world apart piece by piece.
A quiet knock echoed from the door.
Aria's head turned sharply.
"Miss Aria?"
A maid's voice.
Soft.
Familiar.The first thing Aria Valen noticed was the silence.
Not the suffocating, mechanical silence of the hospital room where machines had counted down the final seconds of her life, but something softer. Something distant.
Birds.
Faint chirping slipped through the quiet like sunlight through curtains.
Her chest rose sharply as she inhaled.
Air.
Real air.
Not the thin, painful breaths that had scraped her lungs raw while death slowly closed its fingers around her throat.
Aria's eyes snapped open.
For a moment, the world blurred in soft light and pale colours. Her heart pounded violently, as if it had just been shocked back to life.
But then the room slowly came into focus.
A wide bedroom.
Cream-coloured walls.
Tall windows draped with ivory curtains that moved gently in the breeze.
And above her—
The crystal chandelier she had stared at a thousand times in her childhood.
Her breath caught.
No.
No, that wasn't possible.
Her body stiffened as she slowly pushed herself upright on the bed. The silk sheets slipped against her skin, smooth and familiar.
Too familiar.
Her hands trembled as she stared at them.
They were younger.
Smooth.
Unscarred.
Her heartbeat began to thunder in her ears.
"This…"
Her voice came out hoarse.
"…can't be real."
She swung her legs over the side of the bed.
The floor beneath her feet was cold marble.
The same marble that covered the second floor of the Valen Estate.
Her chest tightened.
The Valen Estate.
Her home.
The place where everything had begun.
And the place where everything had been taken from her.
Aria staggered toward the large mirror standing beside her wardrobe.
For a moment she couldn't bring herself to look.
Her hands gripped the edge of the dresser.
Slowly…
She raised her eyes.
The girl in the mirror stared back at her with wide silver-grey eyes.
Long black hair cascaded down her shoulders in soft waves.
Her skin was pale, flawless.
Young.
Too young.
Aria's breath hitched violently.
She knew that face.
It was her.
But it wasn't the version of her that had died.
This was the girl she had been years ago.
Before the marriage.
Before the beatings.
Before the slow destruction of everything she had once been.
Her fingers lifted slowly and touched her cheek.
Warm.
Alive.
A broken laugh escaped her lips.
"No…"
Her voice shook.
"No… this isn't possible…"
But the room did not disappear.
The mirror did not change.
And the pounding of her heart refused to stop.
Memories surged through her mind like a flood.
The hospital room.
The smell of antiseptic.
The cold voice of her father.
Adrian Valen.
Her stomach twisted.
Even now, just remembering his expression made her chest tighten.
He hadn't looked sad.
He hadn't looked regretful.
He had looked relieved.
And then—
The words he had spoken.
"You were never meant to inherit anything."
Her fingers curled slowly into fists.
The rage that had filled her during those final moments returned with terrifying clarity.
Her father had hated her mother.
Hated her wealth.
Hated the power her mother's family had held.
So he had waited.
Patiently.
For the moment he could steal everything.
And when her mother died…
He had married Celeste.
Celeste Valen.
The elegant, smiling woman who had slowly poisoned every part of Aria's life.
Her nails dug into her palm.
And Bianca.
Sweet, innocent Bianca.
Her stepsister had always been so kind.
So gentle.
So understanding.
Until the day Aria learned the truth.
Bianca had been there when the marriage contract was signed.
Bianca had been there when they handed her over like property.
Bianca had smiled while Aria's future husband looked at her like prey.
The memory made Aria's stomach churn.
Her husband.
If that monster could even be called that.
He had been brutal.
Violent.
A man who believed pain was the only way to control a woman.
And her family had known exactly what kind of man he was.
They had chosen him deliberately.
Because the longer Aria suffered…
The easier it was for them to take control of the estate.
They hadn't needed to kill her.
They only needed to wait.
Wait until her body finally gave up.
Her chest began to rise and fall rapidly.
She staggered back from the mirror.
"No…"
Her voice was barely a whisper.
The room began to spin.
Fragments of memory crashed together violently.
Her death.
Her final vow.
If there is another life…
Her nails dug into the wooden dresser.
I will destroy you all.
A slow, cold realisation crept into her mind.
What if…
Her gaze snapped toward the large calendar on the wall beside the door.
She walked toward it slowly.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
Her eyes scanned the dates.
And then—
Her breath stopped.
The year.
It was wrong.
No…
Not wrong.
Earlier.
Three years earlier.
Three years before the marriage contract.
Three years before her father began transferring her mother's assets.
Three years before her life was destroyed.
Aria's heart slammed against her ribs.
She stumbled back against the wall.
"Three years…"
Her voice trembled.
"I…"
Her fingers slowly covered her mouth.
A trembling laugh escaped her throat.
It started softly.
Then it grew louder.
More unsteady.
More desperate.
"I came back…"
The words felt unreal even as she spoke them.
"I actually came back."
The universe had given her something impossible.
Another chance.
A second life.
Her laughter slowly faded.
The softness in her eyes vanished.
And something colder replaced it.
Aria turned back toward the mirror.
The girl staring back at her looked innocent.
Fragile.
Naive.
The perfect victim.
But Aria knew the truth.
That girl had died already.
The Aria Valen standing here now had lived through hell.
She knew every lie.
Every betrayal.
Every trap waiting for her.
Her lips slowly curved into a faint smile.
Adrian Valen thought he had already won.
Celeste believed her manipulation was flawless.
Bianca believed she had outplayed her foolish stepsister.
They had no idea what was coming.
Aria walked slowly back toward the bed.
Her mind was racing.
Three years.
She had three entire years before the marriage trap appeared.
Three years to change everything.
Three years to dismantle every piece of their plan.
Her fingers brushed the silk bedsheets thoughtfully.
The first step was simple.
She needed to survive.
In her previous life, Aria had been passive.
Trusting.
Desperate for love.
That weakness had been exactly what they exploited.
This time would be different.
This time…
She would watch them.
Study them.
And when the moment was right—
She would tear their
"You're awake. Your father asked if you could join the family for breakfast."
The words sent a chill down her spine.
Breakfast.
The first of countless mornings where Adrian, Celeste, and Bianca had smiled across the table while quietly plotting her downfall.
Her fingers slowly clenched.
This moment had happened before.
She remembered it clearly.
That morning had been the first time Celeste casually mentioned introducing Aria to a "business partner's son."
The beginning of the trap.
A slow breath filled her lungs.
Not this time.
Aria walked toward the door and opened it.
The maid bowed politely.
"Good morning, Miss."
Aria smiled gently.
A perfect imitation of the sweet, obedient girl she used to be.
"Good morning."
Her voice was calm.
Soft.
Completely controlled.
"Tell my father I'll be down shortly."
The maid nodded and hurried away.
Aria closed the door again.
Then she turned back toward the mirror.
Her silver eyes gleamed faintly.
"Adrian Valen…"
She murmured softly.
"Celeste Valen."
Her lips curved slightly.
"And Bianca."
Her voice dropped into something colder.
Something far more dangerous.
"You all wanted me dead."
Silence filled the room.
Aria's reflection stared back at her.
But now, there was something different in her gaze.
Not fear.
Not innocence.
Only calculation.
Her smile slowly deepened.
"This time…"
Her voice was almost a whisper.
"I'll make sure you regret ever being born