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.

AURELIA

"What day is your graduation?"

My eyes flicked upwards at my father's question as we ate dinner. My fork slowly hit the glass plate, making a clink.

Graduation?

I remembered that my graduation was just two weeks from now.

"On Friday, 12 pm," I replied.

I'd forgotten about all of these; my life had practically rewound two years, and this time, I was preparing for graduation. That meant my arts award had been a month or two back. I should have contacted Mr. Ford, who wanted to speak to me about my art, shouldn't I?

"Hopefully, after graduation, you will be smart enough to know that the arts have nothing to do with this family," my father said. I always knew he was against it; this question had also popped up in my past life. The seemingly peaceful dinner had turned into an uproar in an instant.

He didn't seem to understand that business was not my forte, and while I could handle a little bit of food nutrition-letting it go only because I would have competed against Mireya in my past life-, I was happier with food tasting and adjustments. However, now, I plan to give my all when it comes to wrenching the company out of Mireya's hands.

"Yes, while I pursue arts in my free time, I would love to work at the company full-time, until I can hold the reins."

Mireya's fork hit her plate loudly, while my mom stared at me, mouth agape.

"I thought you wanted nothing to do with the company?" Mom asked.

"I did," my lips flattened, "however, I realized I was wrong, and you were right. I should be serious and work at the company." 

Whatever made them sleep at night was what I was going to say to make them give me a chance at the company. However, that didn't mean I was happy with them. They had joined in making my past life miserable.

"That's good," my father nodded his head, a contented smile brightening his face. "I'm so happy you finally wisened up, Aurelia. Just act like your sister from now on, Mireya will teach you everything you need to know."

"Thank you sis!" I glanced at Mireya.

She forced a smile, her fingers tightening around the fork. 

"Tomorrow, Aurelia, you should come to the boutique with me. I would get some dresses perfect for your first day at work," mom said, placing a piece of beef on my plate.

I knew my parents and what made them switch easily, it was nothing more than business.

"Aure, I don't think you should work at the company. Isn't art your passion?" Mireya asked in my room after dinner. I looked up from my phone and stared at her,

"It is," I nodded. "And since it's a talent, it's easier for me than most. But I want to try something new and working at the company sounds like a nice idea."

I watched as her brows furrowed. "You never wanted to work at the company-"

"People change, Mireya. I thought you would be happy for me, we would be spending more time together for a while. Think of my period there as a sisters' hangout."

"How many days do you plan on spending?" Her ears perked up the moment she heard the word period.

"I don't know. Depends on how fast I learn and how soon mom and dad retire so I can take over," I said flatly.

"You...want to take over the company? You haven't even started working yet," she said sharply.

"Exactly. Why are you so tense?" I scoffed, grabbing my head phones from the bed as I stood up. "I'm going for a run, see ya."

I let out a breath the moment I stepped out of the house. Staying in the room with Mireya would have killed me at any moment, so how did she pretend for that long? From the moment she got into our house? Pretense was suffocating, and watching her act so nice simply made me angry. I couldn't wait to take back the things that belonged to me and watch the calm composure snap out of her.

My legs hit the floor as I ran past the gate, running at the side of the estate. A shadow fell beside me and before I could turn, the owner came. Theron Draix.

What? My legs stopped suddenly and before I could fall, his hands wrapped around me, holding me steady. 

"Are you okay?" His eyes stared at me, full with worry.

Fake.

I steadied myself, pushing him away. 

Irritation clouded my face, "What are you doing here?"

In my memories, I'd never run into Theron jogging, ever. He wasn't even home during weekdays, except for Friday evenings. This was a Wednesday.

"Jogging, you?"

"You are clearly not blind," I threw the words out of my lips venomously. He should see clearly that I wanted nothing to do with him. "Did Mireya send you here?" 

"Mireya?" His eyes narrowed. "No."

"You are a liar," I scoffed. "I see she couldn't wait to cry to you, right?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about-"

His words had barely dropped, when we heard a vibration, from his joggers. Right, joggers. Seeing Theron Draix in clothes other than suits and ties was...crazy. However, I hated him and I hoped he could see that and just leave me the heck alone. This time I was focused on the girl I called my family.

"Pick her call, lover boy, and leave me alone," I said flatly and continued my race, away from him.

"Did we have a fight?" Theron resurfaced.

"No."

"Then why are you breaking up with me?" he held my arm, halting me. 

For a second, we stared at each other in utter silence. And just for that second, something flashed in Theron's eyes. Pain?

"Are you-"

"Aurelia!" A voice cut me off from my words and I turned, just in time to see a bike stop in front of me. Its owner pulled off the helmet from his head and a smile crossed his face.

I blinked, and then, recognition set in.

"Tony?"