LOGINJust as Lance's knife was about to reach me, a tall figure suddenly stepped between us and kicked him hard to the ground.It was Jace.Lance tried to get up again, but Jace kicked him once more—this time with enough force to keep him down. Only when he was sure that Lance had completely lost the ability to move did Jace turn to me, his voice soft but urgent."Are you all right? Did he hurt you?"I shook my head, my gaze fixed on Lance, who was still twitching on the floor. "He escaped from prison," I said. "We should call the police before this gets worse."With the state Lance was in, even if I survived tonight, someone else might not be so lucky. The safest thing was to send him back—permanently.Jace nodded and immediately dialed the police.Within minutes, armed officers stormed in and pinned Lance to the ground. He struggled wildly, eyes burning with venom as he glared at me."Don't look so proud," he hissed. "One day I'll come back for you, and then we'll finally—"Befor
Before long, I received a message from my lawyer—Lance's trial was about to begin.The verdict was exactly what I'd expected: life imprisonment.If nothing went wrong, he'd spend the rest of his life behind bars.I paid a hefty sum to the inmates assigned to his cell, instructing them to make his days unbearable. Every time he was on the verge of breaking, I would show up and offer him words of encouragement.After a while, the game began to lose its thrill. I set his punishment aside and threw myself into work instead.It didn't take long for me to realize how unprepared I still was. I had too much to learn, too much to catch up on. Just as I decided to settle into study and self-discipline, someone appeared before me in a prison uniform.I froze. It was Lance.He had escaped.His once-handsome face was now drawn and colorless, his features sunken and gray. Though he was only in his twenties, he looked closer to sixty. His eyes were wild, and there was something unhinged about
A faint, bitter smile flickered across Lance's face.He looked hollow, as if whatever life had been in him had been drained away. He stared at me and murmured, "I hurt you for so many lifetimes. I don't deserve your forgiveness.""Why was I so stupid?" he went on, voice breaking. "You loved me so plainly, and I— I chose that bitch Natasha."I stared at him, unable to hide my incredulity. "You mean you were reborn those three lifetimes too?" I asked.He nodded, pain carved into his features. "Yes. And each time, I threw myself at Natasha. Even when I knew she'd hurt you, I did nothing to stop her. I thought you were the obstacle between us. I even told myself it wouldn't be so bad if she removed you—then we could live off your inheritance."He sounded stunned by his own confession, as if only now did he understand how absurdly wrong he'd been.His words chilled me. He'd been reborn with me every time, and every time he'd let Natasha ruin me. That thought made my hatred for him d
As Lance heard Natasha's words, the regret on his face twisted into something darker, something cruel. He glared at her, his eyes filled with venom. "What did I ever do to you that you'd ruin me like this?"He had given her everything. He'd cast me aside for her, thinking she was worth it. And now she was standing there, mocking him. The betrayal cut deeper than any wound.Natasha stepped closer, her tone dripping with disdain as she patted his handsome face. "You didn't actually think I ever liked you, did you? If it weren't for the fact that you had Alana behind you, I wouldn't have bothered to look at you twice."Lance froze, staring up at her in disbelief.He had always been good-looking, but he was never rich. All those years, he'd been living off the money I gave him, surviving because of me. Without me, he really had nothing."You mean," he said hoarsely, "you were only with me to drain whatever use I had left?"Natasha didn't even hesitate. She nodded. "You know what ki
Lance's words caught me off guard. In that instant, I was sure of it—he'd been reborn too.I looked at him, a faint, mocking smile tugging at my lips."I chose Jace," I said. "You should know exactly why. So why bother asking? As for your claim that I'm doing it to spite you—do you really think I'd use my marriage as some kind of joke?"His face twisted, the rage in his eyes almost feral."So all those vows of love you made to me before—they were lies? You can't even forgive me for something so small?" His voice rose, trembling with indignation. "Women—never a word of truth from any of you."He spoke with righteous fury, as if I were the one in the wrong. Not a flicker of guilt crossed his face. To him, it seemed everything he'd done was somehow justified."If what you did to me counts as a small thing," I said flatly, "then I suppose there's nothing in this world you'd call serious."Three lifetimes. Three times he'd stood by and watched as Natasha destroyed me—watched me die b
Three days later, Jace and I's wedding arrived right on schedule.The hall was packed—guests chatting, music flowing, laughter spilling from every corner.As I met Jace's gaze, steady and full of quiet affection, I made a silent vow to myself: in this life, I would never let him down."The time has come," the host announced. "Let us welcome the bride and groom to the stage."The words echoed softly in my ears as I stood there, lost in thought.Then Jace reached for my hand—his fingers trembling slightly—and together we walked toward the stage under the warmth of a hundred eyes.When we reached the center, he dropped to one knee, looking up at me with tenderness so raw it nearly hurt."Alana Mitchell," he said, "will you marry me? Let me turn my love into a lifelong promise.""Yes." I nodded.Applause burst through the room.For the first time in all my lives, I felt what it meant to be truly happy.The ceremony moved on in perfect rhythm.Just as Jace and I were about to ex







