Liana's POV

The elevator doors slid open with a soft ding that echoed too loud in my head.

I stepped out onto my floor, heading towards Graham's office, the carpet muffling my heels.

The air smelled like stale coffee and printer toner, it was familiar, but today it felt thick, like breathing through a mask. Heads turned as I passed cubicles. Whispers followed, low and buzzing like flies around rot.

I blamed myself for this walk.

If I hadn't said yes to Raphael's coffee this morning. If I hadn't let his shy smile and gentle kiss pull me away from my plan. If I'd stuck to the script from my first life, with my head down, no distractions, no changes, I wouldn't be here now, marching to Graham's office like a lamb heading to the slaughter house.

I cannot afford to be distracted, I keep forgetting things.

I'd known it since the bar night. That first forgotten detail about the leaked files. Then the guard's name. Lucy's eye color during prison visits. Small pieces at first. But they added up. Each time I did something different, skipped drinks with Lucy, built the shadow protocol, a memory from the past life vanished. Poof. Gone like smoke.

But I hadn't stopped. Couldn't stop. Survival meant change. And change meant losing the very truths I needed to win.

Graham's door was cracked open. Voices inside.

Low. Angry.

I paused outside, hand on the knob. My phone buzzed in my pocket, probably Raphael again, I ignored it. Distractions later.

I pushed the door open.

Graham stood behind his desk, arms crossed, pot belly straining his shirt like always. His thin smile didn't reach his eyes. But he wasn't alone.

Lucy sat in the chair across from him. Bleached blonde hair is perfect. Blue eyes-wait, were they blue? I blinked. The color felt wrong now. Faded.

She turned when I entered. Her smile was too sweet. Too fast.

"Liana," Graham said. "Good. We were just talking about you."

I closed the door behind me. Leaned against it casual-like, even though my knees felt weak.

"Really? I'm flattered."

Lucy stood up. "We're worried about you."

We.

Like they were a team.

Graham nodded. "The overnight login from your home IP. 2:47 a.m. Files pulled. Sensitive ones. You know the rules about remote access after hours."

I crossed my arms. "I was asleep at 2:47. Dreaming about spreadsheets, probably."

He didn't laugh. "The logs don't lie."

Logs.

The word hit like a slap. In my first life, logs framed me. Fake ones. Clean. Too clean.

I looked at Lucy. She shifted her weight, eyes flicking to Graham for a second. Just a blink.

Something clicked.

Lucy.

In my first life, I'd trusted her. Let her bring me food, flowers, and questions. I have never confronted her. I stayed quiet. I let the friendship blind me.

But now? I was changing that.

I stepped forward. Voice low. Sarcastic. Flirty in that crazy way that made people nervous.

"Worried about me, Luce? That's sweet. Like how you were worried when you leaked those docs last time?"

Her face went pale. "What?"

Graham stiffened. "Bennett-"

I ignored him. Pushed closer to Lucy. "You. Always close. Always watching. The food. The flowers. The questions. You think I don't see it now?"

She laughed, high, forced. "What the hell are you going on about?"

But her eyes said differently. Fear. Guilt.

I leaned in. Whispered like we were sharing a secret. "I know what you did. What you're doing. And this time, I'm not going quietly."

Change.

The word echoed in my head.

This was a change. Big one. In my first life, I never accused her. Never stood up like this.

Pain hit fast.

My ears started ringing first. It was a high-pitched whine like a kettle boiling over. Then the room blurred, the edges soft, colors bleeding like wet paint. My vision tunneled. Graham's face stretched weird. Lucy's smile twisted.

What's happening?

No. Not now.

I grabbed the desk edge. Knees buckled.

"Liana?" Lucy's voice far away.

Everything spun. Blurry. Ringing louder.

I tried to speak. "You... traitor..."

I hit the floor. Hard.

The last thing I saw was Lucy bending over me. Was she smiling? She doesn't look worried. She looks more satisfied.

And Graham's voice, faint.

"Call the ambulance, she's passing out."

The door opened. I heard footsteps. And then darkness swallowed me whole.

But the ringing stopped.

And the cliff dropped away.

Liana's POV

The hospital room was too bright and too quiet.

