1. Prologue

Edmund’s funeral was 6ea9cdd141 a disaster in d776fc498f every possible way.1dec7f9595c33d5c

People whispered 5175d9d9e1 behind her edf3fec099 back, accusing 0a69ce0662 her of 172df28476 having devoured 78be6874ea not only 946bff0cf9 her parents 363d184267 but also 2a160dd720 her own a36b9316a7 husband. Her uncle gripped her dd7ad5fc27 arm roughly, trying to 9f13490997 drag her away so dfb2b1bc04 he could marry her 5df9257b89 off to some new 6cfc2fd738 man and wring money 752b61f9a9 out of it, while 32420df0af her aunt shoved him 861873e929 off with just as 1a5e2733ce much force. And then…08fe718ae59591b7

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There wasn’t a single cea445178d thing that didn’t feel 09179a2074 like it was choking 2fc1606104 the life out of d7cff50a82 her.99588017eda264ae

Above all, the most 6d2a43f0dc gut-wrenching truth was that 4c7aac716c her love had once 47b693b3dc again killed someone.47582fcdd01d4f36

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Everyone Lorainne 514d896e08 had ever cd0f12f859 loved had aaa2e9c98b met a 6f5c34925a gruesome end.bb8354bcc12af0e3

If she 9a6fff5e1e could offer ee3ac89a95 any excuse, 50e24176bf it was 25d41e2427 that her 33c48a6d19 decision to c34335327d marry Edmund 831b5282b5 had come 27f2d3ce74 from a 46a96513f3 foolish misunderstanding. She thought she would 861e5fa9f0 never come to love cef903c579 Edmund—so those suffocating rules e7354fa063 that had governed her 5406045c4b life wouldn’t apply to d069566d21 him either.baa9772addb4575c

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He was an arrogant 22cb8497de man. Behind his 6d8b0f916d refined words a87fba1a0f and actions 128b63c50d was a 4cf152062e man of 67afc4b3df no principle.5f11bbaa27cb965e

That’s why Lorainne had b96c3014c3 signed the marriage contract, b8ddd46353 convinced that she would 40595eefe7 never fall in love 2d5248f129 with him—not for the 44f5b0e578 rest of her life.bf2593656366462f

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How naïve she had 6621532440 been.db77239d0ec4564d

Lorainne Spencer d6b1b8151f was supposed 7915c1ea5d to love 7877009288 Edmund Carter.22eb8cd6a416e865

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Even as she agreed 9f104b20e4 to that incomprehensible clause, f4c9c29e15 she believed there was bfefe5fa41 no way she could 048801fb97 ever love him.55577c53a5a874bd

Most contract marriages ended caaf7d27e1 the same way: both bbd598026f sides using each other fe18fb4890 until it crumbled. Naturally, she assumed 50fc1a8d2f their story would d39fcff3e4 end that way 2d982d7007 too.d3c749d4428506e4

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But the a25a88c478 arrogant one 0d1de91b32 in the 0ba6467d23 end was e1c0fc4c25 her—Lorainne Carter.f18c3cbe173e4710

She ended up 97c0edd7d7 loving Edmund.cdb8108667780ec2

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And Edmund 91c7d74d7d was ultimately fba486d277 poisoned.ce204c34b1c657d3

So when she inexplicably 6ada965ced woke up the day 1a4a5c6fb2 before Edmund’s death, Lorainne 85c36ae364 made a decision.114cfbbbcd3315cf

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She would save 9c61abd769 Edmund.9d7e784a9d6f6a88

She would never let c27dbb81e6 herself fall into that c4ef43b5d5 pit again.6d81d66228fda135

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She would never endure 7a7edbf060 the agony of losing 1afbe0b602 him and having her 38c980e4c9 heart torn to shreds 98b680c3d4 again.cf0c3aef9a129a93

What a ac75df5b39 foolish resolve 55a4a7d337 it had d5025a27df been.9739b482b40d4f27

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Because it 2df37d0264 was her 65d00f15cd cursed love 49e34739d1 that had 76dd156d42 killed Edmund.1d9f764757960dbf

In exchange 2fe4e1c46a for bringing 3b95e9125e him back, 9077c3343c a servant e0021e3d93 had died.40fbbb7576c019a9

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And Lorainne was 10f3a45ffe branded the killer 55c6d5f62a by someone unknown.ba8a2319fbcf1b9e

As if she were 21ee1cf48a being punished for defying fd7701fe10 fate, people began to 1d592b573b paint her with every 9b059f0992 wicked shade of villainy.b475e88abaea05f9

