6
Julian’s smile instantly froze on his face, turning ashen.
The emcee suddenly perked up, announcing loudly:
“Now, let us welcome the groom-”
<
“Mr. Atticus Davies!”
The entire hall erupted in gasps.
Julian stumbled back a step, his eyes wide with disbelief. “Impossible! Seraphina! What is going on?!”
I finally spoke, my voice calm:
“Julian, forgive me for not introducing him. This is my future husband, Atticus Davies.”
His face grew even paler, his lips trembling, unable to utter a word. The emcee continued the ceremony. “Now, please exchange rings.”
Atticus gently placed the ring on my finger, his movements as delicate as if he were handling the most precious treasure in the world. Julian rushed onto the stage from below, like a madman. “Seraphina! I don’t agree!”
Security guards immediately intercepted him.
“Guards, escort that troublemaker out,” my father said coldly.
As the security guards dragged him away, Julian screamed hysterically:
“Seraphina! You’re mine! You can’t just marry some random guy to spite me!”
I let out a soft laugh. Mine? You were abandoned by me long ago. My father’s face was livid, but when he looked at me, his eyes were filled with relief and satisfaction towards Atticus.
Atticus held my hand the entire time, the warmth of his palm incredibly reassuring. In his heterochromatic eyes, the deep black one and the gentle blue one, only my reflection was visible.
Our wedding night.
I sat at the vanity, looking at myself in the mirror. My white nightgown was sheer, and my skin was slightly flushed from the day’s emotional rollercoaster. Atticus didn’t immediately approach. Instead, he meticulously checked my condition and personally adjusted the room’s thermostat and humidifier.
“You must be tired today. Get some rest,” he said, his voice low, with an almost imperceptible hint of nervousness.
I looked at his handsome profile, then leaned in and pressed a kiss on his cool lips.
“Thank you, Atticus.”
His body stiffened, then he took control, kissing me gently yet with undeniable force. Unlike Julian’s brutal violations in my previous life, Atticus was careful, like he was handling the most precious, fragile treasure in the world.
We chose a luxury health resort manor at the base of the Swiss Alps for our honeymoon. During the day, Atticus would walk with me, and at night, he would study my medical records, holding video conferences with top international experts. I occasionally found his room piled high with rare medical tomes, many with notes specifically on my rare blood disorder.
“You’ve been researching my condition for a long time?”
He nodded, his gaze fixed on me. “Don’t you remember? We’ve known each other for a long time.”
<
His words made me freeze.
“I’ve been researching this rare disease since you were twelve, when you first fell ill,” Atticus continued. “Your condition is more complex than imagined, but not without a solution.”
I clasped my hands. “You have a way to cure it?”
“Cure is a strong word, but I can significantly improve it.”
“Simply put, through gene therapy, we can increase the concentration of clotting factors in your body,” Atticus explained. “The success rate is over eighty percent.”
My heart pounded. In my previous life, no one had ever told me there was a possibility of a cure.
“Why did you want to help me back then?”
Atticus was silent for a long time. “Because you were the first person who didn’t despise my eye.”
Looking into his deep other eye, memories suddenly flooded back. Ten years ago, eight–year–old me was playing in the garden when I saw a boy crouching in a corner, his head, hands, and knees bruised, some wounds still bleeding. Several children ran off into the distance, one of them throwing a goose egg–sized stone and shouting at me,
“Watch out, that disgusting monster might infect you!”
But inwardly, I felt a faint joy. So, I wasn’t the only ‘monster‘ in the world.
