Nicholas's gaze shifted from the letter in his hand to the one on the table. For a moment, he seemed frozen, caught between shock and something deeper.
Selena expected him to dismiss her, to scoff or sneer or do anything to prove he was still the arrogant man she had known. But he didn't.
Instead, he simply stood there, his eyes fixed on the documents as though they were a puzzle he couldn't solve. Seconds passed, then minutes and the silence stretched unbearably.
"Well?" Selena demanded, her voice sharper than she intended. "Are you going to sign it, or not?"
Selena watched in stunned silence as Nicholas stared at her, his piercing gaze fixed on the form in his hands. She had asked a simple question, expecting either a signature or a snide remark. But the silence that followed was heavy, suffocating, as though the entire room held its breath.
Then, without warning, Nicholas's other hand moved. His fingers curled around the paper, and with a decisive motion, he tore it in half.
The sound of the paper ripping was sharp and jarring, snapping Selena out of her stupor. Her eyes widened in shock, and her voice rose in disbelief. "What are you doing?!" she exclaimed, her tone shrill with a mix of outrage and confusion.
Nicholas let the torn pieces flutter to the floor as if they were of no significance. His expression was unreadable, but there was an intensity in his gaze that made Selena's stomach churn.
"What is your plan?!" she demanded, her voice trembling slightly. "Didn't you want this? Weren't you practically begging for this engagement to end? What changed?!"
A smirk tugged at the corner of Nicholas's lips, but it wasn't the smug, condescending expression she was used to. This smile was different—darker, almost predatory.
"Call off this engagement?" he repeated, his tone mocking. "How laughable." He took a deliberate step forward, his eyes never leaving hers. "I will not let you go, Selena." His voice dropped lower, each word laced with a chilling finality that sent shivers down her spine.
Selena instinctively took a step back, her heart pounding in her chest. Her mouth opened to protest, but the next words that came from Nicholas froze her in place.
"Selena, no, Yue'er," he said softly.
Yue'er?
Her blood ran cold. The name struck her like a lightning bolt, setting off a cascade of memories she had buried deep within her mind. Her hands trembled, and she could barely form the words to speak.
"How... How do you know that name?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Nicholas's smirk deepened as he threw the torn form aside, the pieces scattering on the floor like discarded scraps. He stepped closer, his movements slow and deliberate, like a predator cornering its prey.
Selena's breathing grew erratic. Panic clawed at her chest as her thoughts raced wildly, none of them coherent. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening.
He took another step, and she retreated again, her back colliding with the cold, unyielding wall behind her. Her legs felt like jelly, and her palms were clammy with sweat. She was trapped.
Nicholas finally stopped, now standing so close that she could feel the faint warmth of his presence. His hand lifted, and Selena flinched, her entire body recoiling instinctively. But he didn't strike her or push her away. Instead, his fingers brushed against her hair, gently tucking a loose strand behind her ear.
His touch was cold, almost biting, and it sent a shiver down her spine. She wanted to move, to push him away, but her body refused to cooperate. She was frozen, paralysed by fear, confusion, and disbelief.
His hand lingered for a moment before trailing down to her cheek. The sensation was light but oppressive as if his very presence weighed heavily on her.
"Why are you so scared, Yue'er?" He asked softly, his voice tender in a way that only made her stomach twist further. "It's me, Yu Zhiyuan."
The name hit her like a punch to the gut. Her breath caught in her throat, and her eyes widened in shock.
Yu Zhiyuan.
Her ex-boyfriend.
Selena's mind reeled as memories she had worked so hard to suppress came flooding back with a vengeance.
The late-night conversations, the stolen moments of happiness, the promises made and how he kissed her friend with no shame in front of her —it all came rushing back in a chaotic torrent.
But how? How could Nicholas, the Northern Duke, know that name? How could he be Yu Zhiyuan?
"You're lying," she said, her voice trembling with disbelief. "This… This isn't possible. You can't be him."
Nicholas—no, Yu Zhiyuan—tilted his head slightly, a look of genuine hurt flashing across his face. "Why would I lie about this, Yue'er?" He asked.
Just as you came back, so did I. He smirked and trailed his hand down from her cheek to her neck.
His words only served to deepen her confusion. She shook her head, trying to make sense of the impossible situation. "No," she whispered, more to herself than to him. "This can't be real. You can't be here."
"And yet, here I am," he said, his voice steady and calm.
She died and came here... So how did he come to this world?! Did he die too?! Was that God's way of punishing him, but he was brought here... So was this God's way of punishing her?
Selena's legs wobbled, and she felt like the ground beneath her was crumbling. How had this happened? She had transmigrated into another world, another life. Yu Zhiyuan was supposed to be a part of her past, left behind in the world she had come from.
But now, he was standing right in front of her, his presence as undeniable as the rising panic in her chest.
"What do you want?" she finally managed to ask, her voice laced with a mix of fear and desperation.
"I want what was always mine," he said, his tone resolute. "You, Yue'er."
My girlfriend, now fiance... Future wife.