The room stayed silent after my father's words.
A strange tension settled in the air, thick and uncomfortable.
'Dominic Blackwood does not seem like a man willing to simply walk away'.
The sentence repeated in my head. I forced my expression to remain calm, but a faint unease crept into my chest.
Because my father was right about one thing.
Dominic was not the kind of man who accepted defeat easily.
Clara cleared her throat softly behind me.
"Well", she said carefully, "maybe he's just surprised".
My father scoffed.
"Dominic Blackwood doesn't get surprised".
I folded my arms.
"That doesn't change anything".
"Oh?"
"You ended a public wedding with him".
"Yes".
"You humiliated him".
"That wasn't my intention".
"But it happened".
My father leaned against the desk.
"And powerful men don't forget humiliation".
I held his gaze steadily.
"Then he'll have to deal with it".
My father studied me for several seconds like he was seeing a stranger.
"You're different today".
Clara muttered under her breath, "You have no idea".
My father ignored her.
"What changed?"
Everything.
But I couldn't explain that.
So I simply said, "I grew up".
He looked unconvinced.
"People don't grow up overnight".
Sometimes they do.
Sometimes death forces them to.
My mother finally spoke again, her voice gentle.
"Seraphina... are you certain you won't regret this decision?"
I paused.
In my first life, regret had been my closest companion.
Regret for loving the wrong man. Regret for ignoring the truth..Regret for wasting years chasing someone who never looked back.
But now....
"No", I said quietly.
"I won't".
My father exhaled sharply.
"Fine".
His voice turned cold again.
"If that's your attitude, then you'll deal with the consequences yourself".
"I already expected that".
"You won't receive any help from this family if the Blackwoods decide to retaliate".
Clara's head snapped up.
"Retaliate?"
My father didn't answer her.
His eyes stayed on me.
"You've made your choice".
"Yes".
"Then live with it".
With that, he picked up the newspaper again and sat down behind the desk, clearly dismissing me.
The conversation was over.
Clara nudged my arm.
"That's our cue".
I nodded slightly.
"Goodnight, father".
He didn't respond.
My mother gave me a worried look as I turned toward the door. Clara followed me quickly into the hallway.
The moment the study door closed behind us, she let out a long breath.
"Wow".
"What?"
"That was intense".
I walked slowly down the hallway.
"Yes".
She jogged slightly to catch up with me.
"You realize something though, right?"
"What?"
"You basically declared war on two powerful families today".
"I didn't declare war".
Clara raised an eyebrow.
"You canceled a billionaire's wedding in front of the entire city".
She paused.
"That's basically a declaration of war".
I sighed softly.
"Let's hope Dominic is more reasonable than my father thinks".
Clara made a doubtful sound.
"From what I know about Dominic Blackwood.."
She shook her head.
"...reasonable isn't the word people usually use".
We reached the staircase and began walking upstairs.
The house felt unusually quiet tonight.
Probably because the entire staff had already heard about the scandal.
Clara leaned closer.
"So what's your plan now?"
"Plan?"
"Yes, you just changed your entire future".
She gestured dramatically.
"What happens next?"
I stopped halfway up the stairs.
That question had been lingering in my mind since we left the hotel.
In my first life, everything had revolved around Dominic.
My choices. My time.
My future.
Now that he was gone from the center of my life...
What did I want?
Clara waited expectantly.
"Well?"
"I'm not sure yet".
She looked surprised.
"You don't know?"
"No".
"That's rare".
I smiled faintly.
"I've spent too many years living for someone else".
Clara softened slightly.
"That's true".
She hooked her arm through mine again.
"Then maybe this is a good thing".
"Maybe".
"For the first time in your life, you can actually decide what you want".
We reached my bedroom door.
Clara pushed it open dramatically.
"Ladies and gentlemen", she announced to the empty room, "the bride has officially returned".
I rolled my eyes.
"Stop calling me that".
"But it's funny".
I stepped inside and immediately kicked off my heels..My feet sighed in relief.
Clara collapsed onto the bed.
"I'm so exhausted".
"You didn't do anything".
"I survived a social catastrophe, that counts as emotional labor"
She grabbed one of my pillows and hugged it.
"So...."
Her eyes sparkled mischievously.
"What if Dominic comes after you?"
I froze slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean", she said casually, "what if he suddenly decides he actually wants you?"
I stared at her.
"That's ridiculous".
"Is it?"
"Yes".
Clara shrugged.
"Men are weird".
"Dominic is not 'weird.'"
"No, he's worse".
She sat up.
"He's competitive".
I frowned slightly.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Everything".
She pointed a finger at me.
"You took something from him today".
"I canceled a wedding".
"Exactly".
Clara leaned forward dramatically.
"And powerful men hate losing".
I crossed my arms.
"He didn't lose anything".
"Oh really?"
She smirked.
"You rejected him publicly".
I didn't respond.
Because part of me knew she had a point.
Clara flopped back onto the bed again.
