Love Blooms Again

Freya Stein was reborn to the day when she had to choose a fiancé. In her past life, she had chosen the high and mighty scion of the Haretts, but Magnus Harett turned out to be a cold and unapproachable man. On the day of their wedding, he lost his mind and ended up driving the car off the cliff while they were heading to the venue. She ended up becoming disabled because of it, while he became paralyzed. Despite all that, she pushed herself to the limit and took care of him for the rest of his life. As she was drawing her last breath, he regarded her icily and refused to save her. “A nasty woman like her has no right to live. It’s time she goes to hell for what she has done to Ifrit.” It was only then that she found out that Magnus had resented her all along because of what happened to the housemaid's daughter who committed suicide in their room. Now that Freya had been given a second chance, she decided she would choose another man to fulfill his wish. However, Magnus turned rabid on the day of her wedding. He showed up and wanted to stop her from marrying another man. Chapter 1 “No, I don't want to marry Magnus,” Freya Stein said firmly. It was only at that moment that she registered that her body was intact. She had been reborn to the moment when she had to choose a fiancé. In her past life, she had chosen the high and mighty scion of the Haretts, but Magnus Harett turned out to be a cold and unapproachable man. On the day of their wedding, he lost his mind and ended up driving the car off the cliff while they were heading to the venue. She ended up becoming disabled because of it, while he became paralyzed. Despite all that, she pushed herself to the limit and took care of him for the rest of his life. As she was drawing her last breath, he regarded her icily and refused to save her. “A nasty woman like her has no right to live. It’s time she goes to hell for what she has done to Ifrit.” It was only then that she found out that Magnus had resented her all along because of what happened to the housemaid's daughter who committed suicide in their room. When she took her last breath, all she could hear was Magnus lamenting the loss of Ifrit Lovewell. With that thought in mind, she suddenly picked up the pen and scratched out Magnus’s name, replacing it with Dominic Harett instead. Noting her change of mind, Frederic Harett, the family patriarch, was caught off guard. “You want to marry Dominic?” he asked. “Haven’t you always feared him? I remember the way you would always hide whenever you saw him.” Compared to Magnus who was excellent in every aspect, Dominic was a cripple and was known for always being in a sullen mood. In her past life, she was terrified of him and rarely, if ever, interacted with him. However, when she died and her corpse was left in the hospital with no one to claim it, it was Dominic who made arrangements to have her buried properly. “Dominic has had mental illness since he was a child. Nobody can ever figure out what’s on his mind. Are you sure you want to marry him? It won’t be easy…” Freya nodded, “I’m sure of it.” In her past life, Dominic never got married. She figured that if she chose him, she would not have to hurt anyone’s feelings and could simply live the rest of her life with him in peace. She considered it a way of repaying him for his kindness in the past. Frederic hesitated for a moment before proposing an alternative. “Getting married is a serious matter and should not be taken lightly. Before your parents passed, they spent every cent they had to arrange a marriage with the Haretts for you so you could choose what kind of life you wanted to lead. “Let’s do it this way: I will have two separate weddings secretly arranged for you in twenty days. All you need to do is choose which one to attend. That way, you can delay your decision until the very last moment.” Freya wanted to decline but ended up nodding in agreement when she saw the sincere look in Frederic's eyes. With that, she went back to her room. As soon as she turned the corner, she spotted Magnus pinning Ifrit against the wall. “Mr. Harett!” Ifrit cried. “I am just the lowly daughter of a housemaid, I wouldn’t dare to think I can be with you. Besides, you are engaged to Miss Stein. “You belong to her, you should be with her!” “Shut up.” Magnus leaned over and bit her lips fervently while his eyes glowed red. “Don’t you dare shove me off to someone else, Ifrit. “If you didn’t love me, why would you sneak into my room to kiss me every night?” He began to kiss her with a primal hunger again and again while repeatedly professing his passion for her. When Ifrit surrendered in his arms, he cried tears of joy as if he had just found true happiness. This was a side of Magnus Freya had never witnessed. She felt