Reborn
Adrian’s POV
I had been reborn. I didn’t know how. One moment, I was dying. The next, I opened my eyes and found myself back in a
twentieth body.
And there was my father, staring at me just like he had before. His words were exactly the same.
“Choose between Selene Moray and Elara Quinn. Whichever one you pick… she will be your wife.”
Last time, I’d done what he wanted. I’d chosen Selene. She was the smart choice. Sharp. Steady. Kind.
And yet… my heart had always belonged to Elara.
I regretted it, every single day in my past life. Elara died on a mission before I ever had the chance to make things right.
This time, I swore I’d do better. I wouldn’t just blindly obey. I’d choose Elara. I’d give her the happy ending she never got.
And to my surprise, Selene… she wasn’t the same either.
In the past, she had always smiled at me. Even when we fought–and we did–she’d always come back, always be the one to
break first.
But now? Now she looked at me like I was the villain in her story.
And a strange and wile idea hit me: Maybe I wasn’t the only one reborn. Maybe Selene was too.
So I tested it. When Father suggested I marry her, I said no. I expected tears or at least a sad look.
But Selene didn’t even blink this time. She just nodded and said, “You deserve to be with the woman you truly love.”
That was the moment I knew. She was reborn, too. And that… that worked perfectly for me.
If Selene was willing to walk away, I could finally have Elara.
Everything unfolded just as I’d planned. I convinced Father. He agreed to the marriage–though I suspect it had less to do with me, and everything to do with Selene stepping aside.
As I thought everything was perfect, Elara began to complain. “Why is Selene still involved in the family business?” she
asked
Shot, I’d forgot Marrying Elara won’t be enough. Selene still have to leave.
Elara was right. Selene couldn’t stay. Not if I was going to lead the Vale family. Not if I was going to give Elara the life she deserved.
So I found Father at the casino, tried to talk him into cutting Selene out completely. And again–before I could push, Selene pulled herself away. She volunteered to leave.
That’s what I couldn’t understand. Even if she was reborn she had loved me. Hadn’t she? In our last life, I’d pretended so well. There’s no way she saw through it
But then again, I don’t care about Selene. As long She’s out of my life. Out of Elara’s. Out of the Vale
And that’s all I ever wanted
Elara had invited Selene to our engagement party. I didn’t understand it at first But I agreed. Whatever Elara wanted, I would
give it to her.
Reborn
+25 BONUS
Selene wore that dress to our engagement party. The pale one from her graduation.
I recognized it the second I saw her. She looked… breathtaking. Not just beautiful–unfamiliar. Like a stranger wrapped in
someone else’s skin.
I had never looked at her from this distance before. She seemed nothing like the Selene I remembered.
Back in our past life, her gaze followed me everywhere. She watched if I drank enough, if I ate, if I looked too tired. She cared-
openly, endlessly.
But now… now she didn’t even glance my way. It was as if the very sight of me would scald her.
And still, that was fine. None of it mattered. I had Elara. That was all I needed. Or so I told myself.
After Selene gave her speech about stepping down from the Vale family–right there, at our engagement party–I didn’t hear from her again.
Elara laughed at her after. Mocked her, really.
And even though I loved Elara, something about it felt… wrong. Selene hadn’t done anything to deserve that. Not to her. Not
to anyone.
But I didn’t say a word. I stood by and let it pass. People forget. They’d forget that Elara told Selene to undress on stage, to humiliate her in front of everyone.
And for a few days, I let myself forget, too.
Then one morning, while getting dressed for work, I saw it. A gossip site had posted a blurry, candid shot of Selene getting
into a black car. It was taken the night of our engagement party. She wore nothing but a beige slip.
The photo wasn’t accidental. It was too close, too precise. Someone had been waiting–lurking near the hotel, camera ready.
Someone wanted this moment captured.
And in that moment, I thought of Elara. Could she have…?
I looked at the photo again, and that’s when I saw it. A scar. Long and faint, just visible on her upper thigh. Her slip barely
covered it.
A ten–centimeter scar. Stitched. Old. Familiar.
And suddenly, it hit me.
I ran downstairs. Elara was at the dining table, sipping her morning coffee like it was any other day.
“Elara,” I asked, trying to sound casual, “do you remember that summer when we were kids? When we went swimming at the
private beach and I almost drowned?”
She didn’t even blink. “Of course. Why?”
“I remember someone pulling me out. And there was blood. A deep cut on the leg. I thought it was you”
She smiled, stretched her leg beneath the table, her skin smooth and untouched “All healed now,” she said lightly. “What? Feeling nostalgic?”
But there were no scars. No sign of ever being wounded.
A memory rushed back. Waking up on the beach, Elara hovering over me, soaked in blood. I’d assumed it was hers.
I’d asked her once if she just saved me, and she blushed. She never actually said the words but I thought it was her
Reborn
But what if I’d been wrong? What if it was Selene had saved me that day?
Now that I think about it… Selene did disappear for a while after that trip. Long enough to get stitches and recover.
I walked back into my study, the weight in my chest pressing harder with every step, and called my father.
If anyone knew the truth, it would be him.
He answered on the second ring.
“Father,” I said, not even bothering with pleasantries, “was it Selene who saved me when I nearly drowned as a kid?”
There was a pause. Then his voice, cautious. “What’s this about?”
“I just need to know,” I pressed. “Was it her?”