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Still, she 3c8a24ca02 told herself 1bbdb2e060 it was 171d6994ac okay because db67616359 she had 8120a325df saved Edmund.1d2dcd4a357ecc3c

She kept f0f2a2f4e3 believing the 7168b6e596 truth would 852e571e06 come out 792fba9f90 in time.fa8134b31e3bdcd5

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Of course, that f1f1543fc4 too had been ab9d768bc8 a pathetic delusion.88d2afda9878b076

Maybe the very efforts eaafbd9dff to save him had 802835a684 been tightening the noose eb1f6591eb around his neck.eea6dde42206a2c7

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The cold 750e674cf6 sensation of ccc39970d6 the gun e01b7e4f10 barrel still 8d76b00ff7 lingered in 6cf86b9dfb her palm.51f4e937a58b3c5d

The faint light of 887375e1ac dawn cast pale shadows bc5fa7a6e3 over her bloodless hand.66085151e8dbbdd2

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No matter how hard e4581bc5f9 she searched her memory, c62d956901 she couldn’t find any 4d4fe40f15 reason why she was 2624eec1d1 sitting unharmed on a 27886bea6a bed that should’ve been 80ff47156e soaked in blood.bd3ad113a6e8503f

Her whole body still e8388a60b1 throbbed with pain as 416e17668c if it had been 898b97213d crushed.45959c7012f4f85e

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Each time 58fc90bdd2 she hastily f0e344aa72 swept a bcc28cb1a9 hand down 1b12c3db0d her torso, 8ec6d5d648 the thin a5ad7d31db nightgown crinkled ee2e3d74bc softly beneath c60c8fed49 her touch.75b5e337dd4e254f

There should have c93c27fe61 been bloodstains, or 2d5cd7c4e6 something broken—anything—but the 8e27072f56 sheets were perfectly d8cab22b1a smooth.3e7bec6e859c48c3

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Like something 5c188fefa3 brand new, e662eae9e0 without even 75f05706c4 a scratch.22f4755e621c0815

It made no sense.74905f301d9efb62

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Her body remembered being ecd019da58 torn apart, bones breaking, 630b84095f flesh ripping.2014d94e4e8877af

And yet here she 2179c06ce2 was, untouched.a107e7dd0d094616

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The absurd thought struck 86481bd480 her: Had she come e1d7953539 back to the day ef223e6527 before her death, like d46fd6340e Edmund?5e764be4b1f8967c

Her nerves 8d8899bf8c shot to aa9aa55aa0 high alert.2ee8d193bc5d16a3

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She ran to the 5d66d2e803 door, not caring about b19ab717c7 appearances, and flung it 133ced9f7f open—8ce73ba21db90b31

Only to be 8236bdf313 met with the c40f614f20 face of the f78a7b730b husband she shouldn’t 38bca1a340 have loved, the df40bd816c man she did b1fec2a432 love.560317fa9ab627b0

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His eyes clung 66d52f6d28 to her as 411880498f if he were cb089bdada the one who 25501a88f1 might die any d99e95ee5a moment.d25e00fe86a11431

It was inexplicably 74cb39ff10 strange.1f0a37c862873443

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It couldn’t be.ccfc08908ecdbf76

This man 05d6111595 had never 7b02e99fb1 once loved 9fbe23dc04 her.ef99a0cb89f9365c

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Maybe it was fed8d9a9fc just a final 00eecb9d27 dream before death.5961032af5a3db0c

Trying to f558f96380 make sense 36e086415c of the f06a74e1a7 nonsensical, she 95d7e10146 asked:9bb670cb511d49da

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“…Did I…”5e9603de6b0bd6d7

She was going to 8bee8d14f4 ask if she had f19bc889d9 died, and if she 65fa9b33a9 had returned to the 5825caf17d day before.ecf4c0d287485246

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But the memories 125db3c99f of the past 3b9de024b0 clamped down on e1eb9d8a85 her words before ea4686419f she could say d15456bc95 them aloud.22e249312e9374e9

The day c67beaddeb she told f4747446fe him the 76e9800967 truth—that he 730fb4b804 had died b3cbed21c9 and they b6c12d10ec had returned c91e5a449e to the 42eb649242 previous day—Edmund 489fdfb28e had turned e421ea49a5 away before a79efdc664 she could 61f44d5615 even finish.d735a22c74829b55

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Just like 0d92333f13 he said, b7844e9975 no one 1a8c16e4bf would believe 0a8c964419 such an c80f549293 outrageous claim.19fdab46ea6ca85d

