Chapter 2
"I don't want Mom to come back. Aunt Clara is all I need," Dorian whimpered.
That fleeting moment of warmth was wiped out by heartbreak.
"Dorian, just like you wished, Mom's really never coming back," I murmured to myself, bitter and helpless.
Cedric patted Dorian's head, not blaming him.
Dorian kept talking, "Dad, you always said Aunt Clara is the best woman in the world."
"When you were in trouble, Aunt Clara was the one who saved you. Mom just stayed home, living it up..." Dorian went on.
"I don't want a mom like her!" he yelled.
The midday sun was warm and gentle, but all I felt was a cold emptiness inside.
That year, Cedric and his brother braved the sea and were caught in a violent storm.
Cedric's brother lost his life, and Cedric was hanging by a thread.
I was the one who knelt on the frozen ground outside the Healer's cabin for three days and three nights.
Only then did she give me the scripted remedy that saved Cedric's life.
After that, every month, I had to use my own heart's blood to brew the medicine, so he could gradually return to health.
I never asked for credit.
Using my own blood as the medicine's catalyst, I just thought it was what a wife should do.
But I never imagined he'd been thanking the wrong person all along.
No wonder he grew more and more disgusted with me.
Without a second thought, he'd criticize me for being heartless and worthless right in front of Dorian, while he only got more and more attentive to Clara.
But after hearing Dorian's words, Cedric's face turned cold.
"Your mom...she's been reborn. She'll figure out a way to come back, no doubt," Cedric said, sounding certain.
"Besides, she's got your little brother in her belly. She'll do whatever it takes for the baby," he added.
"Don't worry. This time, I won't let her mess with Clara ever again!" he promised.
So I wasn't just imagining things last night.
Cedric really knew I'd been reborn.
But what really stung was how unfazed he was.
If anything, he seemed even cockier, like nothing could touch him now.
What really got him was the thought that if I came back, I'd somehow make things tough for Clara.
Even though I'd already told him that this time I would let them have their happy ending.
So did the truth even matter? It never did.
He'd rather believe Clara was the real deal, not me.
Dorian had no clue what being reborn even meant.
All he knew was that his dad was upset.
He fumbled around, then tossed something into the pond without a second thought.
"Mom's bad! I don't want anything she gave me!" Dorian shouted.
Floating on the water was the warding charm I'd once begged for, to keep him safe.
Meanwhile, Dorian and Cedric both wore pressed flower pendants that Clara had casually bought at the market.
It turned out that even a flower Clara just plucked at random was something they both cherished as if it were priceless.
But the catalyst I made with my own heart's blood, the warding charm I earned after kneeling my way up 99 steps to heaven's gate, none of it meant a thing to them.
I should've seen it coming.
Back then, I was stupid enough to believe that if I gave them my heart, they'd give theirs back.
Clara stood by the door, worry clouding her face.
Her voice was gentle as she spoke to Cedric and Dorian.
"Cedric, there's news from the Crownward Keep. They brought back a few bodies. Could Elise be one of them...?"
Hearing that, Cedric's hand shook as he held the bowl, but he quickly steadied himself.
"No, it's not her. She won't die," Cedric said, his voice firm.
Too bad for him, I was already gone.
But Clara stayed behind, her brow furrowed. I figured she must have been trying to make sure whether I was alive or dead.
Seeing her like that, Cedric spoke gently.
"Clara, if you're worried, let's go take a look together."
Not a single one of the five bodies in the mortuary was mine.
Cedric and I both let out a breath of relief, but Clara's disappointment was written all over her face.
Cedric tried to comfort Clara, then, with a sudden flash of anger, gritted his teeth.
He snapped, "See? I knew it. She wouldn't die that easily!"
"But now that the bandits are gone, where could she have ended up?" Cedric said in confusion.
Dorian mimicked Cedric, clenching his jaw and scowling just like him.
"Mom's so mean! Tomorrow's my birthday, and she actually dares not to come back!" Dorian whined.
Thorne Ashby, the garrison man from the Crownward Keep, shot them a strange look.
"There are still a few more bodies being brought in. You can wait a bit longer," he said.
"We also nabbed a few bandits. They've spilled everything. Turns out, one of them was even hired as a hitman..." he added.
Hearing that, Cedric's face tightened, and Clara's expression shifted suddenly.
Outside, the corpse cart rolled up, and Thorne started bringing the bodies inside.
I craned my neck to get a better look and instantly spotted a familiar sleeve sticking out from beneath the straw.
Cedric seemed to notice it too, his face clouded with suspicion as he moved closer.
As his hand drew nearer, my heart was pounding in my throat.
Even though I'd already been broken inside, I couldn't help but worry if they'd be able to stomach seeing me in such a state.
Especially Dorian, my own flesh and blood, the child I carried for ten months...
Suddenly, a thud sounded behind us. Clara had fainted.
Cedric immediately stopped and hurried to check on her.
But in his haste, he knocked over the corpse cart holding my body.
With the impact, my rotting corpse was completely severed, head from body.
The rotten head, its face unrecognizable, rolled to a stop at Dorian's feet.