Reborn as a Billionaire heiress

~Elena~

"You have glioblastoma, Elena, it's stage four." The announcement came as a shock because I should have known if something was wrong with me, but I didn't.

My eyes widened in disbelief as I locked gazes with the Doctor before me, questioning whether her words or she was lying. I had no idea what to believe.

''I... I have a brain..." I stuttered as I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. "how could I have not noticed all these years and you..." The tears streamed down my face. ''I mean i am supposed to know about it but why?''

The Doctor sighed and pointed to the screen, which showed a scan of my head. "If I had not told you to carry that test, Elena, we wouldn't have found out. The tumor hid itself perfectly without showing signs, and if I had not..."

"Doctor Mallory," I cut her off before she could finish. "I don't understand what you are saying. Do you mean that I have cancer and I didn't know all these while and...." I rubbed my eyes and sighed heavily.

"yes, Elena," she replied, pointing to the screen. "it is growing, Elena, and I know that you just found out that you are pregnant, and you are glad, but if you want to live a few months longer and....."

"live a few months?" I frowned at her. "what are you saying, Doctor? Are you saying that I am going to die?"

Doctor Mallory sighed and lowered her head for a moment, and when she raised it, she nodded in response. "Elena, I hate to break the bad news to you, but see here," she pointed to a dark thing on the screen. "The tumor is growing, and because you are pregnant, it is becoming more aggressive, and if you don't abort the baby, then you will...."

My hand slammed against the table. "What the hell are you asking me to do?!" I shouted, my voice cracking with disbelief. "Abort which baby?" I yelled, my hand instinctively reaching for my head. "I can't fathom what you're saying, but there's no way I'll terminate my baby!" I stated.

"Just last week, you confirmed my pregnancy, and now there's a tumor spreading rapidly!" I chuckled bitterly, clutching my head. "I haven't even told Owen about the baby, and now I'm facing death." I sighed and rubbed my hands together.

After enduring everything, this was to be my fate - to perish without laying eyes on my child. All I have ever wanted was to have a child, and now that I was pregnant after five years of my marriage with Charles, I was going to die with my baby or terminate my baby to have a few months to live.

"This is for your good, Elena. With the baby, the tumor will grow twice as fast, shortening your life, and..." she tried to explain, but I wasn't ready to hear her.

I had just found out about my baby, and if I wanted to leave for a few months, I had to sacrifice the life of my baby.

"I am going to die anyway, so why the hell should I let my baby die when I can save it," I inhaled deeply and grabbed her hand, holding it tightly. "Listen to me, Doctor. I don't know what you'll do or how you'll do it, but I need my baby to survive. Do any treatment; I will endure it all, but I need to ensure my baby survives."

Doctor Mallory yanked her hands from mine. "Have you gone insane, Elena? This is me talking as your friend, not your Doctor. I'm trying to make you see that you can't keep the baby and..."

"Doctor Mallory!" I interrupted her. "There is no way I will agree, and I don't know how you'll do it. If you can refer me to an oncologist, a good one who can help me until the baby is born, then I am ready, and I am..."

"Elena!"

"What!" I lowered my head as tears welled up in my eyes. "You know how it is with Owen. I want him to be happy that I am pregnant with his baby. We have long longed for a baby, and now that I am pregnant, maybe he will continue to love me, or maybe my mother-in-law will learn to treat me better. I can't announce to anyone that I have tumors growing, and..."

Doctor Mallory stretched her hand forward and grabbed mine. "I wish we could do something, Elena, but if you go through with this, you might end up losing the baby and also lose your life. It will all be for nothing. You'll die without being able to hold your baby."

Tears streamed down my face. Doctor Mallory knew how much I wanted a baby after everything. I was desperate for one because it was the only thing to make Owen love me again and earn his trust. Even my mother-in-law might treat me better once she finds out I am pregnant. I couldn't break the news about my pregnancy and tumor to them.

I couldn't.

"Elena, are you listening to me?" Doctor Mallory snapped her fingers in my face. "I think you need to tell your family. They are the only ones who can support you at this time."

