AURELIA

"Are you out of your mind?" my mother shouted. "A breakup? Do you think...you have the right to break up with Theron? The marriage is just in three days, why exactly do you have to ruin things?"

I bit my lips, fisting my fingers into balls. My sister stood beside me, her eyes filled with all the warmth my parents had failed to give me. 

"Find a way to fix all of these by tomorrow," my father said simply, without mincing words. To them, my only job was to get married to Theron and to help them out in expanding the business. I had no other purpose.

I wasn't like Mireya, who knew how to speak and draw partnerships, whose smile made even the hardest of hearts crack. I didn't have all A's during high school and college, and I most definitely didn't have the brains to get into Yale University. But Mireya had, and at a young age of 26, she had raked in more money than mom and dad had ever. 

As for me, hope had been lost even before it began. I was the black sheep of my family, the one who ruined the beautiful family package. Maybe that was why I had chased after Theron religiously. The news of the marriage had at least made me feel some entitlement. If I wanted something, then marriage to Theron was proof that I could get it, but even that, I failed.

My fingers clenched and unclenched by my side. 

"Why can't you be like Mireya?" Mom said, like she always does. Comparing me, trying to make me a better person by my sister's standards. Trying to fit me into a box that wasn't mine. She was the constant voice in my head that reminded me of the failure I had and will become.

"What does Mireya have to do with this? This is my marriage with Theron we are talking about." My tongue finally came loose.

My mother scoffed. "If Mireya had been the one to get married to Theron, she wouldn't have been stupid enough to break it...three days to the wedding."

"Did you ask me why? If I really broke up with Theron, aren't you supposed to ask why first instead of comparing me?" My voice shook. "You always do this. You treat me like I'm an outsider instead of your daughter. Even at this time, you are more worried about your legacy, your image, than me. Have you ever stopped to think of how I have felt all these years?" 

I didn't know if it was sadness or anger...however, whatever emotion it was that was flowing through my veins was ruining me. By tomorrow, I would regret everything I said, so tonight, I wouldn't care. I'd spill it out. 

"Why didn't you give birth to a child like Mireya if you love her so much? I never asked to be given birth to...you could have just dumped me in the trash when you knew I wouldn't be up to your standards!"

My father's palm connected with my face the moment the words left my lips. He had never slapped me before, no matter how much he'd been angry. But this time around, I guessed neither of us was in our right senses.

Behind him, at the threshold of the dining room, Madam Camila flinched. But I didn't feel anything. Not now. I've exhausted all that emotion of anger and incompetence. After all, I'd lost the only thing that kept me important to Hales: the marriage to Theron. Truthfully, somewhere inside me, I knew. That if it was Mireya who had the marriage proposal, she would have somehow managed to steal Theron's heart, and maybe that fact...hurt more than my parents' lashing.

"Aurelia..." my father's voice came. But I didn't let him finish, I turned up the stairs and ran into my room, banging the door behind me.

"Aurelia," Mireya's voice came behind the door as she knocked quietly on it, "Open up."

"Leave..." I said, pressing my head on the pillow. "I don't want to see you."

"I just want to talk," she said again.

If we spoke, I would get madder. I would think about how calm she was in this situation, while my own feelings were all over the place. I would wonder why I wasn't like her but like...this. A bubbly, happy princess who never seemed to care or get anything right, but deep inside, I was just a broken girl. The one bullied at high school, the one who went for drawing and art, because I couldn't keep up with business or food nutrition, the one who did not know what went on in my father's company. It had always been like that; I was always the clueless and unserious one. And even though Mireya was adopted sixteen years ago, she had outshone me in a matter of time. Just like that, I'd stopped being my parents' favorite, the Hales heiress, and everything that I should have. Just that way, I started to fight for my own rights in my family.

I loved Mireya too much, but I didn't want to be irrelevant. I didn't want to be an angry living bird.

Pressing my forehead into the pillow, the tears rushed out, muffled. I shouldn't cry, but I couldn't keep it pent up inside. So I cried, pouring out everything into my pillow.

~~

My eyes lazily peeled open the next morning. I groaned, pulling the curtains close to the shelf to block the rays of the sunlight that spilled into the room. It was morning already, and the sun was up, which meant everyone in my family was already awake. Yet again, I was the one black sheep that would spoil their perfect aesthetic.

I walked into the bathroom, pouring water over my face, highlighting the slight headache that had accompanied me when I woke up earlier. That was the reason I shouldn't cry; it seemed to tear apart every layer I had in me.

