Pain. It hurt.
Her whole body ached so much as if her bones were breaking inside. Eve opened her eyes and through her blurry vision, the white ceiling loomed above. Her head pounded as she tried to remember where she was. But it was so hard to recall anything when the ache in her head kept increasing. The soft mattress underneath her moved as well as the bedsheet on her. What was she doing on a bed? Her heart stopped beating for a second then it all began coming back. The last time before her eyes closed, Eve could remember herself drowning. Her hands and legs were bound with hard ropes and she was blindfolded. She couldn't even struggle as she helplessly drowned to her death. But now... This pain in her body didn't feel like that of someone who had drowned. In fact, this pain felt familiar as if she'd experienced something similar before.The bedsheet moved again and Eve was now aware of her surroundings. Her eyes strayed to her left and she held her breath to stop herself from screaming. Sleeping beside her was none other than her husband, Ethan. How was this possible? Ethan was long dead. She saw his car fall off the mountain cliff with her own eyes. Eve rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't imagining things. She touched the man under the sheet... He was real, and also naked...And so was she. Her heart skipped again and this time, Eve jumped and let out a scream. Now that she could remember this scenario, her confusion only heightened. If she wasn't mistaken, this was exactly the same condition she had woken up in the morning after she drugged Ethan. And it happened almost a year ago not long after they got married. As if disturbed by her screams, Ethan turned on the bed, his eyelids fluttering. He opened his eyes, frowning. He didn't look surprised or frightened, unlike her."E–Ethan, y–you..." Eve's heart could not stop beating wildly as she finally realized what was happening. "Evelyn Maxwell!" Ethan's deep voice resounded in the room, sending her body shuddering. Before she could think about running off, he grabbed her waist with his strong arms. Her still-aching waist. "How dare you play such an underhanded trick on me?" His hold tightened and he glared hard at her. "You thought drugging me and setting me up with another woman will give the media a reason to drive a wedge between our families? You want a divorce, right?"Eve flinched as he brought up his hand to brush her hair aside. "In your dreams."His last words echoed in her ears and she was finally released of his strong hold. Ethan got off the bed and stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Eve supported her head with both hands and shut her eyes. Every one of Ethan's words was true.Last night, at his grandfather's birthday party, she and her best friend Mia had secretly made a plan and paid a waiter to spike his drink. They had also arranged for someone to carry out their plan by sleeping with Ethan. The reporter they had also hired to record everything and spread the scandal was ready. However, their plan backfired when out of nowhere, Ethan grabbed her to the parking lot and ordered his driver to drive them back home. He started stripping her from the hallway and she ended up becoming the victim of the drug. Eve could recall that after this incident, she grew more resentful toward Ethan. Their marriage had always been on the rocks right from the beginning.Immediately after she graduated from college, her grandfather forced her to marry him to strengthen the business ties between both families.Although Ethan had never treated her badly and got her everything a woman would ever ask for, her tantrums increased by the day, fueled by her desire to leave him and also her best friend's constant advice that being with Ethan was nothing compared to the happiness she would live in when she finally got to be with Cole, her childhood sweetheart. Despite acting cold all the time, Ethan was adamant not to divorce her, and Eve's tantrums became too gruesome that her grandfather developed a heart attack which led to his death. When Eve found out that she was pregnant, she didn't think twice before taking out the baby. The drug she took was so lethal that she almost lost her life, but Ethan didn't give up on her. He summoned the best medical practitioners to save her life, spending tons of money. But that incident took a huge toll on Eve when people found out what she did. Her family disowned her and Ethan's parents drove her out. That was when she discovered that her best friend who had been rooting for her all the time was actually a two-faced bitch. It turned out Mia and Cole were in a relationship, and their goal had always been to destroy her marriage.It was too late when Eve realized that Ethan had loved her right from the beginning. Because not long after their divorce, he called and wanted to meet with her on the outskirts of the town. She had waited for him on the mountain, but his car seemed to have lost control and she watched in horror as it fell down the cliff and exploded. Because she was present at the scene, the police arrested her and his family pointed fingers at her that she had a hand in it.With no one to defend her, Eve spent a long time in jail. And one day, miraculously, a mysterious person bailed her out. However, on stepping out of the jail gates, Eve was abducted by strange men. She didn't even know who her killers were because she was blindfolded and bound and thrown into a deep ocean. Eve wiped her tears as those memories replayed in her mind. Her heart ached as she remembered how foolish and cruel she'd been in the past. If she'd looked on the bright side, marrying Ethan was nothing but a blessing. But she'd allowed Mia and Cole to deceive her and she'd taken all she'd had for granted. Her repercussion was too horrible to remember. Now that she'd woken up way before all that happened, was this a sign that she was blessed by the heavens and given a second chance? Did she have the power to prevent the same things from happening again? The sound of the bathroom door opening made her look up and Ethan stepped out with a towel wrapped around his waist. Eve blinked and her heart dropped to her stomach.Eve spaced out, and she had the urge to touch him again to make sure he was real. There was a stark difference between his current appearance compared to the last days of their marriage. Because she had caused him so much trouble, Ethan had a hard time focusing on his business affairs despite his resilient attitude. Slowly, he changed from a fine gentleman whom everyone admired to a grumpy drunk whom everyone was afraid to go near. "Eve!" He seemed to be calling out her name for quite a while now because his voice got louder, snapping her out of her reverie. "I said get ready, we're going to the ancestral mansion." His anger had cooled off because he even addressed her the usual way he did. Without waiting for her reply, Ethan walked into the closet. The ancestral mansion.... The memory was as clear as day in Eve's mind. That time when she drugged Ethan, he'd asked her to follow him to the ancestral mansion the next morning, to apologize to his grandfather for leavin
