Gia had a long dream where she was back to when she was 18.

She was cornered in a narrow alley by a gang of thugs, and Lucas charged in without a second thought. He shielded her when one of the thugs thrust a knife toward her.

The thugs scattered in fear. She clung to him, his body covered in blood. Tears streamed down her face.

He gently wiped her tears with a bloodstained hand and said, "Gia, it… breaks my heart to see you cry."

He was clearly in pain, but somehow, his smile was blissful. He confessed, "Gia, I never dared to say this before, but… I like you. I like you so much that I'd die for you."

The blurry dream wavered. His face then twisted and became cruel.

He yelled angrily, "I'm in love with Cecelia now! You took what's hers, so why don't you just die?"

She jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat.

The bedroom was pitch dark. She breathed hard, forcing herself to calm down, until faint sounds coming from outside broke the silence.

It was the muffled noise of someone retching, mixed with a low, soothing voice of a man.

Gia got out of bed as if drawn by an unseen force, and she quietly opened the door to peek. A door stood half-open down the hallway, and Cecelia could be heard sobbing.

"I feel awful…" she sobbed.

"Hold on a little longer. Have some warm water. Pregnancy is supposed to be like this. You'll feel much better in a few weeks," he said, his voice full of tenderness and concern.

Gia felt heartbroken. She took a few unsteady steps forward like a puppet, and she saw everything inside the room.

Cecelia rested in his arms, his hand gently stroking her back while the other held a cup of water. They leaned into each other like a married couple.

"Lucas, will you tell me a story? Like you used to when we were kids…" she said.

His expression visibly softened. His fingers brushed through her hair, and his voice was warm.

"Once upon a time…" he began.

The room seemed to spin around Gia.

She placed a hand over her mouth to stop any sound from escaping.

She remembered a time when she too had leaned against his chest like that. His expression had been gentle then as well, but his words were different.

He had said, "Don't start this again. I still have experimental data to analyze tomorrow."

She never heard him finish a story.

"You're so good to me, Lucas," she said sweetly. Then, she suddenly tilted her head up and kissed him.

Lucas went rigid at first, but he did not push her away. He said in a raspy voice, "Don't, you need to take care of yourself right now…"

However, his hand pressed firmly against the back of her head, pulling her into a passionate kiss. The sound of it was breathless and intimate; it filled the air as their figures melted together.

Gia fled.

She stumbled back into her bedroom, leaning against the door before sinking to the floor. Tears had blurred her vision. A wave of nausea hit her hard, and she rushed to the bathroom, retching until her body shook.

It was so disgusting to her, and she was more heartbroken than before.

She did not know how much time had passed before she emerged. Her legs were numb, each step feeling like it landed on pins. She opened a drawer and pulled out a heavy photo album.

Every page was filled with pictures of her and Lucas. Each one with his gaze fixed on her affectionately made her heartbroken.

The affection in his eyes had never been fake, but it had never been hers alone.

She cut every photo to pieces with a pair of scissors before she threw them into the trash.

She carried the garbage bag downstairs at dawn, only to find Lucas busy in the kitchen.

"Up so early?" he asked. His gaze flicked to the bag in her hand, and he continued to ask, "What's that?"

"Trash," she replied.

Her voice was steady as she brushed past him.

He did not press her for answers. He plated the breakfast he had been preparing and set it on the table. He said without turning around, "Cecelia's stomach has been acting up. I made her something easy to digest. I didn't have time to make yours, so you'll have to sort breakfast out yourself."

Her steps faltered. She felt her chest tighten, making it hard to breathe.

She replied calmly after pausing for a moment, "If I go out alone…"

The sound of something crashing cut her off.

It was followed by a pained moan, "Lucas…"

His face changed instantly. He dropped everything and rushed toward her. He yelled, "Cecelia? What's wrong?"

Cecelia clutched her throat as if she could not breathe, her face pale and strained.

Lucas panicked. He swept her into his arms without a second thought and headed for the door.

