Chapter 3: Awakening
1710 Words
May's POV 🥀
Pain.
At first, that's all there was.
A dull throb in my skull. A weight in my chest. A silent scream trapped in my throat.
Death, after all, was supposed to be final.I expected darkness. I expected nothingness.
But instead...
Light.
Blinding. Relentless.
Not the white, unseeing light I expected at the end of life - but warm, golden sunlight filtering through linen curtains, casting golden beams across a small Familiar wall. Birds chirped outside. The scent of jasmine shampoo and old books. My room.
My old room.
I blinked rapidly. Confusion.
I shot upright with a gasp, heart slamming against my ribs. Expecting to feel the weakness, the bruises, the aching sickness that had plagued me for so long. I touched my head - no blood. No bandages. No hospital gown.
My hands trembled as I lifted them to my face. Smooth skin. No IV marks. No hospital band.
I was wearing a tank top and pajama shorts. Young. Whole. Not dying.
What was happening?
I scrambled to the mirror and nearly fell over.
It was me. But not the weak, ghost-like version of myself with cancer-ravaged cheeks and sunken eyes. This was me - glowing skin, strong body, no pain.
I clutched the edge of the sink, the cold porcelain grounding me.
This had to be a dream. Or heaven. Or insanity.
Then I heard it - the buzz of my phone. My old phone. The one I hadn't used in years.
My hands shook as I picked it up. The date blinked back at me:
April 12, 2018.
One week before Daniel proposed.
A choked sob escaped me.
God didn't take me.
He sent me back.
I sat down on the edge of the bed, trembling, trying to process the impossible, as memory flashed before my eyes - Chloe, smirking in my bed. Daniels, cold and unapologetic. Their words.
"You were just convenient."
Daniel. Chloe. Two people I would have died for. Two people who waited for me to die.
All the signs I had missed, the betrayals I never saw coming.My blood turned to ice.The air felt sharper, thinner as tears dropped from my eye. This time, I could see it all. This time, I knew exactly who they were.
Just then, the door creaked open.
And there he was.
The devil in sheep clothing.
The man who had shattered my soul.
The man who had killed me.
He stood there, smiling the way he used to when we first met - casual, charming, dangerous. His eyes glittered with that same false warmth that once made me believe in fairy tales.
"Hey, sleeping beauty." he said softly. "I thought you might still be sleeping. You'd slept for hour's."
I stared at him, my mouth dry.
Was this some cruel trick? A hallucination in the afterlife?
Or-
Or something else?
"I brought you breakfast," he said, stepping inside with a tray. Pancakes, fruit, coffee - my favorites. Exactly the way he used to.
I shrank back instinctively, staring at the coffee. My body screaming at me to run, but he only chuckled and set the tray on the bedside table.
"You looked so beautiful and peaceful, and I didn't want to wake you." he murmured, sitting on the edge of the bed. His fingers brushed my cheek - the same fingers that had pushed me to my death.
I couldn't breathe.
I couldn't think.
"What's wrong, baby?" he asked, tilting his head. "You look pale...Bad dream?"
Bad dream.
If only he knew that he was my actual night mare.
I forced myself to speak, my voice hoarse and broken. "What... day is it?"
He frowned slightly, clearly puzzled. "It's Saturday, May. The big charity event tonight, remember?"
Charity event.
The memory hit me like a thunderclap.
This was the night.
The night Chloe first kissed him when she thought I wouldn't notice.
The night I took the photo that I deleted later - the photo that would've ruined everything if I'd only kept it. The night their betrayal truly began.
My heart pounded against my ribs as realization crashed over me like a tidal wave. I had to play along.
I stared at him - this perfect liar in a soft t-shirt and tousled hair - and I smiled. A slow, hollow smile.
"Yeah," I whispered. "The charity event."
"You okay?"
I swallowed hard and forced a shaky smile.
"Sorry," I whispered. "Just... bad dream, like you said."
He grinned. "It's fine, You're safe now."
Safe?
He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my forehead - the same forehead he used to kiss while weaving his lies.
"Don't worry, baby," he murmured. "I'm here. Always."
As he walked out, I stared at the closed door. My reflection shimmered in the mirror behind me - the woman I once was and the woman I would now become staring back at one another.
The lie curled around my throat like a noose.
But this time... I would be ready.
This time...
I wouldn't be the victim.
