My Husband Never Dies

The blood-soaked sack and the butcher’s knife —she tossed them into the water too and fled.

Did she go too deep? The forest felt like a maze. She kept circling the same path, like some cruel trick was being played on her.

It was a dark night lit only by the pale gleam of the moon.

The ancient trees, thick with time and shadow, blotted out even that. The fog grew heavier with every step, chilling and unwelcoming.

A dread crept up her spine. She could die here, lost in circles, swallowed by this place.

“Damn it! Get a grip. It’s over!”

Once this nightmare passed, she would be free.

That was the only thing that kept her moving. Evelyn followed her own trail of blood, step by step, into the cursed fog.

‘If only it would rain.’

Praying that the heavens might show her mercy, Evelyn quickened her pace.

Only at dawn, when the eastern sky began to pale, did she finally emerge from the forest.

Her entire body was trembling with exhaustion. Her legs felt hollow, her feet prickled with pain, as if pierced by something sharp. All this… just from killing one man. Pathetic. She must’ve grown soft over the years.

“Hrrgh…”

A low groan slipped from her lips, her body aching as though she’d been tortured.

Thankfully, the owner of this enormous estate didn’t keep many people around. Or more accurately, there were no people here at all. In any case, it meant Evelyn could return quietly, without being seen.

She climbed up the stone fire escape outside the building in a flash, landing softly on the third floor. Carefully, she opened the door without a sound.

Before stepping onto the carpet, she clumsily wiped the soles of her feet. Then, on the tips of her toes, she padded silently toward her bedroom.

It was still. Not a breath of movement. Evelyn exhaled, relieved.

She stripped off her dress, soaked with sweat and blood. Took off even her undergarments. Then, in the dim stillness, she picked up the oil lamp that cast faint light against the wall.

She discarded her clothes into the unused fireplace, then poured the lamp oil in generously before setting it alight.

The crackling of dry wood echoed gently, sounding almost like soothing rain.

At first, the flames were small, but soon, they surged as if trying to consume her whole. Ah, how she loved that furious blaze that seemed capable of burning everything away.

And it was at that moment—

As Evelyn stared into the fire, entranced, a hot hand touched her bare shoulder. The lingering fingers felt eerily familiar.

The moment her body froze, her breath caught, a gentle voice whispered close to her ear.

“Eve, you standing here naked like this…”

Evelyn felt as though her heart had stopped.

“…makes me have evil thoughts.”

Because of the familiar voice that she should not be hearing.

“Hmm?”

Along with a low, soft chuckle, a velvety sensation brushed the nape of her neck. Tsk, the sound of lips parting echoed through her, chilling her to the bone.

A hand slid down her arm and held her by the waist. Heat radiated over her skin, a far cry from the cold lump of meat she had dragged through the forest.

“You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?”

Evelyn saw the palm of his hand, stained with her own cold sweat, in front of her. Her gaze moved along the neat and smooth hand. The arm, which had been severed near the elbow, was now completely reattached.

She lowered her gaze. Her trembling hand had dark red blood caked on it. Her feet, covered in dirt and leaves, were fully in view.

The traces she hadn’t been able to wash away still remained clearly on her body…

Terrified, Evelyn couldn’t even blink. Before she knew it, a solid arm wrapped around her waist like a snake.

“Hmm, Eve.”

His arms, bare like hers, revealed a red thread-like line near the elbow. Just as Evelyn widened her eyes, realizing she had found the exact spot she had cut, the red line seemed to melt away and disappear.

“Haah…”

A surge of nausea rose deep from her stomach. Her heart was racing wildly, faster than she could even keep up with.

The low chuckling sound lingered in Evelyn’s ear. The seductive, enchanting laughter seemed to grow distant.

Evelyn closed her eyes, a fleeting, fragile thought creeping through her mind: how she longed for everything to simply fade into nothingness.