Chapter 2

I struggled to crawl up.

I stopped him.

If the police got involved, my fake identity would be exposed.

Under the terrified gaze of the driver, I limped away into the dark.

I didn't know how long I walked.

By the time the rain stopped and the sun came up, the streets were getting crowded.

People pointed and whispered:

"Oh my god, look at her. She’s covered in blood!"

"Her clothes are a mess. Did she get beat up by some wife for sleeping with her husband?"

"Probably got kicked out of some guy's house, haha..."

By the time I regained my senses, I was inside a hospital.

The doctors and nurses were horrified by the blood, but after a quick examination, they looked even more shocked.

"This makes no sense... why don't you have any actual wounds?"

I froze.

I was so out of it that I forgot my body heals itself instantly.

I dragged my exhausted body back to the villa, only to run into the happy couple at the entrance.

I accidentally bumped into Chloe.

Before I could even apologize, Julian shoved me hard.

I fell to the cold ground, my head spinning.

A familiar voice sounded, filled with uncertainty. "Eve?"

My heart sank.

Predictably, Chloe’s mockery followed immediately.

"Are you kidding me? Is this actually Eve?"

She walked around my disheveled self, looking at me like I was a piece of trash.

"How did you turn into a homeless dog overnight?"

"How pathetic."

I struggled to stand up.

"I don't need your pity!"

I gritted my teeth and swung a hand to slap her, but Julian caught my wrist mid-air.

He glared at me, his grip so tight I could hear my bones pop.

He shielded Chloe behind his back.

A lump formed in my throat.

My mind flashed back to the summer when I was twenty.

In a dark alley, Julian had easily taken down a creep who was harassing me, slamming the guy's face against the brick wall.

"Apologize to her," Julian had snarled.

The creep had begged for mercy, kneeling and bowing.

I had laughed and asked Julian, "Hey, why are you so good to me?"

The young boy's face had turned bright red.

"Because... you’re my family."

"Just family?"

He had nodded, then shook his head, completely flustered.

I still remembered how cute and innocent he was back then.

Chloe let out a dramatic gasp, her eyes turning red as she squeezed out a few tears.

Julian’s voice was ice-cold. "Apologize."

I kept my mouth shut.

Chloe bit her lip, acting terrified. "Babe, it's fine if she doesn't want to."

"I... I’m okay..."

She shed a couple of perfect tears.

Julian’s frown deepened.

He held a medical report in one hand and used his other hand to force my head down, forcing me to bow to Chloe.

"Apologize to her. Don't make me say it again!"

4

During the struggle, the paper in Julian's hand fell to the ground.

My breath hitched.

The report read: *Pregnant, six weeks.*

No wonder. No wonder he was acting like this.

"I’m sorry," I whispered.

Chloe smirked. "What was that? Speak up, I can't hear you."

My head was forced lower, my vision blurring.

"I’m sorry. I shouldn't have bumped into you."

"It was my fault."

"I was wrong."

Chloe looked satisfied.

Julian finally released his grip on the back of my head.

He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look up, and scoffed.

"Why are you crying?"

Was I crying?

I wiped my face and felt the cold moisture on my fingers.

Julian picked up the report, rubbing his temples in frustration.

"You see this? Chloe is actually pregnant."

"This baby is a miracle. You need to stop picking fights with her."

"I know you love kids. I can convince Chloe to let you be the godmother. That way, your dream can come true too."

Chloe pouted. "No way."

Julian smiled indulgently, stroking her hair.

"Fine, fine. I’m just saying it to quiet her down. Our baby belongs only to us."

They walked past me, hand-in-hand, leaving me alone in the empty hospital lobby to be swallowed by the whispers of strangers.

Julian was wrong.

I was never the one who wanted kids. He was.

He craved a family more than anything.

Over the decades, I had seen him stare longingly at children playing in the park.

What was he thinking back then?

Probably that I was broken because I couldn't give him a child.

But he was wrong. It wasn't just me who was sterile.

His resentment had built up over the years, forming a bitter knot in his heart.

And I had been too blind to see it.

Lost in thought, I walked aimlessly until I stopped in front of a run-down brick apartment building in the old industrial district.

This was the very first place we bought together.

The furniture inside was exactly as it was decades ago, covered in a thick layer of dust.

I washed off the dried blood and changed into my favorite bright red dress.

I stood in front of the mirror.

My reflection was still youthful, looking exactly the same as it did a hundred years ago.

For a second, I saw Julian hugging me from behind in the reflection, burying his face in my neck.

"Eve, what’s for dinner tonight?"

I had asked him back then, "I didn't have a name before. Why did you call me Eve?"

He had laughed softly against my shoulder.

"Heh, it’s a secret."

I smiled at the memory, but the smile quickly faded.

I picked up a decayed wooden box from the closet and walked out without looking back.

My phone buzzed twice.

