"No... don't..."
In her dream, Claire Parker felt a man violating her like a wild beast.
Her mind swirled in confusion, floating in and out of consciousness, until a sharp pain shot through her lower body—"Ah! Stop!"
Claire woke with a start, her heart pounding. Her vision cleared and she locked eyes with a man—his irises an unnatural, deep crimson.
She stared in disbelief. "Ethan Cooper?"
The man above her froze at her scream, his entire body stiffening. His bloodshot eyes softened into guilt as if waking from a trance.
"I... I'm sorry..." he stammered, before quickly moving off her.
Claire lay there, stunned. Ethan... how was Ethan here?
Had not he been sent away to that military camp up north?
Slowly, she sat up, her limbs heavy and her mind racing. The room around her smelled of mildew and decay, its crumbling wooden beams and old crates eerily familiar.
This was... the abandoned warehouse? The place where she had been lured into a trap by Rebecca Parker years ago?
She blinked hard, her breath catching in her throat. This was not just a flashback—it was real.
She was back. She was back in 1966, at nineteen.
"You..." Claire started to speak, but Ethan cut her off, his voice deep and firm.
"I'll take responsibility."
Claire knew exactly what he meant by that. In his mind, it was his fault, and Ethan was not the type to let something like this go unanswered. He would sabotage his future, just like before.
"You want to turn yourself in?" she asked, pulling a blanket around her body as she struggled to stand.
Ethan was still, his remorseful gaze glued to the floor. He shook his head but did not speak.
"It's not your fault," Claire said quietly, trying to stop him before he did something reckless.
Ethan's guilt grew as he looked at her disheveled hair and the dark marks staining her skin. She was not afraid of him—she was afraid of what he would do.
Claire moved toward the far wall, noticing a pile of ash in the corner. She knelt down, picking up a handful, the smell stinging her nose.
"This is why we’re in this situation," she muttered, holding the ashes up for Ethan to see.
He stepped forward, his face growing cold as the realisation dawned.
"Was this... Rebecca's doing?"
Rebecca—her cousin, the one who always seemed so sweet, but underneath was as dangerous as they came.
Rebecca was not just any cousin. The world thought she was adopted, but the truth? She was Claire’s sister, a dark family secret that was never meant to come to light.
Ethan’s jaw clenched. "We need to get out of here. Now."
Claire nodded.
They could not afford to be caught. Not again.
In her last life, Rebecca had set the perfect trap.
They had been caught together in this very warehouse, and Ethan had taken the blame for everything. He claimed to have assaulted her, just to protect her from the scandal.
At that time, Claire was not unaware of the existence of the Bliss Powder and believed that Ethan had truly confessed to the crime, hating him to the core.
He lost everything—his career, his reputation. He went from a celebrated soldier to a convicted felon, serving years in prison for a crime he did not commit.
Claire faced a lot of criticism as well. And Rebecca? She married Claire’s fiancé, Jack Smith, and took everything from her.
Ethan went to the door and yanked on it, but it was locked from the outside.
Claire smirked bitterly. "Rebecca really did not want us escaping, did she?"
Ethan scanned the room and his eyes landed on a small window near the ceiling. "Your leg... can you manage?" Claire asked, worry creeping into her voice.
Ethan’s expression hardened, as if to say, "Do you really doubt me?"
In a few swift moves, he was scaling the wall and lifting himself to the window. He reached out a hand toward her.
Claire did not hesitate. She grabbed his hand, feeling the strength in his arm as he pulled her up with ease.
His muscles tensed as he pried the window open and jumped out.
"Don’t be scared," he said from below. "Jump."
Without thinking, she leaped into his arms, landing safely beside him.
Just as their feet hit the ground, voices echoed nearby.
Rebecca was coming. With people.
"Rebecca, are you crazy? Claire would never be here!"
"Exactly!"
"Did not you see the lock on the door?"
Claire and Ethan hid behind a stack of crates as Rebecca's group arrived at the warehouse. They fumbled with keys, opening the door only to find the room empty.
Rebecca’s eyes narrowed, but she forced an awkward smile, playing it off. "Oh... I must've been mistaken," she said, laughing it off as the others began to grumble and walk away.