a cold run through her, and the pain that pierced her heart seeped deep into her bones. In her previous life, she did everything she could to please Magnus. She picked up cooking, which she was never fond of, and she learned to dance even though she hated it. She even wore white dresses she disliked just to get his approval. Despite all her efforts, he had always been icy toward her. All he did when he was told about the engagement was to grunt. She assumed that was simply the way Magnus was, but now she realized it was because she could never evoke the other side of him. She tried to sneak away, but Ifrit caught sight of her. Ifrit panicked and ran after her, “Miss Stein, it’s not what you think it is! It’s just a misunderstanding. Nothing is going on between us. Please don’t fire me!” Just as Freya was about to continue, she suddenly felt a mighty force tug at her toward the stairs. She heard Ifrit scream. Then, Magnus shoved Freya away before wrapping his protective arms around Ifrit. Freya tumbled down the stairs and ended up smashing into the fish tank in the living room. Countless shards of broken glass ripped into her flesh. She was numbed by an indescribable pain and cried hysterically from the pulsing pain. Her vision had turned blurry, but she could make out what seemed to be Ifrit pleading with Magnus to save her. He put his arms around Ifrit as he dismissed her pleas. “Don't worry about her. I promise you I won’t let anyone hurt you in this lifetime.” In this lifetime! Freya was astounded. Magnus had also been reborn! Was that why he had been so eager to profess his love to Ifrit? Was it because he was afraid Freya would hurt Ifrit? How dare he think so lowly of her after she had taken care of him in their past life! Chapter 2 Freya slept for an entire day in the hospital before finally coming to. As soon as she opened her eyes, she was assaulted by the mighty crash of someone kicking the door to the ward open. Magnus stormed up to her and hissed, “I was the one who pushed you down the stairs, so why did you have my grandfather punish Ifrit? “He made her kneel on those shards of broken glass!” “I didn’t…” Freya began, but Magnus was not interested in hearing her explanation. He seized her by the neck with such force that she was convinced he was trying to strangle her. “Do you think I’ll marry you just because you tried to chase Ifrit away with your nasty scheme? “As if! I’ll never marry you in this lifetime! Even if Ifrit wasn’t around, I would never be with a foul woman like you.” Freya turned pale. She knew how he felt, so there was no need for him to remind her of that. “I won't marry—” She was just about to tell Magnus what she had in mind when someone suddenly came into the room. “Mr. Harett? Miss Lovewell is awake. She’s been crying and is asking to see you.” Magnus immediately lost his patience with Freya and shoved her away. Then, he shot her a severe glare. “Mark my words. I won’t let anyone get away with hurting Ifrit,” he warned. “If you ever hurt her again, I will make sure you get it back in a hundredfold.” Then he motioned for his men to take Freya away. They dragged her out of the hospital and threw her into a pit dug into the soil. Shortly after that, she heard a mighty crash followed by countless shards of broken glass raining down on her from above. She barely had time to dodge and ended up getting cut apart by the shards. Her previous wounds opened up again and trickled fresh blood. She looked sickly and pale, but she still had to drag herself out of the pit while crying the entire time. It took her over an hour to climb out. She was still covered in blood and recovering from her daze when Magnus’s subordinate put a phone to her ear. She heard Magnus's tender voice speaking to Ifrit, “I punished Freya for you. I hope you’re happy with that.” Ifrit answered feebly, “Are you sure she’s okay? It must have hurt.” “So what? It’s not like she doesn’t deserve it.” Every word he uttered hurt Freya more than she could describe. She gasped for air while feeling a furious jerk deep inside her heart. Her consciousness was fading away, and she soon plunged into the darkness. After what seemed like ages, she slowly came to. It was Magnus's determined cry that snapped her out of her sleep. “I will never love Freya, let alone marry her!" “Shut your mouth!” Frederic shouted as he slammed the table violently. “If it wasn’t for her parents’ investment, the Haretts would have been doomed! “We owe them a debt, and what you’re doing now is despicable and ungrateful! Don’t you know the family rules that—” “The family rules state that the cost of leaving the family is to break an arm and be disowned for good,” Magnus finished for him. “Well, as you are aware…” Frederic said solemnly, but before he could