"Support?" I chuckled and slowly removed my hands from her grasp. I rubbed them on my thighs and sighed heavily. "No one is going to support me when they find out that I am going to die. I need you to help me, please. I don't want the baby to die. The baby has to survive, please, and..."

"You are not making sense, Elena. I am..."

"They are not going to support me, okay!" I shouted at her and stood up from the chair. "You think they will start treating me differently because I am going to die!" I chuckled. ''stop acting as if you don't know them and how they have treated me all these years. If they find out.....'' I sucked in my breath.

"That is not... I believe that Owen deserves to know what is happening to you! You can't do this on your own."

"I will," I spoke with assurance, even though I knew it would be tough. "I am going to have my baby before I die, and I am..." I paused, thinking of what to say.

I knew Doctor Mallory was looking out for me, and I had to listen to her, but I couldn't help but think about holding my bundle of joy.

"Thank you for your care, but I had already decided, Doctor. I am keeping the baby, and I will tell Owen about it today," I told her and headed towards the door. Just as I was about to open it, she shouted.

"I hope you will not regret this, Elena!"

I turned to face her and smiled. "The only thing I will regret is being unable to save my child," I smiled at her and headed out of her office. My heart pounded in my chest as I headed toward the elevator. Once I was inside and alone, I burst into tears.

Why me? After years of struggling to have a child, I was faced with this fate. I never expected something like this would ever happen to me. It made me wonder if the world was against me. Why do I have to have a brain tumor when I was so close to making myself relevant in my family and my husband's family?

The elevator doors opened, and I looked at the entrance with a teary face. My eyes met with a man's. He looked at me but didn't say anything as he entered and stood beside me.

I continued crying, not caring if there was someone else beside me. After all, we didn't know each other, and it would have been none of his business if I had chosen to cry. Things happen in hospitals.

"Here," he handed me a white handkerchief. I raised my head to look at him, and our eyes met briefly. I took the handkerchief from his hand and wiped my face with it. "I don't know what you are thinking about or what happened to you, but it is going to be okay," his voice was deep and calming. He smiled at me, showing the dimples on his face. Just as I was about to reply, the doors opened, and he walked out.

"Wait!" I shouted after him, but the doors closed in my face. "You forgot your handkerchief!" I called, but he was already out of sight.

I sighed and raised the handkerchief, staring at it. It was plain white, but in the left corner, there was a symbol and writing: "The Royal Empire."

I stared at the writing for a few seconds before realization dawned on me. The Royal Empire? I thought he must be an employee there as I examined the handkerchief again. "Thank you, mister," I muttered to the handkerchief as the doors opened and I walked out of the elevator.

The stranger's words comforted me, assuring me everything would be alright. I decided I would tell my husband about everything that was happening to me, hoping that together, we could find a way to save the baby.

Upon reaching the front door, I was surprised to find the absence of workers, and the door was locked. I pressed the button to unlock it and entered. I intended to call my husband's name, but I stopped when I heard loud moans from our upstairs room.

Dropping my bag to the ground, my heart raced as I anticipated the worst. I had suspected something was happening, noticing his unusual behavior for months – late-night calls, skipped meals, and arriving home late. However, I had dismissed the signs because of my deep love for him.

"It couldn't be," I told myself as I climbed the stairs to our room. The moaning grew louder with each step I took, intensifying my curiosity. I wanted to discover who he was cheating on me with and why he had done that.

When I finally reached the front of our door, I hesitated for a few seconds, fearing the worst. A sudden headache formed in my head, and my heart pounded as if I had run a marathon. Taking a deep breath, I gently pushed the door open and gasped loudly.

It can't be.

~Elena~

My body trembled where I stood, witnessing the shocking scene of my husband with another woman, and not just any woman, but my half-sister. I didn't want to believe it was her until I heard her moaning out loud.

"Yes, Owen, go harder!" she screamed.

