All Chapters of She died a wife, Returned a flame: Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

Was that… a dream?” I whispered to no one.But how? Did someone rescue me from the fire?I lifted my arm. Smooth. No burns. I looked at my hands, unscathed. My skin was paler than I remembered. My nails, trimmed short and neatly manicured, weren’t mine. I frowned.“I shouldn’t look like this,” I murmured, pushing the blanket off and sitting up slowly.There was no pain. No bandages. No scars.I swung my legs over the side of the bed. I needed answers.Stumbling toward the polished metal sink across the room, I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror above it.I froze.The woman staring back at me wasn’t… me.Her eyes were a shade lighter. Her hair was straighter, darker. Her face… more delicate, like it had never tasted hardship. I leaned closer, touching the glass.“What the hell…”Did I… undergo plastic surgery? But why wasn’t I covered in bandages?Shaking, I pulled up the flimsy hospital gown and turned to check my left thigh.There it was.That small, oval birthmark. The exac

Adrian’s voice was low, almost a whisper. “Sheila?”My spine stiffened. My fingers paused just a beat too long over the folded sheets in my handI stood there,pretending like I hadn’t heard him. Pretending like my entire soul hadn’t jolted awake at the sound of my name, my real name.I could feel his eyes. Not on my face, not even on the stolen notebook hidden under my apron. He was staring, no, burning a hole into the hem of my skirt, where the faint curve of the birthmark had peeked out when I turned.I straightened, face blank, and said.“Are you okay, sir?” I asked, calm as water.He didn’t answer. His eyes were still locked on the spot, color draining from his face.“You seem really obsessed with that mark…” I tilted my head, adding a soft, puzzled frown. “You look pale. Maybe you need to sit down?”I smoothed my apron, pretending not to notice how Adrian's pupils had dilated. His voice had cracked, and for a man like him, that was a sin. He blinked fast like he could erase what