Chapter 2 Some Small Changes

Ariel's P.O.V.

I gulped hard when the humiliation that I faced that day crossed my mind. I lowered my head in embarrassment. It meant that the same thing must have happened today too.

I mentally facepalmed myself, thinking about digging a hole for myself to hide.

Second chance, and yet I faced the same embarrassment?

Why wasn't I reborn before that? I would have saved the situation.

"Ariel.... Try to remember, honey.... You.... Your heart almost stopped beating for .... For almost 5 minutes.... Yo... you were almost dead, honey.... try to remember if... if you had something before." Tony asked me again in a worried tone.

My heart almost stopped beating again. I.... I died????? It was the first change in the trajectory, and I guess... the reason why I was reborn this time.

"Ariel." I came out of my trance when Tony called me again in a worried tone. I cleared my throat while blinking hard awkwardly.

"Don't try to put words in her mouth, Tony. She only fainted due to exhaustion", I heard my aunt's annoying voice this time, and I looked at her.

The corner of my mouth twitched in annoyance this time. She was still as annoying as she was in the past life.

O right? How could she change? After all, I am the only one who born again, not her?

But Tony ignored her and almost glued his gaze on my face. Okay.... I... I guess... I drank something." I replied to him while trying to remember this new incident, which wasn't in my memories.

Then it clicked in my mind. Yeah... I drank something right before Tony came to get me for the wedding. It... it was orange juice. A young server came to the room where I was sitting, waiting for Tony, and gave me that glass of juice, saying that it was my aunt... Aunt Fiona who sent that for me. I immediately looked at her.

"What?" She looked at me in confusion. "He.... He said th... that you sent that juice for me." I replied to her truthfully.

"No.. I didn't send anything for you. Why would I do that?" She yelled in panic, making me flinch in Tony's embrace.

"She needs to rest. Send her to the house with her uncle," suddenly my husband ordered in his cold voice, and before I could see him, he stormed out of the room, followed by everyone from his family.

I saw his retreating straight back blankly going out of the room. My aunt and uncle also left after him, leaving me and Tony in the room. "What is happening, Tony? I really didn't understand a thing," I asked him in whispers, and he immediately embraced me tightly.

"Everything is okay now, kiddo.... You don't need to be scared. I am here... I will never let anything happen to you.... I promise.... Just relax." He comforted me, and I just bobbed my head on his chest. It was my chance to keep him and myself safe this time, and there was no way that I would let anyone hurt us this time. I was naïve, but not foolish.

We heard a knock on the door, and I saw a handsome young man entering the room. He passed a tight smile when his gaze met mine. "What do you need?" Tony asked him in a calm voice. "I need to take her blood sample for tests. Mr. Atkins ordered." He answered Tony, and I frowned.

What's with Winston? Did he really care about if I am alive or dead?

"It's okay, kiddo... He meant no harm. He is the doctor that saved you," Tony comforted me, and I nodded. I hesitantly raised my hands towards him. He again passed an apologetic smile to me and then took my hand, making me shut my eyes tightly.

Yeah... I am afraid of needles.

"All done," he announced, and I opened my eyes. I was surprised to see that he had withdrawn my blood already, and I didn't feel even a bit of pain. He smiled widely this time, giving me assurance that everything was good.

"Let's go, Ariel.... You need a good rest." Tony said to me, and I suddenly felt exhausted. "I don't want to walk. I am tired." I whined while snuggling into Tony's chest. I heard him chuckling, but it made me rub my face on his chest more.

Tony was my mother's younger brother. My grandparents had him in late age, and he was only 8 years older than me. So, we shared a sibling bond instead of an uncle-niece bond. To be honest, he was always my safe haven... the only person in my whole family... or in the whole world who loved me wholeheartedly.

He slowly pulled me up into his embrace in bridal style, and I wrapped my hands around his neck while resting my head on his shoulder. He started walking out of the room. "I embarrassed myself by falling to the ground at that time, right?" I asked him in a very low and tired tone after some time.

"No, honey... Winston caught you as soon as your body swayed." He replied to me, surprising me to the maximum. "Thanks to him that you didn't get any injury, kiddo. He is the one who noticed that something was wrong with you and called the doctor immediately." Tony told me further.

So, this time, my husband decided to save me from embarrassment? Wow... this was a good change, but it didn't erase all those worst memories from my past life where he never showed any concern for me whenever I needed his help when his family humiliated me from time to time.

"Ariel..... are you okay? Shall we go to the hospital?" Tony asked me in a worried tone. "I am okay, Tony.... I am just tired." I answered him in a tired tone and closed my eyes.

"Mr. Hudson." I heard someone calling Hudson in a formal tone, but I didn't open my eyes. "What is it?" I heard Tony asking him in reply. "Mr. Atkins asked you to accompany Mrs. Atkins to his family mansion. Everything is arranged there." The man replied to Tony in the same formal tone.

"So... he still remembers that he is married now and Ariel is his wife." I smiled weakly on his shoulder but didn't say anything. I died after five months of my marriage, and Tony will die in a car accident three months from today.

For everyone, including my in-laws and my husband, I was just a pampered rich brat who was spoiled rotten. Because of Winston's indifferent attitude towards me, they always treated me like trash and never missed an opportunity to humiliate me and make me realize that I was in an arranged love marriage, clearly for the purpose of saving my family business.

Yeah.... This was my last life.... But I was now determined to change the course of my fate. In this life, I would never let anyone trample over my dignity.... Not even once. But I needed to stay vigilant not to change much..... only a few in the main trajectory so that it wouldn't affect my life much.

I didn't know when I slipped into slumber, but this short period of peace was enough for me to revitalize my new soul...

My life..... my new life.... Here I come to embrace you.....

Third Person's P.O.V.

"I gave you only one task and that was to kill her, and you failed. What should I do to you now?" I asked the person on the other side of the call in a cold tone.

"I... I am sorry.... She drank that poisoned juice in front of my eyes, I swear.... She drank the whole glass.... The poison was lethal, and she had no chance to survive.... I ... I really don't know how she survived," he stuttered hard while answering me in fear.

I sighed while rubbing the space between my brows. "I don't care about what happened and how this happened.... the main thing is that she is still alive... and now you have only a month to kill her.... you kill her, or I will kill you and your whole family." I threatened him in the coldest tone that I could speak and hung up.

My eyes were now glued on her photo on the top of my desk. She had the brightest smile on her lips and a very carefree expression on her face. I didn't want to kill her, but she was the only hurdle on my way to get what I wanted.

"I am sorry, my love... but you need to die.... only one of us can live, and I am too selfish to give that chance to you." I said to her in a low tone, but the corner of my mouth twitched in the end.

I dialed another number while still having my eyes on her photo. I waited for the other person to pick up the call. "Do something for me." I asked her as soon as she picked up the call.