I reflexively ducked into my room as quickly as possible. I probably hadn't been spotted.

Kieran's sudden appearance here, coupled with his tone and expression while speaking to Scott just now, made me feel inexplicably panicked. It looked like I hadn't escaped him this time either.

As his frightening and extremely threatening face from my previous life came to mind, I opened up my suitcase and started packing hastily.

I wanted to escape, and this time, I would escape alone.

"Why are you packing your things, Linnie?"

Scott abruptly came into my room and was confused to see me in the middle of packing. He didn't seem shocked, though—he was putting on an act.

I replied cautiously, "N-Nothing much. After I was done baking the cake, I noticed that my room was far too messy, so I figured I'd tidy up a little."

It had taken me a lifetime to understand Kieran while I'd only known Scott for a few months. I couldn't afford to give the game away again.

Scott hesitated. "Just now…"

I feigned ignorance. "W-What's the matter?"

"Nothing! Is the food ready? I'm hungry!" continued Scott.

He proceeded to ruffle my hair and flirt with me, pretending nothing happened.

"It's in the kitchen! I'll get it for you!" I exclaimed with false enthusiasm.

I forced myself to remain calm as I passed him by despite the hammering of my heart.

Scott was hiding something!

Back in the kitchen, I covered the spot I'd intended to place cherries on with the remaining cream to make it look more like a finished product. Then, I brought it out to Scott.

"Happy birthday, Scottie!" I exclaimed, offering him birthday wishes as I usually would.

Scott looked very surprised. "So, you were in the kitchen for such a long time because you were baking me a cake?"

Scott hugged me gratefully, then took out the expensive jewelry he'd prepared beforehand and stuffed them into my hands.

He explained gently, "This is for you! The jewelry I saw on auction yesterday was really beautiful, so I bought it for you."

I wasn't surprised, because he had always had a habit of buying me gifts, and he never budgeted his purchases.

He only ate a small piece of cake before falling asleep on the table. It was because I'd added sleeping pills to the cake just now.

After my experiences in my past life, I no longer trusted any man, especially one as flawless as Scott. As such, I was going to run away this very night.

After quickly packing a few essential items, I left through a side door and found a hidden bridge underpass to hide in temporarily.

My phone was disconnected from the internet, and I hadn't had the time to get myself fake identity documents. For insurance purposes, I had no choice but to live as if I were in a primitive era.

As my phone was turned off, Scott didn't manage to find me.

However, after an entire day and night without food, I was painfully hungry. I had no choice but to go looking for food in the dark.

Yet, as soon as I came out of hiding, I encountered Kieran.

He was dressed entirely in black and spoke in the same tone he'd used back when he'd captured me during my escape attempts in my previous life.

"As expected, you're here, Linda!"

I clutched my bag to myself and retreated slowly. "We have nothing to do with each other anymore, so why have you come looking for me?"

Kieran suddenly grabbed my hand with a fierce expression on his face. "Come back with me! Don't assume you can get rid of me just by throwing yourself into Scott's lap! Yes, don't even think about it!"

Just as he was about to drag me into his car, I took out the folding knife at my waist and slashed vehemently at him.

Kieran reflexively let go of my hand from the pain.

I took the opportunity to run to a police station.

As soon as I walked through its doors, an elderly policeman on patrol noticed me.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Hello! I'd like to make a police report!" I replied.

It wasn't as if I'd never thought of going to the police in my previous life. The truth was that Kieran always caught me before I could even get to a police station.

"Who are you? Where do you live? What report would you like to make?" the elderly policeman asked impassively.

"It's—"

Kieran suddenly appeared behind me and cut me off. "This is my wife, sir. We simply had an argument, which resulted in some conflict between us. Sorry for the inconvenience!"

"No! I'm not his wife!" I explained desperately.

"Stop causing a fuss, Linnie. It's far too late at night for that. Let's continue our argument at home, alright?" Kieran asked with false tenderness, looking nothing at all like the devil he had been in my previous life.

"Another one kicking up a pointless fuss! It's illegal to make a false report, young lady, so don't go seeking trouble!" the elderly policeman snapped before leaving in annoyance.

"Hey! Sir! Please don't go!" I called helplessly after him, grasping desperately at this last straw.

Kieran put me on his shoulders and walked toward a black sedan in the distance. "I'd like to see how you're going to get away now, Linda!"

Kieran was a martial arts practitioner, so he was well-built. Even though I tried my best, I couldn't free myself from him.

I unconsciously started shedding tears of despair.

Was I going to fail to escape him in this life as well? How was he able to find me every time?

A familiar voice called out from behind me, "Linnie?"

It was Scott.

I struggled to lift my head and cry out to him for help. "Save me, Scott!"

When Kieran saw Scott approaching, he smoothly set me down.

Without another word, Scott threw a heavy punch at Kieran that knocked him several feet back.

Scott grabbed Kieran by his collar, looking abnormally furious. "Kieran Zucker! Who gave you the guts to come looking for my woman?"

I stood to one side. It took me a long time to gather myself again.

How did Scott also know I was here?

Thanks to my experience from my previous life, I'd cut my SIM card in half, turned off my phone, and put on gloves and socks before leaving the house. I hadn't left a trace.

Out of fear of being discovered, I even deliberately crossed a wide river to wash off my scent. Then, I'd hidden in the most inconspicuous underpass I could find deep in the mountains, where signal strength was at its worst.

Where exactly had I gone wrong that they found me despite all my efforts?

Before I could figure things out, Scott suddenly hugged me tightly.

He looked at me with genuine urgency. "You're frightened, aren't you, Linnie?"

Kieran had long since disappeared.

When Scott saw that I wasn't answering his question, he took off his coat and draped it around my shoulders. "It's really windy outside. Let's go home!"

In response, I took out a knife and held it to his neck. "Confess, Scott Quinlan. Who exactly are you? Why didn't you ask me why you passed out after eating the cake? You and Kieran are in cahoots, right?"