Chapter 5: REBIRTH
1385 Words
BELLA’S POV
In my sleep, I wandered through a place that didn’t feel like a dream.
It was too clear and real. It's as if my soul had slipped out of my body and found its way into another world—one made of light and silence.
The sky above me was silver, endless, and heavenly. Stars blinked slowly like they were breathing, and the moon—so huge that it filled the sky—hung low enough that I could almost touch it.
Everything around me was soft and glowing. My skin shimmered faintly, lit from within, and my fingertips trailed light as I moved.
I wasn’t afraid.
I should’ve been, but I wasn’t.
I felt… weightless. And empty.
Before I could realize where I was, I sensed something—or someone, rather. A presence in the shadows—watching me.
It wasn't a threatening force. It was just... there.
“You weren’t meant to love him,” the stranger's voice said.
Its tone was neutral.
I turned toward the sound, but the figure stayed hidden—swallowed by the mist.
“But my heart wanted him,” I whispered slowly.
I wasn’t even sure why I said it. The words came naturally.
Had I ever said it before?
My knees suddenly gave out beneath me. Everything around me started to fade like falling into memory.
I looked up at the sky one last time.
“I still want him.”
Those were the last words I had spoken before everything dissolved.
The stars. The moon. The light.
Gone—as if it had never been there.
And in its place came the beeping.
A slow, rhythmic sound, pulling me back into the world again.
The smell of sterile air greeted my nostrils, along with the sweet and soft smell of peonies—my favorite.
My fingers twitched continuously. My eyelashes fluttered, heavy as bricks.
I slowly opened my eyes, only to find the light was too bright. I grimaced slightly, slowly adjusting from the strangeness of the place.
The ceiling above me was smooth and perfect, almost... unfamiliar.
I blinked more than once, trying to remember—anything.
A crowd with mesmerizing lights. A glamorous runway. I was walking, posing. There were cheers from the crowd and the endless flashing of cameras.
And then—Sebastian.
He had come backstage. I remembered the flowers he gave me after the show—an elegant bouquet of peonies.
The way he looked at me, it was like I was the only thing he could see.
And then after that…
Nothing.
Just blank space.
My body ached in every part.
It wasn't a sharp pain, but it felt like I hadn't been mobilized for many years.
I tried to shift, but my limbs barely listened. I turned my head—and my breathing gradually stuttered.
I was met with those familiar eyes. He was here—Sebastian.
Sitting beside me in a stiff posture, hands clenched in his lap. His jaw was tight.
It seemed like he had been sitting there for years.
But his eyes—they weren’t the same cold icy blue eyes as I remembered them. They looked wrecked.
What had actually happened?
“…Sebastian?”
I barely recognized my own voice.
He looked at me deeply—the kind of look that said he thought he had lost me forever.
“I’m here,” he murmured in a lower but rougher voice. “You’re… awake.”
I tried to sit up, but he stopped me.
My body protested too, so I sank back. My eyes drifted around the room—to the quiet machines, IV tubes, and blinking monitors.
“What happened?” I whispered—confused. “Where am I?”
Before he could answer, the door opened.
A tall man stepped in wearing a white coat with a clipboard in his hand. He was very familiar.
“Welcome back, Bella,” he greeted with a warm smile.
I furrowed my brows and racked my brain, trying to remember who this man was. As if sensing my confusion, he continued:
“It’s alright if you can't recall who I am,” he grinned a little. "I’m Dr. Callum Keller. And you’re currently at a private recovery facility. You’ve been in intensive care for eleven months.”
A whole year.
His words didn’t hit all at once. They just floated there, waiting for me to absorb them.
“A year…?”
Callum nodded. “You had a serious accident, putting you in a very critical condition. You underwent regenerative therapy. Thanks to Sebastian's determination, it was successful.”
I looked at Sebastian again.
He hadn’t said a word. He just sat there, eyes never leaving mine.
“I don’t remember any of that,” I whispered.
“That’s okay,” Callum replied quickly. “Amnesia can happen in cases like yours. Your memories may return gradually. What matters now is you’re safe. Your vitals are strong, and your recovery is ahead of schedule.”
He glanced at Sebastian, then offered a nod. “I’ll give you two some time.”
Callum left after, and silence filled the room.
Sebastian still hadn’t moved. He looked like he was afraid I might vanish again.
My mind still raced. I tried to piece things together, but there was nothing to hold on to.
Just emptiness.
“I thought I lost you,” he said finally, voice cracking slightly. “I’m sorry, Bella. More than you’ll ever know. I don’t deserve to be here—not after what I did.”
His voice trembled, but he didn’t look away. His eyes—those deep icy blue eyes—held me in place.
But I was a little confused. Why was he apologizing?
“I won’t repeat the past,” he added. “I only want you to have peace from now on. A new beginning...”
I swallowed hard, scanning his face. I had no idea what he was saying, but I felt a sharp prick in my chest.
He was still devastatingly handsome as before. But there was something in him now that felt heavier.
“You look… different,” I murmured as I lowered my gaze.
A low and broken laugh slipped from him. “A lot has changed.”
“Were we… together?”
I don’t know how this question suddenly popped up in my head.
He paused, his eyes softened as he nodded and answered:
“You were the most important person in my life,” he said. “You always will be, Bella.”
“But I don’t remember anything,” I blinked at him, though my heart reacted strangely.
His hand threaded through my hair.
“You don’t have to,” he said softly, eyes locked on mine. “We’ll take it slow. One step at a time.”
I don’t know why, but I believed him.
And before I could think, my hand reached for his.
He caught it gently, his long fingers weaving through mine. He brought it to his lips and kissed it—soft and warm.
I felt it in my chest. The beat of my heart.
Alive again.
For him.
*****
SEBASTIAN’S POV
The past—I broke it with my own hands.
The future?
I couldn’t see it clearly anymore.
But this moment… this fragile, fleeting moment with her—it felt like something I never thought I’d have again.
Hope.
She lay there beside me, blinking at the unfamiliar light like she was seeing the world for the first time.
And I just watched her. Not as a man who wanted to possess—but as one who had finally learned what it meant to protect.
Losing her had torn me apart. But it also stripped me bare—of pride, control, power. All the things I once thought made me strong.
What was left was just… me. And for the first time, I didn’t want to force anything.
I didn’t need to win.
I just wanted her peace.
Whether she remembered me or not… whether she chose to give me a chance and love me or walk away forever—I would wait.
Because this time, I wouldn’t write her story for her.
This time… it was hers to choose.
Not mine.
- Writer