Gia barely had time to react, so she was still standing there. He shouted furiously, "Move!"

He promptly shoved her out of the way.

A cabinet crashed to the floor, its contents spilling everywhere, striking her painfully. She felt a sharp sting on her forehead as something warm and sticky slid down the side of her face.

However, Lucas had left, and he never once looked back.

Gia lay on the floor for a long time before slowly getting up. She endured the pain and carefully dabbed medicine on her swollen forehead.

The wound had started to swell, but she forced herself not to let the tears fall.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed from downstairs.

"Gia!" Lucas yelled. His voice was meaner than she had ever heard before.

He rushed to grab her wrist as soon as she stepped out of her room.

His eyes were bloodshot, the veins bulged on his forehead, and his breath came fast and heavy.

"Did you prepare the ingredients in the fridge?!" he snapped. He glared at Gia like she was his worst enemy.

Pain shot through her wrist, but she could not break free. She yelled, "Let go of me! What are you talking about?!"

He raised his voice, "Don't play dumb! Cecelia almost died! She got food poisoning! The nitrite levels in those dishes were ten times over the limit! That could only have been deliberate!"

Gia was shocked.

Lucas never cooked before last night, so of course she was the one who had prepared the ingredients. However, what he said made no sense to her.

"When did you become so vicious? You wanted to hurt Cecelia just because I cared about her? Do you realize you almost killed two lives?" he yelled. His gaze was cold and unfamiliar.

His sudden accusations made her head spin. She staggered and hoarsely replied, "Calm down. Why would I poison anyone? I prepared the ingredients for myself…"

"For yourself?" asked Lucas. He clearly did not believe her. He gave a harsh laugh, yanked her by the arm, and dragged her downstairs. He yelled, "Fine, then eat it right now!"

He dragged her into the living room. The breakfast was still sitting on the table, and he picked it up.

"Eat it if it isn't poisoned!" he yelled.

Her heart turned cold, disbelief washed over her. She thought it was ridiculous that he would think she had poisoned Cecelia.

She desperately struggled and said, "You're insane… Do you seriously think I'd kill someone, Lucas Isles?!"

"Who else could it be?" he asked. He grabbed her chin, and looked at her with a terrifying dark expression. He said, "The dosage was clearly intentional. There are only three of us in the house. Are you suggesting Cecelia poisoned herself if it wasn't you?"

He forced her mouth open and shoved a spoonful of food in her mouth.

She fought with tears streaming down her face.

However, he acted like a man possessed and stuffed another spoonful of food. "Didn't you say it wasn't poisoned? Then eat!"

He was like an animal who lost his mind, his red eyes flashed with cruelty. "Prove your innocence!" he yelled.

Gia was forced to swallow spoonfuls of food because she was pressed against the table. Spoonful after spoonful, until all the food was gone. The nausea rose violently, and she bent over and gagged, but nothing came out.

Then, a burning pain flared in her stomach. She stumbled, was unable to steady herself, and collapsed to the floor.

Her breathing grew rapid, her vision blurred, and a shrill ringing filled her ears. She whimpered in agony.

'It hurts so much,' thought Gia.

"Lucas…" she gasped, instinctively reaching toward him for help.

However, he only stood there, watching as she writhed in pain. Her breath grew shallow, foam gathered at her lips, and her struggling slowed.

He finally crouched down, his voice distant and chilling, "Hurts, doesn't it? That's what Cecelia went through."

Gia could barely hear him anymore. She curled up and wept in silence as her consciousness faded.

'Am I going to die like this? Am I going to die earlier and more tragic than in my past life?' she thought.

That was the first time she tasted a meal made by Lucas across two lifetimes. She could not believe that it was under those circumstances.

That was worse than death to her.

She saw him call the ambulance through hazy vision.

He said, "Don't worry, I only wanted to teach you a lesson. I won't let you die… You did something wrong, so you deserve punishment, don't you think?"

Gia coughed up blood, and a bitter laugh rose in her chest.

