I had lost so much blood that a weightless, drifting sensation overcame me.
In my daze, I thought I saw my mother—or rather, the version of her I had always imagined.
My mother had died giving birth to me, bleeding out on the delivery table.
It felt like a cruel twist of fate, a cycle doomed to repeat itself.
In my final moments, I mustered the last of my strength to plead with Sophie Reed, my best friend. My voice trembled with desperation.
“Please, let me see my children. Just once. Just one look at the children I gave my life to bring into this world…”
But Sophie only smirked, her voice sharp and triumphant as she said, “Your children? Once you’re gone, they’ll be mine.
“You’re a pathetic woman who crawled out of a backwater village—what gives you the right to touch my man? What gives you the right to bear the Lewis family’s children?”
I stared at her, unblinking, as life slipped away from me.
I thought I heard my children crying. I thought I heard the doctor recording my time of death, followed by a sigh.
“There’s plenty of blood available in the bank. They don’t seem like a family that’s struggling for money—why would they just give up on saving her?”
When I opened my eyes again, I was surrounded by the blinding flashes of cameras. The lights made my head spin.
My aunt Maya Sinclair nudged me and whispered, “Bianca, are you so happy you’ve lost it? The reporters asked you some questions—how does it feel to achieve the top score in the city’s college entrance exams and get accepted to Jadebrook College?
“Do you have any advice for the younger students?”
I blinked, my mind snapping back into focus.
I had been reborn—it was the day I received my acceptance letter from Jadebrook College.
This day had been the brightest moment of my 18 years. School leaders congratulated me. Reporters interviewed me. Younger students looked up to me with admiration.
But it was also the day that sealed my fate 12 years later—because today, I would meet Sophie for the very first time.
Just as in my previous life, the next moment, Sophie entered the room with her father, Edward Reed.
The reporters immediately turned their cameras on them, clearly familiar with Edward. Edward exuded an air of sophistication and affluence, the perfect image of a successful man.
