Chapter 2 A second chance

Rebecca's POV

I had woken up just a few hours ago. Not in heaven, but to the day that I married him. I was determined not to let history repeat itself. Yet, I sat on the bed as Leon towered over me. "Keep an eye on her. I don't want her out of your sight. If she goes missing, you will be tried for treason." The guards went pale. "Yes, Your Majesty," they all echoed. His eyes fell on me, filled with fire. "Don't you even dare ruin today, or you're as good as dead." With that, he turned away and left. I sat on the bed, my heart sinking with each passing moment. Leon's orders were clear: I was trapped, a prisoner in the life I thought I could escape. His gaze burned into me as he left, his words echoing in my mind like a death sentence. *If you go missing, it's treason.* I stared out the window, the sun setting over the distant mountains, casting long shadows across the land. There was no way out. The guards watched me like hawks, their eyes unblinking, their silence suffocating. Every move I made was monitored, every breath a risk. I felt the familiar weight of despair pressing down on me. I had thought I'd been given a second chance, but now it felt like nothing more than a cruel joke. What was the point of trying to escape again when they had already sealed my fate? The thought of dying again-of failing again-was unbearable. Then, the door slammed open. Diane rushed in, her eyes wide with worry. "Rebecca, what's going on?" She sounded frantic, glancing between me and the guards. "Why is Leon acting like this? He is saying you're having cold feet." I couldn't speak at first. The betrayal that still burned in my chest was too fresh, too raw. Her words felt like they were coming from a stranger, the woman I once called my best friend now a shadow of the past. "Cut the crap," I said. "I know you're sleeping with him." I spat. She blinked, stunned. She ran to me, sitting beside me. I recoiled. "What is happening to you?" she whined. "How can you accuse me of something so heinous?" Her eyes were filled with fake hurt that just made me want to scream. "Don't bother acting. I know," I said again, my voice cold. "So give your false sympathy to someone else." She was quiet for a moment before she started laughing. She got up and started to clap. "I guess we underestimated you. Took you long enough." She turned to the guards. "Give us some privacy," she said. They nodded and obeyed. I could only stare at her. I felt numb to the betrayal suddenly. It should have hurt me for longer. She was my best friend, after all, but I had far bigger fish to fry. A fake friendship to my life-it was obvious where my priorities were. I just wanted to escape. I wanted to live. Diane's laughter filled the room, the sound sharp and grating against my already shattered nerves. She stopped clapping and stared at me with a twisted grin. "Well, well, Rebecca. Took you long enough to figure it out." Her voice was laced with mockery. "You were always so blind to what was right in front of you." I narrowed my eyes, my fists clenching at my sides. "You're just as twisted as he is." "Twisted?" Diane smirked, pacing in front of me. "You think I'm twisted? I'm just smarter than you. I always was." "Then why are you here?" I asked, my voice low but steady. "What, trying to play the concerned best friend?" Her smile faltered for a split second before returning, colder. "No, Rebecca. I'm here because I want to know-do you truly want to leave?" The question struck me like a slap. "Of course I do," I hissed, unable to hold back the rawness in my voice. "I want out of this hell. I don't care what it takes." She leaned in, her eyes gleaming. "Then I can help you." I froze, disbelief flooding my veins. "You? Help me?" She chuckled darkly. "Yes. You're right. I'll be the one he truly wants once you're gone. And if you leave, I'm free to take my place by his side. Think about it-this benefits both of us." I felt the blood drain from my face as her words sank in. "You'd really help me?" "I'm not doing it out of the kindness of my heart," she admitted with a shrug. "But if you leave, I get him. No more pretending. Just think about it-no more pretending. He will be mine. You'll be out, and I'll be the one by his side, for good." I stared at her, the shock paralyzing me. She was offering me an out, but there had to be a price somewhere. My trust in her had shattered completely. "You're a liar," I spat. "You think I believe you're just going to let me walk away? That you would really help me?" Diane's smile only widened. "It's