After sending the messages, exhaustion washed over Brigitta. Somewhere in the haze, she heard the front door open.

The estate she was currently in had been bought jointly by Damien's and her families for the marriage, but Damien had almost never stayed there... be it before or after the wedding.

Tonight though, he had come.

A long while later, Brigitta left her bedroom to fetch her charger. Passing the study, she saw him sitting at his desk under the warm lamplight, typing something intently.

Hearing her, Damien looked up. “Why aren’t you asleep?”

Brigitta didn’t answer and was about to keep walking when he called her back.

His eyes looked tired as he removed his silver-rimmed glasses and rubbed his brow.

“About today… I’m sorry,” he said. “But you should never have paraded the wedding dress in front of her. Irene has never gone out of her way to provoke you. Why are you acting like that?”

Brigitta’s remained calm. “You’re mistaken. I went to deliver the dress. The wedding—”

Damien’s mouth curved in a humorless smile.

“The wedding’s off? You’re handing it over to her?”

“You already know? Good.”

Damien's eyes chilled, his tone laced with scorn. “So Irene was right—you’re playing games. Brigitta, you truly disgust me. Whose idea was this? You love me so much you’re desperate to marry me, yet now you’re giving the ceremony to someone else?”

She didn’t want to explain. “Believe what you want. I’ve told you.”

He cut her off, his voice turning cold. “If not for our families’ business arrangement, I would never marry you. Irene is pure and kind—don’t you dare touch her. You may have the title of Mrs. Arkwright, but don’t dream of earning my love.”

Her indifference seemed to irritate him further.

So, he got up, pulled her into his arms and sat her on his lap, gripping her waist tightly. “Or is this about earlier? You saw us and got jealous?”

Damien's hand slid downward while the other gripped her chin, forcing a kiss on her.

Brigitta shoved him away. “Don’t touch me!”

She stood up from his lap, wiped her lips and didn't want him to touch her. Just thinking of Damien and Irene in bed that afternoon made her stomach turn.

Damien paused for a moment, then sneered: “Playing hard to get? Such a trivial trick.”

Brigitta sighed. She didn’t want to argue more and just wanted to leave.

As she reached the door, his voice followed her. “That little Thalasson Project expedition you’ve been dreaming about—it’s finally open for applications again after five years. I’ll be working late, sleeping in the study. Don’t disturb me.”

Her step faltered, but she said nothing and left.

Back in her room, Brigitta immediately logged into the expedition’s official site. Within minutes, she posted the announcement: this year’s team was now assembling and applications from foreign enthusiasts were closed.

***

The next morning, Brigitta was yanked out of bed by a rough hand. She opened her eyes to find Damien looming over her, red veins spidering in his gaze. He was clutching her phone.

“How did you get a spot in the Thalasson Project?”

She frowned. “Why are you looking at my phone? Let go of me!”

He threw the phone onto her. “It wouldn’t stop ringing. I went to turn it off—and found an endless stream of emails! You stole Irene’s spot, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t!”

“You’re lying!” His grip tightened until she hissed in pain. “I told you last night and now you magically have an invitation—while Irene is suddenly out. You expect me to believe that’s a coincidence?”

He continued, “I never realized you were this manipulative. Three days before our wedding and you’d run off to join some expedition just to spite Irene? Give her back her place.”

Brigitta almost laughed. Fate had a cruel sense of humor—making it seem as though she were the manipulative one, when she knew exactly who had been doing the real damage.

She calmed herself down and said, “I didn't take her spot and don't look at my phone again.”

Damien released her, pulling a tissue from the box to wipe his fingers as if touching her had dirtied him.

Brigitta closed her eyes. This Damien was exactly the same as in her past three lives—meeting her only with hostility.

He stared at the silent Brigitta for a long moment, then said coldly, “You'll regret this.”

And with that, Damien strode out, slamming the door behind him.

After Damien left, Brigitta dragged herself out of bed.

She hadn’t slept well; her body felt heavy with exhaustion. Their supposed to be wedding was in two days and she needed to pack—because this time, she would be gone before it happened. She refused to make the same mistakes again.

