A warm, gentle feeling and the fragrant scent of lavender welcomed Evan’s consciousness as it slowly emerged from the darkness. It felt so comfortable, as though all the suffering and wounds that had torn through his chest had been lifted away without a trace.
In the silence of his mind, Evan’s thoughts drifted in confusion. ’How long have I been unconscious? Then... what about the orphanage children?’
Images of Paul, Anastasia, and the other children flashed violently through his memories.
The images of Tom, Luke, and Peter lying there drenched in blood struck his mind like a sledgehammer. Evan refused to believe that they were all dead. He refused to accept that horrifying reality.
No... This can’t have happened... Why do I always end up losing everyone I care about?
His consciousness fully returned. Evan’s eyelids slowly opened, and the first sight that greeted his vision was Anna’s beautiful face only a few inches from his own, along with the smooth expanse of her pale chest.
Anna was wearing a simple, thin white nightgown that was slightly open at the chest. Seeing the awareness sparkling in Evan’s eyes, the sweetest smile, yet one radiating such intense obsession, blossomed across her lips.
"Welcome back, my Husband..." Anna whispered softly as her slender fingers caressed Evan’s forehead.
"Y-you...?" Evan jolted, his breath catching. He tried moving his fingers and discovered that all his muscles, internal organs, and the fatal wound left by the Holy Sword piercing his chest had completely healed without the slightest trace. "I-I’m... still alive?"
"I would never let you die, Evan," Anna replied as she lovingly stroked a strand of her husband’s hair. "You are my soulmate, my destiny, and my true love. How could I ever let death take you away from me?"
The memory of the orphanage massacre suddenly exploded inside Evan’s head, burning his chest with unbearable rage and grief. Tears of despair welled up at the corners of his eyes.
"Why...?" Evan’s voice trembled violently before turning into an enraged scream. "Why didn’t you come sooner, Anna?! You watch me every second! You know everything! Why do you keep playing with my life like this, huh?!"
Evan clutched Anna’s nightgown with trembling hands, his eyes red.
"Because I’m powerless and don’t possess magical strength like you, you manipulate every part of my life however you please! You let those children get slaughtered! You let my subordinates get butchered! And now... are you satisfied?! Do you still want to keep playing with me after this, huh?!"
Anna did not get angry. There was no trace of guilt, regret, or panic on her face. She continued staring at Evan with terrifying calmness.
"Why do you keep talking about those strangers, Darling?" Anna whispered casually, innocently wiping the tears from Evan’s cheek. "If you really want children that badly... I can give you a child. I can give birth to as many of your children as you want."
Evan froze. Anna’s words struck him so hard that he suddenly found himself speechless. An overwhelming exhaustion spread throughout his soul. Facing a mad woman like Anna always ended the same way. In the end, he was always the one who lost, broke down, and became powerless.
Anna carefully helped Evan sit up on the bed. They were inside a magnificent, spotless bedroom, beautifully decorated with expensive silk curtains bathed in dim light.
Anna then pulled Evan’s head toward her, resting it directly against her warm, soft chest before tightly embracing the man’s body.
"They can all leave you and abandon you, Evan... but I won’t," Anna whispered, her possessiveness rooted deep within her very bones. "No matter how much you hate me, in the end... you will always need me to live."
Anna lowered her head and stroked Evan’s stiff jaw. "Why must your thoughts remain filled with those unimportant people who are already dead? Think only of me... and throw all those useless memories out of your head!"
Hearing the people who had risked their lives for him and given him warmth being called ’unimportant people,’ the fire of Evan’s anger erupted once again.
"What do you know about them?!" Evan growled as he roughly shoved Anna’s chest, breaking her embrace. "You’re nothing but a cursed creature hated by the entire world! What does a cold monster like you know about my feelings, huh?!"
Those sharp words struck Anna without warning.
Instantly, Anna’s expression froze. Her pupils trembled slightly, and for the first time since Evan had known her, the madness in her eyes receded—replaced by a stunned expression twisted by deep sorrow from an unbearably dark past.
