[5:00 PM — THE LANGFORD'S VILLA]
Poppy Langford's breaths came in shallow gasps. Blood slid down her forehead, blinding one eye, but she forced herself to stay awake.
Her vision swam, but she could still see the shattered glass, the blood pooling around her body, and the traumatizing face of the man towering above her.
Her own husband, James Langford.
His face twisted in rage, veins straining at his neck. For a moment, she almost couldn't believe it. But the searing pain in her ribs reminded her he had done it.
The man she had loved, trusted, devoted three years of her life to… had shoved her into the glass table without hesitation.
Poppy's entire body trembled, yet, her hand clutched tightly to the memory card hidden inside her bra, protecting it with the last shred of her strength.
"You think you can ruin me? You think anyone will believe you?!" His voice thundered in the room.
"James, hurry!" Sarah's panicked cry echoed as she clutched her stomach. Her face was pale with fear. "The card—she still has it! Don't let her take us down!"
A tear slipped down the side of Poppy's face.
Three years. That's how long she'd been married to James. On their wedding eve, he'd brought his sister to their matrimonial home.
For three years, he made her care for her, pamper her, and even give up her career for her.
But earlier today, their wedding anniversary, Poppy returned from shopping and saw the truth with her own eyes.
Sarah, the woman James had always introduced as his sister, was not his sister. She was his lover!
She caught them making love in their living room!
She hadn't wanted to believe it. She'd thought she was hallucinating.
But the hidden camera she set up to capture their anniversary joy had captured the betrayal.
And when she confronted them, when she tried to expose the truth, James had shoved her into the glass table like she was nothing.
Poppy's grip tightened. No matter how much her vision blurred, she would not let go. This card was her only weapon. Her only revenge.
She was going to upload this to every social media platform and show the entire world just how shameless her husband and their favorite top model was. After all, they were both in the showbiz.
But then—
"She still refuses to let go?!" Another sharp voice sneered.
Poppy forced her eyes toward it despite her weakness.
Her chest burned with pain as she stared at Claudia Langford, James's mother who stood close to Sarah with a livid face.
Her mother-in-law had come to visit two days ago, and had been staying in their villa since then.
Instead of helping her, she rushed forward and clawed at Poppy's fingers to steal the card.
And when she couldn't, she rained kicks on Poppy's broken body. "You dare threaten us, you fat, useless wretch?!"
Poppy's cry tore from her throat, blood staining her lips. The pain was unbearable, yet she refused to let go.
She'd always known Claudia never liked her. She wasn't even shocked Claudia picked James's side after she walked in on her confrontation with them earlier.
But she never expected her to do something like this.
"You should be grateful Sarah is giving James a child! You've done nothing but take up space in this house!" Claudia spat, still kicking her.
Oh yeah, she forgot to mention. Sarah was pregnant for James.
When Poppy still didn't bulge, James joined his mother. His shoes slammed into her ribs, her stomach, her face. Again and again.
Poppy's body was breaking, yet her fingers refused to let go of the card.
Her bloodied lips parted, but no sound came out. She just lay there, watching her life flash before her eyes, and every memory turning into ashes.
As the light dimmed from her vision, her last thought wasn't sorrow.
It was rage.
She had given her life to James. Loved him. Trusted him. And he had killed her with his own hands.
If she lived again… she would make them all pay.
...
The world suddenly smelled like something was burning.
Panicked, Poppy's eyes snapped open. She sat up immediately, gasping loudly.
Her hands trembled as they touched her stomach. She expected to feel where James and Claudia had kicked her, but there was nothing.
No pain. No blood. No bruises.
What the...?
She patted herself once more.
She was alive.
She did a quick check: two arms, two legs... But she froze as her eyes traveled to the rest of her body.
This wasn't her body!
Poppy looked around confused. She wasn't in her matrimonial home or anywhere familiar.
Instead, she was lying on a steel slab, completely naked.
There were rows of cold chambers, metal drawers, and furnaces.
She was in a cremation room, alone.
She hurriedly got down from the slab. Her legs were shaky, but she forced herself to move.
That was when she saw the tag with a name printed in black ink hanging from her toe.
Bella Highland.
As she stared at it, her heart pounded like thunder. "No, no, no... this isn't real!"
She ran to the only available glass she could find in the room—the one on the door.
Staring back was not her. It was a beautiful girl with a perfectly sculpted face.
Poppy tapped mindlessly on her face. The pain told her it was real, but her mind wasn't accepting it.
There was no excess flesh. Her hair too was longer, with a perfect figure she never thought she could have.
Startled, she scrambled to the floor, and held her head when new memories she didn't recognize swam into her head.
Apparently, they were memories from the body she now possessed.
She didn't even realize when tears slipped down her face.
These memories were filled with abuses, maltreatments, and pain from the people she called family, till she was finally killed in the most cruel way.
She was left to die on a highway by her half-sister.
Poppy closed her eyes, and when they opened again, they were cold.
Two lives and two sets of memories were now tangled in her mind.
It took her some time to understand.
She blinked softly, thankful she was alive.
She would live on.
And she was going to take revenge on everyone who had hurt them both.
Suddenly, she heard the lazy slapping of flip-flops on the hospital's tiles approaching the room.
The sound stopped directly in front of the room.
Poppy panicked because she was naked, but quickly decided it was better since she was going to get help.
She waited and when no one came in, she slowly peeked through the squared glass on the door, only for her eyes to capture the most beautiful face she'd ever seen.
"What the...!" The man flinched at her sight.
Poppy bit her bottom lips, feeling guilty for scaring him, but, "H-hi... Give me your clothes!" She said desperately.