After chasing my crush, Edward Lightwood, for ten years, he finally accepted me as his blood bound.

But, the day we were taking our eternal vow, his first love, Beth, from the allied clan was murdered by a gang of vampire hunters.

He blamed me for her loss and tormented me every day. Exposed me to the eternal sun, pierced me with wooden stakes just not enough to kill me and then locked me up in his basement.

Exhausted and heartbroken, I grabbed the oak stake and stabbed my chest in front of him.

I killed myself.

But, I did not die.

I was reborn to the day I had confessed my feelings to Edward.

But, this time, I'll not repeat my mistake. I'll stay far away from him.

I woke up gasping, the phantom sensation of sunlight burning my skin still fresh. And, when I saw the gothic manor from my window decorated and crowded, I realized I traveled back to the night when I had confessed my feelings to Edward, only to be mocked and humiliated by him in front of his friends.

It was the day Edward became the High Lord of the Clan, took vows of loyalty and integrity in front of the Clan's elders.

I stood before the ancestral gothic manor. Above the obsidian doors hung a sign etched in holy silver:

"Hounds and Sonya shall not cross."

In my past life, I stood in the rain, soaked to the bone.. And, when he emerged out of the manor clutching Beth's thin waist,I knelt before him and proposed to him only to be kicked and insulted.

"Are you blind? Can't you read the tag hanging? You sting, Sonya!" He sneered, "Get the fuck out of my sight. I don't want my mood get ruined because of you."

My gaze shifted to the white gown I had carefully prepared to wear on Edward's big day, only to be stained red as he poured a glass full of red wine on it before he leaned closer and whispered,

“If you’re that desperate to have a man warm your bed, I’ll let my friends do the honor.”

He said, pushing me toward his friend, "Try not to drive him off with your foul smell."

My chest was still burning with pure rage and humiliation when a message popped on my phone, then another and the process just carried on.

These were Edward's friends, texting me on his behalf.

'Edward is happy tonight. Do not show up in the party and ruin the night!'

'Edward is with the love of his life. You, a vicious parasite, dare not snatching it from him.'

'Just because you are favored by his parents, do not think you can have him wrapped around your fingers, bitch! His friends are there to protect him from you.'

In my past life, Edward's parents did adore me and sided with me against him everytime. In fact, when they found out Edward had insulted me in front of his friends, they cancelled their trip and came back.

They forced Edward to accept me as his blood bound as his redemption.

I wished they hadn't!

Because, after that, Edward was never the same. His dislikeness over me transformed into hatred and a simple bully took the murderous intent.

I was pulled back to present by the sound of my phone's vibration.

It was Edward's text.

"My parents are off the city, Sonya. Do not think that you will be shielded this time if do anything foolish. Better stay home! No one needs you here."

"If you were obedient, I could still manage to get along well with you."

"Don't make things hard for me than it already is!"

I stared the message on my phone's screen. He had no idea how happy I was to read it. The man I wanted to stay far away in this life, was giving me just an excuse.

He did not want me to attend his celebration?

I won't!

He thinks it's humiliating to share the same roof with me?

I'll move out.

The last thing I did that night was taking the confession letter I had spent weeks writing and burned it in the fireplace.

I watched the ink melt away, vowing that the only thing I would sacrifice this time was my love for him

And then, I packed my luggage.

To leave him for good!

The fact that everyone was busy congratulating Edward, made it easier for me to sneak out quietly.

A taxi was already waiting to take me to the Mortal zone.

My suitcases felt lighter than they ever had, the weight of ten years of pathetic devotion had been burned away with that letter.

But as I rounded the corner near the grand staircase, the air grew thick with the cloying scent of lilies and expensive perfume I knew who wore them.

"Going somewhere, Sonya?"

The voice was like a whip. I froze. Edward stood there, his high-collared formal coat draped perfectly over his shoulders. Tucked under his arm was Beth. In this light, she looked like a porcelain doll—pale, fragile, and utterly lethal.

"I thought I made myself clear in the text," Edward sneered, his eyes dropping to the luggage in my hands. "I told you to stay in your room. I didn't say you could drag your filth through the main hall while my guests are still here."

"I'm following your instructions, Edward," I said, my voice steady, devoid of the desperate tremor that used to define me. "You said sharing a roof with me was humiliating. I’m simply removing the humiliation."

A flicker of something like surprise passed through Edward's eyes. But, before he could speak, Beth walked up, saying in a honey-laced tone, "Sonya, why must you make everything difficult for Edward?"

"Leaving his house and then go back to his parents to be a crybaby, only to make his relationship with his parents worst than it already is?"

"Why can't you leave this family in peace?"

She stepped forward, her silk dress rustling like a snake in the grass. "Or is this your new tactic? Do you think if you pretend to leave, Edward will suddenly realize he can't live without his shadow?"