finish, Magnus looked into his eyes and declared firmly, “I accept the terms.” Then he brutally snapped his left arm. The horrifying sound of bones cracking filled the room. He dropped to the ground while the color drained from his face. He looked up at Frederic, his eyes red. “Now, can I pursue my love for Ifrit?” Frederic was stunned. Freya curled up and cried. Ever since Magnus was three years old, his family had been educating him and preparing him to take up the reins of the family business. He was destined to succeed the family, but he had given it all away just like that. Freya realized Magnus loved Ifrit, but she never expected it to such an extent. Frederic was similarly astounded. “Do you love her that much?” he asked quietly. “Yes,” Magnus replied calmly despite the pain. “Ever since she rescued me from the lake five years ago, she has dominated my every waking thought. I will never fall in love with anyone else.” Five years ago? It was Freya who saved him! At the time, Freya had just arrived at the Haretts’ and saw Magnus fall into the lake. She jumped in without a care for how cold the lake was in autumn. She was intent on rescuing him. She even cut her waist against a branch, which permanently scarred her body. She was overwhelmed with emotion and tried to crawl out of bed to tell Magnus the truth of what had happened. It was then that Magnus suddenly declared again, “Don’t make me marry Freya again. I will never love her. Never!” Freya was not prepared for the tremendous impact of his words. It hit her like a sucker punch and knocked the wind out of her. She clutched her chest tightly and could almost hear the sound of her heart breaking as the pieces plunged into the abyss. Chapter 3 Over the next few days, Magnus made a point of bringing Ifrit with him whenever they attended formal events. It was his way of publicizing their relationship. Although Freya did not want to pay attention to it, she would receive constant notifications on her phone because it was a trending topic on the news. [Mr. Harett splurged a fortune at auction, just to make his lady happy!] [Mr. Harett went on a pilgrimage and climbed ten thousand steps to obtain a talisman for his lady!] [Mr. Harett had a diamond ring custom-made and is looking to propose soon…] Freya tightened the strap on the wooden box lying out in front of her and smiled bitterly. Magnus was doing everything she had done for him in the past. Very well then, Magnus. She lowered her eyes and went through the humiliating ritual of putting away everything she worked so hard to get for him in the past. This included the lucky charms she gathered and the dance shoes she bought when trying to learn to dance for him. There were even thick sheets of recipes from when she had learned how to cook. When she looked at her open wardrobe, she was nearly blinded by all the dresses that glowed radiant white. A housemaid walked by just as she started tossing out each garment. “Miss Stein! Why are you throwing them away? Don’t you like them anymore?” she cried out. It was Magnus who liked them, not her. She found it ridiculous that she had worn so many white dresses just to please him. It was only later that she realized Magnus never liked white dresses, but he enjoyed seeing Ifrit in them. “I just don't like them anymore. I don't like anything anymore,” she grunted in reply. Just then, Magnus appeared behind her. “What did you say?” he asked gravely. She opened her mouth to speak, but he interrupted her crossly, “Whatever you say has nothing to do with me, just mind your own business and don’t bother Ifrit. “If you behave, my family will not mistreat you.” Then he handed her an invitation. “This is an invitation to Ifrit's birthday party. She wants you to attend. You know what to do.” The party was set ten days from now, also the day she was set to be married. “I’m not available.” Magnus paused for a moment. Then a cold look filled his eyes. “I can’t believe that you haven’t given up. “Even if you plan a wedding with my grandfather, you know I will never attend it. “Well… Suit yourself,” he said as he tossed the invitation at her before leaving. Freya stared at him and murmured to herself, “I had given up a long time ago.” After sorting everything out, she put all of her belongings on a second-hand market. They were all sold within five minutes. She was going to have a courier deliver them, but since the buyer was located only a short distance from her, nobody would accept the delivery ticket. She decided she would deliver it herself. When she arrived at the club, she walked along a dim corridor, and at one point, she heard a familiar voice coming from inside a private room. It was Ifrit and her friends. “You finally landed Mr. Harett, Ifrit! Looks like all your hard work has paid