Chapter 2
In my past life, when the fire broke out, Roman and I had both called Serena at the same time. Thanks to my illness, she had chosen to save me first. By the time we returned to the burning house, the flames had grown too strong. No one could get inside. Roman was swallowed by the fire, reduced to nothing but ashes. Serena had told me it wasn’t my fault. She even took care of me while I recovered. But the moment I was discharged, she dragged me to Roman’s grave and plunged a dagger into my chest. Blood splattered across her face as she whispered through gritted teeth, “James, do you know what it feels like to watch the person you love burn to death? I want you to suffer ten times the pain I went through!” And Serena made sure I did. I died in that fire, just as she had wished. But this time, I only wanted to escape after I got reborn. Yet, Serena wouldn’t let me go even in this life. Serena refused to give me any emergency treatment. Not even a cooling pad. Indeed, she was very cruel. Another mouthful of blood spilled from my lips. Desperation clawed at my chest as I let out a hoarse, final cry for help. “Save me … please …” One of the rescuers finally turned to look at me. Disdain filled his gaze. He sneered, then kicked me. “Dang it, James! Just quit your acting. Everyone knows you hated Roman. Who would’ve thought a weakling like you would actually set a fire? Serena’s busy saving real lives. No one’s watching your performance anymore.” “To be honest, we admire you. You’re really willing to do all this for a woman. But it’s a shame … Serena only has Roman in her eyes. You’d better pray he’s okay. Otherwise, she’ll divorce you without hesitation.” I knew Serena didn’t love me, but I never expected even her teammates to look at me with such disdain. The searing pain from my burns made it impossible to make a sound. My skin peeled under the intense heat, my body trembling with agony. The rescuers were busy putting out the flames. However, none of them even glanced in my direction. Through my dazed state, I heard one of her teammates exclaim, “Why is there so much blood? Damn, this is bad. Is something really wrong with James?” “What could possibly happen to this weak-ass grown man? I think he just wants Serena to come running to him. He’s probably faking it.” Still, someone reluctantly suggested, “Fine, let’s call Serena over and see.” But when she arrived, there was no concern in her voice. Instead, what greeted me was cold interrogation. A gloved hand slapped my face twice. “James, wake up! Quit pretending. I’m here.” Her tone was sharp, full of impatience.