White ceiling. White walls. White sheets that smelled like bleach and nothing else. The IV line in my arm dripped slowly and steady, like it was counting down to something bad.

My head throbbed, like someone had packed my skull with wet cotton and kept pressing harder.

I blinked at the ceiling tiles. One had a brown water stain shaped like a sad face.

I tried to sit up. Then the room tilted.

A nurse came in, her steps quick,she had tired eyes, with a clipboard in hand.

"Easy now. You hit your head when you fainted. Concussion. We're keeping you overnight."

I touched the bandage on my forehead. Small. Sticky.

"What time is it?"

"Almost 8 p.m. Your colleagues said you collapsed in the office. Graham McFadden called the ambulance."

Graham.

Lucy.

The meeting.

I closed my eyes and tried to pull it back.

I remembered walking in. Graham behind his desk. Lucy in the chair. Her smile is too sweet.

I remembered opening my mouth.

"You. Always close. Always watching. The food. The flowers. The questions. You think I don't see it now?"

I remembered her face going pale.

Then ringing.

High-pitched. Loud. Like a kettle screaming inside my ears.

The room blurred. Colors bled. Graham's face stretched. Lucy's smile twisted.

Then black.

I opened my eyes again. The monitor beeped slowly and steadily.

I needed to know. What do I do from here?

Right now. I focused on one memory from the first life. The day I got my promotion. Andrew Kane's email. Subject line:

Congratulations – Senior Data Analyst. I waited for the words to appear in my mind.

I pushed harder.

The cake Lucy brought. Chocolate. My name in white icing.

I tried remembering the prison.

The ceiling stains.

One thousand, two hundred and twenty-three.

The number came... then slipped away like water through fingers.

Panic rose fast.

I tried the poison.

The taste in my mouth. Metallic. Oily.

I remembered the burn.

But the guard who brought the tray?

His face.

Blank.

His name.

Nothing.

His voice when he slid the tray through the slot.

Gone.

My breath came short. Fast. It wasn't random.

It was every single change.

Wait!

Every time I did something different from the first life, skipped drinks with Lucy, built hidden scripts, went for coffee with Raphael, accused her today, a piece of the past life vanished.

The memories I needed to survive.

The clues.The faces.The truth. They were being erased. One decision at a time. I stared at the IV drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

How many were left?

How many changes could I afford before I forgot why I came back?

Before I forgot the poison. Before I forgot the betrayal. Before I forgot... me?

A sob caught in my throat.

I swallowed it down.

I picked up my phone and cancelled the dinner plans I had with Raphael. It's definitely not the time for that.

Suddenly, the door opened quietly, tentative movements moving towards me.

I turned my head.

Lucy.

She looked worried.

Eyes wide. Blonde hair is a little messy. Hands twisting together like she didn't know what to do with them.

"Liana..."

She stepped closer. Stopped at the foot of the bed.

"Are you ok? I brought your stuffs. Graham told everyone you fainted. I... I was so scared."

Her voice cracked. She looked like she might cry.

I stared at her.

The same Lucy who brought me coffee. Who laughed with me in the break room. Who visited me in prison.

The same Lucy who smiled when I fell.I tried to speak.

My throat felt dry.

"You came."

"Of course I came." She moved to the side of the bed. Her hand hovered over mine, hers slightly shaking, then settled lightly. "You're my best friend. I couldn't just stay away."

Best friend.

The words hurt.

Because I remembered something else.

In the first life, she never looked this worried.

She looked satisfied.

I pulled my hand away slowly.

She flinched like I'd slapped her.

"Liana... What's wrong? Talk to me."

I looked at her.

Really looked.The way her eyes flicked to the door.The way her fingers kept twisting her ring.

The way she kept glancing at the monitor like she was waiting for something.

And suddenly it hit me, harder than the fall.

I'd accused her today.

In the first life, Nothing like that happened.

I stayed quiet. Trusted her. Let the friendship blind me.

This time I spoke

And the ringing started.

I stared at her.

"You're worried," I said. Voice flat. "That's nice."

She swallowed. "Of course I'm worried. You collapsed right in front of me."

I let out a short bitter laughter.

"Yeah. Right in front of you."

