Reborn in the Enemy's Embrace Chapter 4

"Sophia, thank you. I didn't know you were so brave."

Juliet approached me, dripping with insincere thanks just to chat. She gripped my hands tightly, her gaze brimming with menace.

I shoved her hands aside and stormed out of the Coleman residence.

Truth be told, I should have quit everything right there.

After departing the house, I rushed to the hospital.

"You're already two months along. How did you miss it? Keep a close watch over the coming days."

Stunned, I slumped in the chair, staring at the report as tremors wracked my body.

I was pregnant.

Of all times, I had gotten pregnant now.

Damien felt no affection for me, so he'd surely reject the baby I carried.

No matter my pregnancy, his opinion of me wouldn't shift. He'd merely suspect I schemed to trap him into marriage.

Before long, just five days remained until the incident.

Mustering my resolve, I intended to reveal the pregnancy to Damien.

Should he reject the child, I wouldn't bring it into the world. Then I'd depart.

I'd stop troubling him forever.

Yet no matter how often I dialed his number, he refused to pick up.

On my final attempt, the call connected at last.

But Juliet was the one who answered.

"Sophia, do you need Damien for something? He's exhausted and requires rest."

"Why waste your breath on her? Just tell her not to bother me."

Damien's irritated voice mingled with Juliet's laughter over the line.

"Stop it, Damien. It's my time of the month, so you can't touch me today..."

Phone clutched in my hand, I sat frozen on the couch, numbness washing over me.

That evening, Damien didn't come home solo—he brought Juliet with him.

"Why did you bring her here?" Aunty Lisa frowned in displeasure.

"Mom, Juliet and I are getting engaged. We're here to inform you." Damien spoke with firm resolve.

Aunty Lisa stood stunned, glancing instinctively toward me.

Tears brimmed in my eyes, but I stayed silent.

"I won't allow it. You have a marriage agreement with Sophia..." Aunty Lisa tried to protest further.

"The killer has targeted Juliet. Since he only goes after single women, I'll announce our engagement to remove her from his sights."

Damien's favoritism toward Juliet shone through blatantly.

Nausea twisted my gut; I lurched to my feet and bolted to the bathroom, heaving violently without end.

What did I even mean to him?

When I was 18 and my parents perished in that car crash, I too was trapped in the mangled wreckage. Flames engulfed it, threatening explosion any instant.

Damien raced to me like a maniac for the rescue. He poured every ounce of effort into shattering the window. Blood drenched his hands, yet he relentlessly sawed at my seatbelt.

He hauled me from the car, bore me to safety, then plunged back into peril to save my parents.

"Damien... It's too dangerous..." My feeble cry echoed as I watched helplessly from afar while he endangered himself for my family.

Just as he nearly freed my parents, the car erupted.

The ferocious blaze and thunderous boom sent my heart racing.

Though my parents met their end regardless, Damien's valiant attempts to save them etched forever in my mind.

He was a kind soul at heart. He always had been. Love for me was the only thing missing.

Having vomited until nothing remained, darkness veiled my sight and I crumpled to the floor.

Damien was set to wed Juliet.

From the start, I'd been nothing more than a punchline.

"Sophia, don't be afraid. You'll be fine, Sophia... Sophia..."

At the crash scene, his voice calling my name repeatedly lingered in memory, urging me to endure as the ambulance neared.

Back then, I convinced myself he harbored feelings for me.

That false belief dragged on for years.

"Sophia, why are you playing dead again?"

The bathroom door burst open from a kick, Damien glaring down at me in rage.

"You'll go to Serenity Lane tomorrow night. We've already decided on it, so don't play any tricks."

"Damien... Do you really not care if I die?" My voice rasped hoarsely.

"Sophia, you're too stubborn to die, so you're the perfect candidate to face the killer!

"If you have the determination you used to bother me, you can bother that killer. Maybe you can even contribute a little to society!"

"If I die... Will you be upset?" I pressed on in my gravelly tone.

Damien scowled. "Would you bear to die? I'll answer you this question after you're dead."