"Well, whatever happens.."
She yawned.
"...today was legendary".
"I need a moment", I told her.
I walked toward the large window overlooking the garden. The sun was beginning to set.
The sky changed to orange and gold. For the first time that day, everything felt still.
Peaceful.
Clara watched me from the bed.
"You're thinking again".
"Yes".
"About Dominic?"
Maybe. Or maybe about everything.
My second life.
The choices I was making.
The unknown future ahead of me.
Clara sat up suddenly.
"Wait".
She grabbed her phone.
"You need to see this".
"What?"
"The internet is exploding".
I turned toward her as she held up the screen for me to see.
Headlines filled every news site.
BLACKWOOD—VALE WEDDING CANCELED MINUTES BEFORE CEREMONY
MYSTERY SURROUNDS BILLIONAIRE WEDDING SCANDAL
WHO WALKED AWAY–THE BRIDE OR THE GROOM?
My stomach twisted slightly.
Clara scrolled further.
"Oh wow..."
"What?"
"People are already making theories".
"Of course they are".
"Some say Dominic dumped you".
I raised an eyebrow.
"That is nonsense".
"Others say you ran away".
"That one's closer".
"And some people think there was a secret affair".
I laughed softly.
"Humans love drama".
Clara suddenly stopped scrolling.
"Wait".
Her expression changed.
"What?"
She turned the phone toward me.
A new article had just appeared. But it wasn't gossip.
It was a photograph of Dominic Blackwood leaving the hotel earlier with his usual calm expression.
Underneath the photo was a single quote from a reporter who had shouted a question.
Reporter: "Mr. Blackwood, do you have any comment about the canceled wedding?"
Dominic's answer was printed below.
Just one sentence, yet my heart skipped when I read it.
"Some things are not finished yet".
Clara looked at me slowly.
"Well..."
She leaned back against the pillows, "That doesn't sound ominous at all".
I stared at the phone screen.
A strange chill ran down my spine.
Because suddenly...
I remembered something from my previous life.
Dominic Blackwood never chased anything.
If something left his life...
He let it go.
Without hesitation.
Without emotion.
So why now?
Why did it feel like this time...
He wasn't letting go?
Clara yawned loudly.
"Anyway", she said, tossing the phone aside.
"That's tomorrow's problem".
She stretched her arms.
"I'm staying here tonight, by the way".
"You're not going home?"
"Nope".
She grinned.
"You might need emotional support when your father wakes up angry again".
"That's fair".
Clara lay back on the bed and closed her eyes.
But I remained standing by the window.
The sky had turned dark now.
The city lights switched on in the distance.
Somewhere out there...
Dominic Blackwood was probably sitting in his office or penthouse, perfectly calm while the entire city discussed the canceled wedding.
And for the first time...
I realized something strange.
In my previous life, I had spent years chasing him.
Begging silently for his
attention. For his love.
But now that I had walked away...
And for the first time in years, I felt like my life belonged to me again.
My phone suddenly buzzed in my hand.
Clara glanced up.
"Uh-oh".
"What?"
"That's the sound of drama".
I looked down at the screen.
My heart stopped for half a second. Unknown number.
But somehow...
I already knew who it was.
Clara sat up immediately.
"Who is it?"
I didn't answer.
Instead, I opened the message.
Three simple words appeared on the screen.
Dominic Blackwood:
We need to talk.
Clara slowly slid off the bed and walked toward me.
Her eyes widened when she saw the name.
"Oh".
I stared at the message.
My chest tightened slightly.
Of course.
The story wasn't over yet.
Clara whispered dramatically beside me.
"The villain has entered the chat".
I elbowed her lightly.
"He's not a villain".
"Debatable".
My phone buzzed again.
Another message.
Dominic Blackwood:
Tomorrow. 10 AM.
Clara leaned closer.
"Wow".
Then she grinned wickedly.
"He didn't even ask".
I frowned.
"That's just how he talks".
"Bossy billionaire energy".
I sighed softly.
The last time Dominic had texted me in my previous life.....
It had been while I was dying on the highway.
'Stop pretending to be sick'.
My fingers tightened slightly around the phone.
Clara noticed immediately.
"You don't have to meet him".
"I know".
"But you probably will".
I nodded slowly.
"Yes".
"Why?"
Because unfinished things have a way of returning.
Because Dominic Blackwood was not the kind of man who ignored loose ends.
And because..
A quiet voice inside me whispered that this meeting might change everything.
I typed a simple reply.
Seraphina:
Fine.
Then I turned off the screen.
Clara grinned like she had just discovered the beginning of a new drama series.
"Well", she said.
"Tomorrow should be interesting".
I looked out the window again. The city lights flickered in the distance like thousands of watching eyes.
Yes.
Tomorrow would definitely be interesting.
Because I was about to meet Dominic Blackwood again.
Not as his bride.
Not as the woman hopelessly in love with him.
But as someone completely different.
And something told me...
Dominic Blackwood was about to discover that too.