Meeting You IN My Next Life

Ariel's P.O.V.

"Don't blame us for your bad luck, hon, that someone very dear to you wants you dead. We are paid to kill you and never let anyone find your body." One of my kidnappers, the one with that nasty scar on his face, said to me, showing sympathy, but his mocking smirk was clearly evident to me.

I was now lying half-dead on the floor while looking at them with stilled eyes. "It's raining heavily. We should throw her in the valley now. The rain will erase all the traces." Another one suggested, his voice loud enough for me to hear even when the rain was pouring heavily.

I had already resigned myself to my fate and now awaited embracing death so that I could get rid off of this unbearable pain. I hissed in pain once again, but no sound came out of my mouth when two of them grabbed my arms, my hands tied at my back, and started dragging me harshly on the ground.

I didn't open my eyes as his words were still echoing in my ears.

Someone dear to me....

Who could that be?????

Tony was already dead, and I don't like any of my in-laws. They don't give a s**t about me, not even my husband. So, who could this person be???? I had no family left in this world.

Those vultures????

I never counted them as my family.

Who else, then?

Does it matter now?

I am already dying.

All I wanted right now was to know the name of that person so that I could ask him or her what I did wrong that he or she wanted this brutal death for me.

I didn't know for how long they dragged me through the harsh ground of the forest. My whole lower body was now covered with so many fresh cuts and wounds, but I didn't feel any more pain now.

If.... If .... I got a second chance to live my life.... I wanted to change everything in my life.... I wanted to divorce Winston and wanted to go far away so that no one could torment me, humiliate me, and ... plot this brutal death for me....

Soon, I felt my body floating in the air. True to their words, they threw me for a good height, I guess, as I didn't hit the ground immediately. What does it feel like after death? Does it feel the same as I am feeling right now?

My mind and my heart were at peace. There was nothing around me but complete darkness. It was peaceful. I didn't want to wake up if I had not yet died. I wanted to stay like this forever.

"Ariel.... Hey... listen to me," I frowned in irritation when I heard someone yelling my name aloud. I was irritated by the continuous calling of my name. Can't I die peacefully, and who on earth was present here in this wilderness?

I couldn't say who was calling me but he was...... worried? This time, I gave attention to the voice. "Ana.... Breathe, girl.... You need to breathe", I heard his worried voice again. "No... it can't be... Uncle Tony died a month ago... then how can I hear him? Am I really dead?" I questioned myself and then tried hard to hear him.

"She.... She is alive... she is not dead... Somebody help.... Somebody call the doctor." I heard the person with a similar voice to Tony yelling frantically. "Somebody call the doctor." He yelled again, and I felt my upper body pressed to something hard. I was startled by something very strongly drumming against my ear. Was it a heartbeat?

.

"I swear she had no pulse before," I heard a stranger yelling fearfully, and I felt a grip on my wrist. "We will talk about that later... treat her now." My breath hitched when I heard the same cold, familiar voice that always made me shiver in fear whenever I heard him. His voice was still devoid of emotions.

There is no way that he would be here..... in this wilderness.... In this stormy night to save me... what... what was he doing here? And how on earth did they all suddenly appear here out of thin air?

His voice was still as cold as it always was. A chill passed through my spine. He still had some effect on me even after my death. How pitiful my life was, and now he was also tormenting me after my death.

I felt a pain in my hand, and I winced in pain. I tried to open my eyes, but my lids were too heavy to open. I sighed aloud. I tried again, and this time, I was able to open my eyes slowly. "She is awake," I heard someone yelling in excitement. My head was still spinning hard, but the voice took my attention, and I looked at the person sitting near me.

"O.. My, Tony", I squealed and threw myself on him without thinking a bit. "I ... I thought I would never be able to see you. H... how wonderful it is ... that you are the one who I saw first after dying." I was crying while laughing without registering my surroundings.

He embraced me quickly, and tears started pouring down from my eyes like a waterfall. "Don't talk rubbish, kiddo... We both are fine.... Yeah... I would have been dead by now because of you... it's you who gave me a heart attack.... You were dead for almost five minutes," he whispered with so much pain in his voice.

I frowned and slowly moved him away from me. I looked at his handsome face in confusion. What was he talking about? How could we both be alive? He died three months ago, and I died just now.

I felt a chill running through my spine when I felt a cold gaze on me. I tilted my head lightly, and my breath hitched when my eyes met with those beautiful, cold phoenix eyes. We both held our gaze, and I stared at him without blinking. His eyes were still devoid of any emotion, but there was a hint of concern in his eyes right now.

I looked down and drank in his appearance. He was in this shining black tuxedo that I saw him wearing at our wedding. Wait.... Why is he wearing his wedding attire? I frowned and looked back at Tony again. I was completely confused now.