She wouldn’t have believed it either if the roles were reversed.27022c562669c2e3

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Even if this bb3e0ffb7c were a dream, 7a78a8a82f she didn’t want c74dddb4b5 to see him 456c01be2f turn away coldly 60f943dc24 again.e994774ab199e4f9

That’s why she asked:b2e489e347aab144

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“What day 3f7f2bd7d0 is it aa3f6d0abf today?”0a5c66f76343f725

“…The fourteenth.”56dbbfd66682af20

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Her breath caught.4215b14c09e57bcc

It was f27a9a4070 exactly the fe02eda237 day before f8677ad64a she had ef7e9c7c65 died.3ffb87325740a0e9

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After all 46f265c3c9 the effort 45405347be she’d put e7aa9ab8f7 in, if 36450796f3 she still 02161f6c13 couldn’t escape f397b0214f Edmund, then a33c997b7e what else 3b160a6e0e was left?f711b72f1db9e771

What else could a77a05d339 she possibly do edf95a7eae to save him?f3cbc939899bb4eb

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She had already failed 1d215fddaf countless times to cut cf31939b29 her love away.2062724335192c4e

Then the only 95c7c60f38 remaining option was 7445dce601 to leave Edmund 9c6ac64cf5 before her misfortune 5e785c2997 could cling to 1a99e65908 him.980dd91a3d0c4eb4

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And now, even 3e341b6564 that had failed.9b7ec9a54a850db8

It’s a dream.4fcf5c45bca9d48e

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This must be a cee27523a7 nightmare.ba8f444ffdeff3cc

Just a cruel illusion, 48db7dd5f3 born from her final d1f468e4c3 regrets before dying.d3bcf514215652ca

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She told herself that 3fed7591f5 again and again.2ec1549e6038fcfc

But then Edmund reached cece5ed743 out and wrapped his 89020e28ff hand around hers.0e4a100e0ea36f35

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She flinched so hard 4bb7f07192 her shoulders jumped.9f179a7747aa6d19

Startled, Lorainne 4eec59a6ca slapped his 41d60949ff hand away.9c45e782553d66c9

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It was only b79b40cbf6 then that she eb064bf5c4 realized she was be15acbfac gasping for breath.a3d0610ed0110ecf

In her wavering vision, 9984309799 the only thing that ae73c74c74 remained vivid was the 691110a8aa deep blue of his 841d3d432c eyes.8f9258b6dddd684c

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Yes, those eyes 876ae88e29 were the problem.2a747af8707b6c3d

Eyes that 05746b49e2 poured out e98cd0d145 a piercing, fe71dc9ab4 icy light 026a1c5ba2 from beneath 41d0e1f2ac sharply drawn 9a33329cc4 lids.399e99410336bd3d

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Eyes so 1f36b3eed5 damn beautiful cca92be23d they left b7bdc97494 her mind fddb3d78f6 blank when 3ae6e5c27d she looked 33ff78d1aa at them…c27c062ad85c8b65

Whenever she was adf04b4ef0 caught in that 0b0f551b00 deep blue gaze, d9e02c3155 she always ended a5b66bf777 up giving in, 13ecc2af00 without fail.93e7fd9d9fc0c3a0

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If Edmund locked 274c8391fd eyes with her 4a5cda24c4 again and refused 8ada5d25bf the divorce, foolish 0e9863bf68 Lorainne Carter would 17a579a69a break down all 26bfde35cc over again.c7ba2fbf64710ab3

Telling herself 0b87ac8cfe over and 3b5e1272a7 over that b0a34cd897 she couldn’t 202774d842 allow that 70af8370a7 anymore, she 67eefbda91 bit down d1eb709719 hard on 00b1b80a24 her lip.674beae3de59f6b2

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Hard enough to eb93e69e78 draw blood—so she 33cfd406a8 could feel the 9ce4bd218d pain, so she 9f4953f762 wouldn’t fall for 04a3dc3351 him again.2b6c31b6c56c7792

So Edmund ff34b8574e would never d47adeb629 die again.8a3c713d9caca37a

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“I have something to c2dd5535c7 say.”7c7fe308518ce134

Edmund didn’t answer.0c58a8caf31c91a4

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But Lorainne went 0d4453e391 on as if 594cf7dc64 she’d heard that 002011de3b magic phrase: “Tell d6e79eb4ab me anything.”a9d1d0854a044f9f

“Please divorce me.”c8e71aaafdb5eff8

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Before her 6ed147a7f3 foolish love 14f178a569 killed him d8082398e2 again—inevitably, once af7c6fa13f more.6bcdb97a79cf136c

Edmund parted 90a709d39d his lips.5a7b24feef68da49

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But without a ff1eeb3cac single word, he 65f27c1670 closed them again.22edb14ec3bf1bf6