The dining room was quiet and empty when I walked downstairs. 

I walked towards Madam Camila, "Where's mom and dad?" 

"They went to the Draix's mansion this morning. They said they would be back soon, but it has been an hour already."

I bit the inner part of my lip slightly. They were trying to mend the relationship when they didn't even know the source. I imagined them begging for Theron to accept me back, no matter what mistake I had made. Consequence of not listening to your own daughter.

I turned, walking back up the stairs. Mireya's room door was slightly open, and I walked towards it.

"Mireya?" I called, getting into the room. Her table was right next to the door and on it-

My heart shattered into a million pieces as I stared at it. The same ticket. Same flight. Same location.

I blinked. What was going on?

Her phone vibrated next to it, and I stared at the contact. Theron Draix. 

I slid green.

"I'll be leaving today, Mireya. The house is getting suffocating with mom pestering me about Aurelia. Your parents are here too, trying to shove her down my throat. I don't just understand why they keep crossing boundaries."

My throat burned. I tried to speak, but the words simply didn't form.

"The ticket is slated for Tuesday. Are you still coming? This is the time we have to explore the city."

I had thought Theron just didn't love me. Turns out, he was in love with my sister instead.

My lips parted. "Theron."

"Mireya, are you ok-" He paused. "Aurelia? Oh shit..."

The call ended, and the door pushed open. Mireya stared at me, her eyes shifting between me, her phone, and the ticket. "You found out."

"Yeah," I bit back a quiver, "I did."

CHAPTER FOUR

AURELIA

"Mireya..." My voice shook. "Do you like Theron?"

"It's probably the other way round," she said calmly, closing the door with a soft click. "Theron likes me, so I gave him the chance to date me."

"But...we were dating," a tremor rushed through my body.

"No, you weren't. You only started dating five years ago, and even that was because I told Theron to date you. You were so pathetic writing love letters and running around him all day long. I was trying to help you-"

"Help?" I asked, my voice a shadow of itself. I felt hot, and my chest tightened, knocking out my breath. "Mireya, you were mocking me."

"Be careful, Aurelia. You don't want to die from shortness of breath." 

"Shut up!" I fired, closing the gap between us. "I'm your sister. How could you do this?"

"Theron doesn't even like you."

"At least, I...should have known. You had the chance to tell me five years ago, did you think I would get angry about that? If he didn't like me, there was nothing I could have done...so why...why didn't you..." I sucked a deep breath as my palm tightened around my shirt, "let me know?"

"Let you know?" Mireya scoffed. "You have everything, Aurelia. You are a spoiled brat. How could I possibly let you know that Theron and I were dating? You would probably throw a tantrum and force our separation, that's how you are, Aurelia."

I had everything, said the same girl who'd crumbled my whole world from the moment she appeared in my life. Said the same girl who I gave everything I had without a single word.

Theron told me to make everyone think I had broken off the marriage. It wasn't really because of his reputation; they were solid enough to push things off like this. It was because of Mireya, because he didn't want her to get hurt.

"I'm letting everyone know what you and Theron have been up to," I said flatly and pulled the door open, rushing out.

"Aurelia," Mireya grabbed my arm, but I pushed her off, rushing out of the front door. Crossing right into our gates was Theron, panic on his face.

He stared at me for just a second before the door opened and Mireya came out.

"Mireya, " he called, running towards her. 

She turned to face him as his arms wrapped around her, hugging her tightly to his chest. "Are you okay?" 

A small smile plastered Mireya's face as she stared at me. "Aurelia is mad. I think she's going to tell them," her voice was ridiculously lower than usual. Theron turned to look at me, and in that instant, my lips trembled. I had loved him.

I had loved Theron.

The scar at my back...

A shaky breath escaped from my lips as I turned. I feared that if I stared at them for too long, I would falter.

"I begged you. You can't ruin Mireya's reputation over this, you know her situation," he muttered.

Situation? What situation? When did being adopted become a ticket for things like this?

"Sort it out," I forced my voice to be cold. "You should have thought about this before going ahead with it. It's crazy how you think I should be understanding, Theron, because you treated me like trash and even lied to me."

"Aurelia-"

"Did you ever mean it? The flowers, the attendance, the love?" 

Silence ensued for a moment, and somehow, before he said it...I knew the answers. In every one of those situations, Mireya was always there.

