Three Loves to Remember

The wedding was over. There was no big celebration, no great romance, just a bare, almost empty church, with a few close guests from the groom's side. There were no shouts of congratulations, no laughs of happiness, not even good luck to the new couple's married life. It was only a transaction, a mere contract business. The bride, in her long white dress, was still covered with the translucid veil, the groom didn't care to look at her even once. They didn't talk, they didn't look at each other, they only signed the papers. There was no need to say yes, or agree to any of the terms. She was sold by her family and she couldn't say a word to retaliate. Then, just as they walked out of the church, she was sent to the house of the Owens. A magnificent mansion outside the city, with gardens reaching several miles and surrounded by a vast forest. It was a shame that she wasn't able to see anything. The tiredness in her body made her sleep in the car the whole way. Then she was guided to the entrance, and asked to wait inside a room in her new house. The veil still covered her eyes, but she didn't seem to be afraid, nor sad, nor even a bit anxious. The servants that had guided her didn't even greet her as the new madam, they just made her stay inside the room without even offering her a bit of assistance to take her dress off. «Eli, you should escape while you can. This is a dangerous place.» 'Search for cameras,' Elie thought. She couldn't make any strange movements or even talk at the moment. She knew she was being watched. «Inside the room are only two cameras, one on the lamp beside the bed and the other on the bookshelf, hidden behind the plant. » The voice in her mind was of a female system, the one that had accompanied her from many years ago, even before her rebirth. 'What is the state of this body?' «Not good. Your abilities are at 1% and your physical condition is at 2%. The family of the former body's host had been poisoning her since many years ago. The state of her mind was reaching a psychiatric condition. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia and psychosis. She was constantly medicated to contain the hallucinations. It will take two months or more to completely heal your body, but the cause of schizophrenia will take more time. I have to go into a detail inspection. That is why you should escape as soon as possible. Your body won't resist if you are attacked. These people won't...» 'I can't escape right now.' «Host, they are not good people. I recounted four people with murderous intentions towards you when we reached the mansion, and several more when we entered. Someone will try to kill you in the next few days.» 'I know, but I can't do anything for now. I am weak, even if I try to escape, I can't go further, they will catch me before I even step outside the door.' The system didn't continue speaking. Ellie was right, with her body's condition, there were many things against her. Everything could go wrong. They would even murder her if she gave them the chance. Those lowly humans. How dare they hurt her master? Ellie sat on the bed without moving or speaking. Her hands on top of her legs and her head straight looking at nothing. If someone were to enter the room, they would think she was a doll or a ghost. After all, even her long white dress looked terrible on her, almost as if she was a scary monster that was raised from the tomb. Her uncle's family bought her that cheap dress without making any adjustments to fit it on her thin and malnourished body. Her pale face was haggard and without any color. It was pointy and dark in some places, almost like a skeleton of a woman with only some skin covering the bones. If the groom had uncovered her veil at the ceremony, he would have jumped in fright right then and maybe he would have cancelled the wedding without turning back. Who would want to be married to such a woman? If he wanted to be a widow soon or had known of her condition beforehand, he would be ashamed and furious. However, the Owens were not an easy family to trick... maybe he did it on purpose. But why? With what purpose? Elie sighed, she didn't expect to wake up one day and be in that condition. It was giving her a headache. The strange visions of that unhealthy mind were starting to appear. It seemed that it was not an issue with the soul of that body but the body itself. 'Have a detailed scan of her brain...' «Yes, Host...» The female system started the analysis, it was also experimenting with the effects of those crazy visions on Elie's mind. Inside the room was the image of a man, the man Elie killed in her past life, the same man she loved more than anything. 'Bonie, is it done?' Elie was agitated, the man had reached her and was about to touch her hand and kiss her. Her heart was about to explode, but she knew he wasn't real. There was no way he was. 'Bonie!' «I am about to finish, Elie, just a bit more.» Bonie was also trying to fight the illusions. She lived in Elie's mind and soul and was affected too. Her system was collapsing with errors. Meanwhile, the man had already kneeled in front of Elie, his beautiful blue eyes looked at her and then he smiled. «My wife, my love,» he said, his voice was the same as she remembered. Rough, beautiful, a bit hoarse. It always brought her to her knees every time she heard him. «I love you, please, come back to me, come to me.» His eyes became red, filled with blood and tears. He was suffering. He was in pain. «Why did you do it? Why did you leave me?» 'Bonie, please,' Elie couldn't control her expression any longer. «I am about to finish, Elie, just a bit more.» The man started to bleed from his mouth, «Why did you leave me? Why? Remember... I love y...» Then the vision disappeared. His words didn't have a sound and his image faded. Elie felt as if she could finally breathe, but it was hard and painful. If she could, she would have screamed at that moment. «Elie? Are you alright?» Bonie could detect the disturbance in Elie's emotions. Her heart rate was high and her breathing trying hard to calm down. 'I am okay... what about you?' «I need more time to stabilize the system, there is a tumor in your brain provoking the illusions and voices. I'd already shut it down but it will take more time and medicine to expel it from your brain. And...» 'Will I see it again? Even when I regain my body condition?' «There is a possibility, but there is a way to heal it. I have a way to heal it at an advanced level of update. But it will take time and...» 'How much?» «I calculate a year.» 'What if we don't heal it?' «This body will die, maybe in a year too.»