Chapter 2 Reborn
1090 Words
"Ms. Aliana, it's morning..."
Aliana heard a gentle and kind voice.
She couldn't move her boneless limbs, but her head was spinning due to the shock.
Aliana thought, "What?
Didn't I die? I died peacefully in a village, right?
Ms. Aliana? Is this person addressing me?
Why does this voice sound so familiar?"
Aliana fought hard to open her heavy eyelids and blinked rapidly.
She looked in the direction of the voice.
Gradually, she saw a kind old man.
"Luke?!"
"Yes, Ms. Aliana."
Aliana was completely awake and sat up swiftly.
"Luke, did you save me?"
"What? What are you talking about, Ms. Aliana?"
Luke's smile dropped at Aliana's strange question. He looked at Aliana in confusion.
Aliana couldn't tell if she was dreaming or not. She asked directly.
"Luke, did you come here too?"
"Ms. Aliana... I don't understand. Where should I go?"
Aliana was confused too.
The old man and young woman stared at each other, their gazes full of questions.
Aliana got out of bed hurriedly. Her heart sank when she propped herself up on the bed.
Her heart had sunk to the bottom.
Aliana raised her hand and examined it carefully.
In disbelief, she touched her face and her body while looking around.
Everything looked familiar.
"Do I have to do this again in the afterlife?"
Aliana was utterly shocked.
Luke was at a loss. He knelt in front of Aliana softly with a concerned look.
"Excuse me, Ms. Aliana."
The old gentleman took off his white gloves and righted his gold-rimmed glasses before putting his hand on Aliana's forehead.
"You're not having a fever. Ms. Aliana, are you too tired from making the nerve-calming sachet for Mr. Joshua?"
A nerve-calming sachet?
The word awakened something in Aliana. Her head snapped in the direction of her shabby desk.
The desk was covered with nerve-calming herbs and a semi-finished sachet. Aliana had picked those herbs and made the sachet all by herself for Joshua.
A dirty full-length mirror sat beside her bed. Aliana turned and looked into the mirror.
She saw a petite girl in whitish pajamas. The girl's skin and hair both had an unhealthy yellow tone.
Aliana slapped herself hard on the face.
Luke jumped at the loud noise.
"No, Ms. Aliana. What's wrong? Stop hurting yourself."
Aliana didn't stop and just kept on slapping herself, her eyes full of tears. She was slapping herself to vent her anger and sorrow.
She was back. What was more, she was back to her younger self.
Aliana thought, "Didn't I suffer enough last time? Why did fate send me back?
Why me?"
Aliana asked those questions over and over in her heart. Tears ran down her swollen cheeks.
Luke stopped her by holding her wrists in an iron grip. Aliana kept her head down. Tears and snot dropped on the floor freely.
Yet, she wasn't crying out loud.
The only telltale signs of her emotions were her shaking shoulder and her bent back.
Luke's eyes widened in shock. He tightened his grip in case Aliana hurt her further.
His white bread shook due to his heavy breathing.
For some reason, Luke's heart broke when he saw the tears of this malnourished little girl.
"Ms. Aliana ... you can cry."
After a long time, Luke breathed. His gentle tone made Aliana feel better and gradually calmed down.
She thought, "Fine. So I'm back.
Life goes on."
Finally, Aliana calmed herself and looked up at Luke shyly. Luke's eyes became red-rimmed too.
Aliana noticed the kindness in Luke's eyes. She realized that this white-haired gentleman was the only person she could count on in the Harriman family.
"Luke, I'm fine now..."
Seeing that Aliana had stopped crying, Luke released her. He swiftly took out a handkerchief and wiped Aliana's face softly.
"Good. I'll pour you a glass of water. You need that."
Luke stood up and went to the kitchen for some hot water.
He didn't dare to ask more questions as he hadn't recovered from the shock.
Earlier, he sensed a great grief from Aliana. She was so desperate.
Luke didn't want to relieve it.
Luke turned to look at Aliana's room before shaking his head and heaving out a long breath. He blinked the tears in his eyes away and hurried to the kitchen.
Aliana needed to rehydrate.
Aliana stood in the middle of the room alone and looked around.
The room merely had four white walls and a few old furniture.
If Aliana needed to use a bathroom, she had to go outside.
Aliana walked to the desk and picked up the herbs she collected. She fiddled with the poorly-made sachet.
Luke said she made it for Joshua.
Aliana snorted.
Joshua was the eldest son of the Harriman family and the future president of the family business.
He was a 25-year-old eligible bachelor with a good look and high intelligence.
In Silvercrest, Joshua was like a noble prince.
Besides the members of the Hardin family, everyone had to please Joshua. The Hardins were exceptions because they were as noble as Joshua.
But Aliana knew one thing from her previous life.
To maintain the Harriman family's status in Silvercrest...
Joshua had worked all the time and had insomnia and a constant headache.
His state of mind had gotten worse as he couldn't get enough sleep.
But Joshua couldn't find a proper cure for his insomnia.
In Aliana's previous life, she would give Joshua a glass of water with vitamin B every night to improve his sleep quality.
Aliana was sure her former self had believed that Joshua had accepted her and wanted to improve their relationship by giving him the sachet.
She thought, "No.
Aliana.
You're pathetic."
Without a word, Aliana put the needles and yarns away before throwing the unfinished sachet and those herbs into the bin.
She did it without any remorse.
Luke came back with a hot water bottle.
"Ms. Aliana, have a glass of water. It's good for your stomach too as you just wake up."
Aliana dropped her coldness and softened up as soon as she saw Luke.
She beamed as she looked at the kind gentleman.
"Thank you, Luke."
"You're welcome, Ms. Aliana."
Luke fixed Aliana a glass of warm water elegantly and watched her sip the whole glass.
Yet, he had been stealing glances at the bin out of the corners of his eyes.
Luke had a lot of surprises that morning.
At that moment, he was surprised that Aliana seemed to give up on getting on Joshua's good side.
- Writer
