Hyera exhaled deeply, her heart caught in a strange tangle of disbelief and hope.

Ken chuckled softly as he looked at her stunned expression and shook his head. "What's with that look? I am your official boyfriend, you know. Of course I came to see what happened."

Hanabi smiled warmly and helped Hyera sit up, then busied herself gathering her daughter's things. She knew about Ken and her daughter's relationship-but she had always believed young people should manage their own affairs.

"I'm fine," Hyera said, forcing a small smile. "I just woke up and... my head still hurts a little."

But her voice trembled, betraying the whirlwind of emotions inside her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the wall mirror.

She turned her head.

Slowly, she got up and walked toward it. Her fingers reached up, gently brushing against her face.

Youthful. Clear skin. Soft features untouched by time or trauma.

It wasn't makeup. It wasn't a dream.

This was real.

A wild thought surged through her mind-so intense it made her heart pound.

Suddenly, she bit her finger. Hard.

"Aw!"

The sharp sting shot up her hand, and tears welled in her eyes. But she smiled.

It hurt-and that meant it was real.

She spun around and clutched her mother's arm, her voice panicked. "Mom! Mom... you're thirty-six this year, right?"

Hanabi blinked at her daughter's strange expression and tear-streaked cheeks. "Yes, but... what's with the sudden question? You never remember my birthday, and now this?"

Without answering, Hyera threw her arms around her mother and held her tight, burying her face in her neck.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I'm so, so sorry. I'll remember it forever from now on. I swear."

Hanabi tapped her gently on the forehead, her expression soft and full of love. "Silly girl... What are you apologizing for? I'm not upset. Don't cry anymore, okay? If my little princess cries her eyes red like this, how is she supposed to find her prince?"

She looked around the room, searching for a familiar face-but Ken was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, right," she said, suddenly remembering. "He got a phone call and had to rush out."

But before she could say more, Hyera pulled away and shook her head.

"No, I don't want to find a prince. I just want you, Mom. I want to stay by your side-forever. I don't need anything or anyone else."

Hanabi's eyes softened even more as she hugged her tightly again. "You silly girl..."

But to Hyera, it wasn't silly.

From her mother's words, from everything around her... she had confirmed the truth.

Something so impossible, so unreal, yet undeniably real.

She had been given a second chance.

She had been reborn.

Back to five years ago.

...

Sherwood Family Estate

The sky darkened gradually, thick clouds swallowing the fading daylight. The wind howled outside, and the rain-steady, relentless-lashed against the windows with soft thwack, thwack sounds.

Inside the quiet room, Hyera curled up in her mother's arms, tears still wet on her cheeks. No one knew how long she had cried before exhaustion finally claimed her. Her breathing slowed, her body relaxed, and she drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Hanabi continued to gently pat her back, as if trying to lull away every trace of pain from her daughter's heart.

Hearing movement, Nanny Pia came rushing in with a tray of milk and a slice of cake. Her steps paused at the doorway as her eyes fell on the sleeping girl in Hanabi's arms. She lowered her voice and asked tentatively, "Madam... is Miss Hyera not going to class again today?"

Hanabi gave her a soft, warning glance and raised a finger to her lips. "Shhh," she whispered, signaling Nanny Pia to lower her voice.

Then, with great care, she tucked Hyera beneath the covers.

"It's pouring outside," she said quietly. "How could I let her go out in this weather? What if she catches a cold? She just got discharged from the hospital-I'm not letting my baby girl set foot in there again. Not today. Go tell the driver there's no need to wait by the gate. She's not going to school."

Nanny Pia nodded. "Yes, Madam."

But as she turned to leave, she couldn't help letting out a long sigh. How many days has Miss Hyera skipped school now? she thought. She must've fallen far behind... If she doesn't catch up, she'll be at the bottom of the class again.

Still, what did it matter? The young miss was the heiress to the Sherwood family. The school itself had been built with the old master's donations. Who would dare fail her?

As she stepped out of the room, Nanny Pia caught a glimpse of Hanabi's eyes-red-rimmed and watery. Her heart ached, but she didn't dare linger. She turned away in silence and left.

