Mia's POV
The countdown timer burns in my mind: 71:47:30
Seventy-one hours until the trial. Until I potentially kill everyone I love.
"We need to get you out of here," Adrian says, pulling me toward the exit. Luna is surrounded by confused doctors. My mother and Marcus are already working on damage control, explaining away what just happened with medical jargon that makes no sense.
But I can't stop staring at my hands. I brought someone back from death. I broke the rules of the universe itself.
And now I have three days before the universe breaks me.
"Mia!" Luna's voice cuts through my panic. She's off the operating table now, pushing past the doctors. "What's going on? What happened to me?"
Before I can answer, Sophia's possessed voice echoes through the hospital again: "Tick tock. Tick tock. Death is coming for all of you."
Security guards run past us, trying to find the source of the voice. But I know they won't find Sophia. The Shadow can move her anywhere, make her vanish like smoke.
"We're leaving. NOW." Adrian grabs both Luna and me, pulling us toward the exit.
"I'm not going anywhere until someone tells me what's happening!" Luna plants her feet. "I was hit by a car. I remember dying. And then Mia's hands were glowing and—" She stops, eyes widening. "Oh my god. You brought me back from the dead, didn't you?"
I can't lie to her. Not to Luna. "Yes."
"How is that even possible?"
"It's a long story," my mother says, catching up to us. "And we don't have time to explain. The Shadow knows where we are. It's going to send more than just possessed Sophia next time."
"Shadow? Possessed?" Luna looks between all of us. "Am I having a nightmare? Did I actually die and this is the afterlife?"
"You're alive," I tell her firmly. "And I'm going to make sure you STAY alive. But you have to trust me. Can you do that?"
Luna studies my face for a long moment. Then nods. "You saved my life. Of course I trust you."
We make it to Adrian's car. He drives fast, checking mirrors constantly for anyone following us. Luna sits in the back with me, holding my hand like she's afraid I'll disappear.
"Where are we going?" I ask.
"Somewhere the Shadow can't reach easily," Adrian says. "My family's estate outside the city. It's protected."
"Protected how?"
"My grandfather was one of the reborn," Marcus explains from the front seat. "Before he died permanently, he set up barriers around the estate. Old magic that keeps supernatural things out."
"Old magic," Luna repeats faintly. "This is really happening. Magic is real. Coming back from death is real. I'm not dreaming."
"You're not dreaming," I squeeze her hand. "Welcome to my nightmare."
Adrian's family estate is massive—all stone walls and iron gates. The moment we drive through the entrance, I feel something shift. Like passing through a curtain of static electricity.
"The barrier," my mother explains. "You felt it activate. The Shadow can't follow us past this point."
Luna and I are taken to a guest room. She immediately collapses on the bed, looking exhausted.
"I should be dead," she says quietly. "I felt it, Mia. The moment everything stopped. It was so cold. So quiet. And then I heard your voice calling me back and suddenly I was breathing again."
"I'm sorry," I whisper. "I'm sorry you got hurt because of me. The Shadow used Sophia to hit you with her car. It was trying to stop me from saving you."
"Why would it do that?"
"Because saving you was my regret. The reason I came back." I explain everything—the rebirth, the ninety days, the mission to fix what I came back for. By the time I'm done, Luna is staring at me with wide eyes.
"So you died too. And came back. And now you have magic powers." She processes this. "And in three days, you have to face some kind of cosmic trial or everyone dies."
"Pretty much."
"Well." Luna sits up. "Then we better make sure you're ready."
"You should rest—"
"Rest?" She laughs, but it's shaky. "Mia, you literally brought me back from death. I'm not going to rest while you face the end of the world alone. Whatever this trial is, we face it together."
Tears burn my eyes. This is why Luna is my best friend. Why losing her destroyed me. Because even when faced with impossible things, she stays.
A knock on the door interrupts us. Adrian enters, and he's holding a stunning silver dress.
"We need to talk," he says. "But first, you need to put this on."
I stare at the dress. "Why?"
"Because we're going public with our arrangement. Tonight." He checks his watch. "There's a charity gala in two hours. Every major industry player will be there. Including Victor Kane and his allies."
"You want me to go to a party?" I'm incredulous. "Adrian, I have seventy hours until I potentially doom everyone to death!"
