Chapter 3

But later, during a facial implant procedure, something went wrong - maybe due to improper technique or some other issue.

I developed a post-operative infection and nearly died on the operating table.

I remember it took a full day and night of emergency treatment before I was out of danger.

After that, I developed a kind of post-traumatic fear response towards cosmetic surgery.

I was no longer so enthusiastic about it, and even became quite resistant.

But he would desperately try to convince me every time.

I knew his obsession was unhealthy, but I loved him too much.

I couldn't bear to refuse, so I'd obediently lie down on the operating table time after time.

I became less and less like my original self.

Every time after a procedure, he would look at me with such bright eyes.

Now, I've finally found the answer.

The reason why he was so fixated on giving me cosmetic surgery.

It turns out, I was nothing more than a substitute for his pure love.

A substitute who looked very much like his pure love.

Only now do I realize, that strange look in his eyes every time he saw me.

It was as if he was looking through me, seeing someone else.

I opened the door to Damien's usually locked study.

Never before had I felt such an urgent need to know what Luna really looked like.

Though I'd known of her existence before.But I didn't allow myself to compare with a dead person.

After searching around the room, I found a hidden compartment behind the bookshelf.

Opening it, I discovered a photo album and a thick notebook inside.

The moment I opened the album, my heart started racing.

It felt like I was about to uncover a world mystery.

Two faces that looked so alike, it almost took my breath away.

The same eyes and brows, the same facial features.

Even the small dimple at the left corner of the mouth.

I couldn't fathom how Damien had sculpted my face to look exactly like Luna's.

My body grew cold, stiff with shock.

I unconsciously touched my own face.

For the first time, feeling like someone else filled me with terror.

I experienced the same panic as when I was fleeing from Hudson's pursuit.

So frantic and desperate.

Driven by curiosity, I opened the notebook.

It detailed Damien's life and emotions since Luna's passing.

I knew there had to be entries about me.

Sure enough, I quickly found them.

"I met a woman. Her arrival seems to have brought a glimmer of light into my life.But I knew she wasn't you. So, I gradually changed her to look like you.

"Today, I gave her double eyelids exactly like yours."

"I made her have dimples just like yours. When she smiles, I feel like I'm seeing you in front of me."

Like a masochist on a stroll, I flipped through the posts one by one.

With each post I read, I felt my heart trampled by thousands of horses, slowly torn apart.

Very late, Damien finally returned home.

I had already washed up and was lying in bed.

A few hours were enough for me to calm my emotions.

Damien first apologized to me, explaining that something urgent came up at the hospital, so he couldn't go with me to get our marriage license.

He promised that this situation would never happen again.

There have been too many promises, to the point where even the excuses now seem well-practiced.

"Sweetheart, I really messed up. It won't happen again."

I smiled and said it was okay, work comes first.

I think there probably won't be a next time.

He looked at me in surprise, seemingly astonished by my calmness.

Because the last few times, I had thrown tantrums that lasted for a long while.

He hugged me and said many things to comfort me. I quietly leaned against his chest.

I pretended to listen attentively, but inside, my emotions were a jumbled mess.I tremble with fear.

Damien cups my face in his hands, asking with concern what's wrong.

"I'm afraid we might not be able to stay together in the future," I say.

Damien kisses me gently, reassuring me that won't happen.

We hold each other close, talking for a long time.

It takes all my willpower not to push him away.

He loves Luna so much, yet here he is, putting on this loving act with me.

Suddenly, this man feels like a stranger.

He softly caresses my waist.

Remembering his conversation with Brent, I can't help but break out in goosebumps all over.