Rebirth of Shadows

CHAPTER 3 Ten years

Her soul seemed to linger in the madness and hatred of her final moments. She had never imagined that her ten years of marriage to Gabriel were merely part of a scheme, all for the billions of assets of the Luminance Family. Her meekness and kindness were met with intensified humiliation and exploitation from her husband!

Hate!

So much hate!

Hate consumed her heart.

Aurora vividly remembered her husband Gabriel plunging the blade of the sharpened military knife into her own chest after ten years of marriage. The immense pain spread throughout her body, her heart beating slower, her breath seemingly halted, consciousness gradually fading away. Then, scenes from the past flashed before her eyes like a movie playing in reverse, time swiftly rewinding... Was this what death felt like?

But why did she still feel pain?

No, not in her chest, but... her head?!

"Hey! Hey! Aurora, are you dead? Dead or not? If you're not dead, make a sound... squeak!"

A cold, delicate voice whispered in Aurora's ear, its familiar crisp tone almost making her believe she was experiencing a hallucination in death. But then, a warm little hand touched her cheek, the familiar sensation almost engulfing Aurora in warmth, rendering her unable to resist.

"Ding ding..." Aurora's voice trembled as warm tears streamed down her face...

Wait a minute! This isn't right! Aren't I already dead? How can there be tears?!

Aurora was startled and abruptly opened her eyes, only to see a loli-like girl sitting beside her. She was dressed in a white bridesmaid gown, her fair little face devoid of expression. She wore a pair of thin-framed glasses, and through the lenses, her round black eyes were fixed on Aurora, her lips tightly pursed in what appeared to be a poker face.

Sophie?

Wasn't she locked in Jessica Miller's laboratory? How could she suddenly appear beside her?!

Sophie, the heiress of the Carter family, was also one of Aurora's best friends during her student days. Despite being the same age as Aurora, both twenty years old, she only had the face and height of a twelve-year-old, along with a cute, childish voice. She was the epitome of a top-tier loli, but her icy poker face and an IQ over 200 made her an absolute genius. With hundreds of patented technologies and new inventions under her belt, she became a target for others, eventually imprisoned in the laboratory and reduced to a tool.

"Since you're awake, you're not dead," the girl remarked. She pushed up her glasses and took out a tissue from her handbag, slapping it onto Aurora's forehead to stop the blood from dripping down.

Aurora stood there, dumbfounded, her thoughts completely muddled in confusion.

Sophie, never one for emotional intelligence, assumed Aurora was simply stunned. She pushed up her glasses and peeled back Aurora's eyelids, her crisp and chilly childlike voice sounding out, "You've got a cut on your forehead, preliminary diagnosis: mild concussion... After the wedding, you'll need to go to the hospital for a thorough check-up."

Wedding?

The terrifying word seemed to jolt Aurora awake. She lowered her head in bewilderment, noticing the white wedding dress she was wearing. Then, she glanced out the car window at the familiar streets and buildings. Suddenly, she frantically rummaged through her purse, pulling out her phone. She checked the date and time:

May 2, 2024.

She had returned to ten years ago, back to the day she married Gabriel!

Tears welled up in her eyes, but a smirk played at her lips. "GOD has not forsaken me," she thought. "I, Aurora, am still alive! And there's a chance to start over. Gabriel, you just wait! In this lifetime, I'll see you ruined, your great Stonecrest Dynasty in ruins, your lover's life worse than death. I want everyone who has hurt me to kneel before me, crying and repenting!"

In her last life, Aurora's nightmare began with this wedding.

Gabriel married her out of sheer greed. Stonecrest coveted the wealth of the Luminance Family, seeking to continue their century-long prosperity, propelling him to greater heights... Yet, ten years later, when his mistress transformed into the heiress of Metropia's elite, this man ruthlessly plunged a knife into his wife of a decade!

Aurora, blinded by love, devoted herself to being a good wife. For ten long years, she served as the dutiful daughter-in-law to Stonecrest, enduring her mother-in-law's mistreatment, her sister-in-law's humiliation, and the exploitation of the entire family. Little did she know, her own husband was a treacherous viper, betraying her to the end, leading to the downfall of the Luminance Family and subjecting her to the torment of his mistress, before finally plunging a knife into her heart!

This time... Aurora would not allow such a travesty to recur!

With this thought, Aurora suddenly opened her eyes, the wild hatred and madness concealed beneath her eyelids. A strange yet exhilarating smile crept onto her face as she muttered, "Gabriel, Jessica, Stonecrest... just wait for me."

Observing Aurora's drastic change in demeanor, Sophie pushed up her glasses, her eyes betraying a hint of skepticism.