My Second Chance at Life

My fiancé, Julian Vance, was the definition of a prince charming—the kind every woman in town would kill for. He was stunning to look at, a devoted lover, and looked at me with eyes so sweet they seemed to drip with honey. Chloe Mercer, my best friend, was a ray of sunshine. Whenever I needed a pick-me-up, she would show up with a strawberry crepe cake—sweet, soft, and comforting. They were the two most important people in my life, my sanctuary, whom I trusted with all my heart. Until the iron doors were welded shut. The screech of rusting metal scraping in the dark sounded like the wailing of damned souls from hell. Gasoline came seeping in through the crack under the door. When the flames roared to life, I heard Julian’s voice. He was standing right outside. Through billows of thick, suffocating smoke, his voice was gentle, caressing. “Hazel... I’m sorry. “Sterling Group’s ten-billion-dollar empire... “Starting today, it would be under the Vance name.” Chloe stood right by his side. The inferno cast a sickening crimson glow across her face. She didn’t utter a word. But the corners of her mouth were curled upward. Her eyes were overflowing with triumph. I choked down one last breath of heavy, toxic smoke. My lungs felt like they were being sliced up under a blade. I died—but did I? Chapter 1 I hovered in the expanse of midair. Looking down, I could see my own charred, incinerated corpse. Blackened. Grotesque. Looking up, I could see the golden sunlight of the living world. I followed them. I watched the rest of Julian and Chloe’s idyllic lives unfold. They swallowed Sterling Group whole. They threw a lavish, extravagant wedding. A dazzling hall, a sumptuous party. A sea of high-society guests. They became the power couple everyone idolized. At the altar, Julian delivered a speech overflowing with affection and devotion. “I thank fate every single day,” he murmured, gazing into her eyes, “for bringing Chloe into my life.” Fate. Fate had been cruel to me. Standing in the shadowy abyss, I stared at them, then I began to laugh. Tears of crimson blood seeped from the corners of my eyes. Without warning, the world turned inside out, like a black-and-white film rapidly rewinding. I saw Julian. He bolted upright in his king-sized bed. Drenched in cold, sticky sweat. His pupils dilated in sheer panic. He gasped for air like a drowning man fighting for oxygen. Fumbling for his phone, he turned on the screen. It was the exact date, three years before the inferno swallowed me whole. He went back in time. At that exact second, in her luxury apartment across town, Chloe jolted awake from her own nightmare. Her face was white as a sheet. She dialed Julian’s number without missing a beat. The line connected. A dead, suffocating silence. Ten agonizing seconds dragged on. Julian broke the silence first, his voice shuddering with raw terror: “You’re back too?” “Yes.” Chloe’s voice cracked into frantic sobs. “Back then… we overdid it.” Julian pulled himself together, something sinister flickering in his eyes. “Trying to seize Sterling Group by brute force almost blew up in our faces. This time around, we play the long game.” “How long?” “Three years.” Julian gazed into the darkness outside his window. “We play the saints, rob the Sterlings of every dime, then torment Hazel till she begs for death.” On the other end of the line, Chloe let out a chilling laugh. “Deal.” Floating in the void, watching their devilish pact unfold, I wanted to scream my heart out. I wanted to swoop down and tear the flesh right off their faces. But I was completely paralyzed. I was nothing more than a spectator. All I can do is watch. For three agonizing years, I watched them weave a web of lies and venom. Armed with the cheat sheet of his past life, Julian swiftly scored several hyper-profitable business ventures. His capital ballooned exponentially. Meanwhile, Chloe sank her fangs into me, by becoming my dearest, irreplaceable “best friend”. She accompanied me on endless shopping sprees. She listened with feigned empathy as I poured my heart out. Whenever I got into petty squabbles with my parents, she’d play the peacemaker, sweetly defusing the tension. Everyone gushed about how ridiculously blessed I was. A devoted, perfect fiancé. A loving, sweet-natured best friend. Yet nobody realized that every attempt of Chloe’s “peacemaking” was a calculated move designed to drive a wedge between my parents and