"Move it!" the man snapped, shoving the girl behind him with pure contempt. She staggered backward, lost her footing, and went splashing straight into the pond.
"Help! Someone's in the water!" People nearby converged in an instant.
Aleena Cook thrashed in the murky depths, flailing until a blinding white light pierced her vision. She blinked—white ceiling above. Blurry figures hovered around her. For a moment, she couldn't tell where she was.
Anger and despair still fogged her brain as she frowned, trying to shake off the ache weighing down her body. "Didn't I... already die?" She remembered it with brutal clarity: throwing all her weight into that wall, then collapsing into her own spreading pool of blood.
"If you're awake, stop faking it!" A sharp voice cut through her thoughts. Aleena zeroed in on the impatient man standing over her—Julian Mason. He was stunning in a way that stung. Sharp features, a brooding, dark aura—the kind of handsome that left you breathless without him even trying.
Julian. A face she knew far too well. The husband she'd given five years of her life to—the one who'd driven her straight to the edge of despair.
It all started in college. She caught one glimpse of him on campus, and that was it. She was done for. She handed him her whole heart, no questions asked. Julian, with all his beauty and his cold, aloof air, drew attention from everyone but rarely let anyone in. At first, he wasn't interested. But Aleena kept pushing, always chasing, always desperate for a crumb of his notice.
Then came Aya Morales. Sweet, outgoing, quick to listen—Aya became her closest friend in no time. What Aleena never suspected: her so-called best friend had her eyes on Aleena's man, methodically plotting to drag her down.
Aleena still remembered the day Julian out of nowhere said he was interested. He started pursuing her, and she was over the moon. She told herself that as long as he was hers, everything would fall into place. They clawed their way through life side by side—graduation, managing his business, all of it. When he dropped to one knee in that elaborate, over-the-top proposal, she cried with happiness. But marriage didn't bring the fairy tale she'd dreamed of. It slid her straight into an endless pit of darkness and torment.
After the wedding, Julian barely came home. His entire world revolved around Aya. On the rare nights he did show up, he'd throw accusations instead of greetings, blaming Aleena for stealing his true love's place. He went on and on about Aya's kindness—how she'd sacrificed her own joy so her friend could keep a sham marriage intact. That's all their marriage was: a title in name only. A scam. A cruel joke.
Aleena would slave over a beautiful dinner, and Julian would spend the whole night out with Aya. If she called him when she was sick and begged him to come home, he'd snap at her to see a doctor. She once planned an elaborate surprise birthday party for him—and instead of gratitude, she got suspicion and an interrogation. In his eyes, she was the scheming manipulator. Aya was the innocent, wounded sweetheart.
Something yanked Aleena back to the present: a girl squeezing her way between her and Julian. "Aleena! Are you okay?"
Aleena stared, certain she had to be dreaming. Judith Stone. Her best friend—the one who'd always been straight with her.
What was Judith doing here? Aleena remembered Judith trying to warn her about Aya, back in the old life. But she hadn't listened. She'd chosen Aya, and it had ripped their friendship apart. Then came Judith's car accident—the one that left her unable to walk. And then the tragic end. Gone.
"Judith?" Aleena sat up so fast Judith flinched. "Oh my God, you're awake! You took a little dip in the pond, so they brought you to the hospital."
Hospital? Pond? Aleena grabbed Judith's hand, panic raw in her voice. "Judith, what year is it?"
Judith's face scrunched in confusion. "Did the fall knock a few screws loose? You went to the park with Aya, and next thing I hear, you're in the water. What happened?"
Aleena's eyes went wide. Then it all came rushing back: those college days. Aya coaching her on how to win Julian's heart. Julian volunteering at the park with his classmates, getting annoyed because she kept trailing behind him, and finally shoving her into the pond.
She was... back? Back in her university days? Shock flipped into something electric. Excitement. A second chance. And this time, she wouldn't make the same mistakes.
Julian's bored voice sliced through her thoughts. "Well, she's not dead. I'm out."
"What? You're leaving?" Judith's voice spiked with anger. "She ended up in the hospital! The least you could do is explain yourself!"
"Nothing to explain. Stop bugging me—it's irritating," Julian shot back dismissively.
"You—" Judith was practically fuming.
"Julian," Aleena cut in, quiet but firm. "You owe me an apology."
"Why should I?"
"Because you pushed me into that water."
"You brought it on yourself."
At that moment, Aya hurried in from outside, all sugary concern. "Come on, Aleena, Julian didn't mean it." Her eyes met Aleena's with a look loaded with meaning.
The old Aleena would have smiled, dropped her head, and let it slide—would have twisted herself into knots just to keep the peace, no matter how cruel he'd been. Looking back, she saw how pathetic that was. Did endless sacrifice ever earn anyone real love? No.
So instead, Aleena turned to Judith, her voice steady as steel. "In that case, let's call the cops. We'll handle this officially and see what happens when someone shoves a girl into a pond."
