LOGINRealizing that so many people were watching—and even recording—his fierce argument with Eira right there, Kael finally lowered his hand, which had been about to tear Eira’s throat open with his sharp nails.
He then dragged Eira out of the café, leaving the people around them, including Lucas, who stood frozen in place.
Kael roughly shoved Eira into the passenger seat, then got into the car himself and immediately stepped on the gas pedal at full speed.
On the drive, neither of them spoke. Kael was still seething with pent-up anger, while Eira struggled to hold back her tears, feeling utterly disappointed at being accused—and even humiliated in front of everyone—by her own husband, as if she were the worst woman in the world.
“Get out!” Kael snapped as their car pulled into the driveway.
Eira remained silent in the car, trying to catch her breath, before Kael finally pulled her out of the car and into the house.
“You want to be fucked so badly, don’t you? I’ll give you what you want!” Kael threw Eira onto the sofa.
He took off his suit and tie—tossing them haphazardly aside. Kael began striding toward her while roughly unbuttoning his shirt one by one.
Far from being aroused, Eira was terrified to see Kael, who looked as if a demon possessed him. She crawled backward to get away, but Kael stopped her by pulling her leg closer.
“Strange—a whore shouldn’t be afraid of getting fucked, Eira,” he said condescendingly.
“I’m not a whore!” Eira protested.
“Oh, really? Didn’t you say yourself that you like your job as a whore?”
Cold sweat trickled down Eira’s temples. Her body was completely tense as she faced Kael, who was staring at her with eyes thirsty for blood. Her tongue was tied, making it so difficult to get the words out.
“I’ll pay you after I’ve had my way with you, Eira. Don’t worry. Just tell me what price you’re asking for your body,” he continued—bringing his face closer to Eira’s.
Instantly, Eira turned her head away—to avoid him.
She did want to have a child with Kael. But it was to be based on love and mutual consent. This wasn’t what she wanted. Kael was doing this out of anger and seemed to be out of his mind.
“I... I refuse to have sex with you!”
Eira roughly pushed Kael’s body away from her and stood up from the sofa. It was at that moment that she felt anger toward herself for having decided to fall in love and give a part of her soul to someone like Kael.
Her chest rose and fell as she felt an overwhelming tightness. Her throat began to feel as if it were being torn from the inside, causing unbearable pain.
Feeling his pride trampled by Eira, Kael dragged her back to the rear of the house, where a dark, filthy shed stood.
“I’ll find a man who’ll make you willing to have sex!” he said as he threw Eira into the shed.
Eira fell face-first onto the dusty floor. She got up, feeling dazed.
“No. Don’t punish me here, Kael. Really, I’m so afraid of the dark.” Eira crawled toward the door, but Kael immediately slammed it shut and locked it.
The warehouse became so dark that Eira could no longer see anything around her because not even the slightest sliver of light could get in. There wasn’t even a light bulb.
Eira began pounding on the door and crying out loudly, hoping for help. Her voice slowly faded as panic overwhelmed her in the face of the surrounding darkness.
“I’ll bring Lucas to have sex with you, Eira. So wait there!” It turns out Kael is still outside.
“No, no, no. I really didn’t do anything with Lucas. I work as a waitress at Lucas’s restaurant, Kael.” Eira finally told the truth amid her sobs.
“Don’t even try to lie to me!”
“By the Moon Goddess, I’m not lying. I want to lighten your burden, Kael. Don’t lock me up in here.”
For a moment, there was no response from outside. Eira kept pounding on the door until she heard the loud click of the lock, and it slowly swung open.
“You said you wanted to lighten my burden, didn’t you?” Kael asked.
Eira nodded quickly, then looked up at Kael, who was standing before her, still on his knees.
“Then die!” Kael cursed. “Die! That way, I’ll be the most grateful person because you won’t burden me.”
Kael ended his sentence with that curse before closing the door again and walking away.
Meanwhile, Eira suddenly fell silent. Even her sobs stopped. There were no more whimpers of panic and fear, even as the darkness began to engulf her body. Her thoughts lingered on Kael’s last sentence.
The silence lasted for a few moments and was broken when a violent coughing fit struck Eira once more. The pain was so much worse that Eira moaned helplessly and curled up in a corner of that dark, filthy room.
Meanwhile, Kael tried to vent his frustration on the streets. He drove recklessly, paying no attention to traffic at all.
Kael didn’t understand why he was so angry at the sight of Eira with another man. He was clearly aware and remembered perfectly well the moment he decided to let their relationship go—for a thousand sins—so they could be free from the red thread binding their souls.
But his body reacted by refusing to see Eira with another man, even though he himself openly brought women home, and Eira had witnessed it.
It’s also frustrating that Eira never says anything when he brings other women home.
“ARGH!” he screamed, slamming his fist against the steering wheel.
For a split second, Kael felt a glare that was impairing his vision out of the corner of his eye coming from his right. Before he could even turn his head, suddenly...
CRASH!
CRANG!
The car Kael was driving rolled violently after a massive collision with a large truck coming from the right.
