Love after Rebirth: A Dark Mafia Romance

Ivy opened her eyes.

She was met with a pair of eyes so terrifying that even her soul trembled.

"Ah-"

Her pale fingers instinctively clenched the blanket beneath her.

She was reliving the pain all over again.

Was this hell?

Why was she back here, back at this demon's side, when she had already died?

Out of sheer instinct, she struggled. "Don't touch me!!!"

The man reacted as if she had touched a raw nerve. His bloodthirsty expression darkened instantly, and his cold, thin lips descended upon her with destructive fury, biting down as if he wanted to devour her whole.

Pain shot through Ivy's body, leaving her unable to think. She could only mumble unconsciously, "Why... Why me... Richard... Why does it have to be me..."

"Because it can only be you."

The deep, hoarse voice whispered beside her ear like an unbreakable shackle, binding even her soul.

Hearing the same answer as in her past life, Ivy finally succumbed to the darkness and lost consciousness.

-

When she opened her eyes again, the night had faded into daylight.

The air was filled with the refreshing scent of flowers, and the warm morning sunlight streamed in through the window, bringing a fleeting sense of peace.

But in the next second, Ivy's nerves tensed abruptly.

A suffocating pressure filled the room as the man woke.

An arm tightened around her waist, pulling her into his embrace like a pillow.

"Still trying to run?"

The chilling voice beside her ear sent shivers down her spine.

Driven by survival instinct, Ivy shook her head desperately.

Whether or not the man believed her was unclear, but his sharp gaze lingered on her face for a moment, radiating danger.

Like a fawn caught in a predator's jaws, Ivy dared not move.

She didn't know how long the suffocating silence lasted until, finally, the man let her go.

He got out of bed, the morning light outlining his tall, lean figure and taut waist.

The sight lasted only for a fleeting moment before he picked up his shirt from the bedside, his long fingers buttoning it up meticulously to the very top.

Just moments ago, he had been as ruthless as a beast, yet now, his strikingly handsome face was devoid of warmth, exuding an icy indifference, untouchable and distant.

Only when the door clicked shut behind him did Ivy finally relax the nerves that had been stretched to the breaking point.

At last, she could take a moment to process her situation.

Slowly, she took in the familiar furnishings of the room and the reflection in the vanity mirror across from her-

The girl in the mirror had smudged smoky eye makeup streaked with tears and sweat. Her body was covered in large, bloody, grotesque tattoos.

To escape from Richard, she had once deliberately made herself look as repulsive as possible.

She had... truly been reborn...

A wave of sheer terror and despair nearly suffocated her.

She had returned to the very night she had been punished by Richard for trying to escape!

Why...

Why had she been sent back to seven years ago?!

Even if it meant death, she never wanted to return to this place, to this man.

She had lost her lover, her family, her dignity, her identity-she had lost everything.

Did she really have to suffer through it all again?

Heh...

But change... how was she supposed to change?

Richard could crush her as easily as an ant. Whatever he wanted, he always got.

Ivy took a deep breath, forcing herself to suppress the bone-deep fear of that man.

There must be a way!

At least she was no longer the foolish, impulsive girl from seven years ago, easily manipulated and deceived.

"Oh my God! Ivy..."

A sudden gasp of shock rang in her ears.

Hearing this familiar voice, Ivy's back instantly stiffened, and her cold gaze snapped toward the doorway.

And there it was-the face she could never forget, the face that once appeared delicate and harmless.

Her former best friend-Rose!

"Ivy, how could Mr. Henderson do this to you?!"

Rose rushed over, grabbing Ivy's hand, her eyes wide with shock as they landed on the disheveled bed and the bruises covering Ivy's body.

Ivy silently watched the seemingly concerned girl in front of her.

This time, she didn't miss the fleeting glimmer of jealousy and schadenfreude in Rose's eyes.

"Ivy, what's wrong? Are you okay? Ivy, don't scare me!"

Seeing the strange look in Ivy's eyes, Rose assumed she was in shock and anxiously pressed her for a response.

Ivy calmly withdrew her hand and shook her head. "I'm fine."

In her past life, Rose had played a crucial role in her suffering at Richard's hands.

At her lowest point, Rose had stayed by her side, even repeating a year of school with her. Ivy had believed Rose was truly a loyal friend, someone who would always stand by her. She even thought Rose might one day become her sister-in-law.

But she had been blind. Rose's real goal had never been to support her-it had always been Richard.

Ivy had trusted her completely, confiding in her about every humiliation and torment she suffered from Richard, things she wouldn't dare tell anyone else.

On the surface, Rose had seemed to help her, but in reality, she had been using Ivy to get closer to Richard. She had subtly fueled Ivy's resentment, pushing her to defy Richard, leading to his wrath and more unbearable torment.

Yet, Ivy had been oblivious, even grateful for Rose's so-called "help."

Staring at her reflection in the mirror, Ivy let out a bitter smile.

Actually, the "ugly disguise" Rose had advised her to adopt-she still agreed with that idea.

