I was well aware of what Agnes had left unsaid. Lyra was currently basking in Rowan's favoritism, just as I did in my past life. She looked glamorous and enviable, but she was nothing more than a caged canary. Meanwhile, here I was, washing herbs with jagged thorns until my hands were bloodied and raw.

Once, catching sight of the bloody tint in the basin where I was washing the medicinal herbs, Cyrus fell silent for a moment before inquiring, "Do you want to take a break?"

I shook my head. "No, thank you," I responded.

I truly meant it. Even though it was exhausting, it was worth it.

Adrian might have been quiet and cold, but he never stopped me from doing what I wanted.

To my surprise, during dinner that day, I stared at Adrian's Ivy League graduation certificate for a long time. The very next day, Adrian had Cyrus come and ask me whether I still wanted to pursue my education.

I stiffened. I recalled how, in my previous life, whenever I wanted to study, Rowan would always scoff at the idea, claiming that a daughter-in-law of the Blackwood family had no need to be intelligent and that being obedient and pretty was enough.

I nodded. Consequently, private tutors were hired for me in the courtyard.

Adrian gave me the opportunity to study. It was the kind of privilege I had never been able to obtain in my previous life, no matter how desperately I tried.

…

Early the next morning, I carefully made my way back along the corridor, cradling a stack of old books I had just retrieved from the library. These were all books Adrian had specifically asked for, so I had to be exceptionally careful.

As I rounded the corner, a figure abruptly collided with me. Caught completely off guard, the books in my arms scattered all over the floor.

I staggered and barely managed to steady myself. Before I could even see who it was, I heard a soft, sweet voice filled with surprise. "Look, Ro. It's Sylvia!"

I looked up. Rowan stood there, a doting smile initially playing on his lips. The moment he saw me, the smile on his face froze. His expression held unconcealed disgust.

"Sylvia?" His brows knitted together. "What are you doing here? Why are you following us like a piece of gum under our shoe?"

"I'm not following you," I calmly retorted, squatting down to pick up the books scattered across the floor. "I'm here to fetch some books."

"You're here to fetch books?" Rowan scoffed, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. "Why are you pretending to be so diligent and ambitious? Do you think that'll get my attention? Listen here, even if you follow me around every day, wagging your tail and begging, I still won't spare you a second glance! My fiancee can only be Lyra!"

My heart still ached a little when I heard that. It wasn't because I still harbored any lingering feelings for him, but because I felt sorry for the version of me from my previous life, the woman who had been blinded. That woman had given her heart to the wrong person.

"Don't talk about Sylvia like that, Ro," Lyra said softly, gently tugging at Rowan's arm. "Sylvia just isn't used to it yet. After all, she always thought you would choose her…" She hesitated for a moment, reminding Rowan of my past wishful thinking.

Sure enough, he was provoked. "Not used to it? I think she's harboring resentment; she's jealous of you! A narrow-minded woman like her deserves to be stuck with that sickly older brother of mine!

"He's gloomy, and she's malicious; they're a match made in heaven!"

"What did you just say?" I jerked my head up. I could endure his humiliation of me, but I couldn't tolerate him slandering the person who had given me shelter and respect. "Mr. Adrian's not—"

"Not what?" Rowan cut me off impatiently. His voice dripped with utter ridicule. "Is he not sickly? Not despised by Father? Or are you saying he isn't gloomy?

"Sylvia, you've only been with him for a few days, and you've already learned to speak up for him? What, have you found yourself a new master that quickly and just switched the target you wag your tail for?"

"Ro…" Lyra abruptly let out a soft cry and bent over. Clutching her calf, her eyes misted over in an instant. "It hurts! I think I got scratched by the corner of a book…"

I stared at her in disbelief. Even though those books were old, their corners were well-worn and rounded. Moreover, when they scattered earlier, they had not touched her in the slightest.

Rowan immediately crouched down to check on her. "Where does it hurt? Let me see!"

He carefully inspected her calf, which did not even have a single red mark on it. Yet, he snapped his head up, and a furious fire blazed in his eyes.

"Sylvia, you did this on purpose! Not only did you bump into Lyra with these stupid books, but you also dared to hurt her? How could you be so malicious? Is it because Lyra is my fiancee now, and you're absolutely nothing?"

I gaped at Lyra, at the woman who had come to the Blackwood family from the orphanage with me. After depending on each other for so many years, I had never imagined she would use this kind of method to frame me.

"Lyra—" My voice trembled.

"I know you're upset, Sylvia," Lyra cut me off timidly, shrinking behind Rowan. "I'm sorry. It's my fault. I shouldn't be with Ro. Please don't be mad at me, and please don't throw books at me anymore..."

Those manipulative words solidified my jealousy and malice.

"Why are you wasting your breath on someone like her?" His patience was entirely spent. Rowan scooped Lyra up into his arms. "Let's go. From now on, steer clear of her, lest her bad luck rub off on us!"

He carried Lyra and strode away, giving me absolutely no opportunity to explain myself. Before they left, Lyra rested her chin on Rowan's shoulder and looked back at me as I stood frozen in place. In her teary eyes, I clearly saw a cold glint.

After they left, the empty corridor held only me and the old books scattered all over the floor. I slowly crouched down and picked them up one by one.

Right as I was organizing them, a pair of clean black leather shoes came to a silent halt in front of me. I froze, and I slowly looked up.

Adrian had arrived at some point. He stood there quietly, looking down at my disheveled state.

He didn't ask me what had happened. Instead, he simply crouched down in silence. Then, he reached out and picked up the scattered books, one by one.

"I can pick them up myself," I said quietly.

"The books did nothing wrong," he said indifferently. "They shouldn't be treated like this."

