“Evelyn…
Grandfather Blackwood has returned.
Go and tell him right now that you want to break off your engagement with Alexander Blackwood!”
The gentle voice droned beside her ear, somehow more irritating than the relentless chirping of the summer insects outside the window.
Evelyn Vale stared blankly through the glass.
A towering sycamore stood just beyond the window, its lush green leaves trembling beneath the warm breeze.
The air was thick with the humidity of midsummer, and the endless chorus of insects filled the quiet room.
Summer.
Evelyn’s unfocused eyes slowly narrowed.
But she had died.
She remembered the cold.
The bleak autumn air.
The blood soaking through her clothes.
Alexander’s face.
And then—
Darkness.
Yet here she was.
Alive.
Her breathing quickened.
Slowly, Evelyn turned her head.
The woman standing beside her was wearing a simple white dress.
Claire Vale.
Evelyn’s heart slammed against her ribs.
Claire looked younger.
Much younger.
Her complexion was as pale and delicate as Evelyn remembered, giving her an almost fragile appearance that naturally awakened sympathy in others.
Especially men.
Damien had always treated Claire as though she were the most precious thing in the world.
Evelyn stared at her.
For several seconds, she couldn’t breathe.
How was Claire alive?
No.
How was she alive?
Her trembling hand moved toward the wall.
Then she saw it.
The calendar.
July 9, 1995.
Evelyn’s pupils contracted.
Eleven years.
She had returned eleven years into the past.
She was young again.
She was alive again.
And everything that had once been lost could still be changed.
A strange sensation flooded her chest.
Hope.
Then rage.
Then an icy determination that slowly replaced everything else.
The heavens had given her another chance.
This time, she would not be the naive woman who trusted every sweet word thrown her way.
She would not allow herself to be manipulated.
She would not confuse kindness with sincerity.
She would never again become the fool everyone could use.
And most importantly—
She would never allow history to repeat itself.
Everything they owed her…
She would make them repay it.
A hundred times over.
Evelyn slowly raised her eyes toward Claire.
Her gaze was cold enough to make the room seem colder.
Claire.
Just wait.
This time, I will be the one deciding how your story ends.
Claire suddenly shivered.
She looked at Evelyn suspiciously.
What was wrong with her?
Evelyn had only been sleeping.
Yet something about her seemed completely different now.
That look in her eyes…
For a fleeting moment, Claire had felt as though she were staring into the eyes of someone who had crawled back from the grave.
Someone who wanted to kill her.
“Evelyn?”
Claire’s concerned voice broke through her thoughts.
“What’s wrong?
Did you have a nightmare?”
Evelyn almost laughed.
Such a thoughtful sister.
Always ready with the perfect excuse.
In her previous life, that seemingly gentle concern had been the very thing that had led her, step by step, toward destruction.
Claire had always known exactly what to say.
She knew when to comfort Evelyn.
When to cry.
When to act frightened.
And when to pretend she was protecting her.
Behind that sweet face was a poisonous heart.
And Evelyn had been blind enough to believe every word.
Worse still…
Her blindness had eventually cost Ethan his life.
Evelyn’s fingers curled into fists beneath the blanket.
She would never allow that to happen again.
“Yes.”
Evelyn deliberately lowered her gaze and allowed fear to creep into her expression.
“The dream I just had was horrible.”
Claire’s eyes flickered.
“In the dream…”
Evelyn hesitated before looking up.
“I saw you and Damien kissing.”
Claire stiffened.
Evelyn continued innocently.
“Then you pushed me into a river.”
Claire’s expression changed for the briefest moment.
Only a fraction of a second.
But Evelyn saw it.
The pale woman suddenly flushed.
A shy, almost embarrassed expression appeared on her face.
Evelyn’s heart filled with cold amusement.
So the affair had already begun.
In her previous life, she had been completely blind.
How had she never noticed?
How had she failed to see the way Claire looked at Damien?
How had she failed to notice the way Damien’s eyes lingered on Claire whenever he thought Evelyn wasn’t watching?
The two traitors had already been involved behind her back.
And she had actually trusted them.
What a fool she had been.
“Evelyn, what kind of ridiculous dream was that?”
Claire gave a nervous little laugh.
“Damien cares about you.
How could he possibly be with me?”
She lowered her eyes shyly.
Then, as if remembering something important, she quickly changed the subject.
