Chapter 003: A second chance

003.

|• DELORES

Darkness.

It was the last thing I remembered.

The cold, the smell of smoke, and the taste of blood on my lips. The truck’s horn still echoed somewhere deep in my mind, and Aaron’s name flashing on my cracked phone screen…

Then silence.

I thought that was the end.

But when my eyes opened again, I wasn’t surrounded by twisted metal or the sound of sirens. I was lying on a soft bed. The air smelled of antiseptic and something faintly floral. There was warm sunlight streaming in through white curtains.

My head throbbed. My throat felt dry. I blinked, trying to make sense of everything.

Where was I?

I turned my head slowly and saw an IV line attached to my arm. My heart skipped a beat. The steady beeping of a heart monitor filled the quiet room.

Was I… alive?

A nurse rushed in almost immediately, her eyes widening. “Mrs. Aaron, you’re awake!”

Mrs. Aaron.

My stomach twisted. I knew that name too well, and it filled me with so much hurt and anger.

“What… what happened?” My voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.

“You fainted at work, ma’am,” she said softly, adjusting the IV drip. “You’ve been unconscious for almost a day now. The doctor will be here soon to explain the results.”

Fainted at work? Results?

That didn’t make sense. I wasn’t working. I was supposed to be… dead. What the heck was happening?

I sat still for a while, trying to think. Memories began rushing in, and something clicked in my head.

My breathing hitched. “What day is it?”

She looked confused but answered kindly. “It’s June 14th, 2024.”

June 14th?

No. That was 2 years ago. Two years before the accident. The year I found out I had kidney failure.

My chest tightened as my eyes darted around the room. The walls, the flowers on the table, even the faint hum of the air conditioner—all of it felt familiar.

I sat up abruptly, ignoring the dizziness that followed. “Where’s Aaron?”

“He was here a few minutes ago, but he stepped out to take a call. Should I tell him you’re awake?”

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding painfully. “No,” I whispered. “Please don’t.”

The nurse nodded and left quietly.

The moment the door shut, I pressed my shaking hands to my face.

This couldn’t be real. I had died. I was sure of it. I felt the life leave my body. I felt the coldness that took over and the darkness swallowing me whole. I felt everything.

And yet, here I was… breathing again. Back in a time when Aaron began to neglect me. The beginning of when everything began to fall apart.

Right after I quit my job.

Tears welled up in my eyes, but this time, they weren’t from pain alone. They were also from disbelief.

Was this a dream? A second chance? A punishment?

I didn’t know.

But one thing was clear. This was the day everything began to fall apart. The day I fainted and the doctor told me I had kidney failure.

This time, I wouldn’t let it end the same way.

I wiped my tears slowly and stared out the window. The sunlight felt different now. It felt softer, brighter, and almost like hope.

If I really had been given another chance, I was going to use it. I would not waste my days crying over a man who never loved me. I wouldn’t live to please anyone else. Not my mother, not Victor, not Aaron.

This time, I would live for me.

And if fate thought it could play games with me again, it was about to meet a very different Delores Monroe.

The door creaked open quietly, and I looked up.

Aaron stood there.

For a moment, everything inside me went still. The sight of him felt like a knife twisting in my chest. His tall frame filled the doorway, his hair slightly messy and his tie loosened like he had rushed here. His deep hazel eyes—those same eyes that used to make my heart flutter—now just made it ache.

He looked… different. His usual cold expression was gone, replaced with genuine worry. His jaw clenched slightly when he saw me awake, and he exhaled, his shoulders dropping in visible relief.

“Delores,” he breathed, stepping closer. “You’re awake. God, you scared me.”

Scared him?

I wanted to laugh, but the sound stuck in my throat.

This was the same man who had watched me fade away for two years and barely cared. The same man whose phone meant more to him than I ever did. Whose work, fame and greed meant everything to him, while I was just like a tiny buzz in his ear. Now he suddenly looked at me like I mattered?

I forced a weak smile. “I’m fine.”

He moved closer, his hand reaching to brush my hair back, but I flinched and turned my face away.

Aaron froze. “Delores?”

“I said I’m fine,” I repeated, my tone sharp.

Confusion flickered across his face. “What’s wrong? Did I… do something?”

I looked at him properly this time. His usually polished look was rough around the edges, his shirt slightly wrinkled, eyes red from what seemed like sleeplessness. Maybe in this timeline, he still cared at least a little. But I already knew where that caring would lead. I’d seen the end.

“A lot,” I said quietly.

His brows furrowed. “What do you mean by that?”

Before I could respond, the door opened again. The doctor walked in, holding a file and a clipboard. His expression was careful, the same way it had been the first time I heard those words.

“Mrs. Aaron,” he said, glancing briefly at my husband before looking back at me. “I’d like to go over your test results.”

I turned my gaze to Aaron. “Could you give us a moment?”

He blinked, clearly thrown off. “You don’t want me to stay?”

“No,” I said calmly. “I’d rather you didn’t hear this.”

“Delores…” his voice softened, confusion and hurt mixing in his tone. “Why are you acting like this?”

I met his eyes, and for a moment, the pain of knowing how our story would end nearly broke me. But I kept my voice steady. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

He studied me for a moment, like he was trying to read the meaning behind my words. Then he nodded slowly and leaned in, trying to kiss my forehead the way he used to.

I turned away. His lips brushed the air instead of my skin.

“Aaron,” I whispered, “please go.”

He straightened, his expression darkening with confusion, maybe even guilt. “Fine,” he murmured. “I’ll wait outside.”

When the door closed behind him, I finally exhaled.

The doctor hesitated before sitting down. “Mrs. Aaron… the results show your kidneys aren’t functioning properly. You’re in the early stages of renal failure. We’ll need to run more tests and discuss long-term options like dialysis or—”

“I know,” I interrupted softly.

He blinked. “You… know?”

I nodded, my voice calm, almost detached. “You don’t have to explain it again, doctor. I understand everything.”

He looked at me, clearly expecting shock or tears, but I gave him none. My expression stayed blank, my eyes dry. After a few seconds, he nodded awkwardly, murmured something about scheduling follow-up appointments, and left the room.

Silence settled again.

I looked out the door for what felt like hours, expecting mum and Victor to walk in, but they never did. I shouldn’t have even hoped they would. They never showed up that day either.

I leaned back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling. The same ceiling I had once cried under, terrified and broken. But this time, there were no tears. There was no panic. Just clarity.

The universe had given me another chance.

I was going to use it wisely.

I turned to the bedside table, grabbed my phone, and unlocked it. My reflection on the screen stared back at me—weak, pale, but alive.

And I would rise again, not as Aaron’s wife, not as someone’s daughter, but as Delores Monroe, the actress Los Angeles would never forget.

My fingers dialed a familiar number.

“Hello?” came a deep, polite voice on the other end.

“Mr. Pierce,” I said, my tone calm. “I need you to prepare something for me.”