They were oblivious to my presence in the room, blissfully enjoying the moments of their lives. I wanted to scream at them to stop, but I remained there, powerless to intervene. My heart bled; I never expected such betrayal. I should have recognized the signs and understood what was happening but had been blinded. The blind dates my sister posted and her invisible man, whom she always mentioned, turned out to be my husband. I had noticed how she had continuously talked about falling in love, but I had been a fool not to see it all.

How could they do this to me? I thought as I placed my hands over my mouth, suppressing the scream threatening to escape. Tears blurred my vision, unstoppable.

I was a fool not to have seen it all from the beginning of our marriage. It was all a sham, a partnership between our families. I was just a pawn; now, the truth was glaring right before me.

"Oh my goodness!" my sister exclaimed as her eyes met mine. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Owen rolled off her, covering his naked body, and then turned to face me. "You shouldn't be here. Didn't you say you'd be running late? What the hell are you doing here?" he yelled.

How dare he yell at me? I should be the one shouting after everything he had done. He shouldn't even be able to talk to me, yet he showed no remorse, his hands still around my sister.

"What the hell are you doing?" I shouted at them. "How could you...?" I gasped for breath, my chest rising and falling, feeling as if I might have a panic attack. I held my chest, leaning against the wall for support.

My sister burst into laughter. "Relax, and don't kill yourself over the fact that Owen wanted me more than he wanted you!" she said, wrapping the bed cover around her and approaching me. "You've been married for years and still haven't borne him a child. Now, you act as if the family needs you."

I bit my lower lip as tears streamed down my face, recalling my challenges as Owen's wife. His mother hated me, making life unbearable, calling me names and insisting I didn't deserve to be a part of the family.

Now fully clothed in his boxers, Owen stood up and walked toward me. "What will you do about it?" he asked, bursting into laughter. "I've always loved your sister, not you. You mean nothing to me, so why should I bother about you?" he shouted, grabbing my chin and pushing my head backward, my head hitting the wall.

My head throbbed with an intense ache, and dizziness gripped me. I held my head, the doctor's words echoing in my mind about my condition.

"Last stage Glioblastoma!" The words reverberated incessantly, haunting me.

My sister snapped her fingers in front of my face, her hand resting on her stomach. "For your information, dear sister, I'm pregnant with Owen's child. Something you couldn't do for years," she taunted, laughing. "So pathetic."

Owen joined in, mocking me. "She means nothing. It's useless since she can't give me a child or inherit anything. She's a nobody!"

I looked at my sister, and my hands instinctively went around her neck, squeezing the life out of her. "How could you do this to me?" I screamed. "You've made my life unbearable, and now you're pregnant with my husband's child!"

"How dare you!" Owen shouted, pushing me away and slapping my face. He grabbed my throat. "How dare you touch the love of my life! How could you raise your hands against her!"

"Owen..." I reached out, but he slapped my hand away, slamming my head against the wall.

Groaning, I slid down, clutching my stomach. Unbearable pain surged between my legs, and I saw blood flowing. Oh no, my baby, I cried inwardly. "My child!" I yelled, watching the blood pool. My vision blurred, but I couldn't stop screaming.

Ignoring me, Owen turned away and tended to my sister, who complained about her neck.

"Do you think her grip will harm the baby?" Ariana asked.

Owen shook his head, gently settling her on the bed. "Don't worry, my dear," he cooed, kissing her forehead. "You and the baby will be fine, I promise."

I lay there, bleeding, losing our baby, while he showered her with affection he never showed me in our three years of marriage. Was this betrayal? Was this being cheated on? If this was betrayal, then I had been cheated on.

I questioned where I'd gone wrong and what I'd done to deserve this torment. How could they do this to me? I pondered while lying on the ground, bleeding out.

"Owen..." I reached out to him, bloodied hand, expecting some reaction, but he walked to the closet, returning with papers in hand.

"Let's get a divorce!" he declared, tossing the papers on the bed. He came back with one of my designer clothes, wiping the blood from my hand and thrusting the papers towards me. "Sign them!" he ordered.

