Chapter 5 SECOND CHANCES AND SHATTERED TRUTH

JUDITH'S POV

They say life flashes before your eyes when you die. But what they don't tell you is what happens after- when you wake up, gasping, in a body five years younger, with memories that don't belong to this time.

I remember dying. I remember the ache in my chest, the betrayal, the loneliness, the cold finality of it all. And yet, somehow, I'm here. In this room. In this body. Five years before everything went to hell.

And I thought, Maybe this is my second chance. Maybe I can fix things. Maybe I can avoid how was killed- poisoned to death.

But I was wrong.

I really tried to stay away from him.

Erod.

Every time I saw him in school, my heart would beat fast, and I'd feel something heavy in my throat. I stopped going near the senior block - not just because of him, but because of Elena and her group of girls.

They always found a way to laugh at me, point at me, and say mean things. Like my pain was funny to them.

During break time, I stayed alone. I didn't want to see them. I didn't want to see him.

So yesterday, I was alone in the school garden. I had my sketchbook, pretending to draw, but I was really just trying to keep my mind off everything.

Then I heard footsteps. Loud giggles.

It was Elena. And her gang.

I quickly looked away, hoping they would just pass and ignore me.

But Elena stopped right in front of me.

"Hi," she said with a fake sweet voice.

I looked up. "Hello."

She smiled in a wicked way and held out her phone.

"Lover girl," she said, "how nice and friendly was it when you saw this?"

I looked at the screen.

It was a picture.

Erod and Elena.

They were smiling. He had his arm around her.

He looked at her the same way he used to look at me.

I felt a sharp pain in my chest.

My hands gripped my sketchbook tightly.

My eyes started to get wet, but I didn't want to cry. Not in front of her.

"Aww, are you crying?" one of her friends said with a fake sad face.

"She really thought Erod liked her," another one laughed loudly.

They all started laughing.

I stood up. Slowly. My whole body was shaking.

"I don't know what you're trying to do, Elena," I said, trying to sound strong. "But it says more about you than it does about me."

She raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, you think you're competition?"

"No," I said. "Because I don't play with people's hearts."

For a moment, her smile faded. But then she flipped her hair and said, "Keep dreaming, Judith. Maybe one day it'll mean something."

They laughed again as they walked away.

I stood there, my heart beating fast, my hands still shaking.

I didn't cry.

Not in front of them.

But something inside me broke.

And for the first time, I wasn't just sad.

I was angry.

This time, it hurts even more.

Erod... the boy I thought I could trust... he kissed her. I saw them. No explanation can erase that image from my mind-the way her mouth was on his. I wasn't supposed to see it. Maybe I wasn't even supposed to be there. But I was.

And now? I'm the fool. Again.

The betrayal stings, not just because of what I saw, but because of the questions it forces me to ask. How long has this been going on? Has he been playing both of us this whole time? Or was I always the side character in his story?

Every time I see him at school, my stomach knots. He looks at me like he's sorry, like he wants to explain-but what's left to say? The truth is already in front of me. It was in that kiss.

And yet...

Knock. Knock.

My heart jumps.

It doesn't come from the door.

Knock. Knock. Again- sharper this time.

I turn toward the window, hesitant. The curtains sway gently, whispering secrets I don't want to hear. Slowly, I pull them back- and there he is.

Erod.

His eyes are wild, desperate. His breath fogs the glass. "Please," he says, barely audible through the pane. "Let me in."

My fingers twitch toward the lock. My mind screams no, but something- something broken and foolish inside me- says yes.

The window slides open with a reluctant groan.

He climbs in quietly, like he's sneaking into the past and trying not to wake the future. For a moment, we just stare at each other, suspended in the tension between what we were and what we've become.

"I can explain," he says.

"You don't need to," I reply, my voice hollow. "I saw enough."

"It's not what you think."

I almost laugh. Almost. "You were kissing Elena. What else is there to think?"

"I need you to be honest with me," I said at last, crossing my arms. Not to seem strong-but to keep myself from falling apart.

He looked up at me, his eyes filled with guilt and something else I couldn't understand.

"I never meant for this to happen, Judith."

"That's not an answer," I snapped. "What really happened? Why did I see you kissing her? And how did she even know we're dating?"

Erod took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. "It's complicated."

"No. It's simple," I said sharply. "Either you tell me the truth, or I walk away and never come back."

He sighed, his shoulders dropping.

"Elena found out," he said quietly. "About... us."

I felt my heart drop. "How?"

"Her friend, Veronica, saw us-months ago, I think. In the unfinished classroom."

"I was there alone, waiting for you," he continued. "Then she walked in and caught me off guard. She came close, said something that made me freeze... and then she kissed me-hard."

"Just then, Veronica's camera flashed. She took a picture while I was trying to push Elena away."

My mouth went dry.

"She's not just being dramatic this time," he said softly. "She threatened to tell my father. And your parents too."

"But why would she do that?" I asked, my voice rising. "Just because she's jealous? Or is there more to it?"

"She also threatened me," I said, my fists tightening. "She said she'd deal with me if I didn't leave you alone."

"Judith... what do we do? If my father find out..." he trailed off.

Erod looked into my eyes, like he was trying to find an answer there.

"There's something I've been thinking about," he said. "It's crazy, and I hate the idea, but..."

"What?" I asked.

He let out a slow breath. "What if I pretend to date Elena?"

I stared at him. "What?"

"Just for a while," he said quickly. "To buy us time. Make her think she's winning. Maybe she'll stay quiet long enough for us to figure something else out."

"You want to date her? After all she's done?" My voice cracked.

"Not for real," he said. "Just pretend. It's manipulation, I know. But maybe it's our only option."

I turned away from him, my heart racing.

"So you want me to just stand by and watch you walk around school with her? Let her smile in my face while you act like she's your girlfriend?"

"It won't be forever," he said gently. "Just until we find another way. Judith, I'm trying to protect you.

"She kissed me first," he blurts. "I- I didn't mean for it to happen like that. You have to believe me."

Before I can reply, the door creaks open.

I freeze.

Elizabeth.

She stands there, blinking, as if her brain can't process what her eyes are seeing. Her gaze darts from Erod to me, then back again. Her mouth opens, but no words come out.

I can feel the storm before it breaks.

"Elizabeth-" I start, but it's too late.

The past is repeating itself. Only this time, I don't know if I can survive it.