Chapter 3

Aurora’s POV

Silence swallowed the entire gymnasium.

The notes I had let fall lay scattered across the polished floor, and every pair of eyes remained fixed on me.

Lourdes’ face slowly darkened, his jaw clenching so tightly I thought he might crack a tooth.

Before he could react, Stefan stormed forward.

“How dare you!”

Just as he was about to close the distance between us, a hand landed on his shoulder.

Sebastian.

“Stefan.”

His voice was calm, but there was enough authority in it to stop his friend in his tracks.

Stefan glared at me, his fists still balled into tight knots.

“She just disrespected us!”

Sebastian didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his blue eyes settled on me.

There was confusion in them.

No…

Disbelief.

As though he couldn’t understand why the girl who had always followed him around like a loyal shadow had suddenly become someone else overnight.

I met his gaze without flinching.

And for once… I wasn’t looking at him with admiration nor was I hoping for his approval.

I wasn’t even trying to impress him.

Those days had died with me.

Before the silence could stretch any further, hurried footsteps echoed across the court.

“Seb… please forgive Rora.”

Lexi slipped between us, her voice as gentle as ever.

Rora!

My stomach twisted.

That stupid nickname.

In my previous life, Lexi only called me that whenever she wanted something from me. Back then, I had mistaken it for affection.

Now I knew better.

She hurried over and took my hand as though she were comforting me.

“What are you doing?” she whispered, keeping the smile on her face so no one else would suspect a thing. “You finally got Seb to notice you. Why aren’t you doing as they say?”

For the briefest second… Her tone almost sounded sincere.

Almost.

If I hadn’t lived through betrayal once already, I might have believed her.

I slowly removed her hand from mine and forced a smile of my own.

“If you want Sebastian that much…”

I tilted my head ever so slightly.

“You can have him.”

A chorus of gasps erupted around us.

“What?”

“Did Aurora really just say that?”

“Is she insane?”

“I thought she was obsessed with Sebastian.”

“What is happening?”

Even Lexi looked genuinely stunned. Her lips parted, and for the first time since I’d met her, she seemed to have no idea what to say.

Only for a moment.

She recovered quickly, her eyes immediately filling with concern.

“No, Rora,” she said softly, raising both hands. “Don’t get me wrong. I only want to help you.”

Help? The irony almost made me laugh.

Before I could respond, she reached for me again. This time, her fingers wrapped tightly around my wrist.

Too tightly that pain shot through my arm. I instinctively tried to pull free, but the instant I did…

Lexi released me.

“Ah!”

She stumbled backwards dramatically before falling onto the floor with a loud thud.

My eyes widened. Realization dawned on me

She… She did it again.

Exactly like before.

Only this time, I had seen everything. But no one else had.

“Lexi!”

Sebastian rushed to her side, followed closely by Stefan, Harry and Lourdes.

Judging from everyone else’s reaction, I had shoved her. Only Lexi and I knew the truth.

Stefan shot to his feet and marched towards me.

Without warning, he shoved me hard across the shoulder.

I lost my balance and crashed painfully onto the floor.

A sharp sting shot through my elbow as it struck the polished wood.

“Apologise to Lexi!”

His voice thundered through the gym. Students watched in stunned silence.

Slowly, I pushed myself back onto my feet.

Ignoring the ache in my arm, I looked straight at him.

“I will not apologise!”

Stefan scoffed. “What?”

“I didn’t push her.”

His face reddened with anger. “You expect us to believe that?”

Before he could say another word, Sebastian stepped forward.

His expression was colder than I had ever seen.

His eyes locked onto mine.

“Could there be any limit to your jealousy?”

The words struck harder than Stefan’s shove.

I stared at him in disbelief.

Jealous?

In my previous life, Sebastian had always defended Lexi quietly.

He had never been this open about it.

But now… Now I understood.

He had always loved her, just simply hidden it.

“How could you do this to your best friend?” he demanded, disappointment lacing every word. “What sort of a person are you?”

I felt something crack inside me.

“Apologise to Lexi,” he continued. “Now… or else.”

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

“Or else what?”

The question caught everyone off guard.

I took a step closer.

“What exactly would you do to me, Sebastian…”

My voice trembled despite my best efforts to keep it steady.

“…that you haven’t already done?”

His brows knitted together.

Confusion flickered across his face.

I could feel years of pain clawing their way to the surface.

“I would have asked if dying for you would be enough…” My voice broke. “But then I remembered…”

My eyes burned with unshed tears.

“…I died for you.”

The words escaped before I could stop them.

“I sacrificed my life for you…”

The gym fell deathly silent.

Whispers immediately spread through the students.

“Sacrificed?”

“When?”

“What is she talking about?”

“Did she hit her head or something?”

Sebastian frowned deeply.

“Are you crazy?”

His voice carried equal parts anger and confusion.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

My heart skipped.

Only then did I realise what I had said. I had blended my previous life with this one.

None of them remembered. None of it had happened yet.

I quickly looked away, wiping the tears that had escaped my eyes.

“…Never mind.”

My voice was barely above a whisper.

I took a slow breath before looking back at him.

“But one thing is for sure. I won’t apologise for something I didn’t do. Not anymore.”

Without waiting for another response, I turned around.

There was nothing left to say.

I had already wasted one lifetime trying to explain myself.

I wasn’t going to waste this one too.

I had barely taken two steps when a hand suddenly grabbed my shoulder.

Before I could react…

Lourdes shoved me with all his strength.

“Who the hell asked you to leave?”

The force sent me flying backwards.

Gasps echoed throughout the gymnasium as I completely lost my footing.

The doors rushed towards me.

I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the painful impact.

But instead of crashing onto the hard floor…

My back collided with something solid, strong and warm.

A pair of powerful arms wrapped securely around my waist, stopping my fall before I hit the ground.

My eyes flew open.

Before I could even turn around, a deep, familiar masculine voice spoke above me.

“Are you okay?”