Under the bright moonlight above, its glow was slowly swallowed by a haze of dust until it turned into a blood moon.
Inside the rundown factory, the muddy floor held a woman—almost lifeless and carrying a child within her. Blood stained her all over as she cried out in anguish to the man shielding her limp body.
"Ethan Hale, why… why did you have to save me?" Her voice cracked with rage and regret. "I’m such a fool… blinded by my hatred."
"I wronged you… I am to blame for eternity."
"If there’s a next life, Ethan, I swear I’ll protect you. I’ll love you for the rest of my days."
"Ethan… are you hearing me?"
Using what little strength she had left, Jenna Bennett shouted her final plea until her throat turned raw, leaving streaks of blood.
Yet, the man protecting her was long gone, cold and lifeless—a corpse that could no longer hear her apology or her confession.
With his last ounce of life, Ethan’s sole concern had been keeping her and their unborn child safe. But in the end, it was too late.
Her screams turned to sobs, her strength drained along with the blood leaving her body. Her vision blurred and faded, her pain coursing through every nerve. Even so, she clung to him tightly, refusing to let go.
Not far away, a small black cat sat still, its eyes brimming with tears. As it watched the tragic scene unfold, it gave a piercing, sorrowful cry, its thin voice echoing in the cold, desolate night. The abandoned factory suddenly erupted in a massive explosion, the entire world twisting into chaos...
*
A sharp "swish" echoed as the thick curtain in the hospital's VIP room was drawn aside.
Blinding sunlight poured in through the window, flooding the room.
On the hospital bed lay a stunning yet fragile woman. Slowly, Jenna Bennett opened her eyes, her gaze meeting the pristine white ceiling and inhaling the familiar antiseptic scent of the hospital.
Her eyelids fluttered as she stared dully at the ceiling for what felt like forever before her thoughts finally clicked into place.
This... was a hospital?
And her body—there was no searing pain from burns, no sensation of being torn apart.
Was this some kind of dream... or had she somehow gone to heaven?
As Jenna was lost in thought, the nurse who had opened the curtains spoke gently, “Mrs. Hale, you're finally awake. Feeling any discomfort? You had a 40°C fever last night, and Mr. Hale brought you in himself. You kept mumbling deliriously—it scared us all!”
“Mr. Hale stayed up all night to keep an eye on you. He’s very attentive.”
The nurse’s words were met with Jenna’s stunned expression. She blinked her lovely, wide eyes at the nurse, momentarily looking as though she'd lost the ability to process what was happening.
The torment from being reduced to nothingness by those vile people—it had felt excruciatingly real, like a nightmare too vivid to shake off.
“Fever? What year and day is it right now?” Jenna bolted upright in bed, her voice sharp with urgency.
But the moment she moved, dizziness hit her like a wave. Her body felt weak, and there was an uncomfortable heat radiating from below her waist.
The nurse wasn’t lying; her body was indeed frail. "Mrs. Hale, it's now July 2019. Your fever has gone down, but after running some tests, we discovered some unknown toxins in your body," the nurse said gently. "These toxins might affect your ability to conceive. Thankfully, our doctors treated it in time, but you'll need to stay here for a week to flush it out. Otherwise, it could cause infertility in the future."
Jenna's mind finally clicked into place.
July 2019? Did she... come back to life?
And it was the day after their wedding? Back then, Ethan hadn't really fallen for her yet.
He didn't confess his feelings until half a year later.
That was when she found out she was pregnant.
He had planned everything—the flowers, the wine.
But she had coldly turned him down.
She never got to tell him in her previous life that she had already fallen for him, too.
Her parents' death had clouded her heart, stopping her from accepting him.
She thought she should hate him. And yet, no matter how much of a scene she made, he just tolerated it all, still loving her.
Even a heart of stone would soften in the face of that.
She had fallen for him deeply—but she kept it locked away, refusing to let him know.
And last night... it was their wedding night. She had staged a whole show to force him into a divorce, even jumping into the pool at the villa to make herself sick on purpose.
She ended up with a 104°F fever. He had been so furious that he had dragged her into a heated argument for quite a while.
Only when he feared things might go too far had he rushed her to the hospital.
After that, Ethan had stopped touching her altogether.
For a long stretch of time, there was nothing between them.
Even later, when things did happen, it was only three times—barely enough to count.Over a year of marriage, only three times.
Ethan Hale was a healthy, normal man. How much love did it take for him to indulge her like this? To never force her into anything?
As this thought crossed her mind, Jenna Bennett didn’t care about the pain from last night when he’d finally taken her by force. It didn’t matter—this lifetime, she was his, all of her.
Her hand instinctively touched her empty stomach. Previously, her cousin had schemed against her, leaving her infertile. Later, when she finally managed to get pregnant and her baby had grown to six months, well-formed and ready to meet the world, the fire had taken everything.
The memory of the unborn baby—a child that was half her, half Ethan—ripped her heart to pieces.
Without thinking, she slapped herself hard across the face. She deserved it.
Tears spilled down her cheeks as she muttered, “Baby, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I’m such a mess...”
But luckily, the heavens had listened. They’d given her another chance.
This time, she swore to take care of her health, to love Ethan first before he truly loved her. She’d give him as many kids as he wanted.
She’d make sure he never had reason to feel sorrow, and certainly not to die for her. She’d keep him safe, no matter what.
Determined, Jenna wiped her tears and mentally prepared herself to text Ethan. She needed to start repairing their bruised and battered relationship.
At that moment, Victor West, Ethan’s assistant, knocked on the door and stepped inside. Victor West was holding a document, looking as professional as ever.
Jenna Bennett had assumed he'd come on Ethan Hale's behalf to check on her condition. Eagerly, she smiled, trying to appear cheerful. "Victor, where's my husband?"
"Ma'am, Mr. Hale is in a meeting right now. He asked me to bring this document for you to sign," Victor explained carefully, handing over the papers.
Jenna took the file, her bright, flawless smile freezing the moment her eyes scanned the text. Her heart seemed to skip a beat, and she instinctively bit down hard on her pale lips.
Of course, it was the divorce papers.
The memories hit her like a tidal wave. She had been the one who'd demanded this, after all. On their wedding night, she had caused such a scene, even threatening to take her life unless he agreed to the divorce.
Ethan had relented back then, unwilling to push her any further. He’d signed, and she’d signed too, full of defiance. But later, after a scolding from Mr. Bennett, she’d torn the papers up, leaving their marriage in limbo.
But now—this time—no way. Her husband? She wasn’t letting go. Not again. Not ever.