love again

Chapter 1: The Day I Died I always thought betrayal would come with warning signs—cold stares, whispers behind my back, maybe a drunken confession. But no. It came with a kiss. A kiss from SJ, the man I gave everything to. A kiss goodbye. My name is Tabitha Wanjiku Mbatha—Tabby, as everyone used to call me. Twenty-three. Final year university student. CEO of a rising tech startup I built from scratch. And dead. At least, I was. The memory of my death isn’t fading. Not yet. Maybe it’s because it wasn’t just a betrayal; it was the betrayal. SJ and Emmie—my best friend, my sister in everything but blood—smiling as they shoved me over that glass balcony. Laughing as I screamed. All for my company. For my name. For everything I built while they clapped from the sidelines. And now? I woke up in my old dorm bed. I know this room like my heartbeat: the faded pink curtains, the rickety wardrobe that always creaks when you open it, the stupid sticker on the mirror that reads: “Don’t cry. Plot.” I stuck that there in my second year. It’s still there. That’s when I knew. I’d gone back. Not in a dream. Not in a hallucination. Reborn. My phone buzzed. I picked it up, heart racing. The date on the lock screen? Monday, March 6th. Three years ago. Exactly one month before I met SJ at that stupid networking event. My stomach twisted. This is my second chance. Not just to live—but to outplay them. To rewrite the story they thought they finished. To burn the script they wrote in my blood. I slid out of bed, walked to the mirror, and stared at myself. Younger. Innocent. Still untouched by their poison. But not for long. This time, I won’t fall for SJ’s charm or Emmie’s crocodile tears. This time, I’ll be the one pulling the strings. And when I’m done? They’ll wish I stayed dead. ---