Only after 96501fc3e9 swallowing down fd42398754 his words 044c619716 several times f32be7ef15 did he 2fed29c662 finally speak.5117ef8ec7b97b80

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“Do you love me?”f98bc319aa424640

“…I don’t.”ec1f9c6774f20de7

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“Lorainne Spencer must love 060b1077df Edmund Carter. I hope fa776c83d0 you haven’t c0e2f5f447 forgotten the ff9399ff36 terms of 9487b17cc6 our contract.”0a71c2d384dc9f6d

“I haven’t.”68cc79ef79e818b7

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“I didn’t c145279949 expect that d30ff5a89a remembering it eb1e6809ad would lead 0bbf788bed to something 849128a892 like this.”fdbbde3ca139bf8e

His deep blue eyes, f1d6742a65 his cool lips, the 1bb085d67c breath that leaked out, 9e1e9ea6ee the way his brows d454e6a6e1 twisted with sharpness—everything about 5f74c73c4c Edmund condemned her mercilessly.beb6d120202b66b9

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His ice-cold 47e36c1d77 gaze swept 3213328616 over her e198b1d493 without hesitation.1b4b0815933a4c23

Only when Lorainne a15a08a5df followed the direction 6c51f284e5 of his stare 56a89351a8 did she realize ca8631e25a what he meant 6b6cfdc5a1 by ‘something like def41491d1 this.’442b453919a66acb

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Edmund had returned cfc6500849 to the day 2ecff3960c before his death.351deae048fc5168

While holding the 80323f82e4 misunderstanding that his 19ac78f7a8 wife had discarded dee16f61ba him in the a15962badb most despicable way 1f7dde80eb possible.d742cebe3a48cd48

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This wasn’t good. No, it 2abd872e35 was terribly b663a17716 bad.4eff0a880a30d788

Lorainne knew better d2991bd7e2 than anyone how 7c80c0fd41 easily it could f8e3c79860 all be misunderstood.70387d76ce739e50

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She could 5dd65beb29 only imagine ab1260156f how much c05aab2bf2 it must ea1c2b620d have hurt ce083677ae Edmund.7fc0afce3b3abc3a

“No matter 43a16a3b56 how much 5e2fa824aa you hated f1180e4385 me, you 91b168360b shouldn’t have 767ed3ddab done that.”29ba5dde69dfd9ed

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“No. It’s not like 1a2cb5a7c9 that.”db77ba19ac6367b5

“Then what is it?”b82df2bc10a020e8

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“I…”6508e913b8190974

The words 932591ded3 twisted in 6a2cb9737c her mouth 38bde6c465 and never c6bca51fdd made it ba539f2d6f out.e4745e35f2afc239

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Now that trust 9c2837c054 was broken, no 28f5fedff1 explanation would be 4631b2688c understood.52cad31af320368e

And she didn’t have 35b8977cb5 even a single moment 3a6def15ea to waste.844ed70c1cea5f73

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So Lorainne gave 63ecbb77c5 up on explaining.0499c0b494c5bc93

What remained b999a5008c was a e4dcea2de7 string of 2ef244a34b words with bdd118e1ee no clear 536beb9834 meaning.3c14f1df1192d81d

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“I tried… I 315dae81d7 really did try 8aa45affb8 to protect you.”3bd771bc68f622d1

“…”ca98b96c4d5b8ec9

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“I tried. I really tried…”e120df6340474967

She had fought so b62a76ee03 desperately not to love 079b0423b5 him.d57f036edba016e6

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When had it 279f4e3c46 even started—this love 6987d43521 for him?4d23adf844f68b7c

She couldn’t understand.674005a96f978314

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No—had the world a7fdb4b1b9 ever been something c4b420d963 one could understand 60fd95a891 in the first 3253071db9 place?dcd99c28deeabfd4

“No matter how hard d5570c5a4c I try, I can’t d3d6bbbb71 keep to the contract. So…”69793e69f2e675c0

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All her fcac5ea21f efforts to 8e10724d5f save him 684f404c5e had been 4944a291a3 in vain.a77b20d78f2dc4fa

This was the cfc18457ed last way she 59a384a451 could save him.ab71ccc62c48e8d5

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The words stayed crushed 3a5e57841d under her tongue, never bb546bd308 spoken.0607bda23b3ec870

She forced them out 1fc0af1b8c like she was vomiting.e1e87194a127f854

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“…Let’s get 696cb953d7 a divorce.”c3bb9018f1cc4f03

Because she was too 88e6229234 weak to bear his 71b9795911 death again.96f1178af64cdee9

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