off,” a friend remarked enviously. “If you sell all of this, it should be more than enough to pay off your debt!” “Of course,” Ifrit said carelessly as she lit a cigarette. “This is not even half of it. Magnus gave me more than this.” They were all impressed as they flocked around her. Then one of them suddenly blurted out, “You owe millions of dollars, don’t you? What will you do if Magnus ends up marrying Freya because of family pressure?” “What is there to be worried about? There’s plenty more rich men out there,” Ifrit laughed. “Besides, Magnus is completely obsessed with me. If he does end up marrying her, I’ll just fake an accident, maybe slit my wrist. I’m sure he’ll drop everything for me.” Freya was flabbergasted. So this was the explanation behind Ifrit slitting her wrist inside the master bedroom she shared with Magnus. If Magnus realized it was all a ruse, would he still hold the same amount of resentment toward Freya? Chapter 4 Freya felt a wave of emotion rush to her head and distractedly bumped against the door. Ifrit was very keen and noticed it instantly. She hurriedly stepped outside and did a double-take the moment she recognized Freya. When she got a handle on her emotions, she regarded Freya with a brazen look and barely bothered to hide her contempt. “Did you hear everything? Are you going to tell Magnus what you heard so he will give up on being with me? “I doubt he’ll even believe you?” Freya's expression darkened too. “What makes you so sure that he would still want you?” Ifrit frowned at the provocation. Before she could say something, she spotted a familiar figure appearing at the end of the corridor. She shoved Freya away before throwing herself to the ground. Magnus ran to her as fast as he could and wrapped her in his arms. He barely noticed Freya standing there. Ifrit wept and timidly wrapped her arms around his neck while throwing glances at Freya. “Miss Stein was begging me to leave you, Mr. Harett! And when I said no, she pricked me with a needle. “She was saying something about how she had a lot of men waiting in line for me. I feel like I'm burning up, am I going to die?” Magnus looked at her flushed cheeks and turned to confront Freya, his eyes manic. “How dare you drug her! I didn’t think you would be this evil!” he yelled. At the contempt in his eyes, Freya suddenly recalled how much he had abused her in her past life. “I didn't do anything! You can check the surveillance camera footage!” she protested. The moment Ifrit noticed Magnus glancing at the camera, she began to panic. “Did you think I would use that kind of drug on myself? “Are you going to check the footage? Why? Don’t you trust me?” Magnus was convinced by her tears and proceeded to assure her, “Of course, I trust you. Forget about the cameras.” “Ugh, it's so hot in here…,” Ifrit said in response. Suddenly, her eyes took on a glassy look as she tilted her head for a kiss. It was hard to read the look that came over Magnus as he immediately carried her into the adjacent room. “What’s going to happen to Miss Stein?” she asked as she grabbed his arm. “Maybe she only did this to me because of a misunderstanding, we—” “Now that you mention it…” Magnus began as he turned to Freya. “You said she had some men lined up for you? Where are they?” Ifrit gestured timidly at the room at the end of the corridor. Freya noticed the glacial look in Magnus’s eyes. She felt her chest tighten with an ominous feeling that something bad was about to happen. Just as she expected, Magnus suddenly announced, “Since she was the one who made the arrangements, she should enjoy them herself.” His men seized Freya in an instant. “No!” Freya squirmed desperately. “You can't do this to me, Magnus! “You’re going to regret this!” Magnus paused. “My only regret is being too kind to you and giving you a chance to hurt Ifrit again,” he said without even looking at her. Then he took Ifrit and left Freya all alone to fend for herself. Freya found herself shoved into a dark room. She clenched a hand over a painful spot in her shoulder and soon felt the strength drained out of her body. There was a mysterious heat emanating from her body as it engulfed her. Ifrit must have drugged her when she shoved Freya! Countless hands emerged from the darkness and began to touch her. “Miss Lovewell is right, she sure is a looker.” “I’m going to go first, I can’t wait anymore.” “Take it easy, don’t forget what Miss Lovewell told us. We can do anything to her as long as we keep her alive!” Then, countless pairs of grimy hands began to tear at her clothes. Chapter 5 Freya felt like throwing up at their touch. But it also made her remember the pepper spray in her bag. She grabbed it and sprayed it at the men before fleeing the room. “Ahhh! You bitch!” They cried out in pain