Due to work matters, Serena reluctantly had to return to Pandora. Going back to her roots after five years away, Serena unintentionally finds herself reunited with Rhys—the man she deeply loved but had to leave for a painful reason in the past. Their relationship ended without words, and Serena suddenly vanished into thin air from Rhys' life, almost driving him mad. However, the fate that brings them together seems to force Serena and Rhys to revisit a love that has long been obsolete. Serena continues to try to avoid it, while Rhys continues to struggle to put together every piece of the mystery of the puzzle that has been present between them. But what happens when the truth from the past turns out to be like a thorned rose growing in the wrong soil, ultimately causing pain to one of them? "The Forbidden Flower of the Dark Life: Poisoned Love" Story & Illustration by Bintang Hamal
The woman fell silent with a puzzled expression. Throughout the night, Serena was utterly confused by Rhys's behavior. After hearing his story, Serena wondered why Rhys could be so kind and caring towards her even though they didn't know each other. Rhys even went as far as offering to pay multiple times just to help her escape from Jolie's nagging. His kindness initially made Serena suspicious. However, after spending the whole night together, Rhys truly didn't do anything to her and just let Serena calm herself down.
Eventually, throughout the night, Serena found herself lost in thought, until she unintentionally got carried away in conversation with Rhys. They both unconsciously grew closer as Rhys began questioning her relationship with Morina, and from there, their conversation just kept flowing until they both hadn't been aware of how much time they had spent together that night.