It didn't matter what others thought of her. As long as it made Richard loathe her, that was enough.

But she had never expected that even looking like this, Richard would still be willing to touch her.

"You're in this state, how could you be fine?! Ivy, don't worry, I will definitely help you!"

Rose put on a deeply affectionate and righteous expression.

A cold sneer surfaced in Ivy's heart.

Here it comes.

In her previous life, Rose had done the exact same thing-selflessly offering to help Ivy escape Richard and even seeking Julian's aid.

But in reality, Rose had secretly sold her out. She had told Richard about Ivy's planned "elopement" with Julian.

That incident had completely shattered her relationship with Richard.

From then on, Richard became even more violent and unpredictable, his possessiveness turning into something terrifying.

She had lost all freedom.

Now, with her current abilities, going head-to-head with Richard was nothing short of suicide.

Yet in her past life, she had been so stubborn, blindly trusting Rose and crashing into the same wall over and over again.

The Cameron family's vendetta remained unavenged.

Her parents were still waiting for her to come home.

Her brother was straying further down the wrong path, and she needed to save him.

She had far too much to do.

She needed to stabilize Richard.

She absolutely could not provoke him again and create such a dangerous enemy for herself.

"Ivy, wait for me!"

Rose continued spouting her fake concerns, then hurriedly left.

As soon as she was gone, the fragile, helpless expression on Ivy's face disappeared, replaced by cold detachment and indifference.

Again and again, Rose had tried to lead her to her doom.

It seemed she wouldn't rest until Ivy was dead.

Then let's see...

This time, who would be the one to die?

Three days had passed in the blink of an eye.

In these three days, Ivy had not gone to school, spending most of her time sleeping and sorting through the memories of her past life.

As in her previous life, Richard had not shown up for three whole days. The servants in the house kept to themselves, rarely speaking to her, and even avoided making eye contact.

The large house felt like a tomb.

Ivy changed out of her pajamas, glanced at the clock, and then went downstairs toward the garden.

The moonlight tonight was beautiful, with a cool breeze that made this gilded cage, which she had despised so much in her past life, seem somewhat less repulsive.

In fact, the garden's scenery was quite impressive, as it had been personally designed by Richard, who had hired a top-tier architectural team from around the world. Located on the best feng shui land in New York City, it had taken five years to complete.

Unfortunately, in her previous life, Ivy had neither the time nor the inclination to appreciate it. All she could feel for this prison that confined her was hatred, wishing she could destroy it completely.

Wherever her eyes fell, she saw a large patch of burnt trees, deliberately pruned flower beds, and a murky pond... these were all her "masterpieces."

"Ivy-"

At that moment, a familiar voice suddenly echoed in the night breeze.

Ivy withdrew her gaze from the withered roses and looked toward the direction from which the voice came.

In the dim light across from her stood a man in a luxurious, bespoke suit, his deep and handsome features exuding an extraordinary presence.

She had to admit, Julian did have the kind of charm that could captivate her heart.

However, compared to Richard, who was like a demon, Julian immediately seemed rather dull.

Julian stood a few steps away, glancing at her, and his brows unconsciously furrowed.

Ivy naturally noticed this subtle reaction and looked down at her own appearance.

At the moment, she was still dressed in her non-mainstream, heavy metal style, with dramatic makeup that could scare anyone.

Since there were no normal clothes in her wardrobe, she simply stuck to her previous look, which also helped prevent her from making too drastic a change that might arouse unnecessary suspicion.

Julian's gaze turned cold as he stared at her, his handsome face full of disappointment. "Ivy! How could you let yourself fall so low, offering yourself up to be trampled upon!"

Fall so low?

Ivy carefully considered these words, feeling a bitter self-mockery rise in her heart.

In her past life, she had given all her heart to him, even going so far as to degrade herself in order to preserve her purity.

In the end, all she received was his scornful judgment of "falling so low."

She knew that Rose had probably not spoken well of her in front of Julian, but if the man still had any feelings for her, he wouldn't have taken Rose's word for it so easily.

Because Rose was her best friend, often visiting her, and could come and go freely in this house, it was clear that Julian had been secretly let in by her.

With this thought, Ivy was about to speak when a chill suddenly ran down her spine.

Richard...

He was nearby!

She instinctively sensed the man's presence.

In her past life, she had never known that Rose had betrayed her, and Richard had been watching in the shadows, tightly placing a green hat on her head. That had been the start of all her nightmares...

Ivy let out a soft breath, forcing herself to ignore Richard's presence, and coldly looked at Julian, who was blustering in front of her, with a faint smile. "I wonder, Mr. Powell, in what capacity are you questioning me now? My ex-fiancé? Or... my cousin-in-law?"

Upon hearing Ivy's sarcastic question, Julian's expression darkened slightly. "Ivy, I know you're angry with me, but I was also helpless. No matter what, I have a responsibility for what happened to you. Now, come with me immediately, and I will take you out of New York City!"