Chapter 2: A Second Chance
948 Words
Chapter 2: A Second Chance
Amber's heart pounded violently against her chest.
"Amber? Are you awake?" Bliss called again from outside the door.
For a moment, Amber couldn't breathe.
That voice.
The sweet, innocent voice she had trusted for years.
The same voice that had laughed while she died on a prison floor.
Amber's nails dug into her palms.
She wasn't dreaming.
She wasn't hallucinating.
She was really back.
Back before the betrayal.
Back before prison.
Back before her death.
A dangerous smile slowly appeared on her face.
This time, things would be different.
Very different.
"Amber?"
Bliss knocked again.
Amber forced herself to calm down.
If she opened the door and attacked Bliss now, everything would be over before it even started.
No.
She needed evidence.
She needed patience.
Most importantly...
She needed revenge.
Taking a deep breath, Amber walked to the mirror.
The reflection staring back at her was younger.
Healthier.
Alive.
No prison scars.
No hollow eyes.
No despair.
Only Amber Sterling.
The true heiress.
The woman Ethan and Bliss thought they could manipulate.
Not anymore.
"Coming!" Amber called sweetly.
The bedroom door opened.
Bliss entered with a bright smile.
"Finally! I've been waiting forever."
Amber stared at her.
The woman looked exactly the same.
Long blonde hair.
Perfect makeup.
Designer clothes.
An angelic face hiding a poisonous soul.
For a split second, Amber remembered Bliss standing outside her prison cell.
Smiling as she died.
The memory nearly made her lose control.
"Are you okay?" Bliss asked.
Amber quickly lowered her gaze.
"I'm just tired."
Bliss relaxed.
"That makes sense. Newly married life must be exhausting."
Amber almost laughed.
Newly married?
In her previous life, her marriage had been a disaster from the beginning.
She simply hadn't noticed.
"Where's Ethan?" Amber asked casually.
Something flickered across Bliss's face.
It disappeared so quickly that most people would have missed it.
But Amber wasn't most people anymore.
"He left early for work."
Lie.
Amber remembered.
Today was Saturday.
Ethan never worked on Saturdays.
The realization made her stomach churn.
Was he already meeting Bliss behind her back?
No.
According to what Bliss had confessed before Amber died, their affair had started two years before the wedding.
That meant they were already lovers.
Even now.
Amber's hands tightened into fists.
Bliss sat beside her.
"You know, Ethan is so lucky to have you."
Amber nearly choked.
Lucky?
The woman sleeping with her husband was calling him lucky?
The hypocrisy was unbelievable.
"Do you think so?" Amber asked.
"Of course."
Bliss smiled.
"You'd do anything for him."
And that was exactly the problem.
In her previous life, Amber had sacrificed everything for Ethan.
Her trust.
Her happiness.
Her fortune.
Even her life.
Not this time.
A phone buzzed.
Bliss immediately grabbed her purse.
Too quickly.
Amber noticed.
The phone screen lit up for a brief second.
Just enough.
Just enough for Amber to see the contact name.
Ethan ❤️
Amber's blood turned cold.
Bliss quickly turned off the screen.
But it was too late.
Amber had seen everything.
Her husband had literally called Bliss while she sat beside his wife.
The audacity was unbelievable.
"Who was that?" Amber asked innocently.
Bliss laughed nervously.
"Oh, nobody important."
Another lie.
Amber smiled sweetly.
"I see."
The room suddenly felt suffocating.
Every second she spent near Bliss made her want to scream.
Fortunately, Bliss stood up.
"I should go."
Amber nodded.
"See you later."
Bliss leaned forward and hugged her.
Amber froze.
The same woman who poisoned her.
The same woman who stole her life.
Was hugging her as if they were sisters.
When Bliss finally left, Amber locked the door behind her.
The smile disappeared from her face instantly.
Her entire body shook with rage.
"Ethan..."
"Bliss..."
She whispered their names like a curse.
Then she walked to her desk.
A memory surfaced.
In her first life, she had signed several documents shortly after the wedding.
Documents Ethan claimed were related to investments.
Back then, she signed without reading them.
Because she trusted him.
Now she knew better.
Amber opened the drawer.
The documents were there.
Exactly where she remembered.
Her hands trembled as she read through them.
Page after page.
Line after line.
Then she found it.
Her breath caught.
A transfer agreement.
If signed, control of a large portion of her inheritance would gradually shift to Ethan.
The exact document that had started her downfall.
Amber laughed.
A cold, terrifying laugh.
"So this was your plan."
The trap had already been prepared.
They had never loved her.
They had only wanted her money.
A knock interrupted her thoughts.
This time it wasn't Bliss.
It was a maid.
"Mrs. Carter, someone is here to see you."
Amber frowned.
"Who?"
The maid hesitated.
"I don't know, ma'am. He only said he has something important that belongs to you."
Amber's eyes narrowed.
She didn't remember any visitor.
"Did he give his name?"
The maid shook her head.
"No."
Amber felt a strange sense of unease.
Something was different.
This hadn't happened in her previous life.
She carefully placed the documents back into the drawer.
Then she headed downstairs.
As she reached the grand living room, she saw a tall man standing near the window.
His back faced her.
The moment she entered, he slowly turned around.
Amber froze.
He was breathtakingly handsome.
Tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Dressed in an expensive black suit.
But it wasn't his appearance that shocked her.
It was his eyes.
Because the moment their gazes met, he looked at her as if he already knew her.
And then he said something that made her blood run cold.
"Amber Sterling."
His voice was calm.
"You're in danger."
To be continued...
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