Reborn to Replace My Cheating Husband

3

A sharp pain tore through every bone she had, her vision blurred from the impact, and the sound of the rain striking the ground mixed with the pounding of her heart.

Her fingers twitched weakly.

She tried to push herself up, but the moment she shifted even slightly, unbearable agony shot through her body and forced her back down.

A curse slipped through her trembling lips.

"You... son of a bitch..." Her voice was barely audible, and yet it carried every ounce of betrayal and hatred she had left.

The bright headlights that blinded her slowly became clearer, and when her eyes finally focused, her heart shattered all over again.

She could still remember how his eyes had filled with tears when she handed him the keys, and how he had wrapped his arms around her while promising that no woman would ever love him the way she did.

What a fool she had been.

"Your father left you everything. The company, the houses, the investments, and every single asset your family built over decades. All I had to do was make you fall in love with me."

"You always had everything," Nora said quietly, but there was years of bitterness hidden beneath her calm expression. "Mom adored you, Dad trusted you, and everyone looked at you like you were perfect while I stood behind you."

Tears rolled down Diana's face. "Nora... I'm your sister."

A mocking smile spread across Nora's lips. "And I hated being your sister."

Diana felt as though someone had ripped her heart from her chest.

Nora stepped closer, her expensive heels stopping just inches from Diana's hand. "So I decided that if I couldn't become you, then I would simply take everything that belonged to you."

Thompson reached into the trunk of the car and for one desperate moment, Diana thought he was calling for help, maybe he changed his mind and decided t help the woman he called wife.

Instead, he returned carrying the fire extinguisher.

Her entire body froze and her breathing became uneven.

"No..."

She tried to crawl away, but the injuries from the collision had shattered her strength, and she could barely drag herself across the road.

Rainwater mixed with the blood on her face while tears streamed from her eyes.

"Please..."

Thompson looked down at her without a trace of emotion. "If you survive, you'll ruin everything we've worked for."

Thompson reached into the trunk of the car, and for one foolish moment, Diana thought he had finally come to his senses. Maybe he was calling for help or seeing her covered in blood had reminded him that she was his wife.

Instead, he pulled out a heavy fire extinguisher.

The color drained from Diana's face. Her broken body instinctively tried to crawl away, but the pain was unbearable, and she barely managed to move a few inches.

"Please..." she whispered.

Thompson walked toward her. "If you survive," he said quietly, "everything we've worked for will disappear."

Diana looked at Nora, her sister simply stood there.

Thompson slowly raised the fire extinguisher above his head. Just as he was about to bring it down…HONK! A deafening car horn shattered the silence.

Bright headlights swept across the road, and a black luxury car came to a violent stop only a few feet away.

The sudden interruption startled Thompson. "Damn it!"

In a panic, he swung the extinguisher down anyway. The metal struck the side of Diana's head.

A cry escaped her lips. "Someone's here!" Nora shouted.

The rear doors of the luxury car opened immediately. Several men dressed in black rushed out first. Then another figure stepped onto the road, tall and broad-shouldered.

His sharp features looked almost unreal beneath the pouring rain, and even through her fading vision, Diana recognized him.

Ethan, her childhood friend. The boy who had once promised that he would always protect her. His eyes widened the moment he saw her lying in the road.

"Diana!"

Thompson grabbed Nora's hand. "Run b***h!" The two of them disappeared into the darkness while Ethan's guards chased after them.

Ethan dropped to his knees beside her. His expensive coat was soaked within seconds as he carefully lifted her into his arms. "Call an ambulance!" he shouted, his voice was trembling.

Diana tried to open her eyes.She wanted to tell him that Thompson had done this, she wanted to tell him that Nora had betrayed her but no words came out.

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. "You'll be okay," Ethan said, even though his own eyes had already turned red. "Stay with me."

Diana weakly reached for his hand. "I... I'm sorry..."

He held her tighter. "There was always something I wanted to tell you."

Her vision slowly darkened.

"I loved you."

A single tear rolled down Diana's cheek and the last thing she felt was the warmth of his embrace. The last thing she heard was his broken voice calling her name.

"Diana?" A familiar voice drifted into the darkness. "Diana, are you listening?"

Her eyelids slowly opened. Warm sunlight streamed through large windows, soft music played quietly somewhere nearby, and the scent of fresh flowers filled the room.

She blinked several times. The road was gone, the rain and the blood was gone. She was sitting inside an elegant bridal boutique.

Her hands rested on a polished table, and expensive wedding magazines were scattered around her. For several seconds, she simply stared and then she looked up.

Thompson sat directly across from her.

Her heart nearly stopped. Beside her sat Nora, who was happily flipping through photographs of wedding decorations. "I think white roses would look beautiful," Nora said with a cheerful smile. "Don't you agree, Diana?"

The color drained from Diana's face. Her chair scraped loudly against the floor as she stood up so suddenly that everyone in the room turned toward her.

Fear gripped her heart and hr breathing became fast and uneven. She looked at Thompson and then at Nora and then back at Thompson.

Her hands began to shake. "No..." The word escaped her lips before she could stop it.

Thompson frowned. "Diana? Is something wrong?"

She stumbled backward. She remembered she had died.

The wedding planner stood up nervously. "Miss Diana, are you alright?"

Diana looked around the room as panic slowly consumed her. Her eyes met the decorations, fabric samples, guest list sitting on the table and this was their wedding planning meeting.

It was impossible. She was dead.

Nora gently reached for her arm. "You've been daydreaming all morning," she said with a soft laugh. "Maybe you're just nervous about the wedding."

The instant Nora touched her, Diana ripped her arm away as though she had been burned. "Don't touch me."

The entire room fell silent.

Nora looked confused. "Diana...?"

Diana ignored her, her trembling fingers reached for the phone lying on the table. She unlocked it. Her eyes immediately dropped to the date and her entire body froze.

She checked it again and then again. Her breathing stopped, it was exactly one year before her death. One year before the wedding.

Tears filled her eyes, she had been reborn.

As the realization settled over her, another memory surfaced.

This exact day is the day she had spent lost in happy thoughts about marrying Thompson while discussing wedding plans.

The day Nora had suddenly excused herself to use the restroom.

Back then, Diana had thought nothing of it but now she remembered. She remembered Thompson following her only moments later.

Almost as though fate wanted to confirm her memories, Nora stood from her chair and smiled.

"I'll be back," she said sweetly. "I need to use the restroom."

Before Diana could react, Thompson also stood up. "I should make a quick phone call while we're taking a break."

Their eyes met for the briefest second. A look so small that the old Diana would never have noticed it but this Diana did.

She watched them walk away together. She watched the same betrayal unfold before her eyes. Her hands slowly clenched into fists. The fear in her heart slowly gave way to something colder.

Last time, she had loved them with all her heart, and they had repaid her by destroying her life. This time, she would let them believe that she knew nothing.

And when they finally realized that the woman they had once fooled had returned from death itself… It would already be too late.