Her face changed.

Just for a second.

The worry cracked.

Something colder showed underneath.

Then it was gone.

She reached for my hand again.

"Let me help you. Whatever's going on, we can fix it."

I pulled back. "No."

She froze. I leaned forward despite the pain.

"I remember now. Not everything. But enough."

Her eyes widened.

"Liana-"

The monitor beeped faster.

My vision blurred again-not from the concussion.

From the weight of it all.

Every decision I changed took something.

And this one, accusing her, took the last piece I needed.

The memory of how she smiled when she visited me in prison. It was getting blurry

I stared at her.

"You're not worried about me," I whispered.

Her face went white.

The door opened behind her. And heavy footsteps followed. What now?

A woman in a suit walked in. She looked at Lucy, then at me.

"Ms. Bennett. I'd need to speak with you. Alone."

Raphael's POV

Rain hammered the penthouse windows like it was trying to break inside.

I stood in the living room, staring at the city lights smeared across the glass. My phone sat silent on the marble counter. No new messages from Liana since her short text: Can't make dinner. Something came up. Sorry.

I checked the time again. 8:20 p.m.

The reservation at Le Gavroche was long gone. I had called to cancel. The host had sounded almost sympathetic.

I wasn't hungry.

My stomach was knotted too tight to eat.

The day had been endless, board meetings, investor calls, the patent fight with Blaise Corps still breathing down my neck. Elena had sent an update: the code was stronger now. Marcus said the legal papers were ready to file. Jackson was monitoring their public announcements.

Work never stopped.

But my thoughts kept circling back to her.

Liana.

This morning at the coffee shop still felt unreal. Her red lipstick. Her teasing smile. The way her foot brushed mine under the table and made my face burn. I'm not usually shy. I speak to powerful people every day without blinking. But with her? I suddenly become shy.

I paced the open living room. The penthouse felt too big tonight. Too empty.

I grabbed my phone again. Texted her: *Are you okay? Let me know if you need anything.*

Still nothing. I set the phone down. The doorbell chimed softly

I frowned. I hadn't ordered anything nor was I expecting anyone.

I crossed the room. Checked the security screen.

A woman stood in the hallway. Long dark hair. Red dress. High heels.

Sasha.

My occasional escort for the past three years.

She never came unannounced. I opened the door.

She smiled, that slow practised seductive smile.

"Miss me, Rafe?" I stepped aside to let her in.

She walked past me, heels clicking on the marble floor. I closed the door.

"What are you doing here?"

She turned. Dropped her coat on the couch.

"You've been quiet lately. No calls. No late-night texts. I thought you might need company."

I rubbed the back of my neck.

"I'm not in the mood tonight."

Her smile didn't falter.

She stepped closer. Fingers trailed down my chest.

"You always say that. Then I remind you how good it feels to forget everything for a few hours."

I caught her wrist gently.

"Stop."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" I let go of her hand.

"I met someone."

Her eyes narrowed, just a little."Someone special?"

"Yeah."

She laughed softly. "That's cute. But special girls don't stay special forever. You know that."

I walked to the bar cart. Poured myself a drink.

"I know."

She came up behind me. Pressed against my back. Her hands slid around my waist.

"Let me help you forget her. Just for tonight."

I set the glass down, then turned to face her.

"I don't want to forget her."

Sasha's smile faded.

She stepped back.

She looked at me like I was a stranger.

"You're serious."

I nodded.

She studied my face for a long moment.

Then she laughed. "Wow. The great Raphael Blackthorne. Falling for someone."

I didn't answer.

She picked up her coat.

Slipped it on.

"Fine. Enjoy your little romance. But when she breaks your heart,, and she will, you know where to find me."

She walked toward the door. I watched her go.

She placed her hand on the door handle, then she paused and turned back.

She shot me one last smile.

"Oh, and Raphael?"

"Yeah?"

Her eyes flicked over me, up and down.

"Be careful. Love is more of a foe than a friend."

Just as the elevator closed, my phone rang.

It was Jackson.

I picked it up. "What?"

"Boss, she's in the hospital."

"Who are you talking about?"

"It's Liana. She is in the hospital."

"What!"