your choice, Rebecca. But if you stay, nothing changes. You'll always be a tool, a hybrid nobody cares about." My breath caught in my throat. Could I really trust her? Should I? She didn't wait for an answer, already turning toward the door. "Think about it. I'll give you a way out. But you'll have to decide quickly." She turned around, and I felt my chance of escape slipping through my fingers. If I wanted to escape, I would have to do whatever it took. Even trust the bitch who would kill me five years from now. "Diane," I called. She stopped and turned around. "How will you do it? The guards-" "I will create a distraction," she replied easily. "And I will take you to a room with an underground passage. You can escape through there." "That is crazy," I whispered. It seemed too good to be true. "That it is," she replied with a shrug. I hesitated, but Diane's words were still echoing in my mind. I was running out of time. If I didn't take this chance, I'd be trapped forever. "Alright," I muttered, swallowing my pride. "I'll do it." She nodded, her grin widening. "Good. Wait here. I'll make sure the guards are distracted." Before I could say another word, she was gone. I sat there, tension coiling tighter in my chest, every second dragging by like an eternity. Suddenly, the room erupted in chaos. Screams filled the hallways. "Fire!" someone yelled. Panic spread like wildfire. There was a loud clamor outside the room. Was that the distraction? The guards were hesitant at first, but the panic grew, and smoke began spreading into the room. The shouting got louder, and suddenly, the two men rushed past the door, their attention diverted. Diane reappeared moments later, a bag in her hand. "Hurry," she said, pulling me to my feet. "This is our chance." We slipped through the halls, weaving through the chaos. The air was thick with panic, people shouting and running in every direction. Diane led the way, pulling me through the confusion. She finally reached a door, unlocked it quickly, and shoved me inside. The room was dark, and a lump formed in my throat. "Where is the-" But before I could move, I felt a sharp prick in my neck. The lights turned on. I gasped, spinning around to see Diane standing behind me, a syringe in her hand. "You thought I'd let you go?" She sneered, her eyes cold. "I am not done with you just yet. After this, you will have no dignity left. You will be nothing but a whore." The world tilted as the drug took hold, my knees buckling. "No..." I tried to speak, but my voice was barely a whisper. Diane stepped back, a cruel smile curling her lips. "You were never going to leave, Rebecca. Not until he was done with you. I please my man. I don't give him trouble." The room spun, my vision darkening as I crumpled to the floor. She left me there, my head spinning and my vision blurred. My body felt like lead. I could not get up. A strange heat pooled in my lower abdomen. What had she injected me with? It didn't matter. I had to get up despite it. I had to fight it. I forced myself up, my body screaming in protest. My body felt like stone, every movement a struggle against the drug's weight. The floor was spinning, my head pounding as I stumbled toward the door, desperate to escape. My vision blurred, my limbs shaky, but I couldn't stop now. I had to get out. But just as I reached the door, it swung open, and I stumbled straight into the arms of a stranger. His scent-dark, musky, and raw-hit me like a wave, overpowering everything. The ache inside me shifted, replaced with a heat I couldn't ignore. I clung to him, desperate, craving him in a way I couldn't explain. His grip tightened around me, and I realized, in a moment of clarity, that I had one last hope. I needed to be claimed by another. His aura was strong, commanding, and I needed that dominance, needed it to erase everything Leon had put me through. I kissed him, hard, urgent, my lips desperate against his. "Mark me," I breathed. "Please. Save me. Make me yours." To my shock, he kissed me back with even more heat, his hands pulling me closer, as if he was the one who needed me just as badly. The kiss deepened, fierce and wild, and I knew, deep down, this was my last chance. He pulled me to him, carrying me and wrapping my legs around his waist. He did not break our kiss, his tongue breaking through and dominating my mouth. I could not breathe, and I was not sure I wanted to. I arched against him, my arms around his neck, pulling him even closer. The last thing I heard before the overwhelming pleasure took me was my wedding dress ripping.