"Mireya asked me to do those things for you, so that you wouldn't feel sad,"

That was new.

A chuckle escaped from my lips as I finally turned to look at them. My imagination drew horns on her head. 

She was so good at this. Setting circumstances and making me fall in love with him for the longest time, before she finally snatched him away from my hands, and he was so gullible, trusting, and doing as she said. The man I thought was logical and didn't have emotions was actually so stupid when he truly loved.

I pulled off his ring from my fingers, throwing it on the floor as I walked out of the gates. I won't let myself be ridiculed any longer. The doors to Theron's house pulled open even before I got to the door.

Dad stared at me. "Prepare for the wedding with Theron."

They settled without involving either of us, it seemed.

"I'm not getting married to Theron," I said, my voice coming off cold. "He's already in love-"

"I will marry you, Aurelia." 

I blinked as a voice cut me off. "What?"

"I will marry you," Theron repeated.

Behind him, Mireya's face twisted, like she was sorry. But I knew Mireya better than everyone. If she were truly sorry, then she wouldn't show it on her face. Because that was how she was, calm and always composed.

To protect this woman, Theron would do everything, including getting married to me.

~~

I stood at the edge of the bridge, my hands tightening on the railings. The cold air slapped my face, unexpectedly making me clear-headed. The bridge was my go-to whenever I felt too sad, and things were overly complicated. Just like today, I was here again.

I knew what I wanted, and it didn't include getting married to Theron anymore. However, my parents could bundle me to those wedding grounds if that would make me agree to marry. How crazy it is...that my lifelong dreams suddenly became my worst nightmare.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket, staring into the dark waters below.

"This is Aurelia Hale," I introduced myself purposely with my surname. "I need a ticket for tomorrow night, to Sydney, Australia."

Mireya's call came in the moment I ended the former.

"What do you want?"

"Are you sulking at the bridge again?" she asked. I'd let her know every corner of my life, sadly. Once upon a time, we stood on this same bridge together, when I'd still loved her.

"Don't jump in yet," she said. I could hear the movement as her heels clinked against the ground in a controlled manner. "I've always been jealous of you, Aure. You were always bubbly and happy, living life to the fullest, but you had no idea that eyes were on you. People watched you every single time. You were so innocent, the kind that would jump into fire to save the boy she loved."

I clenched my teeth. "Mireya."

"If only you had waited behind that night, then maybe Theron would have loved you. Saving his life was the fastest way to get into his heart."

My eyes narrowed.

Mireya chuckled, "For the person who saved his life, Theron would do everything. That's how he is."

"What?" I gasped, "Did you lie to Theron-"

"Now that you know, Aurelia, I can't keep you safe. Besides, if you are alive, that means you would get married to him, which I do not agree to. Theron is mine."

"Mireya-"

"Good bye, Aurelia."

A car light flashed behind me, pulling me attention. I turned, my feet rooted to the ground.

I barely felt the impact of the hit. My eyes blurred as the rails gave way to the water underneath. My lungs seized as the water pulled me in. 

For a second...for a split second, Theron's face flashed in my memories.

But even that vanished as my eyes closed.

If I had a second chance, just one more chance...

I would not fall in love with Theron, and I would never trust Mireya.

AURELIA

Water filled my mouth even before I could scream. My body jerked violently, my limbs flailing as panic rushed and slammed into my chest.

I couldn't breathe.

Air.

Air.

Air.

I couldn't swim.

A hand wrapped around my waist, pulling me upwards, over the edge. I coughed immediately as air got into my lungs.

"Breathe," a voice said above me, steady and calm.

I sucked in a deep breath, trying to survive. I was alive...I was alive.

The blur cleared from my eyes, and I looked up. I froze.

Him.

Theron Draix.

For a second, neither of us moved or looked away. 

"Are you okay?" He asked gently.

What was he doing here?

Had he...had he been the one who hit me with the car?

Theron would do anything. Mireya's words played in my head. 

I gasped, tears clouding my eyes. He would do anything, including killing me? I scrambled up from the floor, water dripping from my dress. 

"How dare you?" I shot, "How dare you touch me?"

Theron blinked. "You..."

"You asshole. Haven't you done enough yet? Just to protect her, you are going to kill me? So why didn't you do it? Why did you change your mind, you bastard!" I screamed, my fists hitting his chest. Anger burned through my body furiously, as if I didn't let it out, I'd burst open.

