REBORN: Not Another Mistake

Chapter One: The Dungeon *Flashback* I moved to the other side of the bed, adjusting the bedsheet with a smile. The kind of smile that never reached my eyes. Lucian had been acting less cold toward me lately. I wondered if he was finally noticing me. I walked to the mirror, adjusting my hair and applying lipstick when the door suddenly flung open and slammed hard against the wall. My head snapped in that direction. Lucian stood there, chest heaving, breath ragged. "Lucian, you're home." I walked closer to him, reaching for his bag. He yanked it away, causing me to lose my balance and fall heavily to the ground. My elbow hit the floor, sending a sharp pain through my arm. "What happened? A-are you okay? Did something happen today?" His face was dark. Dark enough to make me flinch. I'd never seen Lucian that angry. "You betrayed me." That was the first thing that came out of his mouth. I stared at him, my brows drawn together. "Wh-what are you talking about, Lucian?" "Shut up!" he shouted, causing me to tremble on the floor. He flung the photographs in his hands at me. My hands trembled as I slowly picked up one of the photos. My eyes widened. It was a photo of me and a man covered in tattoos. I was sitting on his lap, laughing. I shook my head. "No—no, no... this..." I pointed at the photo. "This isn't me, Lucian. I swear." I shook my head again, tears already streaming down my face. "You thought I wouldn't find out, huh?" I shook my head. "No, you have to believe me, Lucian. That's not me. I don't know that man. I've never met him in my whole life. I swear." I shouted and grabbed his legs. "Please, Lucian. I promise. It wasn't me." "I'll make sure to teach you a lesson." My hands tightened around his leg. "Please, Lucian. Just listen to me. Let me explain." "Markus! Markus!" He called out to one of his men. Markus appeared as soon as he was called. "Take her down to the dungeon until she's ready to speak the truth, until she's learned her lesson." Markus grabbed me by the shoulder, forcefully yanking me away and dragging me toward the door. "Lucian!" I cried out. "Please, listen to me. Believe me." I begged him, but he didn't listen. *Present* I pressed my back against the cold stone wall and pulled my knees toward my chest, trying to keep whatever little warmth I had left in me. I didn't remember how long I had been locked in the dungeon. Lucian had never visited. Not even once. At first, I thought he would eventually realize I wasn't guilty. I waited. I waited for him to come and get me out of here. Eventually, I told myself he was never coming. Maybe he had forgotten about me. But every time I heard footsteps in the corridor, my head snapped in that direction, hoping it was him. My stomach twisted painfully, causing me to wince with the little strength I had left. Right. I didn't remember the last time food had passed through the metal door. A week? Two? Three? A weak cough escaped my lips, and I used my hand to cover my mouth. The hand I used was covered in blood. I stared at my trembling, pale hand without surprise because this wasn't the first time it had happened. I knew my body was giving up. I knew I was going to die. I wiped my cracked lips with the back of my hand. I touched my hollow cheeks. I didn't even know what I looked like now, but I could feel the changes. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the wall. The cold penetrated my trembling body, but I let it. It distracted me from the emptiness, the loneliness, and the thought of dying here. A faint sound from afar caused me to snap my eyes open. I let out a bitter smile. How foolish had I been? Even now, I was still waiting for him? My mind went back to the day my father informed me about the marriage. "I borrowed money from a dangerous man, and I couldn't repay it," he had said. "In return for the debt, he wants a wife." I had stared at him in worry. "I want you, as the oldest, to marry Lucian. Selene is not old enough." I had nodded. Everybody knew Lucian, the dangerous mafia boss, yet I had accepted the marriage without a second thought just to save my father. Even after the marriage, when Lucian never looked at me like his wife, I had still made sure to stay by his side. Even when he shouted, I stayed. Even when I wasn't wrong, I apologized. How dumb I was to believe he was just emotionally distant and to fall in love with him. I swallowed. The saliva burned through my throat. "Look at you," I whispered to myself. "Look what all that obedience got you." I let out a bitter chuckle. My breathing became slower. I rested my head against the wall and stared at the ceiling. Would anyone even know I died? Would they even care? A tear slid toward my ear. I allowed it. I didn't have the strength to wipe it away anyway. Perhaps this was God's punishment for me being foolish, for trusting too easily, for believing that loving people meant putting them before myself, for believing that if I kept everyone happy, I would be safe and loved. Then a strange thought came to my mind. If I could go back, before everything happened... If I were given a chance to return to the moment when everything began, would I make the same choices? Would I allow myself to marry Lucian? No. I would never make the mistake of choosing Lucian again. Never. My eyelids grew heavier. I tried to keep them open, but the darkness behind them was becoming more comforting than the dungeon around me. My body no longer felt cold. The pain in my stomach had disappeared. The burning in my throat was gone. Even my heartbeat became distant. Perhaps this was what dying felt like.