Chapter 3

That night, I kept replaying the events of my rebirth, still finding it hard to believe it was real.

A knock at my door. I opened it to find Commander Thorne.

She was carrying two cans of beer and a bag of skewers.

"I don't drink before missions," I said, confused.

She nodded. "I know. So I'll drink, you eat the skewers."

I smiled genuinely.

She drank silently, and I ate silently. After a long while, I couldn't help but ask the question on my mind, "Why?"

She knew I was asking about the slip-tampering and raised an eyebrow. "I was shipping you guys."

My jaw almost dropped. But her presence somehow calmed the turmoil in my heart.

The next morning, before I was even fully awake, Elara was knocking on my dorm door.

I rubbed my eyes as I opened it, and she strode straight in.

Her cold eyes were bloodshot, narrowed into dangerous slits, the outer corners turned up.

When she was on a mission, she'd draw a scorpion at the corner of her eye. Coupled with her ruthless expression, those in the underworld called her 'The Scorpion'.

Now, her eyes were bare, but her gaze was like daggers, ready to tear me apart.

"Falcon, you're despicable!"

"Why did you conspire with Commander Thorne to tamper with the slips?!"

"I thought, I really thought all of this was fate."

Her hands were around my throat, and she mumbled to herself.

I struggled, my voice hoarse. "Elara, let go. It hurts!"

"You feel pain? Doesn't Leo feel pain?"

"Doesn't it hurt to die undercover?"

"You don't know, in my last life..." She stopped abruptly as if remembering something.

When she looked at me again, her eyes were filled with disappointment. "Why do you insist on tearing us apart? Why do you insist on sending Leo undercover?"

Her grip tightened. I hadn't been expecting it, but I reacted instinctively, twisting my arm.

We fought in the cramped space of my dorm.

"Elara, are you crazy?"

"Going undercover is the organization's decision. It's not something we can decide!"

Her eyes were bloodshot as she roared, "You're lying! Both slips were long! Leo said he drew the long slip to go undercover!"

"We all know about your little trick with Commander Thorne!"

Knowing her weakness, I used my strength to pin her down.

"I'll say it again: everything is the organization's arrangement."

"As for what you want, the organization will consider that too!"

She laughed, a bitter, desolate sound. "What I want, I can never have, all because of you."

Only when I felt her resistance drain did I slowly release my grip.

Freed, she remained on her knees, slamming her fists repeatedly against the floor.

After a long while, she recomposed herself, becoming that cold, aloof person once more, as if her earlier outburst hadn't happened.

She stood up, mumbling "I'm sorry," but I didn't respond.

Only Leo could make her lose her composure like that.

In our past life, when we were pretending to be married, she accidentally ingested a powerful drug.

The situation was critical. To save her, I had no choice but to...

Even then, in bed, she remained aloof and self-possessed.

Not a trace of passion.

Only after the drug wore off, as she stood up, did she say: "You will take responsibility for this."

After Leo's death, the mission was terminated, but we never divorced. We continued our marriage, but she became even colder towards me.

We used to be perfectly in-sync, partners in life and death. Later, we became mere acquaintances, a couple in name only.

I thought this time, with me going undercover, we would remain true partners. I never expected such a rift to form between us.

But perhaps it was for the best. If this mission failed, my death wouldn't cause her too much pain.