Chapter 2
âCece, donât close your eyes. Iâll take you home.â
Jackson extended his arms and lifted the emaciated Oneida from the bed.
The flames cast a glow on the manâs pale and handsome face, and his deep eyes were brimming with affection and tenderness as he held Oneida in his
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Oneida gazed at him with a blank expression and was unable to avert her gaze.
Suddenly, a charred beam crashed down from above.
With his body, Jackson shielded Oneida securely, and the falling beam hit his back, creating a dull thud.
Yet the man bore the pain without making any sound.
Even so, Oneida detected a slight smell of burning on him.
âIt must hurt a lot,â she thought,
The ceiling collapsed in succession, hitting Jackson one piece at a time.
The once extraordinary and noble man was covered in dirt, looking disheveled.
Oneida was totally unharmed as he held her tightly in his arms.
Slowly, she opened her mouth in an attempt to speak, but no sound came out
She gathered all her strength to force out a few syllables with labored breath. âYou⦠should leave meâ¦â
Though it was merely a short sentence, she said it with difficulty as she gasped for air in between each word.
Upon hearing this, Jackson curled his lips into a smile and held Oneida even tighter. âI said Iâd take you home.â
Oneida falt tears welling up in her eyes. She almost spoke hysterically, vomiting out each syllable. âYou⦠will dieâ¦â
She felt she was a hindrance, and he wouldnât be able to escape the fire with her.
She was just a useless person who would die sooner or later. If he left her, he might have a chance of survival.
âNo, we will survive this together,â Jackson comforted her with a soft voice.
âYou⦠are⦠a foolâ¦â After great effort, Oneida finally managed to utter the complete sentence. Her voice was infused with an imperceptible sob
Soon, a large piece of the ceiling fell down, completely blocking the entrance.
Their surrounding was engulfed in intense flames.
The burning flames kept surging toward the two. Jackson bent down and shielded Oneida with his body, keeping her between his arms and the unburned ground.
At that moment, Oneida realized that it was already too late for them to escape from the raging fire
âYou shouldnât have..she said hoarsely, teagi gushing out of her eyes.
She was trying to say that he shouldnât have come to save her. He shouldnât die for a useless person like her.
Chapter 2
At that moment, Jackson lowered his head and pressed his forehead against Oneidaâs.
Their breaths overlapped.
âI donât regret it, Cece.â His eyes were dark and focused solely on Oneida. âDying with you is worth it.â
âJacksonâ¦â Tears flowed down Oneidaâs cheeks uncontrollably as she sobbed, âJacksonâ¦â
She called out his name repeatedly
B
The man tenderly wiped away her tears using his fingers. âCece, donât be scared. Iâve said before that I donât want you to be alone. How pitiful it would be if you had to die alone here, my little girl. Thatâs why Iâm here to be with you. Donât blame yourself because Iâm doing this willingly. Cece, I love you. Will you come to find me in your next life?â
Oneida bit her lip while tears streamed down her face. Finally, she parted her lips to agree.
Before she could make a sound, Jacksonâs lips landed on her dry lips.
Then, overwhelming darkness enveloped them.
Oneida flung her eyes open.
Surrounding her were the once familiar dilapidated walls made of mud.
her a while to realize that she was having that bad dream of past again.
Then she recalled the fact that she had been sent back to three years ago, when she was 19. She didnât know why, but she believes it happens for a reason, and this time sheâs not gonna mess it up again.
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