Everything in the house reminded her of Damien, so she cleaned everything out, had it taken away and packed only a backpack for herself.

Once everything was done, she checked the time on her phone, grabbed her car keys and headed to the embassy to renew her visa.

While waiting in line, Brigitta pulled a baseball cap low over her brow to hide her wound.

Never again would she degrade herself for love.

She had every reason to hold her head high. The thought of Damien telling her to “live with her tail between her legs” last night only deepened her disgust at the way she had once loved him desperately.

To distract herself, she scrolled through her phone. The news and trending topics were flooded with headlines about her expedition team:

[BREAKING: The world’s top exploration team returns to unravel the mystery of The Thalasson Project.]

[Legendary Chief Expedition ‘X’ has come out of retirement. The next expedition will change the course of history.]

Even the foreigners in line beside her were talking about it.

“That insane expedition team closed public applications last night. My friend offered billions and still couldn’t get the last slot. Unbelievable!”

“It’s and expedition for a Lost City Thalasson, a prehistoric super-civilization! If I got to go just once in my life, I’d die happy. And with Chief ‘X’ leading? That’s like getting a ticket to another planet!”

Their animated praise for the “Legendary Chief of Expedition” eased some of the tension in Brigitta's chest.

Then she heard the click of impatient heels on the floor. She looked up—and froze. It was Damien and Irene!

Why were those two in the embassy? Brigitta mused to herself. A sigh of frustration escaped her lips, she was hoping those two wouldn’t notice her.

“Damien, I don’t want to go to Elyria,” Irene pouted against his chest. “I want to join that expedition team. Everyone’s talking about it now! It must've been an awesome experience! Why can Brigitta go but I can’t? She stole my spot on purpose!”

“She didn’t steal your spot. Everyone has to apply on their own. We just had bad luck. I'll make it up to you. Wait here, I need to take a call.” Damien walked out to take the call, leaving Irene alone.

Brigitta was puzzled. This morning, he had been nothing but cruel to her. Now he was defending her?

Alas, Irene had already spotted her by then.

Brigitta instinctively lowered her cap, but too late—Irene was already walking over with a smile on her face.

“Ms. Holmund, are you following us all the way here? Why do you always turn up wherever we go?”

Brigitta’s smiled out of sarcasm. “You said it yourself—I got into the expedition. I’m here to renew my visa. What about you?”

“You—!”

Irene bit back her anger and smirked instead. “So what if you got in? Your man still sleeps in my bed. You’re just left with the scraps. Happy wedding, dear 'sister'.”

Brigitta clenched her fists: “You’re just as shameless as your mother!”

Irene’s eyes gleamed with vicious pride. “My mother built her own good life. And yours? Where is she?”

Brigitta’s anger flared and she raised her hand, ready to slap her.

But Irene moved first—grabbing her wrist and slamming her hand down on the binding machine beside them. She pressed the switch.

The screw-press crushed through Brigitta’s little finger.

Blood gushed out of the wound and those around her were so frightened they backed away to a safe distance.

The pain was excurciating. Brigitta bit down hard on her lip, clutching her hand as Irene let out a piercing scream.

Damien appeared in seconds. He saw Brigitta's bleeding little finger, his eyes momentarily filled with confusion. Just as he was about to approach Brigitta, Irene grabbed his arm.

“Damien, Ms. Holmund hit me, then ran her own hand into the machine… I can’t—oh God, I can’t look—” She faked weakness and limped against him.

Damien caught her immediately and swept her up in his arms without hesitation.

Meanwhile, Brigitta’s voice shook with pain. “Damien, Take me to a hospital! I can't feel my fingers!”

There was pleading in her tone.

Yet, Damien's eyes went cold upon hearing that. “You brought this on yourself. I told you not to touch her. If you weren’t bleeding, Irene wouldn’t have fainted!”

He added, “Even if you lose the finger, you deserve it.”

And with that, Damien strode out of the embassy with Irene in his arms then drove her to the nearest hospital.

Brigitta's head buzzed as she could only stand helplessly on her spot.

