I woke up gasping, the memory of my first life still fresh: my fiancé, Elliott, watching coldly as I drowned, his mind poisoned by a woman named Katarina after an accident gave him amnesia. This time, I had a plan to escape before his fateful yacht trip. But the doorbell rang. It was Elliott, home early. And holding his arm was Katarina. He claimed he'd had a "small incident" on the yacht, but his eyes were clear. He remembered me. He had no amnesia. He brought her into our home anyway, moving her into my deceased mother's studio. He ordered my parents' priceless mementos thrown in the trash. When I protested, he threw me against the wall. When Katarina "accidentally" shattered a photo of my family, he slapped me and locked me out of the house in the pouring rain. In my first life, I could blame his cruelty on his memory loss. I told myself he was a victim, too. But now, he remembered everything-our childhood, our love, our promises. This wasn't a man being manipulated. This was a monster, deliberately choosing to torture me. When Katarina smashed the last gift from my mother, I finally snapped and attacked her. Elliott's response was swift. He had his guards drag me to a soundproofed room in the basement and strap me to a chair. As the electricity seared through my body, I understood. My second chance wasn't an escape. It was a new level of hell, and this time, my torturer was fully aware of what he was doing.
I woke up gasping, the memory of my first life still fresh: my fiancé, Elliott, watching coldly as I drowned, his mind poisoned by a woman named Katarina after an accident gave him amnesia.
This time, I had a plan to escape before his fateful yacht trip. But the doorbell rang. It was Elliott, home early. And holding his arm was Katarina. He claimed he'd had a "small incident" on the yacht, but his eyes were clear. He remembered me. He had no amnesia.
He brought her into our home anyway, moving her into my deceased mother's studio. He ordered my parents' priceless mementos thrown in the trash. When I protested, he threw me against the wall. When Katarina "accidentally" shattered a photo of my family, he slapped me and locked me out of the house in the pouring rain.
In my first life, I could blame his cruelty on his memory loss. I told myself he was a victim, too. But now, he remembered everything-our childhood, our love, our promises. This wasn't a man being manipulated. This was a monster, deliberately choosing to torture me.
When Katarina smashed the last gift from my mother, I finally snapped and attacked her. Elliott's response was swift. He had his guards drag me to a soundproofed room in the basement and strap me to a chair. As the electricity seared through my body, I understood. My second chance wasn't an escape. It was a new level of hell, and this time, my torturer was fully aware of what he was doing.
Chapter 1
The last thing I remembered was the cold water filling my lungs.
Elliott's face, twisted with a rage I didn't recognize, was the final image burned into my mind. He and Katarina stood on the yacht's deck, watching me drown.
Then, I woke up with a gasp, my sheets soaked in cold sweat.
Sunlight streamed through the window of my bedroom. My bedroom. The one I had shared with Elliott.
I was alive.
I was back. Back before the yacht, before the endless torment, before I finally gave up and let the ocean take me.
A wave of relief washed over me, so strong my legs felt weak. This time, I would not make the same mistakes. This time, I would escape.
I had a plan. In my first life, Elliott's yachting accident was the start of everything. He lost his memory and Katarina, the paramedic who "saved" him, sunk her claws into him. She turned him against me, whispering poison into his ear until the man I loved became a monster.
This time, there would be no accident. I would leave him before his trip. I would sell my parents' company, take the money, and disappear.
I would never see Elliott Hickman or Katarina Ward again.
I grabbed my phone, my fingers shaking as I dialed my aunt Jean in New York.
"Jean," I breathed when she answered. "I need your help."
I was about to explain when the doorbell rang. A sharp, insistent sound that made my heart stop.
Elliott wasn't supposed to be here. He was supposed to be at his office.
A cold dread crept up my spine. Something was wrong.
I walked slowly down the grand staircase, my hand gripping the polished wood railing. The housekeeper opened the door.
And there he was.
Elliott. Looking handsome and powerful in his custom suit, his dark hair perfectly styled. But his eyes were cold. Colder than I'd ever seen them, even in my worst memories.
