Blood filled Sofia Evans's mouth as she lay on the cold street, the distant city lights blurring into streaks of red and gold. Her body wouldn't move, every breath like knives cutting into her lungs. Somewhere in the haze of pain, she realized this was the end.
A hollow laugh slipped past her cracked lips. "Thirty years old… and I end like this?" Her life had been a relentless chase for money, success, and pride. She thought the emptiness inside would vanish once she climbed high enough, but in the end, none of it mattered. She was dying alone.
Only one name echoed in her heart. Aurora Calven. The woman she had once held so close, the woman she walked away from, the woman she never stopped loving. Tears stung her eyes as regret tore her chest apart. "Aurora… I'm sorry."
If only she had another chance. If only she could turn back time, she would never let go. But as her vision darkened and her body grew cold, that wish faded with her last breath.
Silence.
Then—
"Hey! Sofia! What are you doing? The professor's here!"
Her eyes flew open. She wasn't on the street. There was no blood, no pain. Instead, she sat upright at a desk, a textbook open before her. Around her, students laughed, whispered, and flipped through their notes as if nothing was wrong.
Her heartbeat thundered in her chest. "This… this can't be real."
Hands trembling, she pulled out her phone. The date on the glowing screen nearly made her drop it. Seven years ago.
Her lips parted in disbelief. "I… came back?"
Rebirth. A second chance. The heavens had granted her a miracle she did not deserve. This time, she swore she would live differently—fight harder, love wiser, and never repeat the mistakes of her past.
And most of all, she would never cross paths with Aurora Calven again.
But fate, cruel as ever, had already made its choice.