"You've been acting weird since you woke up, unlike your usual self. Tell me, have you developed a new way to achieve your divorce goal?" Eve swallowed and let out a nervous laugh. "Who said I wanted a divorce?" Eve flashed him her sweetest smile. "You're my darling husband, and my only goal is to make you happy. And to achieve that, I must make your family happy, especially your grandfather." Ethan looked more confused than ever. His pupils expanded and he looked as if he was going to have a heart attack. The driver lost control and the car almost slammed into the gates. Eve was thrown off balance and the impact made her collide with Ethan's body who wrapped both arms around her protectively. Her heart hammered against her chest and she could also feel Ethan's heartbeat. "Do you want to lose your job?" Ethan said darkly to the driver who had already regained control of the wheel. "I– I am so sorry, Young Master. Please forgive my mistake," the driver apologized profusely
On hearing the voice, Eve was stunned for a few seconds. The burly man's hand stopped mid-air. "I should believe that you're not trying to harass this lady. Otherwise, I'll be forced to get the authorities," that voice continued. It was none other than Cole. Eve gulped and slowly turned around, her gaze landing on the young man with a gentle smile on his face. The last expression she'd seen on Cole's face was an evil smile as he and Mia revealed all their plans to her before leaving her to her misery. Seeing him now, Eve was forced to recall that memory. "It is not what you are thinking, Sir." Taking in Cole's appearance, the attendant's bitter expression transformed into a friendly smile. "You see, this lady here is a scam. She entered this store not with the intention of buying anything, but to waste our time and make a scene. That is why we are dealing with her." "How much is the painting?" Cole smiled, slipping both hands into his pockets. "Ahh, are you trying to save
The car arrived at the ancestral mansion and Eve jumped out with the painting in her hands. Ethan also left the car and a servant approached them. After greeting them, the servant told them Ethan's grandfather was in the garden behind the mansion, soaking up the morning's atmosphere. "The garden is this way, where are you going?" As Eve was about to dash into the house, Ethan said in confusion. Eve stopped walking and held tight to the painting. She must replace this gift with the one she'd presented last night fast. As the mansion seemed calm and the servants worked in harmony, it meant the old man hadn't opened her gift yet. "Ethan, Darling." She turned around and put on her best smile, holding her stomach. "You can go see Grandpa first. I'm pressed and must use the washroom immediately." Ethan frowned and glanced at the painting. "I'll hold it for you. Be fast." "N–No no no." Eve shooked her head. "Since this gift is from me to Grandpa, I must give it to him hand to hand.
Eve's lips twitched slightly. She released his arm and sighed inside. If she could remember correctly in her past life, Matt and his other bad friends would end up in jail just a few months from now. They would be caught by the authorities in drug trafficking and money laundering. That incident made headlines in the city, tainting the family's name and bringing down its reputation. Although Matt had always been a troublemaker, no one expected that he'd go to that extreme. It was also at that time that the family found out he hung out with bad company. However, it was too late as the authorities didn't take the situation lightly. No amount of money and connection could bail him out. The incident affected his grandfather so much that he ended up on his deathbed earlier than anticipated. Matt confessed that he was manipulated into the act by his friends due to his rich background and wild ways. He'd always lived in his brother's shadows and felt useless in the family. All his ac
Lunch was already prepared by the time Eve got home and she ate her food dejectedly. Wishing that Ethan would come back home with her was like asking for the impossible. Their relationship was so sour that he rarely spent his days at home and he spent most of his nights at the company. "M–Ms. Maxwell— I mean, Madam, Isn't the food to your liking?" Elena said, looking worried. Eve looked sideways at the house stewardess. She could also see fear in the woman's eyes. Blowing out a sigh, she shook her head. "The food is great, Elena, thank you. And when will you start calling me by my name? Do you want me to remind you again and again?""My apologies, M–Ms. — Madam. I'll do whatever you say.""Oh, don't force yourself." Eve finished her food and sighed again. "You can call me by my name whenever you're comfortable with it. But from now on, you can't call me Ms. Maxwell."Without waiting for the woman's reply, she left the dining area and wandered all day at home. Her fears came true in
Eve sprang to her feet, the earlier anticipation returning to her heart."Ethan." She hurried up to him. "Ethan, you're back. How could you spend the night at the company? Don't you know that you're making me feel like a bad wife?" The irritation on Ethan's face when he saw Mia disappeared, and now he was studying Eve like a foreign object. "Eve! What is the meaning of this!?" Mia was almost yelling at her. She looked more confused than Ethan. In fact, she looked lost. "Have you lost your head, Eve? The person standing in front of you Isn't Cole but Ethan Anderson.""So what if he's Ethan?" Eve gave her a furtive glance before returning her eyes to Ethan. "Isn't he my husband? Why do you look so surprised, Mia?""Eve!" From the corner of her eyes, Eve could see Mia's fists clenching. "Are you even alright, have you lost your mind? Why are you acting weird?"Eve could feel Ethan's anger like the smoke of boiling lava. She could feel his anger toward Mia. And she knew he was only hold
Ethan was already out of his bedroom by the time Eve decided to join him upstairs. He was now in his study room, and Eve knew better not to disturb him. In the past, she would use this opportunity to interrupt his work and rain insults on him all day. Those were some of the few times she'd seen Ethan's real anger. If there was something Ethan was most punctual about, it literally was his work. And Eve never stopped angering him whenever he was home. She had a strong feeling that she was the reason why Ethan became so disoriented that he even lost his company in her past life. At that time, his brother was already arrested, and his grandfather was on his deathbed. The family fell apart and so was the family's fortune. Eve turned around and headed back downstairs. There was not much to do in the house, she also never interacted much with the servants. And now she regretted it. Eve was already thirteen when her grandfather found her and brought her to the city. While she was growin