And standing next to him, holding his arm, was Katarina Ward.
She wore a simple white dress, her face a mask of sweet innocence. A look I knew was a complete lie.
My blood ran cold. This wasn't how it happened. He hadn't had his accident yet. He shouldn't know her.
"Ava, honey," Elliott said, his voice smooth but lacking any warmth. "We have a guest."
He stepped inside, pulling Katarina with him. He didn't have amnesia. He remembered everything. He remembered me.
But he brought her here anyway.
"This is Katarina Ward," he announced to the staff, his arm tightening around her. "She saved my life. I had a small incident on the yacht. She's a hero."
My mind went blank. He had the accident. But he didn't lose his memory.
"She'll be staying with us for a while," Elliott continued, his gaze finally landing on me. There was no love in it. Only a possessive chill. "She needs to recover, and I want to make sure she's taken care of."
Katarina gave me a small, triumphant smile.
A new cycle of torment was beginning. And this time, my plan was already in ashes.
The air felt thick, suffocating me. His closeness triggered a phantom pain, a memory of his hands on me, not in love, but in anger. His touch, which was once my heaven, had become my hell.
In my first life, after his accident and amnesia, Katarina convinced him I was a gold-digger who had tried to hurt him. He believed her. He came back to me, but not as my loving fiancé. He came back as my warden.
He locked me in this house. He took away my phone, my access to money, my freedom. He let Katarina do whatever she wanted to me. She destroyed the priceless mementos my deceased parents left me. She killed my beloved parrot, a loudmouthed bird named Sunshine, right in front of me.
They broke me down, piece by piece, until there was nothing left. Until the only escape I could see was the deep, dark water.
And now, looking at his uninjured, clear-eyed face, a horrifying thought occurred to me.
He remembered our love. He remembered our life together.
And he still chose to bring her here. He was choosing to hurt me, fully aware of what he was doing.
This was not a tragedy born from a lost memory. This was a deliberate act of cruelty.
"Ava?" Elliott's voice cut through my panicked thoughts. "Aren't you going to welcome our guest?"
I looked from his cold face to Katarina's smug one.
I was trapped. Again.
"Of course," I managed to say, my voice a hollow whisper. "Welcome."
Elliott's lips curved into a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I knew you'd understand."
He then turned to the housekeeper. "Prepare the guest room next to the master bedroom for Miss Ward."
That room was not a guest room. It was my parents' memorial room, where I kept their most precious belongings.
"Also," he added, his voice dropping, "Have her things moved in immediately."
I stood frozen, the past and present blurring into one terrifying nightmare. My escape plan was pointless.
He had brought the monster into my home, and this time, he was a willing accomplice from the very beginning.
My first life was a tragedy.
I was afraid my second life would be a living hell.
I had to get out. But how?
He watched me, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. He seemed surprised by how quickly I agreed.
"And Ava," he said, his voice low and commanding, "Katarina is sensitive. I expect you to treat her with the utmost respect. She's been through a lot."
I just nodded, my throat too tight to speak.
He led Katarina up the stairs, his hand possessively on her back.
I was left alone in the foyer, the echo of their footsteps a death knell for my hopes.
I remembered when he used to look at me with so much love it filled every corner of our lives. He was my childhood sweetheart. He would bring me breakfast in bed, surprise me with trips to see rare architecture, and hold me when I had nightmares about my parents' car crash. He promised to love me forever.
That Elliott was gone.
The man who walked up those stairs was a stranger. A monster.
And I was his prisoner.
Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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Chapter 4
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Chapter 5
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Chapter 6
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Chapter 7
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Chapter 8
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Chapter 9
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Chapter 10
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Chapter 11
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Chapter 12
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Chapter 13
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Chapter 14
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Chapter 15
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Chapter 16
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Chapter 17
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Chapter 18
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Chapter 19
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Chapter 20
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Chapter 21
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Chapter 22
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