That man... Damian? Wasn't he Damian Desmond?
The man standing before me was Leo's biggest business rival, someone Leo had relentlessly attacked and beaten down in the cutthroat business world. I never imagined I would meet someone who had once been part of my former life.
Although the Damian standing before me now looked much younger—about five years younger than I remembered him—I still recognized his face perfectly.
During my marriage to Leo, I had never spoken to him directly, let alone interacted with him personally. Still, I knew Damian's face very well because I had seen him in person several times before.
What I least expected was the fact that Aster, the owner of this body, and Damian actually knew each other. It was something I had known nothing about in my previous world.
Who would have thought my husband's mistress could know my husband's business enemy?
“Aster?” Damian called again, his brow furrowing, instantly shattering my thoughts about him.
I stood still for a moment, staring at him without blinking, before finally deciding to turn around and leave without saying a word.
I couldn't get any more involved with the people of this era.
“What’s wrong with you? Are you trying to play hard to get in front of me?”
My steps stopped at once when I heard the arrogance in his voice. The words came so naturally from Damian's mouth, as if he were used to speaking to Aster in a condescending tone.
I turned slightly and looked at him coldly over my shoulder. “I don't know you,” I said firmly, deliberately emphasizing every word so he would know I wasn't playing around.
Without waiting for his response, I continued walking, leaving Damian's irritated shout to be swallowed by the chaotic pounding of music from inside the nightclub. I kept moving through the darkness, following the increasingly deserted sidewalks of the city.
I wandered aimlessly by myself, dressed in a thick jacket and long pants that stood out against the night in the big city. I hadn't even been trapped in this unfamiliar shell for a full day, yet the strangeness, pressure, and loneliness had already made me feel unbearable. I wanted to scream and curse the fate that had befallen me.
My unsteady steps eventually brought me to a deserted bus stop. I sat on the cold metal bench, staring at the empty street.
My thoughts began turning again, searching for any way to return to the future—or at the very least, return to my original body.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to recall the final moments before my consciousness had been ripped away. The cold, the panic, and the force of Leo throwing me into the cliff came back with terrifying clarity.
If I was pushed into the cliff that night... did that mean I had to face death to reverse all of this?
The question knocked repeatedly against the walls of my mind. If this transfer of souls had been triggered by a critical moment between life and death, did that mean I had to pass through the same gateway to reverse the process? Could my soul return to my original body only if I faced death once again in this body?
The idea sounded completely insane and reckless, but frustration had already clouded my common sense.
I didn't want to be here. I didn't want to be a mistress, and I didn't want to live a lie.
My gaze shifted to the highway in front of the bus stop. Vehicles occasionally sped past, cutting through the increasingly late night.
I slowly rose from my seat. My fingers curled tightly into fists at my sides, gathering the strength to drive away the fear controlling my steps. With great difficulty and my legs trembling violently, I walked away from the bus stop and toward the middle of the highway.
If I threw myself in front of a vehicle tonight... when I woke up, maybe my soul would return to my original body.
Maybe this was the only way out.
I stopped right in the middle of the road. The night wind blew hard, sweeping through my loose hair. Hundreds of yards away, a pair of massive headlights raced toward me, accompanied by the roar of a truck engine tearing through the silence of the night.
Fear surged to its peak, but my resolve was firm. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the impact that would carry my consciousness away.
I had to go back. I wanted to GO BACK.