Reborn To Change My Fate-Chapter 332 - Three Hundred And Thirty One

The cold, dark alleyway was completely silent after the King’s guards dragged Prince Liam away. The only sounds left were the howling winter wind and the ragged, shallow breathing of the Grand Duchess.

Derek sat on his knees in the freezing, wet snow. His own back was numb from the paralyzing arrow, but he did not feel it anymore. He felt nothing except the terrifying, heavy weight of his wife resting in his arms.

Marissa lay across his lap. Her beautiful face was losing its color, turning a scary, pale white. The green poison from Liam’s arrow was moving rapidly through her veins.

Derek looked down at her. He was completely helpless. He could not stop the poison. He could not save her.

His tears fell down his cheeks and dropped onto her cold skin. He did not care about crying. He did not care about being a strong man. He was losing his entire world.

Marissa felt the warm drops on her face. She slowly opened her heavy eyes. Her vision was already starting to blur, but she could still see the face of the man she loved so deeply.

She lifted her right hand. It was shaking, completely drained of strength. She reached up and gently touched his rough cheek. Her soft thumb brushed against his skin, cleaning the tears that fell.

"Don’t cry," Marissa whispered. Her voice was very weak, barely louder than the falling snow.

Derek choked back a sob. He leaned into her cold hand, holding it against his cheek with his own trembling fingers.

"If I was given another opportunity," Marissa said, forcing the words out of her tightening chest, "I would do it again."

She looked into his wet, desperate eyes. She wanted him to know she did not regret saving his life for the second time.

"For you," she breathed softly, "and Ryan. You two are the only family I have. You are my home, Derek."

As she spoke, a dark, terrible red liquid spilled past her lips. Blood escaped from her mouth from the deadly effect of the poison. It ran down her chin, staining her pale skin.

Derek’s eyes widened in horror. He quickly used the clean sleeve of his shirt to wipe the blood from her mouth. His hands shook violently. He was panicking. He looked toward the entrance of the alley, praying for the doctor to arrive quickly.

Marissa did not look at the blood on his sleeve. She kept her eyes on him. Despite the terrible pain burning in her chest, she tried to lighten his heavy heart. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

She pouted her lips slightly, acting like a spoiled wife complaining to her husband.

"I would have loved to see you in your uniform one last time," Marissa murmured.

Derek looked at her, confused and heartbroken by her sudden, sweet words.

"I love seeing you in it," Marissa continued, a weak, genuine smile spreading across her pale lips. "You look so handsome. It gets me aroused."

Tears streamed down her face as she smiled. It was a beautiful, tragic sight. She was trying to joke with him to take his fear away, even as she was dying.

Derek let out a broken, wet laugh that quickly turned into a sob. He touched her face, brushing her dark, messy hair away from her forehead. His large hands were trembling uncontrollably.

"Shhh...." Derek pleaded. His voice cracked. "Don’t say things like that, Mari. You will see me in my uniform tomorrow. You will see me in it every day. Help is on its way. Just hold on. Please."

He tried to mask his deep pain with a strong, hopeful tone, but his grief was too loud. It echoed in his shaking voice.

Marissa’s smile slowly faded. The pain was getting worse. The cold was creeping into her bones. She knew the truth. She knew she did not have much time left.

"Take care of Ryan," Marissa asked, her voice dropping to a very low whisper. Her dark eyes pleaded with him. "Tell him to forgive me. Tell him to forgive me for leaving him so young. Tell him I love him."

"I won’t tell him that," Derek cried, shaking his head frantically. "You will tell him yourself. You will watch him grow up."

Marissa ignored his denial. She needed to say her final words. She needed him to know how full her heart was.

"Thank you for loving me right," Marissa continued softly.

She looked at him with absolute, pure adoration.

"I’m happy I met you, I’m happy I chose you," she whispered. "I’m happy I love you, and cherish you, in this second life. I have no regrets."

Derek stopped shaking for a second. His brow furrowed in deep confusion.

"Second life?" Derek replied, his voice a broken whisper. He did not understand what she meant. He thought the poison was making her confused and delirious.

Marissa swallowed hard. Her throat felt like it was closing.

"I have died before," Marissa replied quietly. Her eyes were unfocused now, staring up at the snowy sky past his shoulder. "I died a terrible death in my past. And then... I woke up again. I came back."

She turned her eyes back to him.

"And I am content," she said, her voice sounding incredibly peaceful. "Because this time, I am leaving with you in my heart. I fixed my mistakes. I found you."

Derek stared at her. He did not care if it was a fever dream or magic. He only cared that she was slipping away from him.

