Chapter 2: Rebirth
1063words
But instead of jagged rocks, I found myself tangled in cotton sheets. Instead of the open sky, a familiar popcorn ceiling loomed above me. My heart hammered against my ribs as I frantically patted myself down, expecting broken bones and torn flesh.
Nothing. Not a scratch.
"What the hell?" I whispered, my voice hoarse.
Sunlight streamed through half-drawn blinds, illuminating a room I hadn't seen in years. My college dorm room. The same faded blue walls. The same secondhand desk with my textbooks stacked neatly in the corner. The same corkboard covered with photos and concert tickets.
Impossible.
I scrambled for my phone on the nightstand, nearly knocking over a glass of water in the process. The date on the screen made me freeze.
Four years before my wedding to Chris. Five years before he pushed me off that cliff.
"This can't be happening," I muttered, running trembling fingers through my hair.
A knock at the door made me jump.
"Lara? Are you okay? I heard you scream."
That voice. A voice I hadn't heard in three months. A voice silenced by a "tragic accident."
I stumbled to the door, yanking it open with such force that the person on the other side took a startled step back.
"Cindy," I breathed.
My sister stood before me, alive and whole. Her dark hair pulled into a messy bun, wearing the oversized NYU sweatshirt she'd practically lived in during her sophomore year. Her eyebrows drew together in concern.
"Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."
A hysterical laugh bubbled up in my throat. "You have no idea."
Without warning, I pulled her into a fierce hug, breathing in the familiar scent of her shampoo. She was real. Solid. Alive.
"Whoa," she laughed, awkwardly patting my back. "Did you have a nightmare or something?"
"Or something," I managed, finally releasing her. "Sorry. Bad dream."
She studied my face, her expression softening. "Must have been a doozy. You're shaking."
I stepped back, trying to compose myself. "I'm fine. Just... disoriented."
"Well, shake it off. We've got that mixer at Kappa tonight, remember? You promised you'd come."
The Kappa mixer. Where I'd first met Chris. Where all of this had begun.
"Right," I said faintly. "The mixer."
"Don't tell me you're bailing," Cindy pouted. "You promised, Lara. Besides, I heard Chris Frost is going to be there. From the Frost Group? Totally your type."
My blood ran cold at the name. The man who would become my husband. The man who would kill my sister. The man who would push me off a cliff.
"I remember," I said, struggling to keep my voice steady.
"Good! I'll come by around eight to help you get ready." She turned to leave, then paused. "Oh, and Mom called. She wants to know if we're coming home for Dad's birthday next weekend."
Dad. Alive and well. Not yet destroyed by the loss of his daughter and the near-collapse of his company.
"Tell her yes," I said, my mind racing with possibilities. "Definitely yes."
After Cindy left, I sank onto the edge of my bed, trying to make sense of what was happening. Was this heaven? Hell? Some bizarre hallucination as my brain shut down during my fall?
Or had I actually been given a second chance?
I staggered to the bathroom and stared at my reflection in the mirror. Twenty-two-year-old Lara Reed looked back at me. No designer clothes. No diamond earrings. Just me, before Chris had molded me into his perfect corporate wife.
I splashed cold water on my face, the shock of it grounding me in this impossible reality. As the water dripped from my chin, memories from my "past" life flooded back with crystal clarity:
The calculated courtship. The whirlwind romance. The mysterious security breaches at Reed Corp. Cindy's death. The gradual takeover of my family's company. The cliff. The fall.
"It was all a setup," I whispered to my reflection. "From the very beginning."
I gripped the edge of the sink, my knuckles turning white. If this was real—if I had truly been given a second chance—then I knew exactly what I had to do.
I would protect Cindy. I would save Reed Corp. And I would make Chris pay for crimes he hadn't yet committed.
That weekend, I went home for Dad's birthday with a plan already forming. As we gathered in the living room after dinner, I broached the subject I'd been rehearsing in my mind.
"Dad, I've been thinking about my future," I said, setting down my coffee cup with deliberate calm.
He looked up from his newspaper, eyebrows raised. "Oh? Having second thoughts about your major?"
"No, not exactly." I took a deep breath. "I want to study abroad next semester. And I think Cindy should come with me."
My mother looked surprised. "Both of you? Where?"
"London," I said confidently. "The business program there is exceptional, and they have an excellent finance department for Cindy."
Cindy nearly choked on her drink. "Wait, what? This is the first I'm hearing about this."
I turned to her, willing her to understand. "Think about it, Cin. International experience would look amazing on both our resumes. And we'd be together."
Dad looked thoughtful. "It's not a bad idea. Global perspective is increasingly important in today's business world."
"But it's so sudden," Mom protested. "And the expense of sending both of you—"
"I've researched scholarships," I countered, having anticipated this objection. "And I believe this is crucial for our futures."
What I couldn't say was that I needed to get Cindy away from here. Away from the Frost Group. Away from the man who would destroy her. I needed time to understand how to protect Reed Corp from the threats I knew were coming.
After hours of discussion, my parents tentatively agreed to consider it. As Cindy and I headed upstairs to our old bedrooms, she grabbed my arm.
"Okay, what was that about? Since when do you want to study abroad? And why drag me into it?"
I met her eyes, wishing I could tell her everything. "Trust me, Cindy. This is important. For both of us."
