Chapter 2

I gasped as my body suddenly heated, an intrusion filling my fold, the bittersweet sensation I had never felt before making me wonder what was happening to me.

“It hurts…” I whimpered as yet another thrust made me shudder.

I wasn’t alone in this, and even with my eyes closed, the familiarity of the person struck me. The scent of his cologne, the mint of his aftershave, the warmth of his body it could not be mistaken. It was Leo.

My legs were propped wide on his shoulders, his hips buried between mine as he drove himself into me mercilessly. With each thrust, the pain gave way to an overwhelming hunger I could not control.

His wet kisses trailed from my lips down to my neck. He didn’t spare me, his mouth clamped on my breast, sucking, twirling, groaning against my skin as he quickened his pace. I grabbed his hair, moaning loudly, pulling his head to my chest, suffocating him with my breasts.

Everything was sudden, surreal, too intoxicating to think. Even if it felt like reliving a distant dream, for a moment I wished it would last forever.

A wave of pleasure shot down my spine when I felt him shudder and release inside me. His body went limp beside mine, and I felt the tenderness of his lips press against my cheek before he pulled me closer into his arms. That single gesture made me smile inwardly.

But soon, the pain returned. My consciousness flickered, my eyes fluttering open. On the wall adjacent to the bedframe hung a familiar painting of two blue birds. I recognized this room instantly. It was Leo’s bedroom… from my first life.

I jolted upright, pain shooting through me at the sudden movement. My eyes fell on Leo, his brows furrowed in a frown. I instinctively gripped the bedsheet, yanking it up to cover my naked body. The shift in fabric stirred him awake.

His green eyes flew open, drowning me instantly. Leo’s mesmerizing gaze was like a blade cutting through me, those eyes that once watched me suffer. I thought I would only feel hate, disgust… but my foolish heart still yearned for him shamelessly.

It wasn’t my fault. Even asleep, he was devastatingly handsome.

But I couldn’t afford to think that way. Not now. Whatever force brought me back in time had also given me every memory of what was to come. I didn’t know how long I had, or how this worked, but I swore to make the best of it.

Leo blinked sleepily, rubbing his eyes. I swallowed hard, fear knotting my chest, waiting for his reaction.

Suddenly, he grabbed my arm. His green eyes blazed, not with confusion but with raw disgust.

“How dare you drug me?” His voice was sharp as his grip tightened.

The scene was familiar. In my first life, Anna had drugged Leo three times, only once succeeding in her vile plan. This had been the first attempt, the night I got tangled in her scheme.

I remembered clearly. The housemaid had announced Mr. Leonard’s return and told me he requested me in his bedroom. I’d carried a cup of coffee for him, only to find him passed out. The tray of chilled water beside the bed had been half-drunk. Relieved he was asleep, I turned to leave but he had pulled me into bed, kissing me. It began slow, sensual, but quickly burned into something rough and consuming. I hadn’t dared stop him cause I was scared he might get mad at me, then lock me up in his study, worse he will send me packing and marry his mistress.

Those were words Anna instilled in me, she had come to me with pictures of Leo and a blonde-haired girl in a bar, she had called her Tera. Anna added that she tailed Leo because she was looking out for me. Which might as well be a venomous lie. That two-faced lying bitch! I thought to myself biting my tongue in rage.

And though I had surrendered to Leo that night, it only led to more explosive anger from him. The next day he threatened me with divorce if not for Grandma’s intervention and Anna’s crocodile tears.

And now this moment replayed itself. His words, his anger unchanged. But I wasn’t the same timid girl anymore.

“You’re hurting me, Leonard.” I pushed his hands away, brushing him off. His expression shifted from rage to shock, in my previous life I never raised an eyebrow to him let alone brush his hands off.

“I was just about to leave,” I snapped, dragging the cover with me. But Leo yanked me back down.

I struggled against his grip, refusing to meet his eyes, when suddenly a low chuckle broke from his chest. My head shot up, startled. His perfectly white teeth flashed in a smile as he watched me fight against him. And for that moment, I stared at him. My earlier anger dissipated.

Leo's eyes met mine and he looked away, his brows knitted back but the anger under his eyes had vanished.

“You drugged me, used me then dumped me, and now you think I will just let you go?” His tone was no longer harsh, it was soft and laced with confidence.

But I knew better. That softness was a trap. It was the same weakness I’d carried for Leo and his family, the same naivety that destroyed me and my child.

“I didn’t drug you,” I spat. “Let me go!”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as his gaze dropped to my chest. I followed his eyes, my blanket had slipped, exposing my breasts, marked with scratches and bites from earlier. Heat flared in my cheeks as I yanked the sheet back up.

Shame burned me. In my first life, even after eight years of marriage, we had slept together only twice both times when Anna drugged him. After that, his hatred deepened. Even when I fell ill, even when the doctor confirmed my pregnancy, he never came. Not once. My chest tightened with rage. They would all pay.

“Let me go, Leonard. Stop wasting your time on a wretch like me. Only women like Anna deserves you.” My voice dripped venom.

His eyes narrowed. “Anna?”

“Yes, Anna. Let me go!”

His gaze darkened, locking on my lips. For the first time, I saw sweat bead at his temple.

“Stop struggling. You’ll bruise your wrist,” he murmured, voice almost breaking.

“If you need a woman to warm your bed, go to her. Everyone knows she’s perfect for you. Not me.”

The words left me before I could stop them. Years of being compared to Anna, my beauty, my intelligence, my worth had turned me into her shadow. No matter what I did, it wasn’t enough. And pushing Leo toward her wasn’t what I wanted. It tore me apart.

My chest constricted. I couldn’t break, not in front of him. But exhaustion weighed on me. My tears betrayed me, streaming hot down my cheeks despite my will.

Suddenly, his arms wrapped around me. His warmth stunned me, his voice even more so.

“If I let Anna warm my bed, then I’d be less of a man. A real man sticks to his wife.”

Shock wasn’t enough to describe it. I was frozen.

What was this game? Why now? The Leo I knew would’ve stormed out, leaving me to cry alone. Since when did he call me his wife?

He pulled back just enough to meet my eyes. His fingers tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his thumb brushing away my tears.

“If you want me to fulfill my duty as your husband, you could just ask. No need for cheap tricks like drugging me.”

“I did not drug you,” I snapped back.

His lips curled in a grin, mischief glinting in his eyes.

“Do you even know what husband duties are?” he teased.