Chapter 2

"Lydia, don't touch me! Call Chloe now!"

Hearing those familiar words again, I jolted awake. I had been reborn.

At that moment, I was clinging to Ethan's waist. I'd already torn off his shirt, and his burning chest pressed against my face.

Without a moment's hesitation, I quickly pulled away from Ethan, ending this mistake.

I grabbed my phone and dialed Chloe's number.

Ethan's face was flushed red, his gaze burning and unfocused as he looked at me.

Unable to control his impulses, he moved toward me when I pulled away.

He tried to kiss my lips.

In my previous life, I'd mistaken his aggressive behavior for love, thinking he felt the same way about me.

So I made a terrible decision that led to my tragic death.

This time, I backed away toward the door, avoiding his gaze as I said:

"Ethan, just hold on a little longer. Chloe will be here in ten minutes!"

Then, ignoring his reaction, I opened the door and escaped.

The moment I closed the door, I heard Ethan force out a few words through gritted teeth, seemingly calling my name.

But I pretended not to hear, firmly closing the door behind me and standing guard outside.

Ten minutes later, Chloe arrived in a hurry.

She looked at me with a complex expression, then relaxed when she saw my clothes were still intact.

Before pushing open the door, she glanced at me:

"You can leave now. You're not needed here."

I turned and went straight upstairs to my room.

It wasn't until late that night that the room downstairs finally fell silent.

I let out a long breath. In my previous life, I loved Ethan so much that I willingly became his lover.

Later, he married me under pressure, but on our wedding day, Chloe died unexpectedly, and he lost the one he truly loved.

Then he said nothing, waiting in silence until the day I discovered I was pregnant.

He said he wanted to take me out to relax, but instead left me alone in the forest.

I was surrounded by a group of rogues.

I tried to intimidate them by dropping Ethan's name, but they just laughed.

That's when I realized—those men had all been punished by Ethan and harbored deep hatred toward him.

When I was barely alive from their torture, Ethan finally arrived and dealt with the rogues.

Then he looked at me coldly: "If it weren't for you, Chloe wouldn't have been killed by them. Now you and your child have served as bait to lure them out. Consider it your atonement."

Ethan had known all along. He'd deliberately brought me there, wanting to watch me die.

In this life, I followed his request and called Chloe. And soon I would leave this place, getting away from him completely.

The next morning, when I came downstairs, I found Chloe already sitting in the dining room having breakfast.

When she saw me, she immediately put on a flawless smile.

"Lydia, good morning. Did you sleep well?" She deliberately lifted her head so I could clearly see the bite marks on her neck. "I hope I didn't disturb your rest. Ethan has such stamina..."

Growing up in the pack, I knew this meant Ethan had already Marked Chloe.

They'd formed a mate bond and become true mates.

I paused briefly but kept my expression neutral: "Morning. I slept very well."

Chloe cut a small piece of bacon and spoke as if casually: "Speaking of which, I really need to thank you for contacting me last night."

I looked up at her: "Don't mention it. It's what I should have done."

Chloe's smile deepened. "I'm so glad you think that way. I was worried you might feel uncomfortable about it, especially since..." She raised an eyebrow. "The way you looked at him last night didn't seem like you were looking at your guardian. But obviously, even though you were in his room last night, he wanted me, not you."

Blood seemed to rush to my head with a roar, but I forced it back down.

I took a deep breath, about to speak—

"Ah!"

Chloe suddenly cried out softly, knocking over the glass beside her.

At the same time, Ethan's deep voice sounded from the dining room doorway: "What's going on?"

Chloe had already quickly switched to a panicked and aggrieved expression.

"No—nothing... Ethan, I was just clumsy..."

As she spoke, she glanced at me timidly.

"Lydia?" Ethan walked to Chloe's side, checked on her, then looked at me with displeasure. "What did you do now?"

"I didn't do anything."

"Ethan, it's really not Lydia's fault." Chloe grabbed Ethan's arm, her voice breaking. "I said something wrong... I shouldn't have mentioned last night. I might have upset Lydia. Please don't blame her."

Ethan's eyes instantly became sharp. "Lydia, Chloe is my future partner and your mother. You need to learn to respect her."

"I told you, I didn't do anything." I repeated.

"Are you saying Chloe is framing you?" Ethan's anger seemed ignited. "Lydia, you make a mistake and won't admit it, and now you're turning it around on her? Is this what I taught you?"

"I haven't done anything wrong, and I don't need to admit to anything." I turned to leave.

"Stop!" Ethan barked. "Did I say you could leave? Apologize to Chloe!"

"Sorry for interrupting your breakfast." I nodded slightly, then without looking at his instantly livid face, I turned and left the dining room.

Behind me, I could hear Chloe's fake attempts to mediate and Ethan's suppressed angry murmurs.

I shut them all out behind my bedroom door.

Half an hour later, someone knocked on my door.

I opened it, completely unsurprised to meet Ethan's eyes.