3

Elena

I stood up from the bed and walked slowly toward the floor-length mirror in the corner of my master bedroom. I turned around, checking my reflection from every angle in disbelief.

My skin was radiant, smooth, and full of life—not the gray, sunken, hollow mess I had died with in that hospital bed.

I gently cupped my cheeks, admiring the face I had once taken for granted. I was never the type of woman who stared at herself in the mirror, but today, seeing my healthy self again felt like a miracle.

I glanced back down at the phone still clutched in my hand, my thumb swiping the screen awake to check the time.

1:58 p.m.

I knew what today was. Today was the day my mother-in-law was scheduled to barge into my bedroom, sobbing fake tears to announce that her son had “died” in a tragic car accident. It was nearly 2:00 p.m., and by 2:30 p.m., the curtain on their grand lie would rise.

Barely thirty minutes. Thirty minutes to steady myself, to think, to prepare for the performance of my life before the first act even began.

Before I dealt with them, I had a far more urgent priority: I needed to verify whether the poison was already running through my veins.

I threw on a crisp dress, grabbed my handbag, and marched toward the driveway where my luxury sedan should have been parked, only to stare at the empty pavement. I had forgotten. I had already given Adrian my car to “sell” when he claimed his company was on the brink of bankruptcy.

Soon, he would fake his own death in a staged accident, using the proceeds from selling my car and the loan he’d taken out under my name—my stolen identity, my signature forged—to disappear and start a new life with Vivian, who was already carrying his child.

Was I really this much of a fool in my past life? Handing over my car, letting Adrian’s name sit on the deed, never once thinking to read the fine print of anything I signed.

Not this time, I swore to myself. I will tear their dream life apart piece by piece.

I pulled my phone from my bag and dialed a number I hadn’t called in years—the best friend Adrian had manipulated me into cutting off.

The call connected. “Who is this?” a guardedly cold voice asked.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, letting out a soft sigh. “I’m so sorry, Roxy.”

Silence stretched over the line before she scoffed. “You’re sorry?”

Roxy was the only person who had stood by me when the rest of the world turned its back on me in my past life. Even after I pushed her away, she was the one who helped me find work to pay off the debt faster. In this second chance at life, I was going to fix every single mistake I had made—starting with her.

“Yes,” I whispered. “Please... forgive me, Roxy.”

“Where are you right now?” she demanded, the sharpness in her voice instantly softening into concern.

“I’m standing outside my house,” I said. “Are you free to pick me up?”

“Don’t move. I’m on my way.”

I stood by the gates, waiting. Within fifteen minutes, a sleek red hatchback pulled up to the curb, screeching to a halt right in front of me.

“Hop in,” Roxy called out, unlocking the passenger door.

I opened the door and slid into the leather seat.

She turned to stare at me, her eyebrows furrowed. “Alright, what is going on with you?”

“Nothing,” I murmured, leaning over to look at her. “I just missed you.”

Roxy rolled her eyes dramatically. “Do you honestly expect me to buy that after years of ghosting me?”

“I know I was an idiot for listening to that bastard,” I confessed softly.

SCREECH!

Roxy slammed her foot on the brakes so hard the tires squealed against the pavement, nearly sending us both through the windshield. She threw her car into park and immediately pressed the back of her hand against my forehead.

“Okay, your body temperature is normal, but I think your brain has finally rotted—”

“Say no more,” I cut in, grabbing her hand and holding it tight. “The Elena who was an easily manipulated fool is dead. The Elena sitting next to you right now is wide awake. I am so, so sorry for everything, Roxy. I was a complete idiot for believing Adrian’s cheap lie that you were just jealous of my marriage.”

Roxy stared at me as if I had suddenly started speaking an alien language. I pouted, exaggerating a cute, pleading expression I hadn’t used since our college days.

Without saying another word, Roxy let out a loud sigh, pulled me into a fierce, bone-crushing hug, and buried her face in my shoulder.

“You know I can never stay mad at you when you act like a pitiful puppy,” she grumbled into my hair, holding me tight.

I hugged her back just as hard, letting the warmth of a real friend wash over my soul.

“Let’s go to my apartment,” Roxy suggested, pulling back and starting the engine again.

“Before that... take me to the central hospital,” I requested softly.

Roxy froze, her hands tightening on the steering wheel. “What?! Are you sick? What hurts?” She began frantically examining my arms and face.

“Nothing hurts right now,” I assured her. “I just need to run a quick test.”

Without pushing me for details she knew I wasn’t ready to give, Roxy nodded, put the car in drive, and sped off toward the medical center.

Minutes later, we stepped into the bright, sterile lobby of the hospital. Roxy stood right beside me, her eyes wide with shock as I walked up to the reception desk and addressed the nurse on duty.

“I need a blood draw done immediately,” I said. “A toxicology screen—heavy metals and common poisons—and a full hormone panel. Tell whoever reads it I want anything abnormal flagged and rushed, whatever that costs.”

The nurse studied me for a moment before nodding and handing me the intake forms. “We can run a rapid toxin screen today—that part’s fast. The hormone panel usually goes out to an outside lab, so that one will take a couple of days. But if anything on it comes back critical, we can flag it for an expedited read.”

“That’s fine,” I said. “Just make sure it’s flagged.”

A phlebotomist drew several vials of my blood and asked us to wait in the private lounge.

We sat side by side on the vinyl chairs in total silence. Roxy read the heavy aura surrounding me, breaking the quiet with a gentle voice.

“You’ve changed, Elena,” she whispered, reaching out to squeeze my hand. “I won’t force you to tell me what happened... but whatever war you’re fighting, I’m standing right beside you.”

Tears blurred my vision as I looked at her. Roxy.

We wrapped our arms around each other in a silent pact. Just as I pulled back, the harsh, buzzing ringtone of my phone blasted from inside my handbag.

I pulled it out and looked at the flashing screen. I didn’t even need to check the caller ID to know who it was.

2:30 p.m.

My mother-in-law was calling. The game was on.