An old memory that had been buried for an incredibly long time suddenly crept back into Anna’s mind. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Long ago, Anna had been born as an ordinary little girl in a quiet, remote village. She had a father and mother who loved her dearly. Her childhood was filled with laughter and the warmth of a simple family. However, disaster came when her overwhelming natural magical talent accidentally erupted.
When the villagers discovered that the little girl possessed magical power, they regarded her as a demon. The villagers swarmed together to hunt down the small family. Anna’s parents fought desperately to protect their only daughter. But when both of her parents were captured and tied to stakes to be burned alive, amid the flames scorching their skin, the parents she loved so dearly looked at Anna with hatred and roared their regret... regretting that they had brought a monster like her into this world.
Evan was stunned by the change in Anna’s expression. It was the most vulnerable and sorrowful expression he had ever seen on the Witch.
However, only a few seconds later, Anna blinked and regained control of her expression, pretending as though that emptiness had never existed.
"Of course I know everything about you, Evan..." Anna said with her usual calm smile. "Long ago, an Imperial Knight defeated me and sealed me with an ancient curse because they were unable to kill me. That Imperial Knight is now a legendary hero. And do you know what he said before I was sealed?"
Anna gently caressed Evan’s cheek. "He said that the curse would only collapse and disappear when I met the right person—someone destined to become my savior. And that person... is you, Evan."
Evan did not care in the slightest about the tale of the past or the Witch’s curse. His soul felt numb, empty, and shattered. Deep down, Evan felt that death might be far more beautiful. If only he had died, he could join the orphanage children and the precious people who had gone before him.
Evan’s cold and indifferent reaction suddenly caused Anna’s patience to crack. The woman bit her lower lip so hard that fresh blood dripped down her chin!
"Tch! Why do you keep thinking about them?!" Anna screamed, her voice beginning to rise in frustration. "They’re just strangers! While I... I’m your wife! I am the most important person in your life! Why will you never try to understand me, Evan?!"
CRASH!
Anna brutally shoved Evan’s shoulder, sending the man sprawling onto his back on the bed.
"You’ll never know how much I’ve suffered all this time!" Anna screamed, her chest heaving rapidly. "My childhood was terrible! Not a single human being in this world was willing to accept me! And even when I found you, the person destined to remove my curse... you kept trying to run away from me! Even though I’m so happy to have my husband back... deep down, my heart is also completely broken and sad!"
For the first time, the tears falling from Anna’s eyes looked completely real, clear, and sincere, not an illusion or an act.
Anna’s voice suddenly softened, breaking with a strange desperation.
"You can hurt my body... you can hurt me however you want, Evan... But please... just once... understand me..."
Evan gave a soft scoff, then let out an extremely bitter laugh.
"Hahaha... Are you putting on another act, Anna?" Evan mocked, his eyes filled with hatred. "You always say such sweet words. You say I’m free to do anything... but in reality, you keep me restrained like a pet!"
Evan moved quickly, rising from the bed and gripping both of Anna’s shoulders so tightly that the veins in his hands bulged.
"If you really want me to hurt you... then I’ll do it right now!" Evan growled furiously.
SRAAK!
Evan roughly threw Anna onto the bed. He raised his right hand high, intending to slap her beautiful face with all his strength. However, with his palm suspended in the air, Evan suddenly hesitated. A strange sensation seemed to hold his fingers back.
Anna, lying on the bed, looked up and curled her lips into a mocking smile. "Why? Are you hesitating, my Husband? Just do it! I’m a Witch who can heal my own body!"
"Haha... Fine! If that’s what you want!" Evan shouted, finally losing his patience.
SLAP!
A hard slap landed squarely against Anna’s smooth cheek, turning her head aside and splitting the corner of her lips, drawing blood. However, at the exact same moment, the corner of Evan’s own lips suddenly split, spraying blood! The exact same stinging pain exploded across Evan’s right cheek!
Evan jolted and clutched his burning cheek. The soul and blood bond between them caused every physical pain Anna received to be transferred symmetrically to Evan.