me. She’s been subtly dropping hints to the world that the heiress of Sterling Group was an airheaded, incompetent brat. Julian was even more ruthless. Under the guise of a dutiful fiancé, he infiltrated my family enterprise step by step. My dad was cautious at first, keeping him at arm’s length. But Julian’s act was just flawless. He was humble, diligent, always putting the Sterling name as his priority. Three years passed. My dad naively handed over half of his empire to him. Then came the systematic hollow-out. Subsidiaries were quietly liquidated and transferred. Capital was secretly drained. By the time my dad caught wind that something was rotten, the trap had already sprung. Julian bribed his personal physician, tampering with his daily medication. His mind began to decay, fogged by confusion and memory lapses. Eventually, he was diagnosed with “early-onset dementia”. My mom collapsed into total despair. She wept bitterly, pulling me into an embrace. “Hazel... thank God we still have Julian. He’s the only rock we can lean on now.” I nodded in agreement. Last time I was alive, I had naively swallowed every last drop of their lethal potion. Hovering in the void, I watched my former, pitiful self. I drove my fingernails deep into the palms of my phantom hands. I couldn't feel any pain, but my very soul trembled with uncontrollable rage. Their three years of scheming had culminated to the fateful date. Today was December seventeenth, the day I was burned alive. Julian and Chloe sat in our mansion, sipping afternoon tea with my parents. My mom held Chloe’s hands tightly, her face overflowing with matriarchal love. “Oh, Chloe, dear... having you as a friend is Hazel’s greatest blessing.” Chloe lowered her head, offering up an angelic smile. Julian turned his gaze toward me, his eyes dripping with tenderness. “Hazel, there’s a charity gala tonight. Let’s go together.” “Alright.” The Hazel of my past life agreed without a second thought. Just as my spirit gnashed its teeth in fury, an icy, thunderous voice reverberated through the vast expanse of my mind. “Go back now.” Chapter 2 I snapped my eyes open. The ceiling drifted into view. Soft, muted pink. Beneath me was a plush, luxurious bed. The air conditioner hummed quietly. Seventy-nine degrees. I sat up. I swung my feet out and walked barefoot to the window. Bright, golden sunlight showered my face. It was warm. I lowered my gaze to inspect my hands. Fair and whole. Not a single trace of charred, burnt flesh. I reached up and touched my cheeks. Silky smooth. The tears of blood I shed in the fiery abyss during my past life—not a single drop this time. My phone vibrated. It was a text from Julian. “Hazel, I’ll pick you up at six tonight. Wear the red dress. You look gorgeous in it.” The red dress. In my past life, that very dress became my shroud. I stared down at the screen. Slowly, I typed out a single word: “Sure” Then, I deleted it. I retyped my response. “Nah” I hit send. A second later, a notification from Chloe popped up. “Hazel, I made a strawberry crepe cake for you! Can I come over this afternoon?” Strawberry crepe cake. I let out a cold sneer. Then I typed out my reply. “Get lost!” And sent it. The phone fell silent. The two of them must be confused right now. I changed clothes, then opened my bedroom door and stepped out. In the hallway, my mom was walking towards me. Her face was etched with worry. “Hazel, Julian told me you refused to attend the charity tonight. What are you on about? He’s such a good—” “Mom.” I cut her off mid-sentence. “Who’s prescribing Dad’s medication?” She was stunned for a second. “It’s Dr. Lynch, who else? The specialist Julian recommended. Why do you ask?” “Fire him.” My voice was dead cold. “What?” I brushed past her and headed straight for the staircase. “Today, as soon as possible.” Mom’s nagging complaints echoed behind me. I just ignored them. I pulled out my phone and dialed a number. “Is Ethan Gray speaking? I’m Hazel Sterling. There’s something I want to discuss with you.” On the other end of the line, silence lasted for two seconds. Then, a deep, magnetic male voice resonated through the speaker. “Ms. Sterling, I don’t believe we’re that well-acquainted.” “We will be very soon.” I hung up the phone, then stepped out the front door. December seventeenth. The sunlight was blindingly bright. In my past life, I died suffocating in thick smoke on this exact date. This time round… I’d make my murderers