before running after her. “Get her! Make sure she gets what's coming to her!” Freya anxiously pounded on the doors of each private room as she ran, but none of the occupants would help her. It seemed like they were accustomed to such incidents. By the time she pounded on the last door, she heard faint voices coming from inside. It was Ifrit’s muffled voice. “Mr. Harett, it's… It’s Miss Stein. She must have regretted what she said. Please stop kissing me, I… I can’t take it anymore!” “Don't worry about her,” Magnus said thickly. “You’re mine now. Nobody can stop me from being with you. Just surrender yourself to me.” There were sounds of clothes ripping. Freya shivered and stopped pounding on the door. Tears began to fall against her will, and the numbing sensation in her heart slowly turned to pain. Its ripple spread to every part of her body. Then she remembered the men who were drawing closer. She panicked and ended up stumbling into the next room. She quickly rushed into the attached bathroom. She dunked her head into a bucket of ice-cold water to regain her sense of reason before reaching for a fruit knife to jab it into her thigh. The smell of blood filled her nose, and the pain helped her snap back to reality. It was then that she realized the bathroom mirror allowed her to peek into the adjacent room. Magnus and Ifrit were all over each other. They had stripped, and Magnus had Ifrit perched on the sink, her legs in the air as he entered her. Ifrit was crying with a mix of pain and pleasure. He hungrily kissed her again and again, and when Ifrit grew accustomed to the feeling, his desire would take over, and he would dominate her again. Freya dug her nails into the flesh of her palms at the sight. She felt numb as she watched the pair go round after round. She watched the way Magnus completely lost himself in his passion and the way Ifrit squirmed and pleaded with him. Freya had lost count of how many times they went at it as she stabbed herself. It was only when the bathtub was stained with blood and the effect of the drug subsided that she finally sobered up. It was dawn when she limped out of the room on her injured leg. Her face was pale, and her eyes were lifeless as she dragged herself along the corridor at the same time Magnus and Ifrit left their room. Magnus saw the state she was in and felt a pang of concern deep inside him that he could not explain. Ifrit seemed equally affected. She gestured at the blood on Freya’s legs, “You weren’t drugged, weren’t you? Were you having some fun too?” Then she turned to Magnus. “Do you think it’s because the men Miss Stein gathered were as excited as you were back in the room?” The sheer suggestion of what might have happened made Magnus angry. “Don’t you have any self-respect, Freya?” he asked through clenched teeth. Freya could not stop replaying the scenes from the night before as she stared at Magnus. It made her nauseated. He was the one who threw her to the wolves, so what gave him the right to mock her now? “It’s none of your business.” She dragged her injured leg behind her and tried to limp away, but Ifrit stopped her. “Who knows if those men are clean? What if you catch something from them… Mr. Harett, we have to take her to get tested.” Freya turned down the offer. Ifrit immediately began to cry. “I meant well… Did I do something wrong, Mr. Harett?” “No, you didn’t. I know you meant well.” Magnus put his arm around her shoulders and fixed a dark look at Freya. “If you want her to get tested, then she must get tested.” “I won’t…” Before Freya could even object, Magnus’ men showed up again and escorted her to the hospital. It was a humiliating trip. She was forced into the gynecology department under the scrutiny of many onlookers who seemed to be mocking her. They began to conduct a series of examinations that felt invasive and uncomfortable. And it was all Ifrit’s doing. She felt like she was livestock on the slaughter table. The doctors certainly had their way with her. She felt as if her heart was going to stop beating from complete apathy. At one point, she had lost track of how long the grueling torture lasted and only realized it ended when she stepped out of the room in her tattered clothes. Ifrit was all over Magnus’s arm when she approached. “Doctor, how’s it looking? Did she catch anything?” she asked with feigned concern. “She… there were so many men last night, and she bled so much. You don’t think it caused any permanent damage, did it?” The doctor frowned at the question. “I’m not sure what you are talking about, she is clearly still a virgin…” Before he could even begin to explain, the onlookers began to drum up a wave of commotion. They took pictures with their phones and began to speculate wildly. “That explains why she had so many examinations