LILIANNA

When Lily Bianca opened the door behind her, cold air rushed against her skin from inside the bedroom. She manifested two balls of fire; one lit up the firewood inside the room, and the other hovered towards the shadow on the bed.

“Have you awoken?”

The woman stirred, dragged her body to sit up, and turned towards Lily Bianca. “What brings you here?”

“I want to give you my thanks…”

Their conversation became muffled as Lilianna’s mind churned in an anxious mess. She remembered this event. This shouldn’t be happening yet.

Why now? Why again? Her mind tumbled as sparks ignited between the couple. She felt Lily Bianca’s face flush when Delbert’s face inched closer, bearing a face so intimately familiar to Lilianna.

Then, Lily Bianca wrapped her hands around Delbert. Lilianna wished she never even tried to wake up. She’d rather live in bliss than be aware of how helpless she was.

In a foolish attempt, she mustered her strength to pull away, but Lily Bianca only drew Delbert closer. Once again, she was forced to witness and experience someone else’s life. She should have been used to this by now.

When their lips pressed against each other, Lilianna could feel the hotness of their breaths intermingled. Memories she desperately wished to bury flooded her mind. How much she missed home. How much she missed Phoenix.

The faint smell of cedar whenever she hugged her.

The way Phoenix’s cold cheeks heated up against her palms on that hike.

She could never forget the distraught on Phoenix’s face before Lilianna fainted from blood loss. She realized it was silly to doubt Phoenix’s affection for her. She finally realized how much Phoenix treasured her.

But when she woke up, there was no more Phoenix.

People said crying helps ease up the pain in your heart. Lilianna couldn’t even cry.

What now?

She had long convinced herself to forget the past and accept being trapped in this cycle of time, but seeing Lily Bianca intimate with someone who resembled Phoenix made it especially torturous to do so.

Whose sick idea was it to trap her in this loop?

Just then, the world blended in a whirl of colors. Her surroundings changed to where they were five years ago. It was different. Instead of Lilianna, Phoenix was the one who fell down. She forced her legs to walk towards Phoenix. However, her body remained in place despite her efforts. Lilianna could only watch in silence as life steadily slipped away from Phoenix’s eyes.

You’re useless.

This shouldn’t have happened.

If only you did more.

A barrage of voices echoed in her mind. Lilianna’s head pulsated. The noise swelled more and more until everything muted.

She opened her eyes and felt her racing heartbeat. A nightmare… it had been ages since she last suffered through one. Lilianna glanced up at the soft white glow around the ceiling. Finally, it wasn’t the same intricate patterns she was sick of seeing.

Phoenix’s body felt different from Lily Bianca. It was denser and low on energy. For a while, Lilianna didn’t move. Maybe she was so used to being disappointed and didn’t want to crush any hope that blossomed from speaking with Phoenix.

A part of her anticipated Phoenix’s body to move on its own, disregarding any of her will. But it didn’t. It laid with her in the dark, waiting for her order.

Let’s start with a finger. Similar to how she woke herself in a dream from sleep paralysis, Lilianna focused her movement on her forefinger.

One finger. Two. She curled up her right hand into a fist and released. Warmth spread from her heart and enveloped her whole body. A soft chuckle escaped from her lips.

I’d have never imagined I’d be this ecstatic about being able to move.

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This was all thanks to Phoenix.

Yet they couldn’t even meet in the same world. Lilianna may never be able to feel Phoenix’s touch again.

An invisible lengthy needle pierced her heart upon this realization. In the end, it still came down to breaking out of Galathia’s time-loop.

Lilianna felt an overwhelming hollowness inside her. She was like a traveler from a desert, thirsty and desperate to find her oasis. Yet now that she found hers, her thirst had become insatiable. Afraid she would never have the chance to talk to Phoenix again, Lilianna yearned to spend all her time with her.

Her stomach knotted at the thought of letting Phoenix suffer through that. She didn’t know how Galathia would react to a foreign soul like Phoenix. But she also despised the idea of letting Damon be this close to Phoenix. This stupid man was way too obsessive. Nobody knows what he would do most of the time.

I have to get her out of here first.

When Lilianna moved Phoenix’s body off the bed, the light switched on. She jolted at the instant change in the environment. Right. She’d forgotten about the advancement of technology in this world.

Phoenix mentioned there was a hidden camera in one of the vents, so she pretended she was feeling disoriented as she slowly scanned the room. The only semblance of light it had was the chandelier since the room didn’t have any windows.