burn in the very flames they kindled. By late afternoon, Julian arrived. He stood in the middle of our living room. In his arms was a bouquet of pristine white roses. How delicate. How pure. How fake! “Hazel.” He walked over and extended the flowers toward me. “I won’t hold what happened last night against you. I know you’ve been under a lot of pressure lately. I get it.” He was smiling gently, looking every bit the perfect, patient fiancé accommodating his spoiled girlfriend. I took the flowers, then casually tossed them onto the coffee table. “Tonight is Mr. Wayne’s birthday celebration. You really ought to attend.” He sat down on the sofa, casual and relaxed, as if he were already the master of this estate. “Everyone we know will be there. Your reputation hasn’t been great recently. It’s the perfect opportunity to clear the air.” “My reputation?” I fixed my gaze on him. He paused for a fraction of a second, looking conflicted, reluctant. “Just some posts circulating online... calling you spoiled and good for nothing. I know they’re lies, but outsiders will fall for them. Hazel, I’m doing this for your own good.” For my own good. In my past life, this line of his had been a spell. It choked the voice out of me. “Who put those posts up?” I asked. “Well, I’m still looking into that—” “It was Chloe.” I cut him off without hesitation. His smile stiffened for a moment, impossibly brief, but I caught it. “Hazel, you’re making things up.” His tone carried a hint of rebuke. “Chloe is your best friend. You must know best what she has done for you over the years.” I knew, and all too well too. She put on an act of a lifetime, bringing utter ruin to my family and my life. “Julian,” I stared into his eyes, “what are you really here for?” He took a deep breath, his gentle mask coming back over his face. “I’m just worried about you. You haven’t been yourself lately. Getting out more will do you good.” “I’ll pass.” “Hazel—” “I said no.” Tension filled the living room. Julian glared at me, affection gone from his eyes. Now they were sharp, filled with guarded suspicion. The Hazel of my past life never said no to him. “What did you say to Chloe yesterday?” He suddenly changed the subject. “She cried herself to sleep.” “I told her to get lost.” I lifted my teacup and took a slow sip. Julian abruptly stood up, stepping right in front of me, his figure towering over me. “Hazel, what on earth is wrong with you?” “Nothing.” I met his intense gaze head-on. “I’m just done playing the fool.” His pupils bloomed. Footsteps echoed from above. My mom walked down the stairs. The moment she spotted Julian, her face brightened into a warm, welcoming smile. “Julian, you’re here! Come, sit down.” “Hi, Mrs. Sterling.” Julian instantly turned back into a respectful gentleman. “I’m just leaving. Hazel hasn’t been in the best mood, so I just came by to check on her.” My mom shot me a harsh glare. “Hazel, throwing tantrums again are you? Julian is such a good man. Stop taking your blessings for granted!” “Mom.” I stood up straight. “Stop giving Dad his medication.” Mom froze in her tracks. “What nonsense is this? Dr. Lynch said we can’t just stop his medication.” “I said, stop it.” My voice was ice cold. “If the guy knew what he’s talking about, why is my dad getting more confused by the day?” “What are you going on about? Dr. Lynch is a top specialist!” My mom grew visibly agitated. Julian stood off to the side, watching the scene unfold. His eyelids drooped slightly, hiding the dark, sinister glare brewing beneath them. “Please, don’t be angry with Hazel.” He intervened with a gentle, soothing tone. “She might just be exhausted lately. As for the medication, it’s best we follow the doctor’s orders. I still have matters to attend to at the company. I’ll take my leave now.” “Of course, Sure. Drive safely.” Mom walked him to the front door, apologizing the entire time, calling me a spoiled little girl. Julian only offered a soft, forgiving smile, magnanimous to a fault. Chapter 3 At seven that evening, my mom knocked on the door. “Hazel, Julian went to the party without you. Chloe went along to keep him company.” Her voice was filled with disappointment. “Look at you, pushing your fiancé away. Chloe’s the one knowing how to behave here.” “Let her keep him company then,” I said. “They make a great match anyway.” Silence fell outside the door. Mom sighed in frustration, her footsteps fading into the distance. I leaned back against