done on her! She must have had a wild night!” “A whole group of men! She might look innocent on the outside, but you would never expect how wild she is on the inside.” “Hey, pretty lady! Count me in next time! I’ll even pay!” The streams of insults they hurled at Freya stabbed at her already wounded heart. She turned to Magnus. “Are you happy now?” Magnus froze when she looked at him. He gulped and just as he opened his mouth to reply, he noticed something on her waist exposed by her tattered clothes. “Where did you get that scar?” Chapter 6 Freya instinctively reached for the bulging scar on her waist. The pain from ages ago seemed to resurface in that moment, and her body recalled it as if it had just happened. After she saved Magnus five years ago, she was hospitalized to recover from her injury. The housemaid informed her that Magnus was concerned about her injury and that she had taken a picture of the scar to show Magnus. At the time, she assumed the scar would help bring them closer to each other. To her disappointment, Magnus had been nothing but cold toward her even after she had been discharged. All he ever did was hover around Ifrit and ask about her well-being. She assumed it was because Magnus had forgotten about the scar. Now that she thought about it, what happened must have been that the housemaid had sent the picture to Ifrit beforehand. “Answer my question, Freya!” Magnus demanded. “Why do you have that scar? Did you weasel your way into my family five years ago?” Freya tried to suppress her turbulent emotions, and just as she was about to answer, Ifrit suddenly threw herself into Magnus's arms and burst into tears. “So this was the trump card Miss Stein was telling me about! Now I understand why she told me that if you ever see the scar, you would abandon me and devote yourself to her. “I can’t believe you would cut yourself so you can get a scar to fool Mr. Harett into thinking you were the one who saved him five years ago! “All I have ever wanted was to love him with all my heart. Why do you have to come between us and tear us apart?” Ifrit ran up to Freya and gripped her shoulders hysterically while launching her tirade. Freya winced from the pain of her recent wounds. Just as she tried to back away, Ifrit flopped away and launched herself into the doorframe. The moment Magnus noticed a thin trickle of blood flowing from Ifrit's forehead, he shot a furious look at Freya. "How much more cunning can you get? “Did you think a scar is enough to make me change my mind and decide to fall in love with you? It only means something if it’s on Ifrit, whereas when it’s on you… It only disgusts me.” Freya tried to speak but realized there was nothing worth explaining anymore. She knew nothing she said could ever hold up to Ifrit’s crying. She was just about to excuse herself and walk through the crowd when she heard Magnus’s voice calling out from behind her. “Did I permit you to leave?” She paused and turned back to confront him, “What else do you want?" Magnus ignored her question as he tenderly held Ifrit. “Don't you ever use your sinful body to try to get in between me and Ifrit. “I don’t know how you got that scar, but you better get rid of it.” With that, he motioned to his men, who proceeded to drag Freya into the operating room. She barely had the chance to struggle at all before she found herself pinned on the operating table. The doctor did not bother to use anesthesia before putting the scalpel to her flesh. She was butchered mercilessly. Her agonizing cries became lodged in her throat. She had never felt so much pain in her life. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and watched as the scar was forcefully cut apart from her flesh. All of the memories contained in her flesh were brutally torn apart, effectively severing any connection she had to Magnus. When the doctor sliced into another part of her flesh, she suddenly recalled a memory from when they got married. She had picked out a wedding dress and cheerfully went to meet him, only to be met with a scowl. With the next cut, the scene changed again. She recalled making a pot of soup to visit Magnus, who was paralyzed. When she accidentally grazed against the bracelet that Ifrit gave him, he mercilessly threw the bowl at her and scalded her. With the last cut, she recalled the sheer look of disgust and contempt in his eyes when he refused to collect her body from the morgue. Try as hard as she might, she could not recall Magnus ever displaying an ounce of kindness toward her in their last life. Her heart seemed to give up on all the pain she had suffered, and she could not feel anything anymore. She let her body collapse onto the operating table and slowly closed her eyes to surrender to her fate. Darkness engulfed her. It