“Oh, right.
Damien called earlier.”
“Grandfather Blackwood has brought Alexander back.”
Claire sighed softly.
“But…”
She looked at Evelyn with apparent sympathy.
“Alexander’s legs were badly injured.
The doctors say he may never walk again.”
Evelyn’s expression remained unchanged.
Of course.
She remembered this day.
In her previous life, this had been the beginning of everything.
Alexander Blackwood had returned from military service after suffering a devastating injury.
His career was over.
His legs were permanently damaged.
He would never return to active duty.
And everyone had immediately begun treating him like a broken man.
Everyone except Evelyn.
Or at least, that was what she had once believed.
Claire reached for Evelyn’s hand.
“Alexander is so unfortunate.”
She sighed again.
“He’ll probably have to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
He won’t be able to return to the military, either.”
Claire’s voice became softer.
“Evelyn…”
She looked directly into her eyes.
“This is actually the perfect opportunity for you.”
Evelyn raised an eyebrow.
Claire continued.
“You’re still young.
You have your entire life ahead of you.
You can’t possibly spend your whole life caring for a man who can’t even stand.”
She gave Evelyn’s hand a gentle squeeze.
“Grandfather Blackwood is a reasonable man.
If you explain everything properly, he’ll understand.”
Claire’s smile became warmer.
“You should speak to him first.
Then your parents can talk to him as well.”
She tilted her head.
“And once everyone agrees, the engagement can be ended peacefully.”
Evelyn listened silently.
She wanted to laugh.
In her previous life, she had heard almost exactly these same words.
And she had believed them.
She had allowed Claire to convince her that abandoning Alexander was the sensible thing to do.
After all, what future could a young woman possibly have with a crippled man?
That was what everyone had told her.
But they had been wrong.
So terribly wrong.
Evelyn slowly stood from the bed and walked toward the vanity.
She sat before the mirror.
For a moment, she simply stared at her reflection.
A young woman looked back at her.
Smooth skin.
Bright eyes.
Long hair cascading over her shoulders.
A delicate yet striking face.
She looked exactly as she had eleven years ago.
Young.
Beautiful.
Untouched by the suffering that had eventually destroyed her.
Evelyn gently touched her cheek.
Her skin was smooth and warm beneath her fingertips.
She remembered what she had looked like before her imprisonment.
Before betrayal had hollowed her out.
Before grief had aged her.
Before revenge had become the only thing keeping her alive.
She smiled faintly.
She had always known she was beautiful.
Like a crimson rose blooming beneath the morning sun.
Standing beside her, Claire’s fragile appearance had always seemed almost pathetic in comparison.
Claire possessed the kind of beauty that invited sympathy.
Evelyn’s beauty commanded attention.
Yet in her previous life, she had allowed herself to become insecure because Claire was always praised as the delicate, innocent sister.
Never again.
“Evelyn?”
Claire’s voice came from behind her.
“Are you listening to me?”
Evelyn didn’t answer.
She continued staring at herself in the mirror.
Claire waited.
One second.
Two.
Three.
Her smile remained gentle.
But beneath it, irritation began to burn.
This was not the Evelyn she knew.
Normally, Evelyn would have become anxious the moment Claire mentioned Alexander’s injury.
She would have immediately asked what she should do.
She would have listened to every suggestion Claire made.
But now…
Nothing.
Claire’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.
“Evelyn?”
She stepped closer.
“I was only trying to help you.”
The concern in her voice was perfect.
The smile on her face was flawless.
But Evelyn saw through it.
She remembered the woman who had once stood over her grave.
The woman who had stolen Ethan’s heart.
The woman who had helped destroy her life.
Her fingers slowly tightened around the edge of the vanity.
For one terrifying moment, Evelyn wanted to turn around and plunge a knife straight into Claire’s chest.
But she stopped herself.
Not yet.
Revenge tasted sweetest when the victim never saw it coming.
Evelyn looked at Claire through the mirror.
Her lips slowly curved into a beautiful smile.
This time, she would play the fool.
She would let Claire believe she had fooled her.
She would let Damien believe he still possessed her heart.
She would let everyone think she was the same naive Evelyn Vale they remembered.
Until the moment she destroyed everything they had built.
Claire’s smile suddenly felt colder beneath Evelyn’s gaze.
Because for the first time…
She had no idea what Evelyn was thinking.