Chapter 4

Slowly, she moved the knife back and forth across my face, as if sizing up her prey.

That feeling of being utterly scrutinized sent cold sweat trickling down my spine.

Before I could even react, Jake was already there.

His face was etched with worry. He stepped over my fallen body, heading straight for Luna.

He cooed to her softly for a few moments before gently taking the fruit knife from her hand.

“What if you cut yourself! This is a real knife, so dangerous!”

He spoke, tenderly pulling Luna into his embrace, without even a glance at me.

And there I lay on the floor, gasping for breath, while he actually chuckled.

“Chloe, didn’t you always say this doll was you?”

“If Luna tore this doll to shreds, would you go down with it?”

They were both insane, one more twisted than the other.

Listening to them laughing together, I bit down hard on my teeth and began to crawl, inch by inch, towards the door.

There was still some time before my last death. I refused to believe I couldn't find a way to break this curse!

By the time I reached the office, it was already four in the afternoon.

The moment Ms. Miller saw me, she rushed over and grabbed my hand.

“Chloe! Your proposal was brilliant! The client signed on the spot and specifically requested you to lead the project!”

“Everyone has seen your hard work these past few days. The boss even said you’re getting a promotion and a raise!”

Hearing that the deal was done, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Truth be told, from the day I was reborn, I’d been planning my escape.

On one hand, I was probing Luna, trying to understand how that connection worked; on the other, I had proactively pushed the project forward.

Sure enough, with Luna’s attention diverted, the project landed successfully.

The moment I followed Ms. Miller into the office, confetti cannons burst overhead.

“Congratulations, Chloe, on landing such a massive deal!”

“Congratulations, Chloe—”

But my colleagues’ congratulations were cut short when someone gasped, staring at my skirt hem.

“Chloe, why is your skirt wet? Where did you get that water?”

My heart clenched. I looked down, and the hem of my skirt was already soaked.

Then, that familiar icy, damp sensation rapidly spread through my entire body.

I had no time to explain. I grabbed my bag and bolted for the restroom.

I remembered clearly: Luna would soon use the excuse of bathing the doll to dunk it underwater.

That suffocating feeling had once made me completely lose control in front of clients, leaving me paralyzed and utterly humiliated.

At the time, my colleagues thought something was wrong and rushed me to the hospital, but all the tests came back normal.

Sure enough, the moment I locked the stall door, the sensation of drowning swept over me like a tide.

I felt like a leaf adrift in water, clinging desperately to the doorknob.

It was as if only by doing so could I grasp a tiny bit of support.

I truly felt like that doll, icy water gushing into my mouth and nose, piercing my throat like needles.

My lungs felt like they were being squeezed by a powerful hand, constantly compressing, threatening to crush them to powder.

Just as my consciousness began to fade, the doll was finally pulled out of the water.

I gasped, sucking in a huge breath, coming back to life.

As I was still panting, my phone suddenly rang.

It was Luna.

I hung up immediately, but my head felt like it was being shoved underwater again, the suffocation returning, then instantly vanishing.

The phone rang again.

My eyes red, I stared intensely at the vibrating name on the screen, finally pressing answer.

“Future sister-in-law~” Her voice was chilling, like it was coming from underground. “Did your afternoon project go well?”