VI. `I Had No Complaints About This Marriage, But—`

Thud. Thud. Thud.

A dull, throbbing ache near her temple made Esina crack her eyes open slightly.

All around her stretched a forest thick with fog. Bewildered by the sudden change in scenery, she took a hesitant step forward—

“……”

—and frowned as she looked down at her feet.

‘A dream?’

Instead of the usual shoes she wore, she saw sneakers that had no place in that world. Slowly, her gaze traveled upward—a faded hoodie and worn-out jeans.

Her past self’s clothes.

The hair spilling over her chest was still the same fiery red, so only her outfit seemed to have changed. But still…

What an unpleasant dream.

She had never liked how she looked during this time.

The money she scraped together from backbreaking work had been siphoned off by boyfriends she hadn’t realized were trash.

While she scrambled from one temp job to another, with no time to care for herself, the people she’d believed loved her betrayed her—or abandoned her with laughter.

Every time she looked in the mirror, a wounded woman stared back.

She’d laughed along when friends teased her about being a “recycling bin” or a “trash bag,” but alone, Esina couldn’t stand her own stupidity. Each joke cut too deep. In the end, all she ever felt was sticky, suffocating self-loathing.

‘Why do I always end up like this?’

She hated herself for trusting the wrong people—over and over—only to be left broken.

No, actually—

She knew. Some of it was her fault.

Her own weakness—that desperate, pathetic need to believe in love, to find someone who would ease her loneliness.

Of course trash sniffed out that vulnerability and swooped in to drain her dry. She’d always been swayed too easily, never pushing them away, always falling for their sweet lies.

‘…Esina.’

Then—

A voice, both familiar and not, made her entire body jolt.

She’d never heard it in this life, but she recognized it instantly.

‘There you are.’

A horrified sigh crawled up her throat before she could stop it.

Slowly turning, she saw a man with Xenon’s resemblance—but a far colder face.

…Baron Elzen.

He was approaching with his face twisted in malice, as if the original story where she was his wife had unfolded in this dream.

‘Come here right now.’

His large, pot-lid-like hand loomed closer as if about to strike, and Esina impulsively broke into a run. Fear gripped her instantly. Her breath hitched in her throat, her calves burning as if they might burst, yet his voice kept chasing her.

Esina. Can’t you come here right now? Esina!

‘No.’

Every miserable moment of her past seemed to manifest in Baron Elzen’s figure, closing in on her.

No matter what, why do I always end up in these situations? What did I do wrong—how much did I mess up—

‘…Truth is, I—’

I just wanted to be happy.

Not necessarily some passionate, heart-pounding love—but a quiet, pretty love with someone she could trust. A love without major complaints, one that would’ve been perfect if it had just stayed as it was…

‘Hah—!’

The next moment, her foot caught on an exposed tree root.

Thud.

As her heart pounded, a large hand caught her falling body. The firm press of a solid chest against her forehead sent a sharp déjà vu through her.

Somehow, she knew—this had happened before.

With tearful eyes, Esina looked up.

There, waiting for her, was the choice she had made herself—not one swayed by others or sweet lies.

Herman—with eyes just like hers in that moment.

Seeing him made her stomach churn.

‘Herman.’

Why are you looking at me like that?

If you were just going to abandon me too, you shouldn’t have been kind to me in the first place.

She knew. Despite telling her not to expect anything, not to want his emotions—Herman had been gentle anyway. As if she had become the first priority in his life.

‘If it was going to end like this—’

Then you shouldn’t have given me anything real. Shouldn’t have brought me the foods I loved. Shouldn’t have promised our children would be mine alone. Shouldn’t have taken me everywhere, showing me the world—

If you were just going to kill me in the end—why were you ever good to me? None of the other trash ever killed me, so why does it have to be you—the one I trusted most—who does this to me?

‘…..’