My Beloved Has Risen from Death’s Embrace

Later, the junior high section was to host a dance competition. When Isabella heard that one of the judges. was Samuel, she, with no dance background, convinced her mom to hire several dance instructors. For months on end, she trained tirelessly from dusk till dawn, eventually mastering a Swan Dance.

On the day of the competition, she took to the stage both nervous and excited, putting her all into the performance, hoping to showcase her best to him and earning applause from the entire audience.

After her dance, Isabella bashfully made her way to him, hoping to get his feedback, only for another girl performing the same Swan Dance to suddenly appear on stage.

That girl was a hundred times more beautiful than she was, with elegant moves and a charming smile that instantly captivated everyone, including Samuel, prompting him to excitedly applaud. His gaze remained fixed on her throughout the performance, his smiles ceaseless, as if she was the only one in his eyes, a stark contrast to his calm demeanor during her performance.

Isabella learned that the girl was Xanthea, a popular student idol, but she had no idea she was also Samuel’s sister.

As Xanthea finished her performance, it was clear she would win. Overheard by Isabella, a fellow judge. asked Samuel, “How do you think Xanthea’s dance compared to Isabella’s?”

His reply was brief: “Worlds apart.

Hearing this, she ran out of the contest crying, her carefully prepared efforts all in vain. She became insanely jealous of Xanthea until one day, seeing them holding hands getting into the same car, did she realize she was actually his sister!

Rumors had it that Samuel was overly protective of his sister, ignoring his many admirers. Determined to catch his eye, Isabella decided to emulate Xanthea.

She copied everything from her style to her hobbies, enduring whispers and disapproving stares from schoolmates and Xanthea’s scorn for years.

But it was all in vain. No matter how closely she imitated, no matter how hard she tried, he never gave her a second look. She failed to capture his attention, and worse, her actions drove Xanthea to skip grades and advance in her studies, and he transferred as well.

Later, Isabella gradually came to her senses and returned to being herself, but everything had changed except for her love for him, which remained unchanged. She saw him on financial news and her longing grew.

Over the years, to catch his attention, she acted in movies, took on advertisements, practiced dancing. enduring hardships unimaginable to most, and became a top actress in the entertainment industry.

She had thought that appearing before him again in her now glitzy and glamorous persona would earn his favor, but unexpectedly….

After so many years, when they met again, Samuel still saw her as inferior to Xanthea! NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.

Watching him walk away tears marred Isabella’s carefully made–up face. If he thought so little of her, she was determined to surpass Xanthea and prove her worth!

A few days later.

On the set of “Realm of Illusions” in the western outskirts of Crestwood.

Xanthea, now as Phoenix in the film, woke up in a dimly lit dungeon. The air was thick with the scent of damp and blood. Splashed with cold water, she grimaced and slowly opened her eyes.

Her hands and feet were bound to a cross, her mouth sealed with tape, her body weakly slumped. Through the flickering candlelight, she saw a familiar figure, her mouth curling into a self–mocking smile–it was Maximus.