Sometime in the deep hours of the night, Hyera woke with a start.

She'd had a nightmare-one so vivid it made her break out in a cold sweat. In it, she saw that woman-Kehlani-her so-called stepmother, strangling her real mother with her own hands.

Hyera sat up in bed, breath ragged, and slowly got to her feet. She walked barefoot across the floor and looked out the window.

The old Sherwood estate stood on the outskirts of City B, far from the noise of downtown. Years ago, her grandfather Maverick Sherwood had chosen this peaceful location to recover from an illness, and the place had remained in the family ever since.

The estate itself was a unique blend of Eastern elegance and Western sophistication. Antique vases stood beside sleek marble columns. Oil paintings hung near wooden calligraphy plaques. It was strange-but beautiful.

Outside, the June rain hadn't let up. It continued to fall in steady sheets, soaking the gardens and pattering softly into the flower pot on her windowsill.

Hyera stared out at the dark sky.

So many questions filled her head.

'Should I tell Mom the truth? Should I tell her that Dad already has another woman outside? That Silvia and Tim exist? That everything they built... will eventually be stolen by those two?'

But what proof did she have?

She bit her lip hard.

Even she still couldn't fully believe she had come back from the dead-reborn into her younger self.

'If even I can't understand it... how could Mom possibly believe me?'

She placed her hand flat against the glass, rain thudding gently on the other side.

No... not yet.

There was too much she didn't know. Too much she couldn't explain. If she said something now, would it just sound like a child's nonsense? Would her mother dismiss it... or worse, worry even more?

She had to think.

Had to plan.

This time around... she would be smarter. She would protect her mother. Protect everything that had been taken from her.

But first... she had to figure out what to do next.

***

Casually glancing around the room, Hyera's gaze inadvertently landed on an old bronze clock standing in the corner. Her eyes narrowed.

Her breath caught.

There-on its weathered face-engraved in bold digits, was a date and time that made her entire body stiffen.

June 10th, 2:45 PM.

Drawn by a sudden urgency, she moved toward it, steadying herself against a nearby cabinet. Her dark eyes locked onto the clock's numbers, refusing to look away. She whispered under her breath as she read the time aloud.

"June 10th... 2:45 PM..."

The moment the words left her lips, she stumbled backward. Her face turned ghostly pale. A wave of panic surged through her. Her foot caught on the edge of the carpet, and she fell hard, the side of her head slamming against the wooden foot of the bed. A red mark bloomed instantly on her forehead.

But she didn't even flinch.

Pain was nothing right now.

What mattered-what mattered more than anything-was whether the clock's date matched reality.

June 10th... 2:45 PM...

Hyera sat frozen on the floor, heart pounding wildly as her mind raced through memories she hadn't dared revisit. Suddenly, she clamped a hand over her mouth, stifling the sound of her ragged breathing.

'June 10th... isn't this ten days before Mom died?'

In her previous life, her mother's death had been ruled a tragic accident. But now...

Now she had another chance.

If her rebirth could change her fate-could it change her mother's fate too?

She looked out the window, at the endless rain blanketing the world in gray, and lifted her head to the sky.

"God... if you gave me this second chance... can you give my mother one too?" she pleaded in a trembling voice. "Can the past be changed? Please... I'm begging you... please just let her live..."

Tears streamed down her cheeks, blurring her vision. Her knees hit the cold floor as she fell forward, hair cascading messily over her shoulders, shoulders trembling with sorrow.

All the care, all the warmth her mother had shown her these last few days came rushing back in waves-and with them, an overwhelming sense of guilt and anguish.

Outside, the rain kept falling-soft, persistent, never-ending.

Just like the grief buried deep inside her.

But if God had given her this miracle... then she, Hyera Sherwood, would never waste it.

She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. The sound of her knuckles cracking filled the room. Her teeth bit into her lower lip until crimson blood dotted the pale skin of her face.

She didn't notice. Didn't care.

She swore-

That every person who had a hand in her and her mother's death... would pay.

That they would burn in the lowest pits of hell, never to reincarnate.

That their blood would repay her tears.

