Chapter 25

Stella jolted awake from her dream, covered in cold sweat. Her first instinct was to reach for her face when she opened her eyes. She didn’t feel any horrible scars, only smooth and delicate skin. Her breathing gradually steadied. For a split second, she thought yesterday’s rebirth had been a dream. Fortunately, she was reborn, and it wasn’t a dream.

She closed her eyes and felt tears pool in her ears. It took her a while before she finally opened them. She glanced to her side and noticed Rowan wasn’t there. She sat up and turned to look at the clock on the wall. It was 6:30 am. She was shocked that he was awake after sleeping for only a few hours.

Since Stella couldn’t fall back asleep, she got out of bed. When she pulled open the bedroom door, she spotted a familiar figure in gray standing on the balcony with his back turned to her. She walked over, wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, and pressed her cheek on his back. Her voice was still husky from sleep and carried a hint of drowsiness. "Why are you up so early?"

Rowan tensed slightly. A few seconds later, he turned around and asked with a raspy voice, "Why didn’t you sleep a little longer?" He frowned slightly when he noticed she was still wearing the thin red nightgown. He removed his jacket and threw it over her shoulders before pulling her into his embrace and softly stroking her hair. "Aren’t you cold?" It was early summer, but the mornings were still a bit chilly.

Stella tightened her arms around his waist. Following his movement, she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. "How could I be cold when you’re holding me?"

Rowan’s movement paused for a moment. He closed his eyes and sighed quietly before resting his chin lightly against her head. He was terrified that she would call out Randy’s name instead of his. He held her tighter and said nothing.

She remained in his embrace briefly before taking her head off his shoulder. Her glistening eyes were filled with curiosity. "Did you not sleep well last night?" She had noticed the ashtray on the balcony was full of cigarette butts and a slight odor of smoke on him the moment she walked over. She wondered if he had spent the night smoking rather than sleeping.

Rowan swallowed and dodged the question. Instead, he placed his arms around her and lowered his gaze to meet hers. "Did you sleep well, Stella?"

Upon hearing his question, the brightness in Stella’s eyes dimmed instantly. She shook her head. "Not really."

"Why?" He pressed his lips together.

She lowered her gaze. "I had a nightmare."

He stared at her fluttering eyelashes and asked in a low voice, "What kind of nightmare?"

Stella bit her lip, struggling to find the words. She had dreamt of her past life. After being with Rowan that night, she returned home to find Randy waiting for her. The moment she opened the door, she saw him sitting on the couch and glaring at her with an eerie expression. He had responded with harsh words and called her filthy. He was the one who had handed her that glass of wine that he had drugged. She had no clue what was happening at all. He only stared coldly. "If I had drugged you, do you think I would’ve let Rowan benefit from it? If I had known you were this filthy, I would’ve ruined you instead of wasting time trying to tame you first."

Randy gritted his teeth and approached her, grabbing her wrist and dragging her toward the bathroom. "Since you’re already dirty, I might as well clean you up." Stella tried to resist with all her might, but she was no match for him. He dragged her into the bathroom and shoved her into the shower before pouring the ice-cold water over her. He stood by the door, gripping the showerhead in his hand and aiming it directly at her.