CHAPTER 2

"Where is this? Why is everything white? What happened to me?"

Julius's memory flashed immediately. Last time, he had half run away from the bar where he had just seen the woman he loved making out with a well-groomed man in a suit and expensive perfume wafted through his senses.

Julius is the one who intends to propose to Katty Scholher–a woman who used to live in an orphanage with him, but he was lucky enough to be adopted by good people. The bond they made as a child is still etched so vividly in Julius' memory that he was so naive in believing that Katty Scholher would be his.

But, he forgot that the world had changed a lot. Katty, who he had known before, was not the Katty he is now. The woman prefers to get a man who is well-established and rich, not like him, who is poor and only a child whose origins are not clear.

Julius is so hurt when the woman he loves doesn't care about his presence, and surrenders to the arms of a handsome and rich man, but looks arrogant. Julius continued to walk fast without caring about the insults of the people who accidentally touched his body.

As it turned out, the effect of a broken heart was so great that it made Julius feel like he had lost his way. Until he was unconscious when a high-speed car hit him. Julius could vaguely see in his memory how people screamed hysterically to see his body covered in blood and motionless. Meanwhile, the man in the car was in the same position as him. However, he couldn't see the man's face clearly. Julius only focused on seeing his rough body being carried by two officers and put into the ambulance with the man's body. However, his body was immediately covered with a white cloth. Meanwhile, the man's body was immediately put on a breathing apparatus, and the wound was slowly cleaned.

"Oh my God, was I dead at that time? But, why did I get here? Where are the people? Hey, whoever is there, please tell me, where is this?" Julius shouted, but no one heard him.

Faintly in the distance, behind the thin fog that suddenly came, a silhouette of a man walked up to him. He could not clearly see who the people who were coming to him. However, slowly, the fog was getting thinner as the appearance of a handsome male figure who smiled at him.

"How are you, Julius? Finally, you woke up too. Sorry for disturbing your sleep. Because I really need your help," said the man, giving him a smile.

"W-who are you? Did we know each other before? And, if I may ask, where exactly is this?" Asked Julius, who was still not aware of the situation he was in right now.

"We haven't known each other before. Introduce, my name is Daniel Richmond. Before I introduce myself further, let me tell you something," the man said back to Julius, who was still looking at him with a confused look.

Julius was, of course, even more confused. Because he really did not know the man in front of him at all. This man was too perfect for him, who was just an ordinary person. However, for some reason, the man actually respects him.

"I'm sorry for making you like this. Really, I didn't mean to do that to you. I-I—"

"Wait, what do you mean? Really, I don't understand what you're talking about, sir. What's the matter?" Said Julius, who started to panic about the situation he was currently facing.

The man looked at Julius with a look that he didn't understand. After that, he sighed before he finally told him about the incident that had happened to him, so that Julius was also a victim. Julius could see who the man had in mind just before his accident.

Daniel Richmond seemed to want to introduce Julius to the people he had in mind at the time. Until finally, he saw the figure of a beautiful woman who Daniel Richmond recognized as his wife, who now continues to cry lamenting the fate of Daniel Richmond, who is lying in a coma.

He is also shown who are the people who are trying to make him hurt. Julius was so surprised when Daniel said that they were not other people, but his own family. And Daniel asked Julius to remember one by one the faces of the people he was currently showing him.

"We both actually died in the accident, Julius. However, I asked for a second chance to live again in order to expose the crimes of those who tried to harm me. I asked God to keep myself alive, even though it was not my soul, but your soul that both hurt. Let's just say, I gave you another chance to live to enjoy a new life, "said Daniel Richmond at length, explaining to Julius about the two of them.

Meanwhile, Julius himself kept shaking his head in disbelief after hearing the story. He still couldn't believe that he had died in the accident. However, a second later, he was again confused by the unreasonable request that came from the man's lips.

"I want us to switch bodies. You stay alive and let me die," said the man named Daniel Richmond who, according to Julius, was the craziest man he had ever met besides himself, of course.

"W-what do you mean? Really, I don't understand," replied Julius, giving Daniel Richmond a strange look.

"You live in my body, which is still lying in a coma in the hospital. Meanwhile, let me die in your body, which is now in the morgue," he answered without any guilt at all.

"You are absolutely insane, Mr. Daniel Richmond! How can we exchange souls? Meanwhile, we don't know each other. Then what's in it for me?" Said Julius indignantly.

"I can't promise you anything. It's just that, you will live a different life from your previous life. One thing I ask of you. Please, take care and protect my wife. She is in danger. Because, I can no longer protect you from other people. "That person. So, I beg of you, protect him," said Daniel Richmond hopefully.

