Selina stared dazedly at the man bleeding rapidly, a gaping hole in his stomach as his intestines pooled on the ground.

A bubble of wild laughter rose in her chest, and she laughed, tears streaming down her face.

"Ghhkk... cough... save..." The man coughed up blood, his voice trailing off as his eyes dimmed.

Selina watched with a strange calm as one of her protectors died right before her eyes.

Her stunning features contorted strangely as her expression wavered between wild joy and hatred.

The others were spooked by her and moved away, believing she wasn’t mentally sound.

Around them were traces of a serious fight; beast caresses lay scattered on the ground, and everyone had injuries of varying degrees on their bodies.

Selina had a long tear from her shoulder to her elbow, and blood seeped through it and soaked her clothes, but she seemed not to feel the pain.

She had suffered much worse, so she became different from her past self, who could solve every problem by shedding a tear or two and acting pitifully.

She had learned to keep her expression blank, no matter how much pain she was in—the men fed on her tears, her suffering sending a thrill of twisted pleasure through them.

If she didn’t have healing powers, she would have been riddled with scars and cast aside to those beasts as food.

’I want all of you to die.’ The thought filled her mind as she lowered her head to hide her murderous intent.

They had all witnessed her shame and degradation, so none of them should live. They all had to die and remain in her past once she escaped this hell. She couldn’t help but regret her decision not to save Zoey.

"We have to keep moving. Let’s find a safe place and rest for the night," the leader of their group of eight said after they had cut out the edible parts of the beasts to carry with them.

Selina drew her dagger and skillfully skinned the beast in front of her, then cut out a piece of meat and tossed it into her space bag.

Before, she could do none of this work, only latching onto Zoey to eat and heal injuries when asked; now she could roast her own meat and even kill smaller beasts to eat.

"Hurry up!" a man snapped, urging everyone to move quickly. The stench of blood hung too heavy in the air; they needed to leave before the smell attracted other beasts.

Everyone took what they could and hurried away from the area. Selina lagged behind, breathing heavily as she tried to keep up with them.

Thirty minutes flew by, filled with the thump of running footsteps, the swish of leaves brushing against their bodies, and the crunch of dry leaves, all blending with the chirping of birds and insects.

They only stopped to rest after they felt they had put some distance between themselves and that area.

Selina slumped to the ground, her heart thumping loudly, each breath burning her lungs.

She looked up at the blue sky through the trees with a gloomy expression.

"Here! Prepare dinner. I’m famished." A man commanded in a matter-of-fact tone, throwing the meat rudely onto her face.

Selina frowned at the bloodstained surface of the meat that touched her skin.

"I’m tired," she muttered weakly in response, removing the meat from her face and dropping it into the grass.

"I wasn’t asking. Roast the meat, or forget about staying in my tent tonight. You can stay out here without protection... until a beast devours you." A cruel smile tugged at the man’s unshaven lips.

His brown hair fell loosely, the tip smudged with dirt, blood, and sweat, and his body smelled sourly of rotten eggs.

A flicker of disgust crossed Selina’s eyes as she looked at the man who was staring condescendingly at her.

A sudden urge to bury her dagger in his heart gripped her, but she couldn’t. It was unwise to kill him in front of everyone, and without his protection, she would be dead in a beast’s maw.

She lowered her head and whispered in a pleading tone. "I need a minute to rest. I’ve been running for a while... I’m really exhausted."

The man felt an odd rush of pleasure at seeing her swallow her pride and beg him humbly. Who would have thought that she, once a proud healer, had now become his plaything?

"I’ll give you a minute to rest. Make sure you roast the meat evenly and coat it with the spices we picked up along the way." He stated casually, leering at her chest for a moment before turning to leave.

The action sparked a wave of disgust in Selina; she felt dirty, and her killing intent rose sharply, only to vanish as quickly as it had come.

She needed him alive—for now. Who else would protect her if he died?

’I’m pathetic. My ex-husbands treated me like a precious pearl, and I threw it all away chasing a fleeting dream of rising higher. No... it’s Eva’s fault! If she had died like she was supposed to, none of this would have happened. I could have saved those two and been pampered by them.’

Selina still placed all the blame on Eva, not knowing that it was her greed for more that led her to make a different decision than she had in her past life.

She managed to stand up, wobbling a bit because her legs were numb. After massaging her sore feet, she carried the meat toward the stream nearby.

Figures moved busily among the tents. The three remaining women from their group of eight huddled together, speaking in low voices, their gazes subtly flicking toward her.

Selina felt their prying gazes but stayed calm, long accustomed to their gossip. The first time she had reacted, they had insulted her to her face, calling her a cheap slut and a parasite.

Those cruel words still stung her heart, but she couldn’t do without the man’s protection.

"Her last man died in front of her... and she laughed like a maniac. What a lunatic." One of them muttered, shaking her head as she glanced at Selina’s back.

"I have always said we should stay away from her. She isn’t right in the head."

"You forgot to add bad luck. First, Zoey died protecting her, then one of the men she’s sleeping with died again. Tsk..."

The women shook their heads, deciding to stay away from Selina from now on, unwilling to be sacrificed to her bad luck.

Selina, on the other hand, had reached the clear stream; she tossed the meat onto the grassy ground, washed her hands, then scooped up water and splashed her face.

A satisfied sigh escaped her lips as the cool water touched her face, and a trickle of the remaining water slid down her neck before reaching her chest.

Unbeknownst to her, this tempting sight drew the gaze of a man who came to the stream to wash.

His eyes darkened with lust, and without hesitation, he walked soundlessly toward her.

Before Selina could react, she was dragged by the waist, and her mouth was covered, reducing her screams to unintelligible hums.

The man dragged her into a grove of trees and roughly removed her jeans. Selina struggled hard, but her weak strength was no match for the man.

A sharp pain shot through her lower lip as the man thrust inside without foreplay.

Tears welled in her eyes as she endured the man’s relentless thrusts. The sounds of slapping flesh and strained moans echoed from the trees.

Selina looked at the sky with dim eyes that gradually clouded with desire.

She hated her body for reacting, believing those women’s words were right; she was a slut.

As the pleasure intensified, she forgot everything and wrapped her hand around the man, urging him to f*ck her faster.

"You slut."

The man let out a mocking snort, grabbed her by the ass, and thrust deeply. The force of his thrust slammed her back against the tree, but she was too consumed by pleasure to register the pain.

Unconsciously, she sought pleasure to dull her pain and regrets.

The pleasure was fleeting as a dream; once the sex was over, her mind woke up, and she felt chilled to the bone and filled with self-disgust at her reaction.

"You were a good f*ck. I haven’t felt so refreshed in months. Let’s do this next time, and I’m willing to protect you if you satisfy me." The man praised crudely, patting her bare ass in appreciation before turning to leave with a satisfied smile.

Selina slid weakly to the ground, her pale skin marked with red handprints and scratches from the trees.

She hugged herself, her body trembling as muffled cries drifted through.

Selina wished with all her being to turn back time. The thought of dying and starting over flickered in her mind, but she knew she wouldn’t be that lucky to be reborn.

Why did she have to be reborn only to suffer like this?