Kael groaned loudly as he felt something hard and sharp pierce his eye, and within the next minute, he lost consciousness completely.
Kael meant what he said. He was so kind, doing everything Eira asked. If Eira said she didn’t want to see Kael, then Kael wouldn’t show his face. He listened to everything she said, hoping Eira would open her heart.Deep down, Kael still strongly believed that Eira might actually still love him. She had lost trust in him, so he was trying to regain her trust.“What kind of dress do you want for our wedding, Eira?” Kael asked on their way home.Kael always made a point of picking Eira up from work so she wouldn’t have to go home alone late at night.Sometimes Eira refused, but other times she accepted when she felt afraid to walk far by herself.“Anything. I’m not picky,” Eira replied without taking her eyes off the road.Kael let out a soft sigh. It turned out that Eira’s indifferent attitude actually hurt Kael’s feelings. Yet he couldn’t complain. How could he complain when his own behavior back then had been far, far worse than Eira’s attitude toward him now?“I think… there’s no ha
["Eira Crystalclaw."]A stir rippled through the crowd when Kael announced the name of the person destined to be his partner—a revelation broadcast live across the entire city.Eira had experienced this scenario three times before: once ending in marriage to Kael that lasted until her death; once being paired with Lucas because Kael had altered too many events after gaining a second chance at the past; and once again with Lucas—after she had finally traded away her capacity for love to the Moon Goddess.Eira truly desired no changes to her destiny. That was why she didn't even react when her name was called as Kael's destined soulmate.She had bartered away her love to secure a second chance at life—a chance to relive the past, but devoid of any feelings of love for anything or anyone.That was why the Hanahaki disease refused to leave her body; she had forcibly sacrificed her emotions. Even without that, the only way she had survived previously was through Kael’s love—a love for her
Eira stared at Kael with an expressionless gaze. She felt no anger, even though she knew everything Kael had done to her right up until the end of her life. Even now, just thinking about everything that had happened, there was no longer any pain gnawing at her soul.Everything felt fine—very fine. Flat.She had not the slightest desire to give vent to feelings of sadness, anger, or anything else.Her feelings were growing increasingly numb.“Forgive me for everything. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness after all I’ve done. But please… at least accept my apology.” This was the first time Kael had truly set aside his sky-high arrogance in front of Eira.He truly humbled himself until his voice trembled, his gaze dimmed, and he bowed his head, not daring to meet Eira’s eyes. Like a dog that lowers its ears and tail because it knows it’s guilty.Eira let out a soft sigh, without saying a word. Right now, she didn’t want to discuss anything with Kael at all.If only her life were stil
They never spoke to each other...Kael returned home empty-handed. Eira acted as if they had never had a relationship; to make matters worse, just as Kael wanted to say more, he was swarmed by apartment residents, shocked to see him visiting such a run-down, shabby building."Has Eira really forgotten everything?" Kael muttered softly.Something didn't add up. Based on the memories he had received from his future self, he knew full well that any attempt to alter the past could cause memory corruption in the people around them.Kael stared intently at his calendar.The year 2019.In his previous life—or rather, in the first timeline—this was the year he had loathed Eira more than anything else. Yet, ironically, it was also the year they had interacted the most.Even after the future Kael returned to the past, he hadn't tried to change much about 2019. He lived in confusion, grappling with the chaotic memories of his two souls."Doesn't that mean next year was supposed to be my wedding
[Don't kill Eira again. I beg you... I have no more chances to go back to the past. Everything depends on you...]The voices from his future self made Kael's head feel like it was about to split open."I know! Shut up, damn it!" Kael shouted, violently pounding his own head.He collapsed, struggling against a suffocating tightness in his chest that refused to subside. The mere thought of how terribly he had treated Eira caused his body even more agony. Kael didn't truly understand why this was happening.His emotions were in turmoil. It felt as though thousands of hot needles were piercing his body whenever he recalled his past actions—and the memories his future self had imparted to him.Sensing light trying to creep in through his closed eyelids, Kael snapped his eyes open and found himself curled up on the cold floor of his home."Eira..." he whispered, trying to call out to her, believing for a moment that she was there.There was no response. Only silence mingled with Kael's soft
There was no sound between them except for their short, overlapping breaths. Eira also kept her head down, as if ignoring Kael’s presence there.“Eira—”“I’m sorry, Kael,” Eira murmured. Her voice was faint, but since it was the only sound around them, Kael could still hear it very clearly.“Why are you apologizing? You didn’t do anything wrong.”Eira shook her head slightly. “I can’t repay the debt I owe for ruining your future,” Eira continued.“So, you really already knew about everything that happened?”Now Eira lifted her face and looked at Kael with a sparkle in her eyes, a faint yet sincere smile, and a posture that suggested she was perfectly at peace with what would befall her in the future—without the slightest bit of resentment toward Kael, who had destroyed everything.“It’s like a dream…” Eira’s sentence trailed off. Kael was still waiting for her to continue, but at the same time, his vision suddenly blurred.His head was so filled with the sounds of crying, regret, and