When the crowd left, Claire and Ethan stepped out from behind their hiding spot.
"She did this for Jack, did not she?" Ethan asked.
Claire's expression hardened. Jack was her fiancé—promised to her from a young age, his family indebted to hers.
His grandfather and Claire’s grandfather had a bond forged through war. Their families’ fates had always been intertwined.
Before the founding of the nation, the Parker family repeatedly donated goods and food to the Red Army. Claire’s grandfather, Daniel Parker also responded to the government's calls multiple times, immediately assisting with government policies, and successfully earning the family a "red hat" of recognition.
Although the political situation has been tense over the years, the Parker family as a whole has not suffered any major setbacks.
In addition, with their marriage arrangement with the Smith family, no one dares to easily provoke the Parker family.
But that would all change soon. Claire knew it.
In her second life, she was determined not only to protect Ethan but also to preserve the reputation of the Parker family.
A few years ago, both Claire's grandfather, Daniel Parker and Claire's father, Peter Parker passed away.
Now, the Parker family left only Claire, her mother Bernadine Swift, and her cousin Rebecca.
Recalling the events of her past life, Claire's heart was filled with cold resentment.
Rebecca had come to the Parker family when she was six years old, at that time still called as Bianca Short.
Bernadine claimed Rebecca was her sister's child, whose parents had died in the war, and wished to entrust Rebecca to the Parker family for upbringing.
The Parker family, not lacking in resources, agreed to take her in.
Although the Parker family did not treat Rebecca as one of their own, they ensured she was well-fed and clothed, giving her a much better life compared to others her age.
However, Rebecca felt a deep sense of imbalance, perceiving a vast disparity between herself and Claire, feeling it was unfair.
The crucial point was that Rebecca had fallen in love with Claire's fiancé, Jack, which led to the scene unfolding today.
In her previous life, Rebecca's plan had succeeded.
Ethan was arrested and sentenced, leading to the cancellation of Claire and Jack's engagement.
Rebecca replaced her and married Jack.
It was not until many years later that Claire discovered the truth: Rebecca was not her cousin at all.
She was born during Bernadine's premarital pregnancy and was given to her sister and brother-in-law for upbringing.
After Bernadine married Peter Parker and her sister and brother-in-law passed away, Bernadine took Rebecca back to the Parker family, renamed her, and made it seem like Rebecca was a Parker family child.
Another victim in this farcical drama was Ethan.
He was Jack's comrade-in-arms and had been injured in his right leg while saving Jack during a mine-clearing mission three months ago.
After three months of recovery, although he could walk, but the doctors were not optimistic about his condition.
Despite this, the army did not immediately transfer him but allowed him to return home to recuperate and visit family, planning for him to return once healed.
Jack took this opportunity to visit the Parker family.
Unexpectedly, Jack fell in love at first sight with the understanding of Rebecca.
Now, Rebecca and Jack were mutually in love, with Claire becoming the obstacle between them.
Rebecca knew that the Smith family would never cancel the marriage between Claire and Jack, so she meticulously planned today’s scheme to remove this obstacle.
In Rebecca’s eyes, Ethan was merely a disabled war hero now, despite his past achievements.
According to Jack, Ethan came from a poor rural background.
If today’s plan succeeded, Claire would not be able to marry Jack. Whether Claire was forced to marry Ethan or Ethan was imprisoned for rape, it was of no concern to Rebecca.
To Claire, Rebecca's scheming and malice were beyond words.
Ethan was innocent, a war hero whose future might be ruined because of Rebecca's selfish desires.
As for Jack, Claire's gaze turned cold. Although the scheme was Rebecca's, could Jack remain blameless?
Ethan, his comrade who had saved his life, was being driven into a difficult situation.
In her past life, when Claire and Ethan were caught in bed, Ethan had taken all the blame to protect her, insisting Claire was the victim.
Jack, aware of the scheming, had chosen to stay silent to smoothly end his engagement with Claire and be with Rebecca, watching his savior fall into trouble.
Ethan looked at Claire’s profile and gently stroked his fingers—a small, nervous habit of his, known to few.
He looked at Claire seriously and said, “If you’re willing, let’s get married.”