Theron gripped my wrist, pulling my hands off him. "I should be asking you that, Aurelia. Were you trying to kill yourself? You knew you couldn't swim, so why on earth are you beside the pool?" He asked.

The pool?

I turned sharply, before I could think. He was right, the pool was right beside us. This scene had played before. Two years ago, I had unfortunately slipped and fallen into a pool. But that night, Theron hadn't been there, and I'd been saved by the security guard who had come right in time. The security guard was staring at us now, halted halfway in his movement. So why...why was Theron here right now? Why was I here right now?

I ran my hands through my body, and there was no pain. Nothing to show that I'd been hit by a car and had fallen off the bridge. 

The realization hit. Heavens had answered my prayers, and I was back, two years before my betrayal. I gasped, my heart beating against my rib cage. I wasn't dead. I was alive.

"Are you sure you are fine?" Theron pulled my attention back to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you for saving me from the water," I said. "But next time, I would appreciate it if you let someone else save me rather than you." 

"You would have drowned."

"Why do you care about my life? Drowning or not...I am none of your business."

"Of course, you are my business," he said with precision. "I am your boyfriend."

Right, at this time, Theron and I were three years into the fake relationship he had tricked me into.

I scoffed. I'd been such a fool in my past. However, this time, I won't let the same thing repeat itself. Over my dead body.

"Theron Draix," I called, "I'm breaking up with you."

The shock that clouded his face was a sight to behold.

~~

Theron didn't follow me after I said those words to him. He probably was too shocked to do that. I also hadn't planned to do this, but I wasn't in my brain at the moment.

I had watched movies and read books about rebirth a lot, but thinking it could happen to me. That, even in imagination, was an expensive thought. But I was here, which meant only one thing...I had been reborn.

I blinked as I stared at myself in the mirror, my hair coming in curls as a result of the bath I'd just gotten. In my memories, Mireya had taken me to the pool, only to not be available when I'd fallen in. She had only appeared after I'd been taken into my room, which would be a few minutes from now. Falling into the water and almost dying had made me never step close to that pool again. In my past life, I had felt a hand clearly push me into the water, but Mireya had insisted that I had slipped. I sighed, picking up the dryer and blowing out my hair.

There was no need to think too much about what to do. In this life, I would do exactly the opposite things I did in my past. 

The door pulled open, and Mireya peeked in. "Aure."

Her voice came off so worried, so much so that I had trusted her so foolishly in my past life. My fingers tightened against the dryer in my hand. Seeing the woman who plotted my murder and betrayal face to face made me burn with uncontrollable anger.

But I forced a smile, "Mireya."

"Are you okay?"

"Where did you go? Right before I fell into the pool, I saw you, but immediately after that..." I trailed off, watching her calm expressions slightly falter. She wasn't so calm and composed after all. How hadn't I noticed that?

"Uh...I went to call for some help. My leg has been hurting me for some time, and I couldn't get into the water."

My eyes moved to her legs. She was standing perfectly fine.

I sniffed, twisting my face, "Mireya...I think someone hates me. I felt a hand push me into the water. Someone is trying to kill me!" I forced the tears out of my eyes. 

"No...no..you slipped. No one pushed you."

"Someone did, Mireya. I have to tell mom and dad."

"You know mom and dad are still annoyed, don't you?"

I had totally forgotten that. They were annoyed because I'd failed to come to the dinner party at Cleaves. Meanwhile, that night, Theron had invited me out for a date. Thinking about that, I must have been really stupid, leaving my family business for someone else to take over, and running everywhere with someone who didn't even love me.

However, my parents were my parents, and I knew them better than anyone. The only reason why I never tried winning them back in my past life was that I was too fixated on Theron and believed getting him would make me more important. This time, I would rise by myself.

"Don't worry, I will pacify them. They won't let someone hurt their 'only' daughter out of anger, would they?" I emphasized the word only, so much that Mireya's face lost color for a second.

"Only?"

I pouted. "You know what I mean."

Her face shifted back to its original look. "Just be patient, you don't have to tell them. I would get the CCTV to confirm. Don't disturb mom and dad so much, they are really busy."

I dropped the dryer, rushing to pull her into a tight hug. "Thank you, Mireya. You are the only one who truly cares about me in this world."

Mireya smiled. "You know I love you."

Well, I smirked, the feeling isn't mutual. Between the two of us, Mireya, I would have to see who can win the Oscar Awards for best acting in history.