It was a text from Julian.

[Bring the keys of the villa back. Chloe wants them.]

[I’m busy right now, so she’s waiting for you at the gate. Don't make her wait.]

How efficient.

In just two days, a person could change so completely.

It made me feel like a century had passed in a flash.

I sighed.

I needed to give him the wooden box anyway, so I might as well go.

When I arrived, the entrance of the villa was blocked by moving trucks.

Chloe's belongings were being carried inside, filling up every corner.

Meanwhile, my clothes, shoes, and personal items were tossed onto the muddy driveway like actual trash.

I clenched my fists, shaking with anger. "What right do you have to throw my things away?"

Chloe looked down at me from the porch.

With Julian gone, she didn't bother pretending anymore.

She sneered:

"I threw them out. What are you going to do about it? Hit me?"

She picked up one of my silk nightgowns with two fingers, pinched her nose in disgust, dropped it in the mud, and ground her heel into it.

I stepped toward her, suppressing my rage.

"Stop right there."

5

Chloe didn't look scared at all. Instead, she whipped out a yellowed notebook and waved it in front of me.

The sun was hot, but I felt a sudden chill run down my spine.

She smiled maliciously.

"So, immortals really do exist."

"Eve, guess what will happen if I turn this journal over to the authorities?"

My mind went completely blank.

I looked at her, silently begging.

Chloe’s grin widened.

She pointed her manicured finger at the muddy nightgown on the ground.

"Put it on, and I’ll keep your little secret."

The nightgown was so filthy you couldn't even see its original color.

I slowly bent down.

My hands shook as I picked it up and walked toward the house.

"Where do you think you're going?" Chloe grabbed my shoulder, pointing at the driveway.

"I want you to change right here."

What...?

I stared at her in disbelief.

This was outside the villa. There were dozens of moving guys walking back and forth, their vulgar gazes already lingering on me.

Chloe’s voice was cold. "You have two minutes, or I'm calling the cops."

I gripped the dirty fabric.

My head spun, and memories of being strapped to that cold operating table flashed before my eyes.

Trembling, I began to unzip my dress.

I let it slide down.

Chloe immediately pulled out her phone.

The sound of her camera clicking and her cruel laughter filled my ears.

My face was completely pale. I barely registered what was happening.

"Are you happy now?" I whispered.

Chloe smirked.

With pure malice, she said, "I lied. I'm posting this video online right now."

My eyes flared with anger.

I lunged forward and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her violently.

"You—"

"Ah!"

Two voices sounded at once.

Chloe suddenly fell backward onto the ground, clutching her stomach in agony.

I stood there, stunned.

Just then, Julian’s car screeched to a halt. He sprinted over and knelt beside Chloe.

He tried to lift her, but his hands were instantly covered in bright red blood.

She was miscarrying?!

Julian roared in fury, glaring at me like a wild beast.

I panicked. "No... it wasn't me..."

"She fell on purpose! I only shook her!"

Julian’s face was terrifyingly dark.

He stood up, towering over me.

"You’re saying she framed you?"

"Would she kill her own baby just to frame you?!"

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

He already believed I was a murderer. Nothing I said would matter.

Chloe sobbed in pain.

Julian gently lifted her into his arms, comforting her.

"Don’t cry, babe. It’s going to be okay."

"I called 911. They're coming. Don't be scared."

My heart went completely cold.

There was a time when I was terrified of being discovered, and Julian would wrap his arms tightly around me, whispering:

"Don't be scared, Eve."

"I'm here. I’ll always be here."

"I won't let anyone find out your secret, even if it kills me."

But those days were long gone.

Chloe pointed a trembling finger at me, screaming through her tears.

"Julian! She killed our baby!"

"Call the cops! I want her to pay! I want her in jail!"

Julian stiffened slightly.

His voice sounded strained. "Chloe, let’s get you to the hospital first. I’ll make her apologize later."

"But calling the police... let’s not do that."

Chloe’s eyes widened in outrage.

"Julian! I’ve been with you since high school! How can you protect her?!"

She struggled out of his arms, grabbed a fallen pocketknife from the ground, and pressed it against her own throat.

"Either she goes to jail, or I die right here!"

Blood began to bead at the tip of the blade.

Julian looked lost for a moment.

He stared at me, his eyes filled with a complicated darkness.

Eventually, he took the knife from her hand.

The wail of police sirens echoed from down the street.

I suddenly burst out laughing.

Like a madwoman, I began smashing everything around me. Even the old wooden box was shattered into pieces.

The officers rushed in and immediately pinned me down.

Before they threw me into the back of the police car, I looked back at Julian. I was completely calm.

"Julian, you are so incredibly stupid."

"Pathetic."

Julian froze.

His eyes fell on the papers that had slid out of the shattered wooden box.

As he read the bold letters on the top sheet, his pupils shrunk to the size of needles.