"Sister! Oh my god,'' An audible gasp sounded by the door.
When Ella turned around, she saw a pretty face peeking from the door. A face she did not think she would see so soon.
Her younger sister. Esther.
Also the one who sent her to her grave.
''What is happening? Why are you in this condition…?" She looked at her with eyes wide open.
Ella calmly covered her body with the sheets.
''Sister, I sent you the outfit yesterday and I gave you all the information but still… you did not make it to the event. And now, this… Did Mr. King do this to you?" She looked at the messy bed, and then at Ella's neck that looked like it was bitten by a mad dog everywhere.
But in Esther's eyes, Ella saw a hint of jealousy that she had never spotted in the past.
"It's normal for these things to happen between a couple,'' Ella said after a while.
Esther was stunned, visibly never expecting to hear such words from Ella's mouth one day.
She immediately stepped forward and pressed the back of her palm to Ella's forehead.
"What are you saying, sister? It has been almost 2 years since you were locked up by Mr. King. And now, he even… forced himself on you… He… is such a beast!" She gritted her teeth.
But for the first time, Ella realized that Esther wasn't gritting her teeth because she felt indignant on her behalf. But rather, because she hated not being a part of this party. She wanted this 'Mr. King' all to herself.
In her past life, things had also proceeded like this.
But the sex between her and Adrian had been consensual. Both of them were drunk and she, in her intoxicated state, had taken the initiative to kiss him. He had responded to her and things happened.
However, when they were on the peak, she took another man's name. And it was at that moment, Adrian realized that she had mistaken him for someone else.
The man was seething in rage and his anger had stirred her out of her intoxicated state a little. Then she saw him storm off.
Unlike this life, they had not been at it for the entire night back then. Just once and he had left, leaving the bed cold.
The next morning, Esther had appeared just like this and reacted in this manner, justifying her actions and labelling Adrian as a beast and whatnot.
He might be one but for this, Ella was equally responsible.
Yet, after talking to Esther, she overlooked her own actions and clashed with Adrian again and again for pretending to be her lover when she was drunk and taking advantage of her.
She was punished, locked up and the tension between her and Adrian rose with every argument.
''Sister, what do we do now? Why don't you report him somewhere… no that won't do… He is way too powerful…'' Esther grabbed Ella's flabby arm, squeezing it hard, ''He has cornered you like a helpless animal…''
Here she went highlighting Ella's miseries to trigger her rage.
And somehow, Ella knew what would come next. The pattern she had never noticed before was laid bare in front of her eyes now.
''Sister, Max got engaged last night. I was waiting for you and he was looking around too. Even in such a situation, we were all hoping you'd go there and stop the engagement but there were no signs of you… He couldn't defy his parents and the engagement went through…''
Ella lowered her gaze thoughtfully. Everything was proceeding just the same as it was in her past life.
Max was the man she had been hopelessly infatuated with in her previous life as well. They were childhood sweethearts who were set to marry.
But later, things went awry. The man was engaged to another and Ella couldn't let him go.
Her good sister tried to reunite her with the man repeatedly but that only triggered Adrian, pushing him to do things just to keep her locked in the mansion.
Like a dragon guarding its treasure, he would not let anyone come close to her.
Adrian treated her well only in times when Ella did not trigger him by this or that. Their relationship was just that fragile.
And that fragility was again and again tested by Ella who would go to him for a confrontation every once in a while after meeting Esther and being pumped up by chicken blood.
Seeing her lowered head, Esther assumed she was sad. She tightened her grip on her hand and started leading her to the bed but her face darkened when she saw the messy bed sheets. In the end, she led Ella to the couch.
''Sister, don't worry about things now. I will help you through it all,'' She said resolutely like she was making an oath, ''It's just an engagement. Max is still yours. No matter what, we will find a solution… Alright? Are you feeling better now?"
Ella looked at Esther thoughtfully.
Esther froze. That clear gaze made her uneasy for some reason…
But before she could say a word, Ella smiled sweetly, ''Much better.''
Esther scoffed in her heart. Still a fool!
''Sister, I brought you something…'' She had dropped the bag at the door in shock. She quickly picked the bag and rushed towards Ella, ''Your favorite desserts… It took me time to get you everything but I managed to. I knew you must be craving these for breakfast…''
She shoved the bag in Ella's hand, ''I still have some work to do. Don't worry, sister. We will make everything right…'' After assuring her again and again, she left.
Ella looked at the bag that reached her knees and she did not have to look inside to know that it was filled with all sugary food to the brim.
In her previous life, she had developed eating disorders. She could barely eat any other type of food. There were times she wouldn't stop feeling hungry and there were times she wouldn't feel hungry at all.
And through it all, she managed to binge eat her way through all sugary food in the entire the country.
But now…
Ella clicked her tongue.
In fact, her dear little sister was right about one thing. That is…