Chapter 2

The day moved slowly, as if afraid to wake.

Aurelia spent the morning pacing the length of her room, each step quiet against the rug, each breath measured like she might wake something if she dared to exhale too loudly. The shawl still clung to her shoulders — her mother’s scent faint but grounding, the soft fabric offering what logic could not.

Her mind replayed the earlier hours in uneven fragments: the gift, the clock, her father’s words — I’ll never let anything happen to you. Every detail was too perfect, too rehearsed. The world around her felt polished and familiar in the worst way, like a dream she’d already tried to escape once.

The air was still warm from the sun climbing higher, light spilling across her desk where the shadows of the curtains swayed. She stared at the digital clock again. 4 in the afternoon.

She remembered that in the dream — or whatever it had been — this was the time when she was practically day dreaming about her future with Owen. Now the same thought made her feel Nauseous. But today, she had no plans of thinking the same..She’d already thrown his gift away, and with it, the version of herself who still entertained that future.

It’s not real. It’s just déjà vu.

Yet the world felt heavier — the colors sharper, the silence thicker. Even the air held weight, like it was waiting for something.

Then came the soft knock.

Aurelia froze, her pulse thundering in her ears.

It was gentle — rhythmic — as if whoever stood outside had done this before.

She hesitated before opening it.

The maid from the morning stood there again, her expression polite but wary, as if she’d been warned of Aurelia’s strange mood.

Liana—stepped in, carrying a pale cream box tied with a golden ribbon. She looked a little breathless, as if she had hurried all the way from the main hall.

“This just arrived for you, Miss Aurelia,” she said with a polite bow.

“It was left at the front gate. The guards checked it—no sender’s name, but they said it’s safe.”

Aurelia took it without a word, her fingers trembling as the maid curtsied and left. The door clicked shut behind her, and for a moment, Aurelia just stood there staring at it.

She carried the box to her desk and sat.

“Thank you, Liana. You can go now.”

“Yes, Miss.” She gave a small curtsy before slipping back through the door, leaving me alone again with the package.

Smiling faintly, she tugged at the ribbon and lifted the lid. Inside, layers of delicate white paper concealed something small and glimmering. She peeled the paper back and found a rose gold locket nestled within—a simple, elegant and unique design.. It was a sword that hung on the chain.. It had a blood red ruby on it's pommel which intensified the beauty of it.

She noticed the card. It was tucked neatly beneath the locket, folded once. The handwriting caught her eye immediately—sharp, deliberate strokes that carried none of Owen’s gentle curve or casual flow.

She opened the card with a gentle smile knowing who wrote it and what was written there..

“For the one who will soon wear more than gold. Happy birthday, Lilian.. "

That was all. No name. No signature.

She knew this pendant.

She remembered the weight of it around her neck the first time Theodore had given it to her — not here, not now, but in that other life. In that place where she had fallen, where everything had burned and ended.

The pendant was identical. And somehow it made sense about why he chose this design.. When they were little, he had promised to protect her... And she had given him a charm that looked like a sword.

Her pulse stuttered.

In her past life, Theodore always stayed by her.. Always helping but but she was too blind to see it..

It felt like the world was replaying itself, but rewriting the script as it went.

“Second chance,” she whispered.

She clasped the pendant around her neck. It settled perfectly against her neck.

She didn’t know whether to cry or laugh.

Outside, the sky deepened to gold as the day began its slow descent into evening. Servants moved quietly through the hall, setting up lights and flowers. The Vance estate — her home — hummed with soft energy, alive with preparation.

It was her birthday gala. Again.

But this time, she wasn’t the same Aurelia who had lived it before.

This time, she was watching. Remembering.

And waiting.

---

By the time the first guests arrived, the air had changed. The chandeliers blazed with light, and the garden outside shimmered with lanterns like captive stars. Music drifted from the grand hall — strings, soft and fluid — and laughter spilled from every corner.

Aurelia stood at the top of the staircase, her gown a shade of deep red that matched the Ruby in the beck. Her reflection in the mirrored wall startled her — she looked exactly as she had before, on that night. Down to the curls pinned at her nape, the shimmer of silver along the fabric’s edge.

She gripped the railing lightly, her knuckles pale.

“Miss Aurelia,” the butler said from below, smiling warmly. “You look radiant. The guests are waiting.”

She descended, each step echoing in her chest.

Every face she passed was familiar. The same couples, the same conversations, the same bouquet arrangement by the fountain. It was all there — the world looping back upon itself.

She forced herself to smile and greet them, each word tasting strange, each gesture rehearsed from a script she hadn’t realized she remembered line by line.

Herman approached her,

"You look beautiful, sweetheart.. "

She smiled at her.. He soon left to talk with other guests.. Owen, who just arrived, walked to her, but her eyee searched for one person..

Theodore.. She knew he will be there.. Just standing in the shadows till he gets the courage to come in front of her..

"Aurelia.. "

Owen called her name. Just then her eyes met his.. Standing far away, hiding among other people.. Before she could process, her legs already pushed passed Owen and made way through the crowd to him. She stopped right before him.. He stood there frozen in his place..

"Hiding from me? "

She asked as tears filled her eyes..

"No Lilian.. Just needed some... Some courage to stand before you.. "

Her breath hitched at the sound of her old name — Lilian.

The world seemed to narrow to just the two of them, the hum of laughter and music fading into a distant blur. For a moment, it was as if the gala, the guests, even time itself had stilled in deference to something older, deeper, and far more fragile.

“Theodore…” she whispered, the name trembling like a confession.

He smiled faintly — that same hesitant, lopsided smile she remembered — though his eyes betrayed him. They carried centuries of emotion behind them: sorrow, longing, guilt. The kind of gaze only a soul who had lived and lost could wear.

"You have some explanation to do and I have something to tell you as well.. "

He frowned but nodded.. She held his hand and turned around to see Owen.. He was frowned and looked quite mad.. But she paid no attention to him and dragges Theo through the crowd to the back garden..

Once they reached there, she turned to him..

"Lilian.. I... "

"Shh.. "

She shushed him..

"I know... I already know what happened.. "

He frowned..

"Did uncle...? "

She nodded... As much as she wanted to tell him that she was reborn, she didn't wanted to seem crazy.. No one will believe her.. Even she couldn't believe herself..

"Yes.. Dad told me everything today.. "

She squeezed his hand and pulled her in a hug..

"Sorry for not returning early.. Sorry for being late.. "

She patted his back..

"It's okay.. It wasn't your fault at all.. No one can predict their future.. "

But she could now.. And she knew exactly who loved her and who pretended.. She pulled away from him..

"Theo.. I need your help.. "

She said and Theo nodded..

"Anything for you.. "

She smiled..

"Will you marry me? "