Julian froze. His expression darkened. Never in a million years had he expected timid, spineless Aleena to talk back like that.
The room went cold, silence pressing in from all sides. After a long, tense beat, Julian finally caved. "...Fine. My bad. Are you happy now?"
Aleena just stared at him, icy. She could feel the hollow emptiness of that apology. She said nothing, only held his gaze.
"Is that it?" Julian snapped, irritation dripping from every syllable. "I'm leaving."
"Hang on," Aleena said.
"Now what?"
"Just so you know: stay away from me from this point on. I don't feel safe with you anywhere near me."
The room was stunned to silence. Was this really Aleena talking to Julian? The Aleena who used to let him walk all over her?
Aleena Cook wasn't surprised by the shock written all over everyone's faces. In her past life, her forgiving nature had let Julian Mason and Aya Morales walk all over her—stomp her sincerity straight into the dirt.
She'd never forget the final days of that life. How Julian and Aya drove her to the edge of madness. That gut-wrenching moment when Julian hurled the birthday cake she'd made with so much love onto the ground. He actually believed she'd hurt Aya when Aya tripped on the stairs. Julian was convinced it was all Aleena's doing. He slapped her hard, spitting out the cruelest words, refusing to hear a single word she said. In his eyes, Aya was his precious jewel, while Aleena? Just some sneaky little liar.
Late one night, she waited in the living room for Julian to come home, desperate to explain she'd never touched Aya. The door slammed open. Julian stumbled in, reeking of booze, and yanked her up by the arm. She tried to pull away, but he grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. The cold, brutal kiss that followed nearly stole her breath.
"What are you doing, Julian?" she protested, her voice shaking.
He smirked, his face twisted with cruel mockery. "Isn't this what you wanted? I'm just giving you what you crave so you'll leave Aya alone."
The storm of abuse shattered every last hope Aleena held. She cried quietly, enduring the torment. Morning light slipped through the window, casting pale rays on Aleena as she lay bruised and broken in the bed. She trembled, tracing her fingers over the bloodstains on the sheets. That night had been nothing short of torture.
Aleena lost all faith in Julian. She wanted out. A divorce. Anything to escape this nightmare. But she never saw the obstacles coming. When the phone rang, she weakly lifted her hand to answer. On the other end—a heart-wrenching sob. "Aleena, something's happened to your brother!"
Her mind went blank. Without a second thought, she threw on clothes and rushed out. Stumbling to the scene, she shoved through the crowd, only to be met with bloodstains and her brother's pale, lifeless face. She fainted. When she came to, she was in a hospital bed, and Julian was sitting nearby. His next words shoved her straight into hell.
"Aleena, how does it feel to lose someone you love? That was my gift to you," he said, grinning cruelly. "That's what happens when you hurt Aya. Your brother got exactly what he deserved for trying to help you."
Aleena's whole body shook. Her heart caved in with agony. And then the phone rang again. Julian grabbed it first. He listened, and Aleena could hear the sorrow and fear leaking through the line. "Aleena, come home quick. Your mother… she took her own life."
Aleena collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. She was completely powerless—and Julian seemed satisfied by her misery, his face twisted into a malevolent smile. "When I told your mother the truth, her expression was just as entertaining as yours," he said.
Aleena wanted to escape this hellish prison, wanted justice for her family. But her enemies had other plans. Aya had her taken from the hospital. When Aleena opened her eyes, she was in a dark, filthy basement that reeked of rot. Her hands were bound behind her back. She struggled, she screamed for help—but the more she panicked, the more Aya seemed to enjoy the show.
"Aleena, there's no point in fighting. No one's coming for you," Aya taunted, watching with a cold smile. "I've been waiting for this day for so long."
"Aya, I thought you were my friend. And you betray me like this?"
"Friend? Aleena, you're pathetic. But I should call you by your real name—shouldn't I call you Aleena Campbell?"
"What? You're her child?" Aleena's eyes went wide with terror as she stared into Aya's gaze—so eerily identical to that woman from the past. "No… her child died…"
"Died? Did you really think I was dead? For seventeen years, I remembered everything. And now… it's your turn to feel my despair," Aya declared.
A group of men lunged at Aleena like wolves. She fought back desperately, broke free, even knocked one to the ground.
"Hold her down!" Aya commanded. "The boss's orders!"
Aleena was pinned to the floor, helpless. She screamed in agony while Aya watched with pure delight.
The ordeal ended with Aleena lying motionless on the floor. Aya leaned in close, her whisper like poison. "Today's little game? Courtesy of Julian."
"Aya… you and your mother are vile… you'll rot for this!" Aleena spat, her spirit crushed but her fury still burning. With every ounce of strength left, she hurled herself at the wall—determined to escape this hell by any means necessary.
"Stop her!" Aya shrieked, but it was too late. Aleena crumpled into a bloody heap and didn't move.
Aleena died. She ended her suffering.