effectively blocked off the sound of Magnus tenderly comforting Ifrit, along with all the cruel, nasty things he had said about Freya. In that moment, the darkness kept her from harm. Chapter 7 Freya spent the next few days recovering in the hospital. She spent every night enduring sharp pains that pierced into her bones. Ifrit refused to give her a break. She would goad her every night by telling her about the things Magnus did for her. [When I told him about how lovers who go to the Aegean Sea together to share a hug are blessed to be together for life, he ditched a hundred million dollar deal to fly me there.] [I heard that you liked the roses in the villa? Too bad for you, he had them all burned when I told him I was allergic to them.] [When I said I wanted to go to the church to pray for blessings, he carried me on his back and took me there.] Freya read all the messages and hardly felt any stirring of emotions. She supposed it was because she no longer loved him. After getting discharged from the hospital, she put her mind to the wedding and naively thought that everything was over at last. That was, until the day before the wedding when she received a cryptic text from Ifrit. [You’re going to have an unforgettable wedding!] Freya was still wondering what the text was about when the door suddenly flew open with a loud crash as Magnus charged into the room. His suit was ruffled, and there was a rabid look in his eyes that was a complete departure from his usual stoic and composed facade. "Where are you hiding Ifrit?” He demanded as he grabbed Freya’s neck and glowered at her. There was a murderous look in his eyes. “How dare you do something so twisted to force me to marry you! You make me sick!” That was when Freya realized what the message was about. She chuckled despite the situation. “Did you believe that I kidnapped Ifrit just because she told you that?” she asked condescendingly. “Who else would do something so twisted if not you?” Magnus spat and effectively shattered the final trace of hope she held for him. “Fine, I suppose I did kidnap her.” “Let her go! Now!” “I’ll let her go if you come to the wedding tomorrow,” she countered, a cold gleam in her eyes. Magnus's expression darkened as he glared at her. “I’ll never let you get away with it if you hurt her,” he said venomously. “And I’ll attend the wedding, but mark my words, I will never love you even if I marry you.” Love? She no longer cared about his love. The reason she wanted him to attend the wedding was to give him one last surprise. She wanted him to find out the truth and watched helplessly as she married another man. She wanted him to regret everything he had done to her. After Magnus left, she printed out all the recent provocative text messages she had received from Ifrit and had them stashed in a box. Then, she compiled the footage of what happened in the club and made extra copies of it. She had one copy sent to the detective tasked with investigating the men who were involved with Ifrit. Then, she placed the other copy alongside the detective's investigation reports to send to Magnus. The next morning. Freya's wedding car raced down the street and swept gracefully around the bend before arriving at the entrance of the most luxurious hotel in the city. Magnus was in his pajamas as he stood outside the hotel. He sullenly looked at the car and seemed to be losing his patience. Then he spotted Dominic sitting in his wheelchair. He was dressed in a well-tailored suit with a matching tie. He cupped his slender hands against the armrest of the wheelchair and wore a thoughtful look that seemed to contain a hint of excitement. As the crowd of onlookers watched him, they began to murmur, “Isn't Mr. Magnus supposed to be getting married? Why is he dressed like that? His elder brother, Mr. Dominic, on the other hand, is dressed up like a groom over there.” "I heard rumors that the Steins and the Haretts had asked the daughter of the Steins to choose one of the two Harett siblings. Do you think this means she chose Mr. Dominic?” Magnus chuckled sardonically. He went up to Freya and confronted her, “Here I am. Where is Ifrit?” “The wedding hasn't even started yet, what’s the rush?” Freya said calmly as she handed him a box. “Here. A gift for you.” That was when the emcee announced brightly, “And now, the wedding begins!” Magnus's eyes instantly turned red. He slowly dragged himself toward the auditorium in what seemed to be a humiliated state. The moment he turned around, Freya approached Dominic. She gracefully took his hand before turning to greet the guests waiting outside the door. “Welcome to my wedding with Dominic,” she said proudly. A wave of silence descended upon the venue. Even Magnus came to an abrupt stop before turning around in disbelief.