"Exactly. Which means we need to show the world—and the Shadow—that you're not hiding. That you're not afraid." His gray eyes burn into mine. "The Shadow feeds on fear. It wants you cowering and panicking. So we do the opposite. We show up at the biggest event of the season, announce our relationship, and prove that you belong in this world. That you're not going anywhere."
"He's right," my mother says, appearing in the doorway. "The trial will test more than just your power. It'll test your will. Your confidence. Your belief that you deserve to be here. If you show up at that gala like you own the place, you'll be training your mind for the trial."
I look at the dress. It's beautiful—silver fabric that shimmers like starlight. The kind of dress I could never afford in my first life. The kind of dress that screams wealth and power and belonging.
"Okay," I hear myself say. "Let's do it."
Two hours later, I'm standing in front of a mirror, barely recognizing myself. The dress fits perfectly, clinging to my body in all the right places. Luna did my hair and makeup, making my eyes look huge and my lips look full.
"You look like a movie star," Luna breathes.
"I look terrified," I correct.
"That too. But a terrified movie star." She grins. "Go knock them dead. Metaphorically. Please don't actually kill anyone with your death powers."
I laugh despite everything. "I'll try."
Adrian is waiting at the bottom of the stairs. When he sees me, he freezes. Just stares.
"You look..." He trails off.
"Like I'm about to throw up?" I offer.
"Breathtaking," he finishes. He offers his arm. "Ready?"
"No. But let's go anyway."
The drive to the gala is silent. I can feel Adrian's tension radiating off him. Finally, I ask: "Why are you really doing this? The fake relationship, I mean. You said it was to keep gold-diggers away, but that's not the whole truth, is it?"
He's quiet for so long I think he won't answer. Then: "In my first life, I was engaged to someone my family chose. Someone appropriate. She was beautiful, connected, perfect on paper." His jaw clenches. "She was also working with the people who killed me. The ones who cut my brakes. I need the world to think I'm taken so they can't use another woman to get close to me."
"You think your fiancée helped murder you?"
"I know she did. I felt her presence right before I died. Smelled her perfume." His hands tighten on the steering wheel. "So yes, this fake relationship protects both of us. You get my shield against the industry. I get protection against whoever wants me dead."
We pull up to the gala venue. Camera flashes explode immediately. Reporters swarm the car.
"Remember," Adrian says as the valet opens my door. "You belong here. Show them."
He comes around and offers his hand. I take it, letting him pull me from the car.
The cameras go insane. Flashes everywhere. Reporters shouting:
"Mr. Steele! Who is this?"
"Is this your new girlfriend?"
"What's her name?"
Adrian places his hand on my lower back, and the touch burns through the thin fabric of my dress. He leans close, his breath warm against my ear: "Smile. Show them you belong here."
I smile. And for the first time in two lifetimes, it's real. Because standing here, in this dress, with Adrian's hand on my back and cameras flashing—I DO belong.
"This is Mia Chen," Adrian tells the reporters. "My girlfriend. She's a singer with Apex Entertainment. And she's going to be the biggest star you've ever seen."
We walk inside together. The ballroom is enormous, filled with beautiful people in expensive clothes. Everyone turns to stare at us. At me.
I spot Victor Kane across the room. His face goes purple with rage when he sees me on Adrian's arm.
And standing next to Victor, wearing a tight red dress and a smile full of venom, is Sophia.
But her eyes are clear now. No possession. Just pure human hatred.
She walks straight toward us, and I tense, ready for a confrontation.
But she doesn't attack. She just leans close and whispers: "Enjoy tonight, Mia. Because in seventy hours, you're going to die. And this time, your boyfriend can't save you. Nobody can."
She walks away, leaving me frozen.
"Ignore her," Adrian says.
But I can't. Because Sophia's eyes weren't just full of hate. They were full of knowledge.
Like she knows exactly what the trial will be.
Like she knows I'm going to fail.
My phone buzzes. Another message from unknown number. I open it with shaking hands.
It's a photo of the gala. Of me and Adrian. Taken from inside the ballroom.
Which means whoever sent it is here right now. Watching us.
The text below reads:
"The trial isn't in three days, Mia. It starts NOW. Look around. Everyone at this gala is playing a part in your test. Some will help you. Most will try to destroy you. And one of them is going to kill Adrian in the next hour. Can you figure out who before it's too late? The clock is ticking. Choose wrong, and everyone dies. -The Universe"
I look up, scanning the crowd with new eyes.
Every single person here could be the killer.
And I have one hour to figure out who.