Chapter 2
Chapter 2. Game Start?
If only she had memorized all the character names… or better yet, not possessed a game like this at all. She should have read a bright, cheerful romantic comedy instead.
“…Rachel. Rachel Winston.”
She grabbed a name that sounded familiar from a movie. Her real name, Seo Hye-won, didn’t fit this golden hair at all.
“Interesting. Why do I have no memory of you at all?”
“You… don’t remember?”
She already knew he had amnesia, which allowed her to lie. But by asking as if ignoring his memory loss, he seemed to be testing her.
Yet knowing the basic facts, she wept and acted all the more convincingly, tears streaming naturally at the thought she might die any moment.
“It’s okay, because I remember…”
Though terrified to scream, she spoke in a pitiful voice as if she were a tragic heroine. Like a lover finally reunited after decades apart due to war.
Showing any fear would have been dangerous, given what this insane psychopath might do.
“My household certificate didn’t show anyone at all?”
“Huh?”
“If you’re really my wife, as you say, you should be registered.”
A family registry? This meticulous psychopath apparently checked his family first after losing his memory. But she couldn’t give up. Her life depended on it.
“W-Well, that’s because we haven’t filed our marriage yet.”
“Why?”
“Because you disappeared right before the wedding.”
With this, the possibility that he might demand their wedding photos was gone. If he asked for pictures of them together, she would just insist that there weren’t any because he hated having his picture taken. All that mattered now was to somehow get through this situation.
She might die at any moment, so she decided to think about the future later.
“…..”
Silas remained silent, lost in thought, while she kept speaking, trying desperately to persuade him.
“You don’t remember the time we spent together… how you always enjoyed the meals I made. I even bought the roses you liked on our anniversaries.”
Clink.
The man who had been quietly watching her unlocked the padlock of the cage with the same cold gaze. A glimmer of hope shone through. He might be about to release her.
But instead, he crouched right in front of her, locking eyes. She wanted to avoid his unreadable gaze, but her will to survive kept her from looking away. She even forced a smile onto her lips.
“Prove it. That you’re my wife.”
Breaking the silence, Silas’s lips curved into a cold smile. His gaze was still dangerous, but unlike before, he didn’t look like he wanted to kill her.
Rather, he looked like a predator intrigued by a fascinating new toy.
“P-Please… how?”
Silas brought the knife in his hand closer to her. Rachel froze in fear, but fortunately, the ropes binding her were cut. She let out a relieved sigh. It seemed he didn’t plan to kill her immediately.
“You should do what only a married couple can do.”
***
Is this really happening?
Leaving the basement was one thing, but following him upstairs led to the bedroom on the second floor. Being brought there with the instruction to “prove you’re my wife” left little doubt about what was about to happen.
“And you?”
“I washed before coming down. I didn’t want to leave any evidence behind.”
She wanted to ask what kind of evidence he meant, but remembered that excessive curiosity could shorten her life, so she held back.
Her plan to pretend to shower and escape while Silas bathed had already failed. Since he led her to the bathroom in the master bedroom, her attempt to use it as a way out was completely thwarted.
She had no idea what state of mind she had been in while showering. After washing, she couldn’t just put on clothes, fearing that too much distance between them would feel unnatural. Going out n*ked was impossible. In the end, she chose a shower gown.
‘If I go out… he’ll do it, right? That thing? If I say I can’t, the lie will be exposed, and he’ll kill me immediately.’
She tied the gown tightly and looked at herself in the mirror. Droplets of water ran down her cheeks from her w*t hair, but she didn’t even think to wipe them away.
Her mind was filled only with the presence of Silas, waiting for her beyond the bedroom door.
‘He wouldn’t change his mind and stab me the second I step out, would he?’
Taking deep, steady breaths, she gripped the sleeve of her gown to hide her trembling hands and slowly stepped into the bedroom. While Rachel felt like she might lose her mind from tension, Silas sat at the edge of the bed, legs crossed, looking completely relaxed.
“Come here.”
The low command made her heart drop. Rachel approached slowly and carefully perched on the edge of the bed where he sat. Silas’s gaze was sharp, yet within those deep eyes were curiosity and an unreadable emotion.
“You say you’re my wife?”
“Yes.”
She tried her best to hide her trembling, but even her voice shook slightly. She thought she might have been caught, but Silas only curled his lips into a subtle smile.
His fingertips touched Rachel’s cheek. His fingers were cold against her skin, but the touch brought an unknown mix of tension and heat all at once.
“You’re trembling like this, and yet?”
Rachel held her breath. His cold fingertips slowly traced a path down her neck. A wave of tension ran through her body as his touch seemed to be searching for the truth.
“That’s… because I can’t believe I’ve met you again. I thought I’d never see you again. No! I always believed we would meet again someday!”
“Meet again, huh…”
He mumbled in a low voice and gave a short laugh. Silas paused, his gaze fixed on her eyes. Rachel felt her breath catch in her throat from the fear of being exposed and the surprising warmth of his touch on her skin.
