Rain slammed down. And it felt like a beatdown from the sky.
She's really gone, one woman whispered, with her voice so choked up.
So full of life... gone way too soon, someone else mumbled.
Lyra stood in the back, soaked and shivering, staring at the casket getting lowered into the muddy ground. She gasped when she saw the name on the tombstone:
LYRA THORNE.
Her name.
This has to be a joke, she muttered. I'm not dead. I'm standing right here.
The guy next to her just kept crying, gripping a tear-soaked tissue.
Lyra stepped up, with her heart pounding. Hey! she called out, I'm right here! Can't anyone see me?
No one answered.
The priest droned on. We commit her soul to peace, taken from a world she filled with fire...
What is going on... Lyra whispered to herself..
You died, a kid's voice said behind her.
She immediately turned around, and a little girl in a red raincoat stood there, barefoot, her hair stuck to her face. She shouldn't be there.. She wasn't wet at all. Her eyes – way too old for her face – glared right through Lyra.
What did you say?
You died. Twice. This is your third time around. You always come back... and you always forget.
Lyra stepped back. "Who are you?"
The girl smiled. "Doesn't matter. What does matter is... this time, you'll remember everything."
"Remember what?" Lyra's voice rose. "What are you talking about?"
The girl touched her forehead.
Pain blasted through her head.
Memories – flashes – screams – fire – falling – betrayal – blood – Kael – her mother's voice – a hand pushing her off something – glass breaking.
Lyra screamed.
---
*BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.*
She got up, gasping for air, with her heart pounding.
Hospital lights, wires, machines, white walls.
A nurse walked in and dropped her stuff. She's awake! Get a doctor!
Lyra choked out, clutching her chest. Her hands trembled. Where... where am I?
The nurse rushed to her side. You're at Saint Marie's Medical Center. You've been in a coma for three days after the accident."
"accident?" she whispered.
"You were driving back from your grandfather's place. Boom. You were the only one who made it."
Lyra closed her eyes.
Boom. Blood. Screams. Kael yelling her name...
Her eyes flew open. Kael, she said out loud.
The nurse looked confused. Kael?
"Where is he?" Lyra asked. "Was he with me?"
The nurse shook her head. "Miss Thorne… you were alone in the car. No one else was found."
Lies.
No – that's not right.
He was there. She remembers his voice.
"I need to see my grandfather," she said, trying to sit up.
"Miss Thorne… he's… gone. The place was destroyed."
Gone.
Just like that.
She put her hands on her face. Her head spun. Pieces of her other lives appeared... two of them. Flames. Poison. Betrayal. Always betrayal.
But this time, she remembered.
Everything.
A soft knock pulled her back.
A tall man stepped in. Sharp suit. Cold eyes. You could see the power "Miss Thorne," he said with his deep voice. "I'm Dr. Arden Black. The psychiatrist. Your family wanted me to check on you."
Lyra squinted. I don't need some psychiatrist.
That's just what someone with a mental issues would say."
She tilted her head. You think I have mental issues?"
He smirked. "You watched your family burn. You're the only one to get a huge load of money as the heiress to the Thorne's industry, and now you're out of coma speaking some different names."
She went quiet. "So you were listening."
He stepped closer. "Why did you say Kael's name?"
Lyra blinked.
Why did that question sound like he was getting information?
She looked him up and down. Clean-shaven. Watch on the right wrist. No ring. But his eyes – sharp. Way too sharp.
"You're not just a psychiatrist," she mumbled.
He gave a slow smile. "And you're not just a patient."
Silence.
"Touché," she muttered.
Then she ripped the IV out of her arm and sat up. "I'm leaving."
"You can't just—"
"I own this place," she snapped. "I have things to do."
She immediately swung her legs off the bed, her bare feet meeting the cold floor. Wires dangling from her arms made a small racket, but she didn't care. She was shaking, not from being weak, but because she was so mad. She was alive. Again.
Dr. Arden stayed put, blocking the door like a guard. His voice got quieter, calmer, almost trying to talk her into something.
Lyra, you're not okay. You almost died. Just let the doctors check you out.
Lyra pulled her hospital gown tighter around her neck and glared at him. Doctors can't fix what's wrong with me. I don't need fixing. I need answers.
Answers about Kael? He squinted at her.
Her stomach twisted. That name again, said out loud in front of someone who shouldn't know anything about it. She made her face go blank. You heard wrong.
I don't think so. He smirked, like he'd done it a million times. You woke up from a coma and the first thing you said was a name no one here knows. That means it's important. Really important.
Lyra stood up straighter, even though her knees felt like they might give out. It's none of your business.
You think I don't care? You just got a big inheritance, Lyra. You're not just some nobody in this city—you're a target. People will want something from you, whether you like it or not.
Lyra stopped. Her heart started to beat faster. What he said made sense. She knew it too. Power was like blood that attracts sharks.
Her fingers touched her head where she remembered the little girl's touch, a touch that seared her with images. Betrayal. Flames. Poison. Kael's voice cutting through everything.
*Not this time*, she thought. *I won't be a victim again.*
I said I'm leaving, she said again.
A nurse showed up, holding a clipboard and looking panicked. Lyra, you shouldn't be…
Lyra grabbed the pen from the clipboard and signed her name with one quick stroke. I'm checking myself out.
That's not how this works…
It does for me, Lyra snapped, with a cold voice. I am Lyra Thorne. Which means this hospital is only here because of my family's money. You think I can't leave?
The nurse hesitated, her mouth open but nothing coming out.
Dr. Arden kept looking at her. Running won't fix anything.
Lyra's lips turned up, but she wasn't smiling. I'm not running. She took off the gown and grabbed the clothes that were folded on the chair—black pants and a blazer that someone must have sent from home. Thorne colors. Power sewn into every stitch.
As she got dressed, she saw herself in the mirror. Pale skin. Dark circles under her eyes. But there was something else there too—strength. She looked older, tougher, like she'd lived more than one life.
*This time*, she thought, *Kael won't see me coming.*
She put on black heels, straightened the blazer, and turned back to Dr. Arden. Do me a favor, doctor.
He raised an eyebrow. What's that?
Don't get in my way.
For a second, nobody moved. Then Arden smiled a little. I'll be honest, Lyra—I think you're interesting. Even dangerous. But interesting.
Lyra walked past him, her perfume filling the air. The hallway was wide and empty, but with every step, it felt less like a hospital and more like a battlefield.
The world was waiting.
And she was ready.
She walked out of the hospital even as the rain poured down . Cameras went crazy the second she showed her face—reporters shouted questions, shoving microphones at her.
Miss Thorne, how do you feel about being the only one left alive in your family?
Is it true you get everything now?
Did you really wake up calling some guy's name?
Her bodyguards pushed through the crowd, keeping everyone away from her. Lyra didn't say a word. She got into the black car, and the doors slammed shut, cutting off the noise.
As the car drove off, rain hitting the windows, she finally let out a breath. Her fingers touched the cold glass.
Alive. Richer than ever. People were scared of her.
But… she was being hunted.
The driver looked at her in the rearview mirror. He looked too long. Too hard.
Lyra's breath caught in her throat.
She didn't know him.
Miss Thorne, the guy said smoothly, smiling in a way that wasn't really friendly. Glad you could join the living.
Her heart jumped into her throat. She froze, her hand moving toward the door handle.
The driver smiled wider.
I was starting to think you'd sleep forever.