Chapter 1 Rebirth

An abandoned farm in northern Germany.

A group of people marched toward the farmhouse.

At the front were a man and woman, both young, both radiating privilege.

The woman kicked the door open with a single blow.

Light spilled into the once dark, damp room.

On the floor lay a shackled woman. Iron chains bound her legs. Her torn clothes barely hid her body, and the whip marks were fresh.

Even so, she still carried a strange grace. Her swollen belly betrayed her pregnancy; her bloodied face still showed undeniable beauty.

“Lia, you’re still alive?” The woman sneered and yanked her up by the hair.

The prisoner stirred. Her name was Lia Wagner.

The pain jolted her awake. Through a haze she met the woman’s twisted, hate-filled expression.

“Why are you doing this to me?” Lia whispered.

The woman’s only answer was a slap that left five bloody lines across Lia’s cheek.

“Because you’re in the way of money.” She pressed her high heel into Lia’s wrist and hissed, “Remember Ludwig? You killed him. Lukas took the blame. The Wagner family’s punishment was brutal. He suffered more than you ever will. His death… is on you.”

Lia gasped. Her wrist throbbed, but the words struck harder.

No… impossible. Lukas was the one who ruined Ludwig’s company, who left Ludwig’s son to suffer—wasn’t he?

The woman smirked. “And that child in your belly? It’s not Jan’s.” She tilted her chin toward the man beside her. “It’s Lukas’s.”

Lia’s scream tore through the room.

Jan Berge, her fiancé, shoved her away when she clutched at him. “Get off me! Don’t worry, your grandpa’s still alive. I’ll film your torture for him. He’ll die when he sees it.”

“You devil!” Lia sobbed, her voice raw. “You’ll all burn in hell!”

Jan’s eyes were like ice. He gestured to his men. “Enjoy my former wife. Make sure she’s… comfortable until the end.”

The men jeered and closed in.

Lia’s clothes were already in tatters. She saw their hungry eyes and knew—there was no escape.

Grabbing a shard of metal, she pressed it to her throat. “Don’t come closer! I’ll never forgive you. Never!”

Before anyone could stop her, she drove it in. Blood poured down. Her body went still.

…

Darkness.

Then—hands around her throat. Lia couldn’t breathe.

Through blurred vision she saw a man’s cold, terrifying eyes. He lifted her by the neck like she weighed nothing.

Naked. Aching. Weak.

His voice rasped in her ear: “Crying won’t help. You’ll never escape.”

Lukas.

Her first husband. The man Jan had trapped and riddled with bullets.

But hadn’t she just died?

“Lia, you belong only to me.” His weight crushed her as his breath burned against her skin.

By the time she realized what had happened, he was already standing, buttoning his shirt. Sunlight framed his tall body. At the collar, he paused—turned—and met her gaze.

He pulled the blanket up over her trembling form. His hand traced her brows, her eyes, her lips.

“Why won’t you listen?” His voice was low, edged with frustration. “If you’d behaved, I wouldn’t have to treat you like this. Do you really think you can escape Stilles Haus?”

Her heart lurched. Stilles Haus? That mansion had burned years ago.

“Lukas… is it really you?”

His frown deepened. “Two years married, I touched you once. And already you’re so disappointed? Or were you waiting for someone else?”

“No!” Lia sobbed, shaking her head. “I only want you.”

Her tears drenched the sheets. She clutched her belly. Flat. The child was gone. Eight months—and gone.

The oak-paneled room, the wedding wreath above the bed… this was their home, five years ago.

Rebirth.

She had died. Yet here she was again.

This time, she swore, she would not betray Lukas. She would protect him.

But the memory of his cold eyes as he left the room cut deep.