the headboard. My phone lit up with a photo sent by Julian. In the party hall, glasses clinked under glittering lights. Chloe was wrapping her arm around his, smiling brightly. It came with a text: “I wish you were here.” I let out a cold sneer without replying. Then he sent another message. “Hazel, you feel like a stranger to me today.” My fingers moved across the screen. “Is that so?” “Yeah. The old you would never treat me like that.” I stared at the screen, deliberately typing out each word. “The old Hazel died in the fire.” I hit send. No new message from him. Outside the window, the night was as black as ink, and the wind howled through the dark. This was my second chance, a fresh start. They had their time acting out their script. Now it was my turn, my story. The next morning, Chloe came over. She wore a beige coat with her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Bare-faced, she looked like an innocent college student. In her hand was a dessert box. “Hazel!” As soon as she walked in, her eyes turned red. “Did I do something wrong? You told me to... to get lost yesterday. I was so heartbroken I couldn't sleep.” That earned sympathy from my mom. “Chloe, come sit down. Hazel must be stressed out these days. Don’t take it to heart.” Chloe shook her head, forcing a faint smile. “I don’t blame her at all. Hazel’s my best friend.” Sure I was. I crossed my arms, leaning against the second-floor railing, admiring her act from above. “Hazel!” Chloe spotted me and held up the dessert box. “I brought you some strawberry crepe cake, your favorite. Can we make up, please?” Strawberry crepe cake. In my past life, it truly was my favorite. Yet every time I ate it, I would break out in hives. Chloe always told me it was just a seasonal allergy, even went out to get me medicine. Back then, I was touched beyond belief. Only much later did I learn the truth. It was never seasonal allergy. She had been lacing the cake with ground peanut, which she knew I was allergic to. Making me sick made me depend on her more and more. “Come upstairs,” I said. Chloe’s eyes lit up, and she carried the box upstairs. She shut the bedroom door and set the box on the table. “Hazel, what on earth is wrong with you? Julian is so worried. Your dad is not in good health, stop making him worry.” Her words sounded so earnest, as if every sentence was spoken for my sake. “Are you done?” I asked. “What?” She blinked, caught off guard. “Have you finished reciting your lines?” I walked over to the table and looked down at the dessert box. “How much peanut did you dump in this time?” Her face turned pale for a fraction of a second before she regained her composure. “Hazel, what are you talking about? I only used fresh strawberries—” “Oh really?” I picked up the box. “Come on, how much longer are you gonna carrying on your act?” I fixed my gaze on her as the shadows fell across her face. “Three months ago, you spent four hours drinking with Raymond Spencer of Apex Capital at Grandeur Club. The next day, Sterling Group signed a loss-making contract, and you took a three-million-dollar kickback.” Chloe bit down hard on her lower lip. “Two months ago, you sold my itinerary to the paparazzi, trapping me in the parking garage just so you could show up in time to save the day. The internet heaped praises on you while calling me a moron. “A month ago, you wired five hundred thousand to Dr. Lynch to swap my dad’s medication.” The room fell dead silent, save for the hum of the air conditioner. Slowly, the innocent look melted off Chloe’s face, replaced by a sinister glare. “How do you know all of that?” Her voice shifted, turning sharp and cold. “Take a guess,” I sneered. She stood up and stepped right up to me, lowering her voice. “Best friend, you’ve changed. “The old you was an absolute imbecile, stringed along like a puppet, bouncing between Julian and me. You didn’t even know how you died.” When the word “died” left her lips, a glint flashed in her eyes—the exact same look I saw through the flames. I leaned in close and whispered in her ear. “That’s right. I did die once. But guess why I’m alive now?” Chloe recoiled violently, her back slamming into the wardrobe with a heavy thud. For the very first time, pure terror filled her eyes. “You...” “Stuff yourself with that cake.” I threw the box at her feet. The cake was smashed into a mess, cream splattering over her shoes. Chloe stared intently at the ruined cake before snapping