The Bride's Return

Death Let Her Go

“Please…”

Ashley’s fingers clawed weakly against the hospital bedsheets while her chest burned in desperate agony.

The oxygen tube had already been pulled away from her face, and every breath now felt impossible, like invisible hands were squeezing the life out of her slowly.

The masked stranger stood beside the hospital bed watching her struggle without mercy.

“You should’ve died in the accident,” the voice whispered again.

Ashley’s vision blurred violently.

The machines beside her bed beeped faster and louder while darkness crowded around the edges of her sight. Her lungs ached, her ribs felt like they were breaking all over again. Tears streamed helplessly into her hairline as her body weakened second by second.

She didn’t want to die, not like this after finally learning the truth.

Francis never loved her, Cynthia hated her, her step mother wished she never existed.

She tried forcing air into her lungs again, but another painful wave of suffocation hit her immediately. Her hand reached desperately toward the stranger standing beside her.

"Why?"

"What had she done to deserve this kind of hatred?"

The masked figure remained silent–cold, patient and waiting for her to stop breathing. Ashley’s heartbeat slowed painfully. The beeping sound beside her became distant.

Then softer, then slower.

Tears slid down Ashley’s face while memories suddenly flashed violently through her mind one after another.

Her first day inside the Bennett mansion as a frightened little girl holding a stuffed rabbit.

Her step mother smiling politely at guests while ignoring her existence. Her sister blowing out birthday candles while Ashley stood in the background clapping quietly.

Francis placing an engagement ring on her finger while she cried happily because she thought someone had finally chosen her.

The divorce papers, the rain, the crash.

Her chest shook weakly and pain swallowed her whole.

Then suddenly—everything stopped. There was silence, complete silence.

Ashley no longer felt the hospital bed beneath her body. No pain, no sound. Nothing.

For one terrifying moment, she thought this was death–real death.

And strangely…it felt lonely. She opened her eyes slowly, darkness surrounded her completely.

She stood alone in what looked like endless black space, barefoot and still wearing the pale hospital gown from before. There were no walls, no ceiling, no light except the faint glow surrounding her body.

Ashley frowned weakly. “Where am I…?”

No answer came. Her voice echoed strangely around the darkness before disappearing again.

Ashley looked around slowly while fear crawled through her chest. She tried walking forward carefully, but the empty darkness stretched endlessly in every direction.

Then suddenly—a familiar voice whispered softly behind her.

“Ashley.”

She frozed instantly–her breathing stopped. That voice was familiar…Slowly, Ashley turned around.

A woman stood several feet away from her, long dark hair, gentle eyes and a white dress moving softly around her feet.

Ashley stared at her in complete disbelief because even after all these years…She recognized her immediately.

“M-Mom…?” Her voice broke completely.

The woman smiled sadly. Ashley’s biological mother had died when she was still young. At least… that was what everyone told her growing up. Over time, Ashley’s memories of her mother had faded into fragments. A warm hand brushing through her hair. A soft lullaby–the smell of lavender.

But now, standing in front of her…she remembered everything, tears rushed instantly into her eyes.

“Mom…”

She stumbled forward desperately, but the closer she moved, the more distant the woman seemed somehow, like smoke slipping through her fingers.

“I tried so hard,” she cried brokenly. “I really tried…”

Her mother looked at her with unbearable sadness. “You were never meant to beg for love, Ashley.”

Her chest tightened painfully. “Then why did nobody love me?”

The question came out smaller than she intended. More broken and more childlike.

The woman slowly raised her hand toward Ashley’s face though she never fully touched her. “Some people only know how to love themselves.”

Ashley started crying harder. The pain she had spent years swallowing suddenly spilled out uncontrollably.

“I wasn’t enough for anyone,” she whispered.

“You were too good for the wrong people.” her mother said smiling.

Ashley closed her eyes tightly as tears fell endlessly down her face. For years, she blamed herself for everything.

For Emily’s coldness, for Francis drifting away, for Cynthia’s cruelty and for never being chosen but hearing those words now shattered something inside her completely.

She looked up again desperately. “I don’t want to die.”

For the first time, fear appeared clearly across her mother’s face.

Then softly…Very softly…the woman whispered, “Then live differently this time.”

She was in shock. "This time?

Before she could ask what that meant, the darkness around them suddenly began shaking violently. Cracks of blinding white light split across the empty space while distant voices echoed somewhere far away.

The world around her started collapsing rapidly. Her mother stepped backward slowly. Panic rushed through her instantly.

“No!" She reached toward her desperately. “Please don’t leave me again!”

But the woman only smiled sadly one last time. Then whispered,“Wake up.”

Everything shattered.

✦✦✦

“Ashley wake up!”

Suddenly her eyes flew open violently. Air rushed painfully into her lungs as she jerked upright with a terrified gasp, her hands immediately grabbing at her chest while her body trembled uncontrollably.

Bright sunlight filled the room , warm sunlight—not hospital lights. She blinked rapidly in confusion while trying to steady her breathing. The scent of fresh flowers drifted softly through the air, and somewhere nearby, soft classical music played quietly.

"What…?" She looked around slowly.

The room was elegant. Large mirrors lined the walls while expensive makeup products covered the vanity table nearby. White curtains swayed softly beside tall windows overlooking the city skyline, none of it looked familiar at first. Then her eyes landed on the wedding magazines scattered across the bed.

She frozed for a second. Her heartbeat quickened instantly.

"No…..No no no—"

A woman suddenly rushed toward her worriedly.

“Miss Ashley, are you alright?”

She stared blankly at the unfamiliar stylist standing before her. The woman frowned in concern. “You suddenly fainted for a few seconds. Should I call your mother?”

Mother.

The word hit Ashley like ice water. Her breathing became uneven immediately. She looked down slowly at herself. White silk covered her body, delicate lace sleeves rested against her arms.

Her fingers started shaking violently. She knew this dress. She knew this room.

Ashley turned sharply toward the large mirror across from her, then stopped breathing completely. Her reflection stared back at her.

Alive, uninjured, beautifully dressed in an unfinished wedding gown.

She stumbled backward immediately. “That’s impossible…”

The stylist looked confused. “Miss Ashley?”

Ashley ignored her completely. Her mind spun violently while panic crashed through her chest. She rushed toward the vanity table desperately before grabbing the small calendar resting beside the makeup brushes.

The date. Her vision blurred instantly.

May 16th. One year earlier.

Her fingers tightened painfully around the calendar.

“No…”Her entire body went cold.

This was impossible, she remembered this exact day. The wedding dress fitting–the beginning of everything.

She slowly looked back at herself in the mirror again, unable to breathe properly. No bruises marked her skin. No bandages wrapped around her body. No signs remained of the hospital or the accident or death.

She touched her own face with trembling fingers–warm, real, alive.

A terrifying thought suddenly entered her mind. "Had she gone insane?"

"Was this some final dream before death?"

Her heartbeat became louder. Then suddenly—the fitting room door opened.