"It’s pathetic," Edward added, his lip curling. "You’ve chased me for a decade. We all know those bags are probably filled with my old shirts you’ve stolen. Drop the act, Sonya. Go back to your room, lock the door, and stay there until I decide what to do with you."

Edward's words cut deep through my heart. He was right. I was like that in the past, collecting trash and garbages that Edward used in his daily necessities like they were treasures, a kind of devotion I believed that time.

But, not anymore.

"It's not an act," I said, meeting his gaze. For the first time, I didn't flinch. "I'm leaving. Permanently. You can have the house, the title, and the silence you've always asked for."

I tried to move past them, but Beth blocked my path. Her eyes flashed with a cruel spark. But, her voice was laced with feign concern,

"I can't let you go and create misunderstandings between Edward and his parents. I don't want him disturbed because of you, Sonya." Beth hissed. She reached out, her sharp, manicured nails digging into my forearm, trying to snatch my suitcase.

"Let go, Beth," I warned.

"Make me, you low-born—" she hissed.

As I jerked my arm back to reclaim my luggage, Beth’s eyes widened. With the calculated move in her mind, she didn't fight for balance. Instead, she let her grip loosen and threw herself backward.

She hit the marble floor with a sickening thud, her silk gown billowing around her like a broken flower.

"Beth!" Edward roared.

He was at her side in a blur of motion, gathering her into his arms. Beth let out a small, pained whimper, clutching her ankle, her eyes brimming with unshed, manipulative tears.

"My ankle... Edward, it hurts," she sobbed, burying her face in his chest. "I just wanted to tell her not to be impulsive... why did she push me so hard?"

Edward’s head snapped up. His face was no longer just arrogant; it was monstrous. The veins in his neck pulsed with a dark, predatory violet.

"You've finally crossed the line, Sonya," he hissed, his voice vibrating with a killing intent I knew all too well from my past life. "I gave you a roof, and you repay us by attacking the only woman I love? You want to leave? Fine. But you’ll leave with a reminder of what happens when you touch what is mine."

He began to stand, his fangs slowly extending, the air in the hallway dropping to a freezing chill.

And the next second, I was pulled closer to him. His hands pressed against my neck as he slammed me against the wall, his fangs almost scratching the delicate skin of my neck.

"Apologize to Beth!" He groaned, "Right now!"

"Apologize to her?" I giggled, "She fell by herself!"

Edward's hands raised in mid-air, ready to slap me. Just then Beth's pitiful voice echoed.

"Ed, please stop!" She begged, her eyes wet. "If you hit her because of me, she will tell Uncle and Aunt and they will blame me for that."

He released me instantly. But, his eyes turned dark and laced with the hatred that always hurt me to see in his eyes for me.

"This is real you. Scheming and manipulative!" He sneered.

Scheming and manipulative?

That's what he called me when I did literally nothing.

If it was in the past, I would have sunk to my knees, pleading and explaining things to not make him misunderstand me.

But, the present me did not care about it. He could think whatever he wished. I was done explaining.

Once Beth had spilled wine on her shoes that Edward had just bought her and blamed me I did it out of jealousy.

I slit my wrist and offered Edward to drink it to see the truth through my blood. But, he held my bleeding arm and threw me aside.

"I don't need to see anything. I believe Beth!" He spat, "As for you, your punishment is that you will clean Beth's boots by licking the wine with your tongue."

"You can think whatever you want. I'm done telling my truth." I spat before I grabbed the handle of my luggage and walked past them.

I didn't look back at the obsidian doors or the silver sign that labeled me as less than a hound.

But as I reached the bottom step, a terrifyingly familiar warmth touched the back of my neck.

I froze. My eyes traveled to the horizon.

The sky wasn't the deep, protective indigo of midnight anymore. It was a bruised, bleeding orange. A thin gold of the sun was peeking over the edge of the world.

No. Not now.

In my past life, the "Eternal Sun" had been Edward’s favorite tool of torture. Even for a vampire, the dawn wasn't an instant death, but for a low-born like me, it was an agonizing slow-burn that blistered the soul before it charred the flesh.

I had miscalculated the time. The confrontation inside had stolen the precious minutes of darkness I needed to reach the mortal Zone.

I spun around, my heart hammering against my ribs. I reached for the door handle, desperate to step back into the safety of the manor’s shadows—just until the sun fully rose and I could call for a specialized sun-shielded transport.

The handle didn't budge.

Click.

The heavy iron bolt slid into place from the inside. Through the narrow, reinforced glass slit of the door, a pair of Edward's eyes appeared.

Edward stood on the other side of the glass. He leaned in, his breath fogging the pane. He didn't say a word, but his lips curled into an evil, slow-spreading smile.

Behind him, I could see Beth, leaning against his shoulder, her "injured" ankle miraculously healed.

"If you want me to take you in, apologize to Beth right now." He commanded, "And, call my parents, tell them you are not interested in me anymore, tell them not to force me to be with you because you like somebody else."