gloom lifted.
I smiled and looked at him seriously.
“Rowan, as long as you’re by my side, I’m fine.”
That night, Adrian passed away. His body decayed rapidly–unnaturally.
There wasn’t even enough left to bury. Sebastian had no choice but to build a cenotaph in his honor. And Rowan once again became head of the family.
But this time, he was no longer the infamous grim–faced enforcer of the Miller legacy.
Now, he was just my hopelessly smitten husband, always doting, always clingy.
“My lady, can we be intimate tonight? I miss you. You work all day, chasing money, and your poor
husband is left all alone. So sad…”
Hearing the pout in his voice, I set my calculator aside, leaned in, and kissed his cheek.
“Okay, okay. Husband first. Always.”
This lifetime… I finally found a love that loved me back.
Chapter 9