"Why did you stop, Darling? Are you afraid of hurting me because you’ll feel the pain yourself?" Anna whispered, her eyes gleaming with madness. "Just kill me now! Let’s die together! But... who knows, perhaps I’ve already prepared another plan to resurrect myself a few hundred years from now, waiting until my power recovers, then breaking open your grave and bringing you back to life?"
"Y-you...!" Evan was driven completely beyond the limits of his sanity.
Like a frustrated madman, Evan leaped onto Anna’s body. He unleashed all his resentment, rage, despair, and hopelessness by brutally hurting Anna’s body, striking, gripping, and scratching her even though every wound inflicted upon Anna’s skin immediately created the same pain in his own body.
Yet there was not a single cry of pain or expression of regret on Anna’s face. Instead, the woman stared at Evan with happy eyes and ragged breaths, as though this brutal assault were the most beautiful expression of intimacy to her twisted soul.
"You’re really not human..." Evan whispered, breathing heavily with wide, frustrated eyes. "You’re a demon! Do you even have the slightest sense of shame?!"
Staring at Anna’s thin white nightgown revealing the beautiful curves of her body beneath him, a frustrated, dark laugh escaped Evan’s throat. With a rough motion, Evan grabbed the fabric of the nightgown and tore it into pieces!
"Are you angry and embarrassed now, Witch?!" Evan shouted as he threw the scraps of fabric onto the floor.
Anna made no attempt to cover her now-naked body. Instead, she looked up and giggled sweetly as she spread both arms.
"Why should I feel embarrassed or angry?" Anna replied, a blush beginning to spread across her cheeks. "You’re my Husband... I’m actually very happy. You can take my virginity now, Evan... and let’s see if I’ll react the way you want me to!"
Evan’s suppressed anger and dark ego finally erupted completely. Evan deliberately hurt himself and Anna, using his remaining strength to vent his rage, darkness, and desire for dominance over the woman who had ruined his entire life.
However, Evan’s hope of seeing Anna beg for mercy or whimper in pain was completely shattered. Anna did not moan in pain, but when Evan began exploring and touching every curve of her smooth body, the blush on the Witch’s face grew deeper.
Evan took Anna’s virginity that night in an exceedingly rough, intense, and merciless manner. Yet the more cruelly and aggressively Evan had sex with her, the happier Anna appeared, moaning in insane satisfaction and tightly embracing Evan’s back with her bloodied fingers.
The fact that his cruelty brought Anna the greatest happiness only filled Evan with even more endless frustration. In the end, no matter how fiercely he resisted or tried to hurt her, Evan realized one terrifying truth: he would never be able to escape his wife’s grasp.
Two days passed in a dark and relentless struggle between husband and wife.
Evan now lay flat on the messy bed, his eyes listless, empty, and devoid of all will to live. His body felt incredibly heavy and powerless.
Beside him, Anna lay on her side, tightly embracing Evan’s waist. Anna’s naked body was still covered in bruises, welts, and scratches. Yet her face radiated bright and peaceful happiness.
Anna rested her chin against Evan’s chest, playing with a strand of her husband’s hair with her slender fingers.
"My Evan..." Anna whispered in an exceedingly gentle voice. "What would be a good name for our child when they’re born? What do you think... will they look more like me, or more like you?"
Evan did not answer. He merely stared blankly at the silent ceiling. He was simply too tired of the course his life had taken.
Seeing her husband lying there silently like a breathing statue, Anna brought her lips close to Evan’s ear and whispered softly:
"Actually... I can bring the orphanage children and your subordinates back to life, you know."
THUMP!
Those words struck Evan’s consciousness like a massive bolt of lightning!
Evan’s previously lifeless eyes suddenly widened. He immediately sat upright on the bed and stared straight at Anna, who was still lying casually beneath the thin blanket.
Evan’s breath caught in his throat, his eyes staring at Anna with a mixture of disbelief and desperate hope.
"A... Are you kidding me?!"