Following that incident, he allowed me into his study. Initially, he merely designated an area for me, and we each kept to ourselves.

I steeped some warm chamomile and honey to help with his stubborn cough. The first time I handed it to him, he only spared it a glance. "You don't need to trouble yourself."

"If I don't take care of you, I can't rest easy," I insisted. He was silent for a moment, but in the end, he accepted it.

That was a turning point in our relationship.

From that night on, he would occasionally give me a few pointers while I organized the medical books. His knowledge was astonishingly vast. Those obscure medical theories and pharmacological texts always became exceptionally clear to me whenever he explained them.

I absorbed everything like a sponge, and more than anything, it gave me a real sense of security, knowing that I was finally in control of my own life. That was until one afternoon when I was flipping through the calendar, and I realized in my previous life, Adrian had been kidnapped around this exact time.

Not long after that, news came that he had fallen gravely ill and gone away to recuperate. Then came... the news of his death.

I sprang to my feet, knocking over the medicine cup at my elbow. "Where's Mr. Blackwood?" I rushed out and grabbed Cyrus, who was pruning the flowers.

Cyrus was startled. "Mr. Blackwood mentioned that his chest felt tight this afternoon, so he went to Hopewell Hospital in the north of the city for a checkup. He only left a moment ago…"

Hopewell Hospital in the north of the city. Without a second thought, I grabbed a baton nearby and bolted out the door.

Rain lashed against my face, yet I couldn't feel the cold. There was only a single thought screaming in my mind. I couldn't let anything happen to him. Not on my watch!

I ran with all my might. Right at the entrance of a dim alleyway, I skidded to a halt.

Several burly men were roughly shoving a slender figure deeper into the alley. The man attempted to fight back, but he was easily restrained.

It was Adrian. To my surprise, Lyra was right beside him. She was being held by the arm and held in place by a man.

"Let them go!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, charging forward with the baton raised. "I've already called the cops! They'll be here any second now!"

The group froze in their tracks and turned around. The man with a scar on his face sized me up and sneered. "You've called the cops? Who do you think you're scaring, you little brat?"

He violently kicked the trash can beside him. "Even ghosts don't come to this hellhole!"

My lie was exposed in an instant.

"Sylvia!" Lyra cried out when she saw me. "Save us!"

I had no time to worry about her. My eyes were fixed on Adrian, whose arms were pinned behind his back by two men.

A thin trail of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his breathing was ragged. Obviously, he had tried to fight back and had been beaten. His eyes locked onto mine, filled with an unreadable emotion.

"Hang on. I'll save you!" I yelled at him. I swung the baton wildly, striking at the man closest to me.

"Crap! You asked for this!" The man dodged the swing effortlessly, ripped the baton right out of my hands, and slapped me hard across the face.

My vision went black, and I staggered before collapsing to the ground.

"You don't know what's good for you!" another man growled, stepping forward and delivering a sharp kick straight to my abdomen.

The excruciating pain made me curl up into a ball, and I almost couldn't catch my breath.

"Don't touch her!" Adrian snarled, thrashing wildly.

"Oh, someone's protective of her." The man with a scar on his face smirked before gesturing to his man. "Get her! Let's see how cocky she is when we're through with her!"

Fists and boots rained down on me like a torrential downpour. I tried my best to protect my head.

Just then, a chaotic rush of footsteps accompanied by furious shouting rang out. "Freeze!"

I forced open my swollen, aching eyes and saw headlights illuminating the entrance of the alley. Rowan charged in with several men who looked highly trained.

His face was wrought with anxiety, and his eyes immediately locked onto Lyra, who was shivering and hiding behind Adrian. "Lyra!"

He rushed over, pulled Lyra out, and shielded her in his arms. He examined her. "Why did you come here? Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you?"

Lyra's expression was filled with tension. "I wasn't feeling well and wanted to go to the hospital, but I witnessed Mr. Adrian being kidnapped… I couldn't just stand by and do nothing."

Rowan let out a soft sigh. "I'm glad you're alright."

A second later, he noticed me. I was lying on the ground, battered and bruised. He froze for a moment at the sight of me. Then, I heard the scar-faced man lower his voice and tell Rowan, "Mr. Rowan, what brings you here? Don't worry, we always fulfill our end of the bargain."

Rowan's body stiffened slightly. He glared at the scar-faced man, seemingly infuriated by his big mouth.

Instinctively, he looked at me. His gaze was unreadable. There was anger and a flicker of guilt that vanished as soon as it surfaced, but in the end, it all dissolved into nothing.

He gently pushed Lyra out of his embrace, walked over to where I was curled up on the ground, and crouched down. Looking me in the eye, he said, "See, Sylvia, this is destiny. In my previous life, I mistook the person who saved me, causing Lyra to suffer. In this life…"

He paused for a moment before glancing at the pale-faced Adrian. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly. "I'll make sure that the person who deserves retribution gets exactly what is coming to them. For old time's sake, I can let you off the hook. So long as you keep your mouth shut, I'll pretend that you have no idea."

I looked at his face, which felt both so familiar and yet completely foreign, and suddenly found it all to be incredibly absurd. Having been given a second chance at life, I had simply assumed that he just didn't love me and had chosen someone else. I had never imagined that he was thoroughly rotten to his very core.

As soon as the realization dawned on me, I let out a low chuckle. Rowan's brows knitted together. "Have you lost your mind? Do you really want to die alongside this short-lived bastard?"

I didn't look at him, nor did I look at Lyra, who was currently playing the part of a damsel in distress behind him. Using every ounce of strength left in my body, I threw myself over Adrian, who was injured, using my back to shield him from any further attacks. "Yes, I want to die with him!" I yelled.

My words seemed to thoroughly infuriate Rowan. The sheer malice in his eyes threatened to swallow me whole…