Chapter 2 A Second Chance

SARAH

"Ahhhh!!!" I shouted, jerking myself from the unknown force that kept pulling me deeper into my slumber. The bulb glowed softly above me. I blinked, trying to understand what had just happened. Why wasn't I in the water?

My eyes scanned the room. There were two chairs, two other beds, and a shelf beside each of them. While I was still trying to comprehend where I was, the sharp smell of drugs wafted into my nose and made my stomach churn.

If I could feel this... did that mean I was still alive? When my eyes lowered, I saw the hospital gown on me. That meant I was at the hospital.

Gasping, I sat up. How did I get here? Was I saved by the rescue team? But how was that possible? I remembered drowning until everything went black.

At the same time, the door opened, and my parents hurried in. When our eyes met, they rushed over, and my mother pulled me into a tight hug.

"My darling, you're finally awake," she said, breaking the hug and grinning in relief.

I was confused and shocked at the same time. My mind couldn't process anything. How did I end up here?

My father came closer and patted my head gently. "Thank you for surviving, my dear. Your mother and I wouldn't have been able to forgive ourselves if something bad had happened to you," he mumbled, nodding, a grateful smile hanging on his lips.

I stared at them. If they were talking about survival, did that mean I really survived...

"Did the excitement of your engagement make you lose your appetite? You kept straining yourself until your body couldn't take the workload anymore and collapsed," my mother stated. "Have you imagined how it would have felt if you had fainted at your engagement party tomorrow?" she added.

Wait. If she was talking about my engagement, that meant... This was years before I died.

But why? How? I was certain I got married to Gerald, and everything that happened afterward was real. So how did I find myself in the past? What was this supposed to mean? Was I given another chance? Gosh! I'm going crazy. I never thought rebirth was real.

"Sarah!" I was startled. "Sarah... are you okay?" My mother's voice cut through my thoughts, pulling me out.

I tilted my head and took her hands in mine. "I... I'm sorry, Mum. You know how much I love Gerald. So the thought of being his fiancée tomorrow made me skip meals unknowingly."

Thinking about this same scenario in the past, I would call myself a fool. I actually skipped meals because I was afraid I would gain weight before my engagement, and God forbid I looked bad beside Gerald in the engagement pictures.

The door opened, and my sister Amara appeared, and behind her was Gerald. The sight of Amara and Gerald sent memories rushing in like waves. Something twisted painfully in my chest. They even walked in together. I wouldn't be surprised if they came here right after a hot round of sex.

"Sister!" Amara rushed over and attempted to pull me into a hug, but I shifted to the side. Her arms hung when she saw my reaction, and her smile froze. "What, sister? Did something happen?" she asked.

Her voice made my blood boil. Gosh! Her fake smile and act of vulnerability churned my stomach with irritation. She was really good at her game; I shouldn't blame myself for not being able to see through both of them until I got killed in my previous life.

My gaze shifted to Gerald, who was staring at me with eyes full of smiles and relief. I cringed. How did I find that smile sexy and contagious in the past?

"Is there something wrong, Sarah? Why do you keep looking at everybody without talking? We were all worried about you. Your sister almost peed herself when she heard you fainted," he said. Every word sounded like a dog's bark and a cow's moo in my ears.

"No, Gerald. Nothing is wrong. I just don't think all that drama is needed. I only fainted. It isn't death," I muttered without sparing Roseline a glance.

Gerald chuckled. He sat beside me and held my hands. As soon as his hands touched mine, it felt like I was being pierced by thousands of needles, but I endured. I didn't want to raise suspicion. Not now.

"Your sister is just worried about you, Sarah. She cherishes you so much and always does things in your interest," he spoke softly. "So I don't want you to see anything she does as dramatic. She loves you so much, and being loud about you is the only way she can show how much you mean to her."

Oh! Of course, you'd defend her.

Being an advocate for your woman must be thrilling.

I stared at him for a few seconds, flashed a half-smile, and nodded, pulling my hands from his smoothly. "I heard you, Gerald." Then, I faced Amara. "I'm sorry for acting that way when you tried to touch me. I don't know why I suddenly feel like the affection isn't real, so I..."

"That's not the way to speak, Sarah." My mother scolded me. I pursed my lips and nodded. I loved how my mother was always assisting me at the right time. I really didn't want to have a full-length conversation with Roseline, and she helped with that.

⸻

After another two hours, I was discharged. Gerald and Amara left thirty minutes after their visit. Their excuse was that they wanted to go back to the engagement venue to check the preparation and arrangements. Deep down, I knew they just wanted to spend more time together, and I didn't even bother to stop them. Their presence made me uneasy. It was better to have them out of my space.

The car was quiet as we drove back home. Resting my head against the window, I allowed my mind to run wild. My engagement to Gerald is tomorrow, and getting married to him would lead to my untimely death right after finding out I was pregnant.

My death in my previous life was pathetic. I was pathetic. I lived pathetically, but not anymore. Not in this life. Not when I've been given a second chance... a pen to rewrite my story and make things right. I would be a fool to let history repeat itself. Never.

"Can you drop me off at the subway?" I asked our chauffeur. My mum and dad stared at me for a few seconds. I didn't need to be told what those stares meant.

I giggled to ease the tension. "I... I just want to check on Gerald at home. I suddenly miss him," I lied with a smile.

"Gerald...? He should be at the event hall with Roseline. They both-"

"They already left. He texted me to let me know he had gotten home a few minutes ago," I lied, hoping they wouldn't probe further.

My mother wanted to say something, but my father touched her and squeezed her hand.

"Let us know if there's any trouble, huh?" my father said, and I nodded.

I was dropped off at the subway as requested, then I hailed a taxi and headed toward Gerald's uncle's house.

Once I got there, I scanned the driver's QR code, made the payment, and rushed in.

I hadn't gotten to the entrance door when my steps slowed and finally halted. The man I was looking for, the one who saved me from drowning two years ago and the one who could stop this engagement, stood a few steps away from the door, with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a phone to his ear.

Tears rushed to my eyelids. He should have been the man I married in the past. He loved me so much. I didn't know how, but I believed Gerald was my savior when this man was the one who always helped me out of every problem I encountered in my previous life. How did I never suspect Gerald? God... I was such a fool. How did I not see it?

Wiping the tears from my face, I kept walking until I stopped in front of him. He was still on the phone, but his eyes didn't leave my body. They were dark, shining, and filled with possessiveness. That was how he had always looked at me. It didn't change-not even when I got married to his cousin in the past.

"Look who we have here. My nephew's little girlfriend who will turn fiancée tomorrow," he teased, expressionless.

My lips parted, but before I could say a word, he snatched my waist and pulled me to himself. My breath hitched, and my body tightened as his cologne drifted into my nose. My lashes quivered, and my eyes fell on his abs. Gosh! They were well-defined under the blue shirt.

"Are you here because you've had a change of mind? What? Will you marry me instead of my nephew?" he asked, a smirk hanging on his lips, piercing his gaze into mine, his jaw clenched.

I didn't respond. I stared unblinkingly and hiccupped softly.

Then his lips curled into a smile. The smile only lasted a second before it turned into a dark expression. He moved closer to my ear and whispered, "Do you know what you are doing, Sarah? Coming to my house alone when your engagement is tomorrow... You've got some courage, I must confess." He pulled back afterward.

Tightening my jaw, I pursed my lips and let out a deep breath. "Let me show you how much courage I've gathered." Before he could blink, I rose on my toes, wrapped my arms around his neck, and captured his lips with mine.