Ch: 2 THE SECOND CHANCE.

I let out a long breath as I slowly sat up on the bed. My eyes moved around the room. The

beautiful walls. The large mirrors. The neatly arranged furniture. Everything looked familiar. I

reached for the pillow beside me and held it tightly. A pillow? My eyes widened. How was I able

to touch it? What about the chains that had kept my wrists tied to that chair in the dark

basement? What about my weak legs? What about the terrible heat I had felt before everything

went black?

I slowly looked down at my body. I was fine. My hands were fine. My legs were fine. Everything

was fine. Except for my heart. It was beating so fast that I could almost hear it. I swallowed hard

and slowly got off the bed. My legs felt weak as I walked towards the mirror. I was afraid of what

I would see. Maybe my face would be badly damaged. Maybe I was dreaming.

But when I finally looked into the mirror, I froze. My face was perfect. My makeup was still in

place. My dark hair was still neatly styled. There wasn't a single mark on my skin. I raised both

hands and stared at them. They were smooth. They were mine. I touched my face as tears

gathered in my eyes. “How is this possible?”

I had seen the fire. I had felt the fear. I had heard Julian's voice telling me that nobody would

come to save me. I had thought my life was over. So why was I standing here? Alive? I looked

around the room again, trying to understand what was happening. Was this a dream?

My heart pounded harder. I walked towards another mirror on the other side of the room. My

reflection followed me. Beautiful. Young. Alive. Then something caught my attention. A wedding

dress. My wedding dress. It was still on my body. The other dress I had refused to wear was

lying beneath the chair and table nearby. I stared at it for a few seconds.

Then I heard voices outside the room. “The guests are already waiting.” “Everyone wants to see

the bride Julian Pearce chose.” My blood ran cold. Julian. I quickly turned towards the table. My

phone was lying there. I rushed towards it and grabbed it with shaking hands. The moment I

looked at the screen, my eyes widened. The date. The time. The year. I stared at them again.

Then again. Five years. I had gone back five years.

“No…” My lips trembled. “This can't be real.” I rushed back to the mirror. Everything suddenly

became clear. The wedding. The dress. The voices outside. I was back on my wedding day. The

same day I had married the man who would eventually destroy me. And I only had two hours

before I was supposed to walk down that aisle. Two hours. That was all I had.

A cold feeling spread through my body. If I stayed here, everything would happen again. Julian

would marry me. He would gain my trust. He would use my father's company and everything I

had given him. And when I was no longer useful to him, he would get rid of me. Just like before.

He would pretend to mourn me. He would call my death an accident. And he would make sure

no one discovered the truth. Then he would marry Lillian.Lillian. My eyes narrowed. That woman had stood beside Julian while he planned my downfall.

She knew everything. She knew what was going to happen to me, yet she never warned me.

She wanted my place. She wanted my father's empire. And she wanted Julian. She had taken

everything from me. But not this time. I wiped the tears from my face. “I won't let it happen

again.”

I rushed towards the door and locked it. The thought of seeing Julian suddenly made my

stomach turn. I didn't want to hear his voice. I didn't want to see his face. And I definitely wasn't

going to hold his hand and walk down that aisle. If I did that, I would be giving him another

chance to destroy me.

My eyes moved around the room. Then I saw them. Scissors. They were resting on top of some

pieces of fabric near the sewing machine. I walked towards them and picked them up. My hands

were shaking. I looked down at my wedding dress. For a moment, I remembered how happy I

had been when I first wore it. I had believed I was about to marry the man I loved. I had believed

I was going to have a happy marriage. I had been so wrong. A tear rolled down my cheek.

I grabbed the dress and cut it. Once. Twice. Again. I kept cutting until the beautiful wedding

dress was no longer suitable for a wedding. Pieces of white fabric fell to the floor around my

feet. I stared at them. My heart hurt. But beneath the pain, something else was growing.

Determination. I looked at myself in the mirror. For the first time, I didn't see the innocent woman

who had trusted Julian with everything. I saw someone who had been given another chance.

And I wasn't going to waste it.

A loud knock suddenly came from the door. My body froze. “Miss Seraphina?” A woman's voice

came from outside. My eyes widened. They were coming for me. I looked at the destroyed

wedding dress. Then I looked at the window. There was no way I was staying here. Not for

another second.

I rushed towards the window and opened it. The net in front of it stopped me for a moment. I

grabbed it and tore it away. My heart was pounding as I looked outside. I didn't know what

would happen next. I didn't know where I would go. But I knew one thing. I would rather face the

unknown than return to Julian. I climbed through the window. And without looking back at the wedding dress scattered across the floor, I jumped.