Tony still had a worried expression on his face. "Di... did something happen to her brain?" My eyes widened in shock, and I snapped my head towards the source of the voice, and my eyes almost came out of their sockets when I saw my mother-in-law standing there with..... with....

What exactly is happening here? I .... I was not in a forest.... B.. but in a room filled with so many relatives from both sides of the family. "Nothing is wrong with her brain. She is perfectly fine... she is just having hallucinations because of the absence of oxygen in her body. I assure you that she will be perfectly alright after some rest." I moved my face towards the source of the voice in a daze.

Tony cupped my face and moved my face towards him. "Don't pay attention to what they said, kiddo... you are perfectly alright." Tony comforted me while smiling faintly. My heart skipped a beat, and I slowly looked down at me. I gasped aloud when I saw my attire.

I snapped my head upwards in astonishment and immediately looked for Tony's attire, then looked back at Winston once again. I.. I was in a bridal gown, and he ..... he was in the same tuxedo that he wore on our wedding. Tony was also in the same suit that he wore at my wedding.

"Yo... you are alive...... you are alive." I yelled in excitement when I realized what just happened. I was reborn.... The God gave me the second chance... O my god.....

"Now you are making me worried, kiddo." He answered me in a worried tone, but I didn't pay attention to his words and threw myself on him once again, wrapping my hands around his neck in a tight embrace.

I was now laughing aloud while crying. I knew that I was looking pathetic, but I was so happy to see my beloved uncle alive. Now I had a chance not only to save myself but Tony too. I was so happy.

Tony slowly moved me away from him, and I looked at my beloved uncle this time through tearful eyes. "O, Tony... I am so happy to see you again", I cried again while cupping his face, and he laughed this time. He leaned towards me and kissed my forehead.

The only problem was that I was born on my wedding day. I should have been born earlier than this day.... Might be the day when his parents came to Tony and discussed this wedding????

God, why are you so mean to me?

If you have to give me a second chance, shouldn't you choose an earlier day than this day?

"Ariel... listen to me and then answer me carefully." Tony cupped my face, this time moving upwards. I blinked to clear my eyes while listening to him seriously this time. "Did someone give you something to eat or drink before I came to take you?" he asked me, and I wrinkled my nose in confusion once again.

I racked my mind to understand the situation well. So, I was reborn on the day of my wedding, an... and it seemed that something happened to me during the rituals.

My eyes widened in realization when I remembered what exactly happened that day. I suddenly felt dizzy when the priest asked Winston to kiss his bride. I clearly remembered that Winston didn't try to grab me, and I fell to the ground in an embarrassing posture.

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.

Ariel's P.O.V.

"Wake up..... you should eat something." I heard a monotonous male voice asking me to wake up. I frowned while snuggling into the soft pillow. "I don't want to." I muttered sleepily and flipped to the other side.

"Ariel..... wake up." I scowled this time when I noticed some impatience in his voice. Who the hell is here in my room, and why did he want me to wake up so bad? I huffed and craned my neck to the other side and slowly opened my eyes.

My whole body was aching so badly, and all I wanted right now was to keep sleeping, but he was enough of a jerk to make me wake up. I blinked to clear my vision as I saw a blurred silhouette of a man standing in front of me.

His outline was enough to tell me that he wasn't Tony. I blinked, and my gaze met with a pair of familiar phoenix eyes. They were still as cold as they were always. I blinked harder in a daze, trying to understand why he was here. He never set his foot in my room, and here he was standing in front of me, trying to wake me up.

What's going on?

"Hi." I waved my hand dumbfounded when he didn't say a word again. My eyes widened in shock when I saw a slight change in his expression. He looked......amused? But why?

"Go and freshen up.... You need to eat dinner before going to bed again." He instructed me in a bit gentle tone??????

Oh my God??????

He knew how to be gentle??????

"What are you waiting for? Do you want me to carry you to the bathroom?" He asked me in the same tone, but with a bit of a hint of impatience once again after some time when I didn't react.

"Yeah... yeah...I... I mean no.. I..... I'm going." I replied to him immediately and sat up. Unintentionally I yawned aloud, opening my mouth wide open, and closed my eyes again. I was so tired.... Can't I eat after completing my much-needed sleep??????

"I didn't remember you hitting your head on the floor when you fell. How did you become so lazy?" I opened my eyes again and immediately shut my mouth tightly when I heard him commenting on me in an amused tone.

"I... I just woke up.... This is natural." I immediately defended myself out of habit, bobbing my head a little, but didn't look towards him. I didn't remember that we had had any conversation like this in my previous life. I remembered that he went on a business trip on our wedding night and came back after two weeks. Why was he here then?

To avoid further conversation with him, I immediately removed the sheet and slowly moved out of the bed on the other side. I was about to get up when I stopped and looked around. I narrowed my eyes in confusion. This wasn't my room. Heck, I never knew that Atkin's Mansion had such dull and monotonous rooms. The whole room was in black and grey.