"I love you, Derek," Marissa said. Her breathing was becoming very shallow and fast. "I love you more than life itself. Please forgive me for leaving you. I’m sorry."

Her vision started to go completely blind. The edges of the world turned black. She could only see shadows.

She let out a soft, wet chuckle.

A single, perfectly white snowflake floated down from the dark sky. It landed gently on her pale chin. It rested there for a moment, slowly melting against her cooling skin.

Marissa felt the tiny drop of cold water.

"I’m dying, Derek," Marissa spoke. It was a simple, honest statement. She could feel her soul detaching from her painful body.

"No!" Derek shouted. He pulled her closer, hugging her tightly to his chest. "Don’t close your eyes, Mari! Look at me! Look at me!"

He patted her cheek, trying to keep her awake.

At that exact moment, the loud sound of running men echoed at the entrance of the alley. Their sounds were approaching fast.

Heavy boots crunched loudly on the snow.

Ian came running into the alleyway. Behind him were a dozen Elite Shadows and an older man carrying a heavy leather medical bag. It was the royal physician.

"Your Grace!" Ian whispered loudly. He stopped dead in his tracks.

The shadow guard was completely shocked. He saw Derek kneeling in the snow, bleeding from his own back, and Marissa lying totally lifeless in his arms. The snow around them was stained with dark red and sick green colors.

"Doctor! Quickly!" Ian yelled, pushing the old physician forward.

Marissa could hear their frantic voices. She heard the sound of the doctor dropping his heavy bag in the snow. She heard the clinking of glass medicine bottles.

But the sounds were very distant. They sounded like they were coming from underwater.

Then, the voices began to die down. The roaring wind faded away. The painful burning in her chest finally stopped. A strange, quiet darkness completely surrounded her.

Deep inside her fading mind, a final, honest thought flashed through the dark.

"I don’t want to die," she said to herself. She wanted to live with him. She wanted to see the spring festivals.

But her body could not hold on anymore.

Marissa let out one final, soft breath. Her chest stopped moving. Her eyes closed completely. Her head rolled loosely against Derek’s arm.

She gave up.

Derek froze.

He stared at her peaceful, still face. He waited for her to take another breath. He waited for her chest to rise. He waited for her to open her eyes and smile at him.

Nothing happened.

The physician fell to his knees beside them. He reached out and pressed two fingers against the side of Marissa’s pale neck.

The doctor lowered his head. He pulled his hand back slowly. He looked at the Grand Duke with extreme sorrow.

"I am sorry, Your Grace," the physician whispered. "She is gone."

Derek’s mind shattered into a million pieces. The reality hit him with the force of a falling mountain.

"No," Derek whispered.

He grabbed her shoulders. He shook her gently at first.

"Mari," Derek called out, his voice shaking.

He shook her harder. Her head lolled back and forth.

"Mari!" Derek shouted, his voice rising in panic. He pulled her tight against his chest, burying his face in her dark, messy hair.

"MARISSA!!!!"

Derek let out a scream that did not sound human. It was a raw, animalistic roar of absolute, complete agony. It tore out of his throat, echoing off the brick walls of the alleyway and carrying out into the snowy night. It was the sound of a man whose heart had just been ripped out of his chest.

He lost all logic. He lost all control. He refused to accept it. He tried to pick her up, wanting to run with her, wanting to find someone else who could fix her.

"Your Grace, please!" Ian cried out, tears streaming down his own face.

Ian stepped forward quickly. He grabbed Derek by the shoulders, trying to stop him from moving too wildly with his bleeding back.

"Let me go!" Derek roared.

He fought back violently. Even with his legs paralyzed, his upper body was incredibly strong. He swung his arm blindly, hitting a guard away. He clung to Marissa’s body like a madman, refusing to let anyone touch her.

More guards rushed forward. Three heavily armored men, along with Ian, had to drop to their knees in the snow. They grabbed Derek’s arms and his waist. They held him down firmly, trying to contain his wild, thrashing grief.

"Your Grace, you are injured! Stop!" Ian yelled, struggling to hold his master down. "She is gone, my Lord! She is gone!"

Derek ignored them. He did not feel their hands. He did not feel the cold. He only felt the terrifying emptiness in his arms where her life used to be.

He looked up at the dark, snowy sky. His face was twisted in an ugly mask of pure devastation.

"MARISSA!!!!" Derek screamed again, throwing his head back.

His desperate, hysterical cries filled the dark alley, a terrible song of grief that no one could comfort. He held her lifeless body tightly against his chest, sobbing violently into the cold winter night, completely broken and utterly alone.