Rebirth: Love me Again

[LINA]

I was in my room, surrounded by the familiar comforts of a past I thought I'd lost forever. My heart raced as I realized what was happening.

Experience tales at empire

I wasn't 34 anymore. I wasn't the broken woman mourning the loss of everyone I loved.

I was young again. Before the tragedy. Before the loss.

I don't know how it happened. At first, I thought it was just a dream, but it felt far too real to be an illusion.

This had to be a second chance—a chance to rewrite everything!

This time, I wouldn't let it happen. This time, I would save them all.

"Lina, are you up?"

The knock on my door startled me, but the voice on the other side froze me in place. It was a voice I never thought I'd hear again—a voice I'd mourned for years.

Cole's voice.

He was alive!

I stumbled out of bed, my legs trembling as if they'd forgotten how to carry me.

When I flung the door open, there he stood. My brother. My twin. The other half of me I thought I'd lost forever. His face was familiar, yet surreal, a cruel trick of fate, or perhaps the most merciful blessing.

Without thinking, I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck. Tears streamed down my face, unbidden and unstoppable.

"Cole," I whispered, my voice shaking, "you're here. You're really here."

He stiffened in my embrace, clearly taken aback. With a soft chuckle, he gently pushed me away and flicked my forehead like he always did when I was being "

too

much

."

"What's gotten into you?" he asked, a bemused smile tugging at his lips.

I rubbed my forehead, my tears spilling over for an entirely different reason. It wasn't the pain. It was the sheer joy of seeing him again, alive and well.

"Is it so wrong to miss you this much?" I choked out.

Cole narrowed his eyes, his expression skeptical. "You're acting weird, even for you." He took a step back, folding his arms across his chest. "Anyway, I don't have time for your dramatics. I'm heading out with Eve tomorrow for her study session."

The words hit me like a physical blow.

"S-study session?" My voice faltered.

"Yeah," he replied, already moving to leave. "I still need to pack, so I have to go. It's a one night two day event, so I will be gone for a few days. Don't worry, I've emailed you my schedule. Cover for me at today's meetings, alright?"

I couldn't breathe. The room seemed to tilt, the walls closing in on me. "The Ashford mansion . . ." I whispered, my voice barely audible. "Is it the same study session?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Cole raised a brow, giving me a suspicious glance. "Are you spying on me again? Whatever. If you already know, I don't need to explain." He shrugged and turned to leave. "Don't forget to cover for me, as a reward I will buy you anything when I returned."

I barely registered what he said afterward. My heart raced, my thoughts a chaotic swirl.

Tomorrow

.

The study session was

tomorrow!

The memory of that day came rushing back. That cursed study session had been the beginning of everything. The lies, the confessions, the heartbreak—and the tragedy.

I collapsed onto my bed, clutching my head. "Dear God," I whispered desperately, "if this is truly a second chance, why couldn't I have been sent back a year? Or even just six months? Or a month? How am I supposed to fix everything in one day?"

But there was no time for self-pity. I forced myself to stand, pacing my room, biting my thumb as I struggled to think.

My phone confirmed it—the study session was tomorrow.

What should I do?

What could I do?

There was no time to craft a perfect plan. No time to think rationally. My mind latched onto one idea—extreme, desperate, and reckless.

But desperate times called for desperate measures.

I had to stop whatever would happen at the Ashford mansion. I had to ensure Eve chose Cole this time. If my happiness was the price to pay, then so be it.

I closed my eyes, summoning every detail from the CCTV footage I'd pored over in the past, back when I was desperate for answers.

Lily Ashford had gone to the garden, where Daniel had been waiting for her. He rejected her, of course. But Eve, hiding behind a tree, had overheard everything. When she tried to leave, Daniel noticed her and stopped her.

And that was when everything fell apart.

Daniel confessed his feelings to Eve, and she, for reasons I'd never understand, accepted his courtship. That single moment had set the wheels of tragedy in motion.

I clenched my fists. That moment was what I had to stop—at all costs.

I have one plan. And if I wanted this plan to work, I needed someone I could trust, someone capable of outmaneuvering Cole.

There was only one person.

Dylan. My bodyguard. My first and only love.

If anyone could help me pull this off, it was him.

I couldn't turn to Mom and Dad for help. They'd ask too many questions, and it might jeopardize everything. Besides, Father was out of the country with Mother right now. Even after all these years, they were still in their honeymoon phase.

This was my life's purpose of having a second chance. Even if it meant resorting to extreme measures. Even if it meant risking everything.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself. "So be it," I whispered to the empty room.

This were our second chance. And I wasn't going to waste it.

=== 🤍 ===

Coming face to face with Dylan now, memories of the past surged through me like an unstoppable tide. Every detail, every moment, came rushing back, threatening to overwhelm me.

Dylan was a war orphan, a child hardened by unimaginable suffering.

From an age when most children still played with toys, he had known only survival. He'd been a guerrilla fighter, a child soldier forced to bear arms in battles that should never have involved him.