Aric blinked at the world around him. It felt surreal but undeniably real.
He looked at the woman who was looking over him. She was a silver-haired duchess whose very existence seemed too perfect to belong in this broken reality.
Ivy was still at the screen but something was off about Ivy.
She changed very subtly. It wasn't her red hair or those piercing amber eyes but something else.
Her form had changed slightly, making her more feminine and more curvy. Her posture carried an air of quiet elegance now, as if she were mimicking the duchess.
Aric felt a strange mix of confusion and irritation, What are you doing?
[Just adjustments.]
Her voice echoed in his thoughts,
[I'd say that's an improvement, wouldn't you think so?]
I don't need distractions right now.
[Oh, but isn't distraction part of the fun?] She chuckled softly,
[You seem… drawn to certain aesthetics. I'm simply adapting. Besides, it's not like anyone else can see me.]
Aric clenched his jaw, Of course, she'd noticed how I looked at this woman.. I mean how could I not?
The duchess radiated power, beauty, and an intoxicating aura.
But having Ivy mirror her? That was pushing boundaries he didn't have time for.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" he accidentally said out loud.
The duchess raised an eyebrow, "Like what?"
He realised a little too late that his words hadn't been directed at her.
"Nothing.." he said quickly, forcing a neutral expression onto his face.
Seraphina studied him for a moment longer before turning her attention back to the window.
Whatever connection they have, it wasn't warmth radiating from her now.
It was duty and obligation wrapped in silk.
Aric swallowed hard as he shifted awkwardly up in bed.
His body felt foreign, muscles responding instinctively despite the disorientation. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, planting his feet firmly on the cold marble floor. The sensation sent a jolt through him,
That's cold. I wonder what my name is...
And then it hit him.
The memories—or rather, the lack thereof.
Panic surged through his veins as his heart started to pound harder.
His hands flew to his forehead,
"I don't remember anything!" he gasped, stumbling backward until his back collided with a gilded mirror mounted on the wall.
"What happened to me?"
His reflection stared back at him, wide-eyed and pale. Black hair framed sharp features, offset by piercing grey eyes that held none of the recognition he desperately sought.
He looked younger than he remembered—22, perhaps—but there was no trace of familiarity in his own face.
"No…" he whispered hoarsely, clawing at his neck as though trying to tear away the suffocating weight of amnesia.
"No, no, no…"
[Aric.]
Ivy's voice cut through the chaos in his mind,
[Calm down. You're fine. Well, relatively speaking.]
I'm NOT fine! I don't know who I am! What's happening to me?!
[You're adjusting. This body has its own history—one you'll uncover soon enough. But panicking won't help.]
Aric ignored her as his breath came in ragged gasps. He gripped the edges of the mirror to calm himself down.
Behind him, Seraphina let out a harsh laugh, "Oh, please. Spare me the drama."
He turned around as he heaved, "What...?"
She walked towards him and shoved his shoulders roughly. Forcing his back against the mirror.
"You think I don't see through this bullshit?"
"Amnesia? How convenient. Is this another one of your games, Vayne? Another pathetic attempt to avoid responsibility?"
Aric flinched under her assault, both physical and verbal.
"Vayne? I'm telling the truth!" he insisted as his voice trembled
"I don't remember anything!"
She shoved him again, making the mirror rattle behind him.
"Liar! Do you really expect me to believe that!? After everything you've done!"
"After all the pain you've caused—you suddenly forget who you are? Don't insult me."
Her hands balled into fists at her sides,
"You ruined my life, Vayne. Do you understand that? Every decision you made, every reckless act—it shattered everything I worked for. And now you stand here pretending to be some innocent victim? Pathetic. Fucking pathetic."
Aric was stunned by the raw hatred in her voice.
"I… I didn't ask for this" he stammered, raising his hands defensively.
"I swear, I don't know what's goin-"
"Save it!" she snapped, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"I don't care anymore. You want answers? Fine. Your name is Vayne Arkwright. We've been married for two years—a mistake I regret every single day."
Her words struck him like daggers, each syllable slicing deeper than the last.
Regret. Hatred. Disdain. It was all there, laid bare in her icy glare.
"And let me make one thing clear." she continued, stepping closer until their faces were inches apart.
"Stay out of my life. Stay out of our estate."
Aric opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. The weight of her rejection pressed down on him.
She hates this Vayne. Like truly, deeply hates him. And worse, she didn't care whether he lived or died. But I'm not him!
With one final sneer, she turned on her heel and marched toward the door. Her hand rested on the doorknob,
"Don't bother following me."
And with that, she was gone.
Aric stood frozen, I'm married, well this body is to a woman who loathed me with every fiber of her being.
[Well, this is quite the predicament, isn't it?]
Don't start. as he sank onto the edge of the bed.
[Oh, come now. It's not all bad. At least you're starting fresh—with a beautiful wife, no less.]
Fresh? He barked a humourless laugh, rubbing his eyes.
I don't even know who I am anymore. Who this body and worse, I have a hot wife who HATES me.
[That's what makes it exciting.]
He shot her a glare,
Exciting? Are you kidding me? I'm stuck in some luxurious nightmare with a woman who despises me, and I don't even know why.
[Maybe that's the point.]
Her response caught him off guard.
What do you mean?
[Think about it. You died, Aric. Or rather, Vayne did. Something—or someone—brought you back here for a reason. Maybe it's not about remembering. Maybe it's about becoming something new.]
Her words lingered in his mind. They were unsettling yet oddly comforting.
Becoming something new. Was that possible?
Could he shed the failures of his past life and forge a different path in this one?
For now, though, exhaustion claimed him.