new beginning
299 Words
The first thing Lena noticed was the light. Warm, golden light filtering through thin curtains, casting a soft glow on the room around her. She blinked, her heart racing in her chest as she tried to make sense of where she was.
The familiar scent of jasmine filled the air, a scent she hadn't smelled in years. She sat up slowly, her body moving with ease—no pain, no weakness. Her fingers gripped the edge of soft silk sheets, and she stared at them in disbelief. Her hands—no longer frail and aged, but young, strong, unmarred by the years of struggle she had endured.
She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood, her heart pounding. She crossed the room to a full-length mirror, her breath catching in her throat at the sight that greeted her.
She was... young again.
Her hair, once streaked with gray, now cascaded down her shoulders in thick, raven waves. Her face, no longer gaunt and hollow, was smooth and youthful. She touched her skin in disbelief, her fingers tracing the familiar contours of her features.
She turned sharply at the sound of a phone ringing. It was a sound she hadn't heard in what felt like a lifetime. A phone she hadn't used in over a decade.
Her eyes darted to the calendar on the wall, her heart stopping.
It was ten years ago.
Everything she had just experienced—her death, Damien's betrayal, the collapse of her empire—it hadn't happened. Not yet.
She was back. Back before it all fell apart. Before Damien had betrayed her. Before she had lost everything.
Her heart pounded in her chest as realization flooded through her.
This was her second chance.
And this time, she would not lose.
- Writer