If I was here again - if this was real - I wasn't going to waste it crying. I wasn't going to wait for cancer to rot me from the inside while they tore my heart to shreds.
This time, I would be the one holding the knife.
This time, I would make them pay.
And I would start with the woman I once called my best friend.
Chloe Monroe.
Beautiful, charming, ruthless. She played the innocent so well. She made me laugh when I was low, held my hand in the hospital, brought me tea while stealing my life behind my back.
And Daniel...
I clenched my jaw.
If he thought I was easy before, he had no idea who he was dealing with now.
I could change it.
I could stop it before it ever started.
Before he sunk his claws into my heart and soul.
I stood tall, inhaling deeply as fire bloomed in my chest. I had one shot at rewriting my fate - at burning the lies they built around me to the ground.
This time...They would pay.
Every. Last. One of them.
---------------------------------------------
The mirror reflected a stranger.
I stood there in the my room, wrapped in a shimmering silver dress, my hair swept back in soft curls, lips stained red like fresh blood.
Elegant. Beautiful.
A perfect illusion.
Inside, my heart was a battlefield. Fear and anger. Grief and determination.
But I wore my mask like armor.
There was a soft knock at the door. "May? Are you ready?"
His voice.
The same voice that had once sounded like salvation.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, turned away from the mirror, and opened the door.
He stood there, in a tailored black suit, dressed like the devil himself - Hot, all charm, no soul. A smile plastered across his handsome face. That same boyish charm that had once blinded me.
"Wow," he said, his eyes sweeping over me. "You look stunning... I mean you are breathtaking."
I forced a small laugh, just the way the old me would have. Shy. NaĂŻve. Trusting.
"Thank you, Daniel. It's a beautiful evening." I whispered.
He offered his arm. "Sure,it is. Shall we?"
I hesitated for half a second. Masking my revulsion with a practiced smile. I took it, Slipping my hand through his, feeling the way he squeezed my fingers - possessive, claiming.
Every step I took beside him was a reminder of the betrayal buried beneath that tailored suit and charming smile.
-------------------
The drive to the event was quiet, with Daniel constantly sneaking glances at me. And honestly… I didn’t mind.
We pulled up in front of the grand ballroom—a picture of elegance and opulence. The exterior gleamed under the soft evening lights, promising a night of prestige and spectacle.
Inside, golden lights shimmered from crystal chandeliers, casting a dreamlike glow across the lavishly dressed crowd. I paused at the top of the staircase, my heart pounding in my chest as I took it all in. The charity gala was already in full swing—a sea of flowing gowns, sharp tuxedos, soft laughter, and the distant chime of glasses toasting to causes they barely understood.
And there I was… standing above it all, on the edge of something I couldn’t quite name.
I descended the staircase slowly, each step a deliberate act of reclaiming my narrative. Gone was the naive woman who once stood in this very room, oblivious to the betrayal brewing behind her back. Tonight, I was a woman reborn, armed with knowledge, power and a plan.
Daniel guided me through the room like I was his trophy, parading me with polished pride. Proudly introducing me to everyone we passed.
“May, this is Mr. Donovan—our biggest investor.”
“May, meet Dr. Klein—she’s launching the new hospital wing.”
Names. Titles. Smiles. All blending into a blur. I smiled and nodded. Playing that part—every inch the perfect companion.All the while, my mind raced.
Watch. Learn. Remember.
This was the world he wanted so badly - the world he was willing to sacrifice me for.
The world where betrayal wore diamonds and shook hands over champagne.
well... that's Daniel. That's what he has become.
As I mingled, my eyes scanned the crowd, searching for Chloe. Then, like a nightmare wearing a too-familiar face, she appeared. The one who had kissed my forehead while stabbing me in the back.
The snake!
I spotted her near the bar, laughing with a group of guests, her hand resting lightly on Daniel's arm. The sight sent a jolt of anger through my veins, but I suppressed it, focusing instead on my objectives.
Daniels eyes flicked toward me, then narrowed just slightly when he saw me. Not in shock, no. Not even surprise. Maybe Just... irritation.
I smiled, lifted my chin, and walked straight toward them like I owned the room.
"May," he said, a fake smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. " We were just wondering where you were."
His voice had always sounded better when he lied.
Chloe came gliding toward me, a vision in red silk, her smile wide and polished.
- Writer
