All Chapters of After Rebirth, I Married My Ex-husband's Enemy : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

**CALISTA**Pain.It ripped through my chest like a blade, leaving nothing but the fragile life budding inside me.I burst through the door into the kitchen, trying and failing to catch my breath. The smell of rotting food and unwashed dishes heaved my stomach.“Calista, no, let me explain!” Nobody could have prepared me for the haunting image of my twin sister's legs wrapped tight around my husband's waist.I had stood rigid in our bedroom, watching their naked bodies shiver under the sheets.They didn't even notice me standing there until I slammed the door hard, and if I hadn't returned early from my trip, I would have never known. Now he's followed me into the kitchen, begging for the audience he doesn't deserve.“Calista!” His hand grabbed my arm, whirling me around to look at his stupid face.“Let me go, you…bastard!” I pushed him away. There was NOTHING to explain. Astrid rushed into the brightly lit kitchen, the sheets still wrapped around her naked body.“Sister…”“How lo

**CALISTA**“No.” The word sliced through my skull, and I sat up straighter, pulse roaring.This would be harder than I thought. The air smelled of leather and car freshener so strong that I could taste it in the back of my throat, but all I could think of was how the last time I was this close to Atlas Kane, I chose Merrick instead of him.“What do you mean, no?” My palms were sweaty.“Exactly what the word means.” “But…I told you everything!” “Yes, and I have decided that it is not worth my time.” He said dismissively, glancing at his watch. A faint tremor started in my hands, but I clenched them into fists. What was I thinking coming here? That he would welcome me with open arms like I did not almost spit in his face years ago?Stupid Calista. But I would rather die trying than die by Astrid's hand.The car screeched to a halt, almost sending me flying from my seat. “What —” my voice died in my throat when the driver stepped out and yanked open my door.“If you will excuse m

**CALISTA**I had always known that there was something unsettling about how innocent Merrick looked—like evil had learned how to wear a gentle face.I could see it now, sitting across him in our limo on our way to his private birthday dinner. His excitement speared through in the way his eyes glinted in the dim light, and the way his thumb lingered on my wrist when he kissed my hand.“This will be so perfect,” he said, “all you have to do is relax and watch me handle things, like a real man should.” His words sounded too much like my mother's, and I fought the urge to clamp my hands over my ears and scream.“And…what would I be doing?” I forced a sweet smile.His eyes dropped to my stomach like it already belonged to him.“You know I've always wanted a family, Calista. Maybe we should focus on that.” He leaned forward to hold my hands, and I felt the child inside me shrink with every lingering second.How cruel of him to demand this sacrifice from me, yet still aid my twin sister i

**CALISTA**I woke up to the taste of iron and the terrifying emptiness in my body, and for the first time since my rebirth, I knew I had lost something I could never get back.A tear streaked down the side of my face, and I let out a shaky breath to expel the nothingness inside me. I did not work. I tried to tell myself that I expected this, that it had happened before, but I underestimated the pain I felt.It was like an overpowering wave of knots in my throat, and no matter how hard I tried, I could not swallow…could not take another breath.I should have been happy with the knowledge that I would never give Merrick the heir he desperately wanted, but I could not deny that some part of me wanted this so badly that it hurt.I turned my neck to stare at the grey wall, and my gaze rested on the potted plant in the corner. It looked like a real plant, and I wondered when it was last watered. You needed just the right amount of water to keep a plant alive, the right amount of love…Wa

**CALISTA**I lay there, bleeding and broken, and all I could think about was how I was going to destroy him.The last time Merrick looked at me like that, I still believed he was my husband, but when he walked in like he still owned me, I almost laughed, only there was no laughter left inside me, just pain and a deep, deep regret. I should have said ‘no’ when mother told me to marry him. I should never have looked into his blue eyes and lied to myself that love could bloom from this.But there was a time I could swear it did, times when he would make love to me like I was the only woman he would ever lie with, like he existed to keep my head in the clouds. Then he grew colder, and soon I was left with nothing but the smell of him on late nights. I told myself that during one of my many trips, we must have grown apart, and all the glue I needed was a child for him.I would have never believed that he could…Nausea swells in my throat, and I shudder at the image of the knife sinking