GASP!
Xia Yuqing woke up, clutching her pounding heart, and tried to catch her breath. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and she was completely drenched in sweat. Even the bed beneath her felt soaked.
She sat up, her breathing shallow and uneven. Sweat clung to her temples, and her fingers trembled as she gripped the edge of the blanket. Her nails dug into the fabric as if it was the only thing keeping her grounded.
It took several seconds for her to understand—this wasn't real. It was just a nightmare. A horrible flash from her past life. She wasn't standing in that blood-soaked garden anymore. There were no screams echoing through the air. There were no dark red camellias stained with blood, no twisted game between two concubines and the emperor.
There was no him.
Her lips parted as she let out a shaky breath. She lifted a trembling hand to her forehead and wiped away the cold sweat. "It was just a dream," she whispered to herself, though it didn't feel like one. It never did.