In addition, the door didn’t have a handle, so she wouldn’t be able to leave even if she wanted to. Lilianna tucked a strand of hair behind her ear only to have it stick out in front of her face again. She turned towards the bedside table and saw a device to request for meals. This room looked modern, but dull and suffocating. It made sense for Damon to have no taste.

Lilianna walked inside the attached bathroom. As she examined Phoenix’s face in the mirror, a mixture of emotions stirred up inside her. Aside from the cuts and swelling from the recent accident, Lilianna could tell Phoenix’s appearance remained the same this past five years.

A few minutes later, a click sounded from the bedroom. Muffled steady footsteps followed. Lilianna hurriedly turned off the tap water and left the bathroom.

JfImHED.jpg [https://i.imgur.com/JfImHED.jpg]

“How are you feeling?” Damon waited for her inside the room. Lilianna felt her face scrunch up, but luckily, she instantly concealed her emotions with her hands.

“Not great. I feel dizzy.” Lilianna sat down on the bed as if she was trying to reorient herself. Her fingertips chilled as she thought of ways to act. Thankfully, Phoenix wasn’t someone to say much to strangers.

Damon walked over and sat beside her, “are you hungry? Sorry I acted that way yesterday. I didn’t mean to scare you.” His hand wrapped around hers, and he brought her palm to his lips. As if she was touched by a dirty worm, Lilianna quickly snatched her hand away from the man. Disgust filled her system.

He continued, "you were so pretty. I was a bit surprised."

"..." Lilianna wanted to punch him, but she needed to remain calm. She didn't know what Phoenix would do in this situation. She probably would have remained silent.

"You should take a bath first. Then, we'll go get breakfast. How's that sound?"

She nodded in agreement, hoping he’d leave soon. Despite her thoughts, Lilianna smiled innocently as she wrapped a hand around Damon's arm, slowly rubbing against it.

“Do you have a bigger bathtub? The one here is too small for a full soak.” If Lilianna was in her actual body in this situation, she’d adjust her voice a bit to make it more alluring, but she didn’t have to change Phoenix’s voice at all. It was low, smooth and had a nice pitch. Her voice came out breathy and seductive. Everything she said would have the ability to get someone off.

Like an ant to her honey trap, Damon stiffened, his neck turning a light shade of red. Fortunately, he was a perverted piece of trash. He made it too easy for her to manipulate him.

Damon tapped on his phone, and minutes later, he led her to a bigger bath in another room.

Inside the bathroom was a white-gold marble flooring combined with a light shade of purple. A bathtub, big enough for two people, stood to the side next to a huge window. Close to its end was a see-through shower room. Everything looked spotless.

Towards the other end of the bathtub was the closet room. Lilianna immediately abandoned Damon and walked towards it. She was prepared for an empty closet, but instead found it stuffed with frilly, pastel colored garments. She grabbed a few and realized everything was measured to fit Phoenix’s size. Goosebumps reached the back of her neck. How the hell did he know?

Her gaze moved towards the only corner with black clothes, the style more tight-fitting and elegant. She grabbed a pair of leather pants and a long-sleeved crop top that had extra fabric to tie to the back.

Her heart raced as she walked towards the full-length mirror to see how the clothes would accentuate Phoenix’s striking features. But her excitement dropped at the sight of the bruises on Phoenix’s body. Perhaps she was also a perverted piece of trash.

Then, she finally remembered there was someone else in the room. Lilianna smiled at the man’s reflection in the mirror, his gaze glued to her every movement.

“The undergarments?” she asked.

“It’s in the drawer to your right.” Damon moved his head lightly to show her where it was. He inched closer to Lilianna, his eyes revealing his insatiable hunger for Phoenix. Lilianna looked away, barely refraining from rolling her eyes.

“Okay, get out.” Lilianna said abruptly, her tone came out harsh and icy, as if she was throwing out a piece of trash.

Waking up from a daze, Damon could only murmur, “what?”

Lilianna turned around and whispered, “I’m going to take a shower.” When his eyes met hers, she lowered her head and looked down. He sighed.

“Fine. I’ll leave you alone. You can call the maid to bring you food later.” Damon then finally turned around to leave. Before closing the door, the man stopped and turned to her, his voice almost a growl, his eyes narrowed and sharp.

Lilianna didn't flinch.

"Don't think about doing anything funny. I don't want to hurt you.”

Once the door was shut, Lilianna's gaze turned coldly to where he had been. This bathroom at least had a lock, unlike the cage she was in before. She made sure the door was secured before using the tub.