Seraphina's POV
Darkness… thick, suffocating, and endless darkness surrounded me. It wrapped around me, pressing in from all sides, suffocating, swallowing every thought, every sound, and every piece of me.
My chest heaved as if I had run for hours, yet I hadn't moved. My limbs felt heavy and separated from me, as if they didn't belong to me. The echo of a gunshot and Lucien's body falling next to mine the impact still throbbed in my head.
"No!" I shouted as loudly as I could, but my voice didn't exist. Just pain and anguish. A distant sound pierced the void within me, a faint hum, like electricity sparked inside, or maybe life itself trying to seep back into me.My eyes fluttered, the blackness giving way to shadows at the edge of my vision. Shapes… familiar shapes, they moved just beyond my reach.
Then light. A weak and sterile glow, filtered through blinds, made me blink, and I lifted my head, then white walls, cold, a room I recognized, panic clawed at me.I forced myself upright, my body stiffened, heavy, but… real.
"Where am I?" My voice came out hoarse, barely a whisper.
"Lu… Lucien!" The name broke apart on my lips.
No answer, only silence.
My hands trembled as I looked around, and then it hit me: it was my room. I knew it, not vaguely, not like a dream. I knew every corner of it. My room, my bedroom, my safe space, or, at least, what I once believed was safe. My heartbeat began to rise, erratic and sharp.
"No…" I whispered again, this time in disbelief.
My room was vast, but not in a way that felt empty; every inch of it was me. Soft morning light spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows, slipping past sheer curtains that swayed gently with the breeze. Beyond them, the city stretched wide and distant, but inside, everything was stable.
At the center of the room sat my bed, large, elegant, and dressed in champagne-colored silk sheets. Not a wrinkle improper. The pillows were arranged carefully, as if nothing bad had ever happened to me, like I had never died.
I slowly pushed the covers aside and stood there. My legs wobbled, but they held. I froze; I could feel the cold, solid floor beneath my feet. My breath caught as I took a step forward, then another. My fingers brushed against the edge of the bed. I felt it; I actually felt it. Not like before, not like when I was… a ghost.
My heart slammed violently against my ribs. "No… no… this isn't possible." I reached out again, touching the silk sheets, the bedpost, and my own arms; they were warm and alive.
"I'm… I'm alive?"
The words sounded foreign, like they didn't belong to me, because they didn't. I had died. I saw it and felt it. I remembered everything.
So how?
My gaze shifted slowly toward the vanity, and drawn and compelled, I walked toward it, each step steadier than the last. The mirror reflected a face I knew too well, mine.
But not pale, not lifeless, I felt alive, breathing, and whole.
My fingers trembled as I reached for one of the drawers and pulled it open, and there it was, a total mess.
Lipsticks without caps, jewelry tangled together, receipts, loose hairpins, and a broken clasp were sitting carelessly in the corner. I remembered it all. I stared at it; it didn't match the rest of the room. This wasn't perfection; this was… me, all me. The part I never let anyone see, the part I ignored.
My fingers moved slowly through the clutter until they brushed against something smooth, a photograph.
I pulled it out carefully; it was me and my mother in the photo. I was younger, dressed in my high school uniform, my smile wide and natural. It was my first day. I remembered that day how nervous I had been, how my mother had held my hand just a little longer before letting go, as if she already knew how much I would need that warmth later.
Her smile in the photo was warm, gentle, and full of love. My chest tightened as my vision blurred.
"I… I missed this… I miss you, Mom," I whispered, my voice breaking.
I hadn't even realized how much until now. Before I could stop myself, my eyes shifted to the bedside. There was another frame, another memory. I picked it up. And just like that, warmth turned into ice. It was from the company dinner, the night I received my award. I looked happy, radiant, even. And beside me stood Elias, his arm around me, his smile soft, convincing… even perfect.
I remembered that moment. The way I had leaned slightly into him, truly believing that I was standing next to the man who loved me, the man I thought I would spend my life with. Thinking I had everything.
My grip tightened around the frame. "What a lie…" I whispered.
Every look, every touch, every word, a performance I had believed every second of it. My chest tightened painfully as I lowered the frame. "And I… I had applauded it with all my heart," I said to myself.
I let out a deep breath as I stared at my room, my chest heavy with a truth I could no longer escape.
This room… this life… it all belonged to someone who had everything, someone who had power, wealth, and control.
But not the truth, and definitely not love.
And as the silence wrapped around me, colder than before, one thought settled deep into my bones.
This time… I would not be fooled again.
I sat up slowly, taking in my room one last time. It was quiet, too quiet, but not empty.
Then in a whisper of that movement, with soft footsteps, my heart skipped as I heard a knock on the door, and I said, "Come in." My personal Assistant, Mary, just entered. "Good evening… good evening, Miss Seraphina?" The voice was gentle and respectful. I turned slowly. A young woman stood by the door, tablet in hand, her posture straight. Her expression softened when our eyes met.
"Everything is ready for your engagement this evening," she said, stepping closer. She said, "The venue has been confirmed, the guests are all VIPs, and the ring was delivered an hour ago." My heart skipped. Engagement? She didn't seem to notice my reaction. Or maybe she did and assumed I was just being nervous.
"And your dress just arrived," she added, with a hint of satisfaction in her tone. She said softly, "Would you like to see it on, Ma?" Before I could respond, she gestured. Another staff member wheeled in a covered rack. The fabric rustled softly as the cover was pulled away.
My breath caught; the dress was so beautiful. Soft ivory silk, flowing like water, with delicate embroidery catching the light. Elegant, expensive, and perfect. Perfect for a moment I had already lived.
My fingers trembled as I reached out, brushing the fabric. It felt surreal, too real to be true.
"No…" I whispered.
My assistant frowned slightly. "Miss Seraphina?"
I stared at the dress, but I wasn't seeing it anymore; I was seeing a different night, a different ending, an ending full of betrayal, poison, and darkness. My chest tightened. My pulse roared in my ears.
This wasn't just familiar; I knew this, every single detail and every step. Slowly, I lifted my head, my reflection staring back at me from the mirror across the room. I am alive and unbroken, not a corpse and definitely not a ghost, alive and strong.
The realization hit me like a blow right this time.
Am I… am I really reborn on the day of my engagement, the very night I was poisoned?
And if I'm back here now, it means I have one chance to stop it. I know my killers are already waiting and watching me…