The storm outside raged as if the heavens themselves mourned her fate.
Lightning cracked across the sky, illuminating the luxurious villa where Elena Zhou stumbled backward, her trembling hands pressed against her abdomen. Warm blood seeped through her fingers, staining the silk gown she had worn for tonight's celebration.
Her vision swam, but she could still make out the two silhouettes standing before her.
Adrian Chen. The man she had loved with every fiber of her being. The man she had sacrificed her dignity, her fortune, and her future for.
And beside him—Lila. Her best friend since childhood, now leaning smugly against his chest as though she had already won.
Elena's lips quivered. "Adrian… why?" Her voice cracked, raw with disbelief.
In her mind flashed a thousand memories:
Selling her late father's company to fund Adrian's first business venture.
Enduring his family's insults while smiling, just to stand proudly by his side.
Staying up countless nights, cooking for him, nursing his fevers, comforting his insecurities.
Everything she had, she had given to him.
Yet here he was—knife still dripping with her blood, eyes devoid of affection.
Adrian's smile was cold, a cruel twist of lips she no longer recognized. "Why?" he echoed, his tone dripping with mockery. "Because you were convenient, Elena. Naïve enough to believe in love, foolish enough to hand over everything. Did you really think you were worthy of me?"
Her heart clenched so violently she thought it might burst.
Lila's laughter rang out, sharp and venomous. "Oh, Elena… you pathetic little thing. Always so self-righteous, always bragging about how much Adrian loved you. Look at you now—bleeding on the floor like the useless fool you are."
"Lila…" Elena's voice trembled. "You were my sister… I trusted you—"
"Trust?" Lila sneered, her manicured nails tracing circles on Adrian's arm. "Trust is for idiots. While you wasted years playing housewife, I was by his side—his real partner, his real love. Did you never wonder why he came home late? Why he never touched you? He was with me all along."
Each word was a dagger stabbing deeper into Elena's soul. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the marble floor with a dull thud. Blood spread beneath her, staining the white stone like an ugly flower.
Tears blurred her sight, but she forced herself to look at Adrian one last time. "I gave you everything… Adrian. My family's legacy, my heart… my life."
Adrian crouched down, his eyes gleaming with cruelty. He leaned close enough for her to feel his breath. "And that's exactly why you're a loser. Love makes people weak. You were weak, Elena. And I don't need weakness in my world."
He stood and brushed off his suit as if her blood disgusted him.
Her chest tightened. Air refused to enter her lungs. The edges of her vision darkened, pulling her into a spiral of despair.
Yet even as her body gave way, her heart screamed with refusal.
No… this can't be it. Not like this. I can't die betrayed. I can't…
Her final tear slid down her cheek. The world grew silent. And then—nothing.
---
The next moment—
A sharp, ragged breath tore from Elena's throat. Her eyes shot open, her body drenched in cold sweat.
She sat up abruptly, clutching her chest. Her gaze darted wildly around the room. Instead of the grand villa's bloodstained marble, she saw the cramped familiarity of… her university dormitory?
Her heart hammered violently. The posters on the wall, the cheap desk lamp, the textbooks scattered about—it was all too familiar.
She stumbled to her feet and rushed to the mirror.
What stared back was a face she hadn't seen in years. Youthful. Innocent. Untouched by betrayal. Her skin glowed with vitality, her eyes were clear—not the exhausted, hollow gaze of the woman who had just died.
Her hands trembled as she touched her reflection. "This… this is me… but younger?"
Memories flooded in—Lila's mocking laughter, Adrian's cold betrayal, her own pitiful death on the marble floor.
"No… impossible," she whispered, tears spilling freely.
But the calendar on her desk confirmed it—she was five years in the past. The very year she had first met Adrian. The very year her nightmare began.
Her nails dug into her palms until they drew blood. A cold, dangerous fire lit up in her chest.
> If heaven has given me another chance… then I'll never be that foolish woman again.
Her lips curved into a bitter smile, a smile sharper than any blade.
This time, I'll take back everything that belongs to me. Adrian, Lila—wait for me. I'll make you regret ever betraying Elena Zhou.
The storm outside still raged, but within her, a darker storm had awakened.
And this time, she would not be the one to fall.