Su Qinglan gave a small, stiff smile filled with sadness.
"In my first life, my soul could never fully reunite. The connection was broken. I lived a miserable sixty years. Hu Yan left me in grief. Father perished with unfulfilled wishes. My second husband Han Jue died protecting me. Rong Ye was killed by his own brother’s men. Xuan Long disappeared...most likely captured and confined. I became like a mindless person, unable to do anything. I was tortured every single day by Mu Lihua and her people."
Wang Mulan burst into loud tears. She covered her mouth, but her shoulders shook violently. How could her daughter have suffered so much?
Su Qinglan’s face was already drenched with tears, but her voice stayed calm.
"In the end, I found An Mo. I don’t know who he really was, but Xuan Long had entrusted my safety to him. An Mo discovered that my soul was split. That was why I lived such a tormented life. He gave me a blessing to start a new life. That is how I returned and began again."
When Su Qinglan finished speaking, the room fell into heavy silence. Only the sound of Wang Mulan’s heartbroken sobbing could be heard.
"How... how could this happen to you?" Wang Mulan cried bitterly. "My poor daughter... you suffered so much. Mother is sorry... Mother is so sorry!"
She pulled Su Qinglan into her arms again, crying uncontrollably.
Outside the house, the five men stood frozen in place like statues. Every single word Su Qinglan spoke had reached their ears clearly due to their powerful beastman senses. The longer they listened, the heavier the silence became.
Hu Yan’s mind went completely blank at first. Then a violent storm of emotions exploded inside his chest. His breathing turned ragged. His hands clenched into fists so tight that his knuckles turned white and his nails dug into his palms, drawing blood.
Second life...? She suffered for sixty years in her previous life? I left her...? I abandoned my own female in grief?
He remembered the angry yet sometimes cold Su Qinglan he had first met in this life. Now he understood everything.
The emptiness in her eyes, the hidden scars, the moments she would suddenly fall silent...everything made sense. His eyes turned bloodshot, and a low, painful growl escaped from deep in his throat.
Regret and self-blame nearly drowned him. He wanted to tear his own heart out for failing her in that previous life.
Shi Feng’s tall body trembled uncontrollably. The usually fierce and proud lion beastman felt as if someone had stabbed him repeatedly in the chest. His sharp eyes turned scarlet, and killing intent surged around him like a violent storm.
She was tortured every day... treated like an animal... and I wasn’t even there to protect her? In this life, I finally found her, yet I knew nothing about her pain.
His heart twisted violently. He had always been proud of being strong, yet he had failed to shield his mate from such misery across lifetimes.
Xuan Long’s emerald eyes, usually lazy and calm, darkened until they looked almost black. His face turned frighteningly pale. A storm of guilt and heartache raged inside him.
An Mo... I entrusted her to him... She endured all that alone because her soul was split. I disappeared and left her behind...
Han Jue stood completely still, his face drained of all color. His mind kept repeating Su Qinglan’s words. The responsible man felt like the world had collapsed around him.
She fought zombies alone for twenty-five years... She was abused and driven almost insane in her first life here... And we knew nothing. We laughed, teased, and loved her while carrying such heavy pain alone.
Guilt crushed him. He had always tried to be the steady one, the one who protected her daily needs, yet he had failed to see the deepest wounds in her heart. His eyes reddened, and his chest heaved with suppressed sobs. He felt utterly useless as her mate.
Su Mingxuan, her father, was in the worst state. His powerful body swayed slightly.
He hated himself deeply for not noticing Mu Lihua’s schemes earlier.

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