[4]

During my recovery, the girl named Jihan truly became a great help. She told me a lot about who Vanesa was—showing me her stage performances and the social media accounts managed by her team. There were countless positive comments about Vanesa Khiel and her singing career.

But that wasn’t all. The younger brother Vanesa apparently had came to visit me several times. During his first visit, he cried in my lap—sobbing and mumbling about how grateful he was to still be able to see his sister.

I hadn’t expected Vanesa’s brother to be such a handsome boy, barely in his first year of middle school. I suppose that shouldn’t have surprised me—Vanesa herself was stunningly beautiful. Almost unfairly so.

I still couldn’t believe something like this was actually happening to me. I’d lived most of my life alone. My parents died three months after I married Orlando. I didn’t have any siblings, and I was never close with my extended family—neither on my mother’s nor father’s side. For years, my entire world had revolved solely around Orlando.

Ugh. Just thinking about that man filled me with sorrow and disappointment.

“This was you when we visited Grandma’s house,” Adam said excitedly, pointing at a photo where the details were still surprisingly clear.

His voice pulled me away from the pit of my thoughts. There was no use clinging to memories that only brought pain. Right now, I needed to focus on how to survive in Vanesa’s body.

In the photo Adam showed me, Vanesa looked about ten years old. Her light brown hair glowed under the golden rays of the late afternoon sun. Though honestly, her natural hair color suited her much better. According to Jihan, Vanesa had to dye it for her latest album project.

“They looked so happy,” I murmured softly, running my fingers over the image.

“You still don’t remember, do you?” Adam asked, his eyes tinged with sadness.

I couldn’t bear the look on his face, so I gently stroked his hair. He leaned against me, voice trembling slightly—probably fighting back tears again. Did Vanesa and her brother cry this easily?

“It’s okay if you don’t remember yet,” he said in a hushed tone. “But at least... you haven’t forgotten me, right, Vanesa? I was so scared you’d leave me forever.”

“That won’t happen,” I whispered, pulling him into a hug. “I won’t leave you. I’ll protect you. I promise.” I didn’t know where those words came from, but somehow, they felt necessary—right.

“Sorry to interrupt.”

We quickly pulled apart when someone entered my hospital room. It was Rio Vladimir, holding a paper bag. He never came empty-handed. More often than not, he brought lilies—apparently Vanesa’s favorite flower. He once said she always wanted them around her, wherever she was.

What a unique preference.

“Uncle Rio!” Adam greeted him warmly, rushing into his arms.

“Visiting your sister again? Don’t you have school today?”

Adam pouted. “I took the day off. But I’ll be back in class tomorrow.” Then he turned to me with wide, apologetic eyes. “I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you, Vanesa.”

“Please don’t do that again, Adam,” I said with a gentle sigh. “You need to focus on school, okay?”

“Okay,” he mumbled, lowering his head.

“Well then, little Bro, did you hear what your big sister said?” Rio grinned before turning to me. “May I have a moment alone with her?”

Adam nodded obediently and quickly left the room, leaving me alone with Rio.

“How have you been?” he asked, pulling a chair close so he could sit beside my hospital bed.

“I’m fine,” I replied shortly. “So… what did you want to talk about, Rio?”

“I’ve gathered the information you needed. But are you sure you want to go to that place?”

I smiled. “Why would I hesitate? I just want to know where that woman is buried.”

***

A week later, I was allowed to go home. My recovery was surprisingly quick. Though I was still adjusting to my new memories and body, there was nothing to do but follow the flow, right?

Just like the day I decided to visit the place Rio had told me about. Accompanied by him and Jihan, we arrived at a large, well-maintained cemetery. I hadn’t expected that they buried me here.

“I think it’s over there,” Rio said, pointing toward a block of graves we had to cross.

Jihan kept asking if I was okay with this—after all, this was the woman who nearly killed me in that accident. Rio explained that the car ‘Paula’ was driving slammed into me from behind at high speed. My car was thrown about five meters, while hers lost control, and we both ended up at the edge of a steep embankment. The road was slippery, few cars passed by, and the surveillance cameras were broken, which delayed the rescue by a full thirty minutes.

We were declared dead on the way to the hospital. But I woke up just after being laid out in the morgue. The chaos that followed was inevitable—how could someone officially pronounced ‘dead’ suddenly come back to life?

“Oh, looks like there’s a visitor,” Rio’s voice pulled me back from my thoughts.

My eyes immediately locked onto a man standing not far from the grave, which was still scattered with flower petals. There was no way I was mistaken about him.

Orlando Gilbret. My husband. What was he doing at my grave? Oh, of course—he must be here to laugh and thank me for no longer interfering in his new life, right? I scowled bitterly without realizing it.

But when our eyes met… I saw a mess of a man. Even from the distance between us, I could clearly see his eyes were swollen, the tip of his nose was red, his hair messy, and the stubble on his jawline was visible. It was as if something had shaken his entire world.

But what?

“Forgive us, sir,” Rio greeted politely, extending his hand. Orlando accepted it with a faint smile.

“I never expected you’d come to visit my wife’s grave,” Orlando said, his voice trembling slightly.

“Isn’t that allowed?” I asked, adjusting the hat I wore to shield myself from the heat. My long hair fluttered wildly in the breeze.

“Why not?” Orlando tried to smile. “Please forgive my wife for causing you such a difficult day,” he said with a polite bow. “I’m sure Paula never meant for any of this to happen.”

For some reason, his voice sounded so heart-wrenching. Shouldn’t Orlando be relieved by my death? Yet why did he look like he had just lost the most precious person in his life? His obsidian eyes didn’t lie—I knew that for sure.

“Are you… sad?” I asked.

Orlando gave a bitter laugh. “Which part of me wouldn’t be? She was the wife I truly loved.”

My hand clenched tightly into a fist. My jaw clenched hard as my teeth ground against each other. My eyes burned with a furious rage. I wanted to shout at him—why cheat on me, father a child with someone else, and then divorce me?

But I couldn’t. I held myself back with every ounce of willpower to not do something foolish. After all… I was Vanesa now. That’s right. Didn’t Vanesa give me full permission to do whatever I wanted with her body? To take revenge for all the pain I’d endured?

“Ah, forgive me for getting all sentimental,” he said quickly. “Please feel free to visit anytime, and accept my apologies on Paula’s behalf.”

Vanesa was a girl born with undeniable beauty that caught everyone’s attention. But did that work on Orlando? Considering he’d also been tempted by women like Jeany? Well, why not give it a try?

On a sudden impulse, I traced my fingertips lightly over Orlando’s hand, moving with such gentle caresses that I could see his reaction—his eyes widening in disbelief.

“This is how you pay for your wife’s mistakes,” I whispered, flashing a sly, teasing smile. “That accident cost me dearly.”

“What do you mean, Miss?” he asked.

My smile deepened, more provocative than before. “I demand compensation.” I stepped closer without hesitation. My fingertips lingered on his hand, and he didn’t pull away. So, he didn’t mind, huh? Typical hypocrite! Can’t resist a beautiful woman, can you?

“Pay me a hefty price,” I said with a knowing grin. “I’m sure you’re capable of it, Mr. Orlando.”