"But, Master … hey, don't go. We're not done talking yet. Mister Daniel, what should I do to protect him? Master—"

The scream didn't stop the thin mist that had again enveloped Daniel Richmond's body that seemed to disappear. However, he heard the man's voice again, though faintly. "Pretend to be me, and protect my wife. Then another truth will be revealed. I trust you, Julius Regan."

When Julius tries to call Daniel Richmond's name again, he wakes up from his coma. Again, he faintly heard the screams of a woman calling for doctors and nurses. Then, later, he felt and saw people in all white swarming around and gave him a tube that was inserted into his nostril.

Julius, who was feeling short of breath again, felt relief when oxygen began to enter his breathing cavity. However, he could not speak a single word. He just looked at each person who was there. Until he found the same woman as in his dream when he was talking to a man named Daniel Richmond.

Unknowingly, he called the woman's name in a low voice. Again Julius was surprised, because the voice that came out was not his voice, but the voice of a man he knew named Daniel Richmond.

"A-amanda …"

"Daniel … honey … Oh my God, thank you, you're awake."

*

Meanwhile, in the hospital hall, a middle-aged woman was seen rushing down the hall and into the room where Daniel Richmond – her stepson, had an accident and fell into a coma. She seemed to show a sad face when she entered the room where her daughter-in-law was faithfully waiting for Daniel Richmond's consciousness.

However, it was different long before the accident happened. She seems to remember how she contacted Daniel Richmond – her stepson, and told her about her husband's deteriorating condition.

In fact, she knew that Daniel Richmond and Katty Scholher should have gone on their honeymoon after celebrating their wedding. However, some shocking news delivered to Daniel made his son cancel their trip and choose to go to the hospital by driving a car alone.

"He's on his way to the hospital. Move quickly, and don't make the slightest mistake," she said over the phone.

Samantha Breux immediately acted normal, and met her husband, who still looked fit in a small garden in their luxurious residence accompanied by a cup of coffee. She immediately accompanied her husband and joined him for coffee.

"Are you all right, honey? Why do you look so gloomy? Did something happen?" asked Immanuel Richmond, taking Samantha Breux's hand.

The woman tried to put on her best smile, and looked back at the still handsome man who had become her husband in recent years.

"Nothing serious, dear Immanuel. I'm just worried about Daniel and Katty. Today they are going on their honeymoon to the Maldives. Are they—?" The answer is a sad face.

"Never mind, Samantha. Daniel is an adult and has a wife. Why do you keep worrying about him? Just pray that after they come home, they will bring good news about Katty's pregnancy – my daughter-in-law," said the husband with a happy smile.

"But, honey. I just want to show love to the two of them. Even though Daniel still can't accept my presence until this second," said Samantha, with a sad face.

"Can we not discuss it again, Samantha? You know, I feel guilty for you and the children," replied the husband, again holding his husband's hand.

Of course, unseen by her husband, Samantha smiled sarcastically at Immanuel Richmond. She laughed inwardly imagining how her husband would later have a heart attack when she heard the news of the death of her beloved son. However, God did not seem to have answered her prayer.

"Soon you will be sad and even follow Daniel to hell, Immanuel," she said to him.

However, how surprised Samantha was when she didn't find Daniel Richmond in the ICU where her stepson was in intensive care due to a coma after the accident that happened to him. When she tried to inquire about her stepson's whereabouts, he got the new fact that Daniel Richmond had awakened from his coma, and had now been transferred to the VVIP treatment room to restore his health.

"No, that is impossible. How did he survive the accident? This could be serious. What if Daniel finds out who was behind the accident? I have to see and prove the truth of the news I heard earlier from the nurse."

Samantha rushed out of the ICU and returned to the treatment room for Daniel Richmond – her stepson, who had just woken up from his coma. She was really afraid that the boy would find something. Daniel did have a terrible accident that caused him to lose so much blood. However, her stepson was still alive. Of course, this made Samantha both surprised and scared. The woman was so scared that when she woke up, Daniel would blame her for the accident that happened to him.

She arrived at her stepson's treatment room. When she saw her daughter-in-law was outside the room and talking to the doctor. However, before she had time to listen to the contents of the conversation, Amanda immediately stopped talking after seeing her presence.

"Is this woman now hiding something from me?"

"Mom … I was just about to tell the Richmonds about—"

"The nurse in the ICU said Daniel was awake. Is that true?" Samantha asked with a straight face.

"Y-yes, Mom. Daniel had just been seen by the doctor. He is inside now," replied her daughter-in-law in a frightened tone.

Samantha walked into the VIP treatment room and found her stepdaughter watching television without being disturbed. However, when they accidentally met eyes, Samantha seemed to see a cold aura in Daniel's eyes.

"How are you, Mom? Thanks for worrying about me."