What the hell.....

"Now what?" Winston asked me again while coming towards me. "Wh... which room is this?" I asked him in confusion and slowly stood up. "This... is my room?" He answered me with a hint of confusion this time, and I snapped my head towards him, still in confusion.

"Why am I here?" I asked him in the same confused tone. "Because we are married?" he answered me questioningly, but soon his eyes traveled down my body. I narrowed my eyes once again in confusion and slowly looked down at myself.

I snapped my head up once again, widening my eyes in horror, and immediately crossed my hands in front of my chest while clenching my thigh. I had only a thin white t-shirt with no undergarment inside.

"I... I don't know who ch.... Changed my clothes.... I.... I swear... I... I didn't do anything." I immediately yelled in panic, defending myself with a furiously pounding heart against my ribcage.

I looked around to find somewhere where I could run but the bathroom door seemed far away from me.

I went pale when I saw his eyes go one shade darker, and his Adam's apple bobbed hardly. "I... I know.... Go and freshen up." He answered me in a low and hoarse voice, and my body turned towards the bathroom automatically, and before I could understand my own actions, I was almost running towards the bathroom, still with my hand in front of my chest, and pressing the shirt tightly of my a**.

I banged shut the door of the bathroom and leaned my back on the frame, panting furiously. What the heck just happened? Why I was here, and how embarrassing it was to stand in front of him in a half-naked... no... almost naked state?

"AAAahhhhhh." I screamed with a closed mouth to keep my scream muffled while cursing whoever had changed my clothes. It seemed that everything had changed after my rebirth.

No.... I couldn't let this happen. If the trajectory changed completely, then how would I be able to save myself and Tony? No.... in my past life.... There was no scene like this, and there shouldn't be now.

I slowly walked towards the sink while thinking about what exactly happened after I came to the Atkins Mansion. I reeled out all my memories while freshening up and realized that I actually had no married life or even friendly life with Winston before.

I was always cautious around him and always tried to stay as far away from him as it was possible for me. I didn't have any career because Tony was the one who took care of my family business from my maternal side. I was the major shareholder in that company and had a lavish life because of the dividends that I got from those shares.

Tony was just managing the company on my behalf because I had no desire to take over the company. He had his own company to take care of, but as his favorite niece, he couldn't bear to see me working my a** off to keep the company running, and that was why we had an agreement that he would help me manage the company until I turned 25.

I needed to change the situation now. At first, I needed to manage things here as they were in the past, and then I would talk to Tony about my working in the company. If... if I had to take over the company and avoid the circumstances in which Tony died, I had to come forward.

After freshening up, I was about to open the door when my gaze went to my attire once again. I groaned in frustration and slowly opened the door a little. I didn't bring the change of clothes in a hurry. So, I needed someone's help now.

I peeked out of the door, only poking my head out to see if Winston was still in the room or not. I smiled brightly when I didn't notice any presence in the room. "W..... Winston.... Are you here?" I still called him cautiously while trying to see as much area as I could see.

I took a deep breath of relief when I didn't hear any response from him. I opened the door and went out of the room. I was about to walk further when I stopped. Where was the closet?????

Where were my clothes?? Where was I supposed to get something to wear better? I looked around frantically for anything that could lead me to the closet, and to my horror, there was nothing on all the walls around me.

I facepalmed myself in horror and ran towards the straight wall in front of me. I started knocking on it just like in those thriller movies where they get some hidden button or.... lever... or something like that... to open the door hidden within the wall.

"What are you doing?" I screamed aloud in horror while jumping on my feet frantically when suddenly someone said in my ears. The person immediately held me by my waist from behind, scaring me out of my wits. Was there a ghost in this room? Did... did Winston put me in a haunted room to torment me????

"God.... What's wrong with you?" I heard Winston's impatient and angry voice and stopped screaming and jumping abruptly. I looked behind while blinking hard. I almost stopped breathing when I saw him holding me.

"What are you doing, Ariel?" he asked me in a bit of a calm tone after a short pause. "I.... i.... I... need m... my c... cloth... clothes... b.. but the.. there i... is no closet here." I answered him while stuttering hard in bewilderment.

He sighed while looking at me in amusement. "The closet is right beside the bathroom." He answered me and slowly moved our bodies in the same direction. My breath hitched when his hot breath fanned the side of my face.

This was the first time in both lives that he was so close to me. He pointed towards a small panel right beside the bathroom door. "Your clothes and all other accessories are already there." He told me, and I pursed my lips into a thin line.

"You... you should really wear something else if... If you don't want to consummate our marriage until we understand each other better." He whispered right into my ear, and I shuddered lightly because of this very weird and strange sensation all over my body. I stopped breathing once again when I remembered that I was still in the same thin t-shirt and now was in his embrace.

Gosh...... I never felt so embarrassed in my past life... Why now?????