This was the first time she had ever begged Damien to help her—and he had turned away. That man had seen her blood and chosen to walk past her.

The pain in her hand blurred her vision. Just before she blacked out, she felt someone catch her.

Upon regaining consciousness and opened her eyes, Brigitta found herself lying in a hospital ward.

She turned her head and looked down at her hand, only to see it wrapped entirely in gauze. The anesthetic must still be taking effect, that's must be why there was no pain.

The memory of Irene suddenly attacking her while she wasn’t on guard made Brigitta tremble with rage. The surge of anger triggered a sharp ache in her head. She tried to recall what had happened after she blacked out, but no matter how desperately she tried, she couldn't remember anything.

Who had saved her and brought her here?

Right now, the most important thing was to confirm how bad was her injury. Brigitta had no intention of delaying her plans. She pulled out the IV needle, got out of bed and went to look for a doctor.

In the duty doctor’s office, she froze at the sight. Before her was Damien speaking with the attending doctor, jotting down every detail on a notepad.

Could it be… that he regretted everything and had been the one to save her?

When Damien noticed Brigitta standing at the door, his brows knitted together. “What are you doing here? Haunting me again?”

Brigitta gave a bitter smile. “This was the only hospital near the embassy. I didn’t exactly plan on running into you.”

His gaze dropped to her bandaged hand, his tone turning cold. “She’s very weak now. Are you satisfied with that? If you hadn’t gone after Irene, none of this would’ve escalated to the point of a hospital stay. You’d better stop with the games.”

Brigitta frowned. “I didn’t touch her—she’s the one who—”

“Enough! Don’t tell me you’re going to claim she pushed you? Irene fainted from the sight of blood and still hasn’t woken up. And now you want to smear her name? Brigitta, maybe I’ve been far too lenient with you. If you pull another stunt, the wedding is off!”

Damien stormed out, walking so quickly he bumped into Brigitta's shoulder.

Brigitta didn’t even look at him. “In this lifetime, I will never marry you.”

She sat down in front of the doctor. “Doctor, how’s my hand?”

The doctor sighed. “Ms. Holmund, your fingers were badly injured—down to the bone. Luckily your husband brought you in quickly. With proper care, you’ll recover.”

“My… husband?”

“That’s right. He was just here.”

Brigitta was baffled. In her other three lifetimes, she had never been involved with any man other than Damien. So, who could it have been?

Back in her ward, she picked up her phone and made a call. After only one ring, the line connected.

“Hey, I want you to help me look into someone.”

There was silence for a few seconds before a deep male voice replied. “No need. I’ll come myself.”

Within minutes, Kaspian appeared at the door.

Brigitta’s face lit up. “Kass, you’re here! Was it you who brought me to the hospital?”

Standing before her was Kapian Voss the heir of the Morvain conglomerate—her senior back when they were studying at the same college. She had always turned to him whenever she needed help. Kaspian had never failed her.

But after marrying Damien in her previous lives, she hadn’t seen Kaspian again. Now, seeing him felt like a long-lost comfort.

The man sat down naturally, frowning. “I came here on business. Who hurt you? Does it still hurt?”

Brigitta had always regarded him like an elder brother. Around him, she could let down her guard and even act a little childish.

Once she processed Kaspian's words, Brigitta felt a bit sad. She nodded. “Yes, it hurts. But why were you hiding from me earlier?”

Kaspian cleared his throat awkwardly. “Well, I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

Brigitta suddenly thought of something. “Kass, are you taking part in the Lost City of Thalasson Project?”

Kasspian nodded. “Give me your passport. I’ll get the arrangements done.”

Brigitta pulled out her passport and handed it to him. Turns out, their old dynamic was still there like before.

As he reached the door, he paused and turned to look at Brigitta. “I'll leave a few bodyguards here.”

Brigitta shook her head. “You know I won’t feel at ease with them around.”

After he left, Brigitta closed her eyes to rest. She had been so tired these past few days.

But peace didn’t last long. The door was suddenly slammed open.

Damien stormed in and angrily yanked Brigitta by the arm.

“You vile woman! You’ve gone so far to harm Irene? Get out with me!”