Chapter 1: Death Isn't the End
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Chapter 1: Death Isn't the End
The air was thick with smoke. Evelyn Drake could barely breathe as she lay on the cold marble floor of the banquet hall, her blood trailing behind her like a red river. Her vision blurred, but not enough to miss the sight of her sister—smiling.
"You should have known, big sister," Lily whispered, crouching beside her. "In this world, kindness is weakness."
Evelyn tried to speak, but blood filled her throat. The man she loved, Jonathan Hale, stood behind Lily, holding the poisoned wine glass Evelyn had drunk from moments earlier. No remorse. Just… cold eyes.
"I gave you everything," Evelyn's voice cracked, weak and broken.
Jonathan tilted his head. "And we took it. That's what fools are for."
Darkness began to pull her under. Her last breath was filled with betrayal, pain… and a desperate, burning rage.
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Then — silence.
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When she opened her eyes again, everything was… different.
She was lying on silk sheets in a bedroom she hadn't seen in years. Her skin was unscarred. Her hands were youthful. The golden clock on the wall ticked with a familiar rhythm — a rhythm she hadn't heard in seven years.
"No," she whispered, sitting up in shock. "This can't be…"
She raced to the mirror. Staring back at her was a face she hadn't seen in ages — young, untouched, alive.
She was nineteen again.
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> "I died… and came back."
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Memories flooded her mind. The betrayal. The poison. The lies. The power she once held… and lost.
But now?
Now she remembered everything.
And this time — she wouldn't make the same mistakes.
She wouldn't love blindly.
She wouldn't forgive.
This time, Evelyn Drake would be the monster they feared.
And it started tonight.