Looking back on her previous life now, Aleena could only see it as a sick joke. Despite her prestigious family name, she'd been pushed out of her inheritance by scheming relatives, ending up with her mother in the faded remains of the Cook family home. She fought her way into university, hoping for a quiet, normal life—only to get dragged into Julian's world, where old family feuds and hidden agendas resurfaced with a vengeance.
She'd been a sacrificial lamb. Aleena finally understood that Aya's hatred came from her mother's grudge against a mistress. Aleena's biological father, Victor Campbell, was a notorious playboy—even after marriage. Aya's mother got pregnant during that sordid affair.
Seventeen years ago, a young Aleena had carried a box to a woman perched on a high stool. The woman took it like it was a precious treasure. And then—in the next heartbeat—she screamed and fell. The fatal box tumbled onto the balcony floor below.
In that past life, Aleena had been so naive, foolishly believing she could finally have a peaceful life as a Campbell daughter. Instead, she ended up ruined, disgraced, and dead. This time around, she swore she wouldn't repeat her mistakes. She would have her revenge. She would make Julian and Aya taste the same pain they'd forced down her throat.
The confrontation ended abruptly as Julian stormed out, his face twisted with fury.
Aleena Cook paused, mentally retracing the chain of events. It had been about a month since she'd first crossed paths with Aya Morales. For the two of them to conspire against her, they had to have plotted meticulously. Aleena thought back to Julian's sudden confession in her previous life, and it hit her—their relationship had never been real. It was just a tactic in some deeper game of revenge. She could understand Aya holding a grudge—but what the hell did Julian have against her?
As Aleena walked through the night, the cool breeze grazing her skin, her mind felt unusually sharp. She wandered beneath the streetlights, their glow casting a shifting mosaic of shadows across the pavement. The world felt peaceful—at least for now.
A whisper echoed in the quiet corners of her mind, smooth as velvet. "Hello, Aleena Cook..." A chilling smile crept onto the girl's lips under the streetlights. "I promise I'll finish this for you."
Shaking off the cold murmur within her, Aleena headed back to campus. Old dorm-room memories surfaced, and a dull headache began to throb behind her eyes. Back then, she'd been soft, accommodating—the kind of agreeable that attracted roommates who fed on pushovers. Before long, she'd become the dorm's maid, errand girl, and resident scapegoat.
"Well, well, if it isn't Miss Aleena," Yvonne sneered the moment Aleena stepped through the door. "I heard your knight in shining armor had to save you from drowning. Quite the spectacle, huh?"
"Miss Aleena?" Lucy cut in, her voice dripping with contempt. "More like someone who can't take a hint. Always hanging all over him, never knowing when to back off."
Before, those biting remarks would've been enough to reduce Aleena to tears. Now, she just shot them an icy look and let their words roll right off her.
Too bad for them—they weren't about to let her off that easily. Sunny, the dorm's reigning bully, got right up in Aleena's face. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"
"What do you care?" Aleena replied, her voice like ice.
"Well, believe it or not, your pathetic groveling is an embarrassment to all of us," Sunny snapped, her voice echoing off the walls. "Apologize, and this can all be over!"
Aleena laughed out loud—at the absurdity of the situation, at all of them.
"I said apologize, Aleena!" Lucy moved closer, her face stopping inches from Aleena's, her voice a low threat.
In one sharp, fluid motion, Aleena's hand cracked across Lucy's cheek. The sound rang through the room, and everyone froze. No one could believe that the sweet, passive Aleena had just struck someone.
"What the hell, Aleena?!" Sunny lunged forward to defend Lucy. "Who do you think you are?"
With a dull thud, Aleena kicked Sunny hard, sending her crashing to the floor. Then she grabbed a coffee mug off the table and brought it down with brutal force. The mug shattered into pieces, and the room went dead silent. The same girls who'd once made her life a living hell were suddenly subdued, all their earlier bravado swallowed by Aleena's raw, unfamiliar ferocity.
"You all pushed me around before because I had the decency to let it go," Aleena said, her voice calm but steely. "But if I hear one more snide comment from any of you, you'll live to regret it."
She reached down, grabbed Sunny—still dazed on the floor—by the collar, and pulled her up close. Her voice dropped to a menacing whisper, her gaze cold and unrelenting. Sunny felt a shiver claw down her spine. This version of Aleena was a stranger—like staring into the eyes of someone else entirely.
"Do you want to test me further?" Aleena enunciated every word slowly and deliberately.
The atmosphere hung thick and suffocating. Finally, Yvonne broke, trying to defuse the situation. "Look—sorry, Aleena. We were just blunt. We didn't mean any harm."
Aleena let out a dismissive huff, brushing past them to her bed with an air of defiance that dared anyone to try again.
For the rest of the night, the dorm remained quiet and subdued. No one dared provoke Aleena further.
"Finally, some peace," Aleena thought with grim satisfaction.