Even so...

No matter how fierce her determination, she was still only fifteen. A high school girl. A child in the eyes of the world. Without adult support, how much could she really accomplish?

Hyera took a deep breath.

'Think, Hyera. Calm down. You need a plan. You need power.'

She pulled herself back into bed, curling beneath the covers. Her eyes fluttered shut.

Her soul was on fire with vengeance-but her body was still exhausted, still healing, still young.

Sleep tugged at her, heavy and inescapable.

She had so much to do. So much pain to unravel. So much justice to claim.

But for now...

She needed rest.

...

Early morning light spilled gently through the windows of Hyera's bedroom, casting golden rays across the room.

She was still fast asleep, curled beneath the blankets.

The door creaked open.

A familiar, warm voice floated in. "Miss, miss... it's time to wake up. It's getting late."

It was Nanny Pia. She called out several times, but Hyera continued to bury herself deeper under the covers, refusing to get up.

A moment later, a colder, more commanding voice rang out from the hallway.

"Hyera, do you know what time it is? Don't tell me you're planning to skip school again today?"

That voice...

Hyera instantly sat bolt upright, her heart seizing in fear. Her face turned pale as her eyes darted toward the door.

"Dad..." she whispered in a trembling voice.

Hans Sterling.

No matter the life-past or present-he was terrifying to her. His presence always felt suffocating, like a ghost lurking in the dead of night.

Hans glanced at her briefly, as if she were no more than a passing thought. Seeing her standing there in a camisole, shivering slightly, he simply said, "Go get dressed. Come downstairs for breakfast. The driver will take you to school."

Without another word, he turned and walked off, his footsteps steady and indifferent.

Hyera remained frozen for a moment before finally moving. As she changed into her school uniform, her lips curved into a wry smile.

School.

Middle school, of all things.

It felt ridiculous.

Her body might be that of a fifteen-year-old, but her soul had lived to twenty.

She wasn't the same girl anymore.

...

X Elite Academy was the most prestigious private school in City B.

Every student enrolled there was the child of someone powerful-whether a high-ranking official or a wealthy business magnate. Here, everyone was either rich or influential, and the school carried the unmistakable air of privilege.

The butler parked the sleek black car beneath the main academic building and stepped out to open the door for her.

"Miss, take your time. I'll be back this evening to pick you up."

Hyera stepped down, adjusting the strap of her small schoolbag. She looked at the silver-haired man with a calm smile.

"Uncle Jose," she said gently, "when there's no one else around, just call me Hyera like Nanny Pia does. You don't need to be so formal with me-it sounds strange."

The butler blinked, surprised. Then he scratched the back of his head and chuckled.

"You've changed, miss. You've really changed. You're not as spoiled as before. Much more... sensible."

'Of course I've changed,' she thought silently. 'After going through everything I have... how could I still act like a pampered princess?'

The butler drove off.

Technically, cars weren't even allowed on campus, much less parked right beneath the teaching buildings. Not even the principal could do such a thing.

But Hyera wasn't just any student.

She was the heiress of the Sherwood's businese empire-the Sherwood's precious daughter. Her family had donated the funds that built the entire school. Her father was the largest shareholder. Rumor had it they donated at least five million a year.

Who would dare tell her no?

Walking through the halls of the familiar building, she was greeted by familiar classmates, familiar teachers, familiar scents in the air.

She quietly took her seat by the window, resting her arms on the desk as she gazed out at the schoolyard, where flowers were just starting to bloom.

A small smile curved her lips as she whispered softly to herself, "My alma mater... it's been so long. How have you been? I'm back now... back in your arms."

A loud clap of hands echoed from the podium.

"Class," the teacher announced, "we'll be studying a new essay today. I want you all to listen carefully-I'll be asking questions one by one."

The class groaned softly, but the teacher ignored them.

Hyera didn't move. She wasn't even pretending to pay attention.

In any other school, the teacher would've shouted at her by now-maybe even dragged her outside to stand as punishment.

But this was X Elite Academy.

And she was Hyera Sherwood.

No one dared touch her.

Not before.

And certainly not now.

***