Chapter 2 — The Woman Who Returned From Death
1150 Words
Darkness.
Cold.
Pain.
That was all Samantha could feel.
Her body drifted helplessly beneath the furious waves as blood spread through the freezing ocean around her. Every part of her burned. Her lungs screamed for air.
Then suddenly—
Strong arms wrapped around her.
“Samantha!”
A familiar voice echoed faintly through the storm.
Shiv.
He pulled her unconscious body toward the surface while violent waves crashed against them again and again.
“Stay awake!” he shouted desperately.
But Samantha couldn’t hear him anymore.
The world faded into black.
---
Three days later.
Soft sunlight entered a quiet bedroom hidden inside a private cottage far from the city.
Samantha slowly opened her eyes.
Pain shot through her body instantly.
She gasped weakly.
“You’re awake.”
Samantha turned her head slightly.
Shiv sat beside the bed.
Exhaustion covered his face. Dark circles rested beneath his eyes like he hadn’t slept for days.
For several seconds, Samantha simply stared at him in confusion.
Then memories returned.
The cliff.
The rain.
Samuel’s face.
“I never loved you.”
Her breathing became uneven immediately.
“Samuel…”
Shiv quickly held her trembling hand.
“You’re safe.”
Tears filled Samantha’s eyes.
“He tried to kill me…”
Her voice broke completely.
Shiv looked away silently, anger burning behind his eyes.
When he found her in the ocean, Samantha had barely been breathing. Broken ribs. Deep cuts. Hypothermia.
The doctors said she survived by a miracle.
No.
Not miracle.
Pure will.
Samuel wanted her dead.
But Samantha refused to die.
---
For the next several days, Samantha barely spoke.
She stayed near the window most of the time, silently watching the ocean outside the cottage.
Sometimes Shiv caught her touching the scars on her arms unconsciously.
Like she still couldn’t believe she survived.
One evening, Shiv entered the room carrying dinner.
“You need to eat.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You haven’t eaten properly in two days.”
Samantha gave a bitter laugh.
“Maybe dying would’ve been easier.”
Shiv froze.
Then quietly placed the tray down.
“Don’t say that.”
“Why not?” she whispered painfully. “The man I loved tried to murder me for money.”
Her eyes filled with tears again.
“I gave him everything, Shiv.”
Shiv’s chest tightened hearing the pain in her voice.
“I know.”
“No…” Samantha shook her head slowly. “You don’t.”
She looked up at him with shattered eyes.
“I begged him to stop.”
Silence filled the room.
“He looked at me like I meant nothing.”
A tear slid down her cheek.
Shiv clenched his fists beside him.
At that moment, hatred toward Samuel Reed became something darker.
Something dangerous.
Because Samantha was the kindest person Shiv had ever known.
And Samuel had destroyed her without mercy.
Shiv moved closer carefully.
“You survived for a reason.”
Samantha laughed weakly.
“What reason?”
His eyes softened.
“To live.”
She looked away immediately.
Because deep down…
Part of her had died on that cliff already.
---
Meanwhile, two hundred miles away, Samuel Reed stood inside a luxurious hotel suite beside a blonde woman wrapped in silk sheets.
Isabella Hart.
Rich.
Beautiful.
Older than him.
And worth billions.
Exactly Samuel’s type.
Isabella smirked while sipping wine.
“So when will Samantha’s body be found?”
Samuel adjusted his watch calmly.
“The ocean probably destroyed the evidence already.”
No guilt.
No regret.
Only greed.
Isabella walked closer.
“And the inheritance?”
Samuel smiled slowly.
“As her husband, everything transfers to me soon.”
She kissed him.
“To new beginnings.”
Samuel kissed her back confidently.
He truly believed Samantha was gone forever.
But fate had other plans.
---
Two months passed.
Samantha slowly recovered physically, but emotionally she remained broken.
Nightmares haunted her every night.
She always woke up screaming.
And every single time—
Shiv was there.
He never left.
Never complained.
Never forced her to heal quickly.
One rainy evening, Samantha found Shiv asleep on the couch beside her room.
His hand still held a medical report.
He must’ve fallen asleep waiting for her medicine schedule again.
Samantha stared at him quietly.
For the first time in years, she truly saw him.
Not just her childhood friend.
But the man who jumped into a storm to save her.
The man who stayed beside her when she had nothing left.
The man who never asked for anything in return.
A painful realization hit her chest.
Samuel had taken her love for granted.
But Shiv…
Shiv treated her like she mattered.
Like she was worth saving.
Samantha carefully placed a blanket over him.
The movement woke him instantly.
“You should rest,” she whispered softly.
Shiv sat up quickly.
“Are you okay? Did you have another nightmare?”
Samantha nodded slightly.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then suddenly—
“Why did you save me?”
Shiv looked stunned.
“What?”
“You could’ve died that night too.”
Rain echoed softly outside.
Finally Shiv answered quietly,
“Because losing you would’ve destroyed me.”
Samantha’s breath caught.
Shiv realized what he said and looked away immediately.
“I didn’t mean to—”
“You loved me,” she whispered.
Silence.
Then slowly…
Shiv nodded.
“Since we were kids.”
Her eyes widened slightly.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
A sad smile crossed his face.
“You were happy with him.”
The guilt inside Samantha deepened instantly.
All these years…
The wrong man held her heart.
---
Another year passed.
The weak, broken Samantha Reed slowly disappeared.
And someone new emerged from the ashes.
She trained her body until the scars no longer slowed her down.
She learned business strategies.
Learned how Samuel manipulated money.
Learned how powerful people destroyed enemies without touching them directly.
And most importantly—
She stopped being afraid.
One evening, Shiv entered the study room and froze.
Samantha stood near the window wearing a black dress, her long hair falling over one shoulder.
Confidence radiated from her now.
Dangerous confidence.
She turned toward him slowly.
“It’s time.”
Shiv’s expression darkened slightly.
“You’re sure?”
Samantha’s eyes became ice cold.
“Samuel buried Samantha Reed two years ago.”
She stepped closer.
“The woman returning to him…”
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
“…is his punishment.”
For the first time since the cliff incident, Shiv felt fear.
Not of Samantha.
But of what pain had turned her into.
And somewhere far away in the city…
Samuel Reed unknowingly prepared for a luxury charity gala.
A gala that would change his life forever.
Because the dead woman he betrayed…
was about to walk back into his world.
- Writer
