The metallic scent of blood filled the air.
Lying on the cold marble floor, Lin Xinyi could barely move. Her wedding gown was stained crimson, her vision blurring as the voices of those she once loved echoed in her ears.
"Pathetic." Her fiancé, Chen Yuze, sneered as he loosened his tie, looking down at her broken form. "Did you really think I married you out of love? You were nothing but a stepping stone. Now that I have everything I want, you can go die like the fool you are."
Beside him, her half-sister laughed coldly. "Sister, you were always so stupid. Did you really think Father loved you more than me? Everything you had was meant to be mine. And now—it is."
Their laughter sliced through her like knives.
Her last breath left her lips, and darkness swallowed her whole.
---
When Lin Xinyi opened her eyes again, she sat bolt upright.
She wasn't in blood… nor in the cold wedding hall where her life had ended.
Instead, she was in her old bedroom, surrounded by the familiar scent of sandalwood.
Her trembling hands reached for the mirror. The reflection staring back at her was young, vibrant—five years younger.
Her chest tightened.
"This… this is before the wedding. Before everything went wrong."
Memories of betrayal flashed in her mind like lightning. Tears blurred her vision, but this time, her lips curved into a cold, determined smile.
The heavens had given her a second chance.
She would never be weak again.
She would never trust the wrong people again.
And if they wanted her to be a pawn, then she would rewrite the entire game.