her head up to look at me. “So what if you figured it out?” She hissed through gritted teeth. “Sterling Group already belongs to Julian. You can’t beat us.” She yanked the door open and fled down the stairs in complete disarray. My mom’s shouts echoed from below. I stood by the window, watching with cold eyes as she frantically drove away. Chapter 4 My phone lit up. It was an unknown number. I picked it the call. It was Ethan. “Ms. Sterling,” a deep voice came through. “Dr. Lynch was intercepted by my people at the airport. He was trying to leave the country.” “Did he confess?” “He did. Chloe instructed him to poison your dad. It’s a chronic neurotoxin. Long-term ingestion will result in brain death.” I gripped my phone tightly. My knuckles turned white. “What about Julian?” “Dr. Lynch hasn’t seen him. But Chloe’s account has off-the-books funds from Vance Group moving through foreign exchange.” He paused for a moment. “Ms. Sterling. You’re not quite like the rumors say.” “They say I’m an idiot.” “Looks like rumors can’t be trusted.” He let out a low chuckle. “What’s next?” “Hold onto to the guy,” I said coldly. “Chloe is panicking. She’ll go to Julian. They’ll have to speed things up.” “Just what I have in mind,” he said. I hung up the phone. I looked out the window at the gloomy sky. It was about to rain. Julian, Chloe, it was time to bring your plan to ruin. Chloe’s car sped through the street. She didn’t return to her apartment. She drove to a villa on the outskirts of town. That was her and Julian’s secret place. In my past life, they spent countless intimate nights here. All paid for with my family’s money. She pushed open the door. Julian was sitting in the living room reviewing financial reports. Seeing her flustered state, he furrowed his brows. “What’s the matter?” “Hazel knows!” Chloe shouted. She poured a glass of water, her hand shaking violently. The glass fell to the ground, shattering into pieces. Water came splashing everywhere. “What does she know?” Julian stood up. “Everything!” Chloe’s face was deathly pale. “Dr. Lynch. The kickbacks. Also... the peanut. She even said she died once.” Julian froze on the spot. “She said ‘once’?” “Yes.” Chloe grabbed his sleeve. “Julian, did she... come back as well?” The living room descended into a dead silence. Outside the window, thunder rolled. Rain started pouring down. Julian slowly sat back down on the sofa. His expression turned frightfully dark. “Came back...” he muttered to himself. “If we could come back, of course she could too.” “What do we do now?” Chloe asked, on the verge of tears. “What if she calls the police...” “She doesn’t have proof,” Julian sneered. “What happened back then is erased. Dr. Lynch is in our hands, and I’ve kept the books clean. What does she hold against us?” “But the guy is missing!” Chloe cried out. “I haven’t been able to reach him since this morning.” Julian jerked his head up. “Missing?” “Yes.” He immediately pulled out his phone, dialed a number. It didn’t go through. Then his expression shifted. “It’s Ethan,” he gritted his teeth. “Someone saw his assistant at the airport last night.” “Ethan?” Chloe was stunned. “Why is he helping Hazel?” “Because of Sterling Group shares.” A cruel glint flashed in Julian’s eyes. “She must have used her shares as leverage to recruit his help.” He stood up and start pacing anxiously around the living room. “We can’t wait any longer,” he said. “We must secure that plot of land on the west side of town now.” “What about Hazel?” Chloe asked. “If she keeps causing trouble...” Julian stopped in his tracks. He turned to look at Chloe. There wasn’t a trace of warmth left in his eyes. “We let the fire have her last time.” He spoke each word with deliberate weight. “This time round, we’ll just do it again.” Chloe stared back at him, trembling with fear. It was as if the man before her just turned into a ghastly devil. Just then, the big screen in the living room suddenly lit up. It was the villa’s smart TV. On the screen, no show was playing. Only a clip of surveillance footage. It showed an abandoned warehouse. In the torrential rain, a pair of brand new cremation urns were placed in front of the warehouse doors. On them were photos of the two of them. The photos were black and white. Just then, both of their phones buzzed at the same time. They received an identical text message. “The fire from our past life is lit again. This time, it’s your turn to burn.” Sender: Hazel.