Morning sunlight leaked through the thin curtains, turning the room gold and warm… a stark contrast to the coldness crawling beneath Liana's skin.
She hadn't slept.
Every time her eyes closed, she saw it again—Mira's smirk.Evan's expressionless face.Her own blood pooling beneath her fingers.
Five years.She had gone back five years, yet the pain was still fresh enough to choke her.
Liana sat on the edge of the bed, fingers tightening around the thin blanket. The house was silent—Evan had already left for work without bothering to check on her, same as always.
But she wasn't the same as always.
Her gaze hardened.
If they thought she would play the same role again… they would choke on their expectations.
She stood, walked toward the mirror, and stopped.
Her reflection stared back at her—younger, softer, less broken.
But behind the wide eyes was something new.Something sharp.Something dangerous.
A ghost of a smile tugged at her lips.
"So this is my second life."
A sudden knock broke the silence.
She stilled.
Evan would never knock.He walked in like he owned her.
Mira wouldn't knock either.Mira didn't know the meaning of courtesy.
The knock came again—slow, heavy, deliberate.
A knock meant for someone who didn't get told "no."
Liana's heart skipped, recognition sinking in like a slow tide.
She knew this feeling.This pull.This quiet demand for attention.
Lucien Drayce.
In her past life, he had never stepped into this house. Their paths had barely brushed except for distant, passing moments… moments she didn't understand until her death.
But now?
Why was he here… this early?
Liana opened the door.
And there he was.
Tall.Composed.Cold in a way that made the air feel thinner.
Lucien wasn't smiling, but his gaze softened—only slightly—when it landed on her. A softness no one else in the world had ever received.
"Mrs. Hale," he said quietly. "You look… unwell."
Unwell.If he knew how she died, he would never use such a small word.
"I'm fine," she replied, voice steady. "Why are you here, Mr. Drayce?"
His eyes lowered to the faint indentation of the blanket marks on her arm. Then to her bare feet on the cold floor. Then back to her face.
He noticed everything.He always did.
"I came," Lucien said, "to return what you dropped."
He reached into his coat and brought out a small silver bracelet—hers. She hadn't even realized she lost it.
But that wasn't why he was here.He didn't come for a bracelet.
Lucien never did anything without purpose.
She met his gaze directly. "You didn't have to bring it personally."
"Perhaps," he murmured, "but I wanted to see how you were."
Her chest tightened—an unwanted reaction.
Lucien shouldn't care.He shouldn't look at her that way.He shouldn't get involved.
Not yet.
Not when she hadn't even started her revenge.
She took the bracelet from him, fingers brushing his.
A spark shot through her—one she wasn't prepared for.
Lucien's expression didn't change, but his eyes darkened almost imperceptibly.
He felt it too.
Liana pulled her hand back.
"I appreciate the gesture. But I'm busy."
His brows lifted the slightest bit. "Busy?"
"Planning," she answered simply.
Lucien didn't look surprised.Instead, his gaze sharpened with interest, as if something inside him finally clicked into place.
"So you're not the same as before," he whispered, not asking—stating.
Liana's heart stilled.
Did he already sense it?
Lucien took a single step closer, voice dropping to a quiet, dangerous depth.
"Whatever you're planning…" His eyes held hers like a silent vow."I hope they're ready."
Her breath caught.
He knew.
He knew without knowing.
Lucien stepped back, straightened his coat, and inclined his head.
"I'll see you soon, Mrs. Hale."
And with that, he walked away—calm, composed, utterly unreadable.
But every step he took felt like a promise.
A promise she wasn't sure she wanted.A promise she wasn't sure she could refuse.
Liana closed the door slowly, leaning against it as her pulse finally caught up to her.
Five years before her death.
Five years to destroy them.
Five years… and Lucien Drayce.
This life was going to be different.
It already was.