Dark clouds gathered above, creating an oppressive and panic-inducing feeling.
Xandra Clark hung precariously on the edge of a cliff, her only hope being the man grasping her arm, but his grip was slowly faltering.
"Xandra, don't blame me. Blame yourself for being so worthless," the man said with a callous smile, his captivating eyes glinting with coldness.
Xandra's heart froze at his words. She smiled, her eyes filled with a mix of sadness and resignation. "Earl Lloyd, I have loved you since I was ten. But you have been using me all these years, deceiving me with your lies."
"As though nobody else has deceived you, Xandra Clark. If anyone is to be blamed, blame yourself for being so gullible." With that, he loosened his grip, and the beautiful yet pitiful woman plummeted into the depths below.
As she fell, she closed her eyes and smiled poignantly. She finally realized that her life had been nothing more than a cruel joke.
If only she had another chance…
"Help, somebody’s drowning!"
An urgent cry echoed by the school garden pond on an autumn night.
Later, at midnight, a young girl lay motionless on a hospital bed, her beautiful face now deathly pale, resembling a sheet of white paper.
Seated beside her was a man with an icy scowl. His enchantingly handsome face blazed with anger, and his eyebrows furrowed in a deep frown. "You assured me she was fine! Why hasn’t she woken up yet?"
"Mr. Mason... please understand…Ms. Xandra nearly drowned and although we managed to revive her, she is still very weak..."
"Enough. Get out!" Mason’s hand shot up with an abrupt and dismissive gesture. His icy gaze sent a chill through the medical team, who hurriedly fled the room as if their lives depended on it.
"Cough, cough, cough..." With a series of ragged coughs, the girl on the bed struggled to awaken and opened her eyes.
Realizing that Xandra was awake, Mason’s icy gaze softened as he grasped her hand. "Xanda, you are awake? Are you in pain?”
"Mason Yost..." Realizing it was Mason, Xandra’s eyes widened in fear, and instinctively pulled her hand away. How did she end up with this demon?
Memories of the cliff came flooding back, but she was still alive?
This was impossible… but Mason’s face, once disfigured in a fire a few years back, was perfectly fine and he looked much younger.
In palpable confusion, Xandra stared at Mason, trying to search for an answer.
But his face hardened, and his expression darkened as he misinterpreted her gaze. "Do you despise me so much that you would rather die than be engaged to me?" Mason said, anger and hurt etched on his face.
Engaged? Xandra's thoughts were in disarray.
Wouldn’t they have gotten engaged when she was twenty? Why did Mason bring it up now?
Before Xandra could deduce further, the ward door swung open, and a girl in a school uniform, carrying a bouquet, entered.
"Xandra, why are you taking this so hard? Don’t you know how much it hurts me?" Said Wendy Zach, Xandra’s ‘best’ friend.
But Xandra’s confusion only deepened. Why was Wendy in school attire? What on earth was going on?
Eyes widened with disbelief, Xandra looked at the angry man beside her and asked, "Mason, I... how old... am I this year?"
"Twenty," Manson answered curtly.
Wendy chimed in, "Xandra, did you become foolish after almost drowning? Don’t you remember? You are turning twenty next week, and your engagement with Mr. Mason is going to be a grand affair! Many people will be attending."
Upon hearing those words, Xandra’s mind reeled in shock.
Twenty years old? Engagement! Wasn't that a decade ago...
Could it be that she...