'Yes, I was wrong. My mistake was falling in love with a human scum. Wrong enough that I had to pay for it in two lifetimes,' she thought.

The wails of sirens drew closer as darkness closed in on her.

The sharp smell of disinfectant filled the air.

Gia slowly opened her eyes.

The suffocating feeling lingered, so she instinctively clutched her throat, breaking into a harsh cough.

"Relax," hushed a female doctor. She helped Gia sit up and carefully gave her a glass of water. "Do you feel any better?" she asked.

Gia, though pale, nodded.

"You developed complications from food poisoning. I've looked at your past records, and your body has always been weak. This time, it's caused irreversible damage…" she explained

Gia listened quietly, emotionlessly.

She had been a premature baby, so she was frail from birth. Lucas used to care for her with meticulous attention in the past. He made sure she took her medicine, never let her drink too much coffee, and constantly bought tonics for her.

All that, and he had poisoned her.

Pain and hatred twisted in her chest. She only managed to nod like a robot, and she did not even realize when the doctor left.

A single tear slid down her cheek, then they kept coming. She tried to wipe them away, but the more she wiped, the more tears there were.

It was not because of his betrayal, but because of how she foolishly trusted. She had died once, but she still held onto a sliver of hope for the man.

That fragile hope only brought deeper wounds.

The door creaked open. Lucas walked in, his shirt wrinkled and dark circles under his eyes.

The moment their gazes met, he hurried forward and reached for her hand, only for her to pull away.

He froze for a second, then grabbed her hand anyway. His voice was trembling as he said, "Gia… Are you still unwell? I… I must've been insane to do that to you!"

Tearing up, he said hoarsely, "When I saw Cecelia lying in the emergency room, I panicked. I couldn't believe you'd actually do something like that… That's why I lost control. It was what you did that scared me…"

"It wasn't me," said Gia raspily.

He looked like he was in pain for a moment, but it was clear he still did not believe her.

Gia let out a bitter laugh. 'Of course,' she thought.

Overwhelming fatigue washed over her, and she lost the will to speak.

"You really went too far this time. Cecelia is pregnant. You can't do that no matter what," muttered Lucas.

Gia cut him off. "Do you love her?" she asked.

Lucas jerked his head up. "What? No! Of course not! She's just a childhood friend, I only pitied her," he retorted.

'All lies,' she thought.

Fighting back tears, she whispered, "Let's get a divorce."

The hospital room fell into a dreadful silence. His expression shifted from shock, to anger, to twisted rage, before finally settling into a dark scowl.

"No. I won't agree," he said.

Gia gripped the blanket tightly.

His furious voice erupted before she could respond.

"Do you seriously want a divorce? I told you there's nothing between us! Why are you still jealous? We're married! Half of your company belongs to me if we get a divorce! Would you throw away everything you worked so hard for?" he yelled.

Dread spread through her body. He was threatening her with her career.

However, that was exactly what had happened in her past life. He had given half of her company to his illegitimate child.

"Gia, I love you," he said.

Lucas suddenly leaned down, pulling her into his arms. His tone was soft and earnest as he said, "I can't live without you. Please, don't make me angry anymore."

His lips pressed against her forehead. Her body stiffened.

That kiss once gave her comfort, but no more. It only made her sick.

"Lucas… My stomach hurts again…" said Cecelia. Her weak voice drifted from outside the door.

Lucas immediately got up and strode toward the door. He turned to look at Gia before he opened the door and said, "Get some rest. Don't dwell on nonsense. I'll come tomorrow to bring you home."

The door shut, and Gia shuddered.

She felt like the man who had once been her gentle companion was secretly a demon.

She reached under her pillow and pulled out her phone with her trembling fingers. A single unread message glowed on the screen–it was from her private attorney.

[Ms. Rowan, the last batch of assets has been transferred to the offshore account, but the company's equity changes still require your signature]

Gia let out a long sigh, then replied [Okay.] with shaking hands.

Her body was weaker than ever, but she told herself that was the price of having a second chance in life.

She would never go back again.