I shook my head. "I won't do it!" I shouted. "There's no way you'll force me to..."

He slapped me hard. "Shut up, you're worthless!" he yelled, gripping my throat. "I regret marrying you; you're nothing. Your sister Ariana is the legitimate one; you're just an illegitimate child!" He forced the pen into my hand. "Sign the paper!"

"owen, I-"

He tightened his hold, silencing me. I struggled for breath, face reddening, feeling life slipping away. Tears streamed down as I saw my sister grinning and Owen giving me that usual murderous look.

I wanted to tell him about my cancer and the pregnancy, but now he was with my sister. With his firm grip, I signed the paper, and he snatched it away, releasing my neck.

"Pack and leave now. I'll generously offer one million dollars because you're worth nothing for not giving birth in three years."

I gasped for air, hands on the ground, tears blinding me, the pen still in my grasp. I had lost it all-my child, my marriage, my inheritance. There was no hope; death loomed. There was no reason to delay my decision.

If I was going to die, they needed to die with me. I screamed, rising and lunging at Charles, stabbing his hand with the pen.

He went unnoticed as he engaged in conversation with Ariana. A loud groan escaped him as he forcefully pushed me backward until my back collided with the wide-open window.

"How dare you!" he exclaimed.

"You've ruined my life!" I screamed, launching myself at him. "I'm going to kill you!" I raised the pen again, ready to strike, but he countered by pushing my neck outside the window.

"How dare you attack me, fool!" he shouted, wresting the pen from my grasp and letting it fall to the ground. "You should die!" he declared, tightening his grip around my throat.

I grinned defiantly and spat in his face. "Go to hell!" I shouted, then glanced at my sister, who had risen from the bed and was approaching.

"I hope you find peace, Elena," she laughed. "I told you I would have everything you do, and now I do! If she's still alive, she'll ruin our plans. She needs to die!" she insisted.

Owen nodded in agreement. "Then I have to let her go," he said, releasing his grip on my neck. "I guess this is your fate," he chuckled, pushing me out of the window before I could respond.

Time seemed to slow as I reached out, hoping for someone to grab my hand. Instead, they both watched as I fell to my demise. I dropped my hands and blinked as a tear rolled down my cheek.

My sister and owen shared a kiss as I descended, their laughter echoing.

This was it. I was about to die, and they would be victorious. After enduring everything, this was the end. I closed my eyes, spread my arms, and embraced the fall. I landed on the ground with a resounding thud, my head meeting the ground first, limbs scattered.

It indeed was the end.

I stared as my blood pooled around me, weeping one last time, thinking about the baby I couldn't protect.

~ELENA~

I gasped as I fluttered my eyes open, realizing that I was lying on the cold ground. How? How the hell am I even alive? I questioned myself as I looked around. I attempted to raise my head, and surprisingly, I managed to do so. It came as a big shock because I should be dead, yet somehow, I was alive, and I didn't feel any pain.

How could that be possible?

"What kind of miracle is this?" I asked myself as I scanned my surroundings. It was when I stood up from the ground that I noticed my body still lying there. I gasped and quickly covered my mouth. "How?" I questioned myself again, staring at my hands and realizing I was fading away like a ghost.

"How is any of this possible?" I looked up from where I had fallen and noticed that the lights were still on, meaning that my sister and husband were both in the room, pretending as if I had not died. I couldn't even figure out what was happening to me and why I had turned into a ghost, but somehow, I was standing by my dead body.

I fell on my knees beside my body and burst into tears, watching as my eyes were open, tears still stained with a mixture of blood on my face. I cried out, knowing no one would hear me because I had become a ghost. "Why me?" I shouted and held my stomach. "I should have a son or maybe a daughter, but I can't anymore because my baby is dead!" I screamed and tried to hit the ground, but my hand went through.

While reflecting on my demise, I heard my sister's voice sounding from the entrance of the house. "We have to make her death look like she had committed suicide, alright," she said. ''you know what my grandfather is like? He would want to investigate her death, and we have to make sure that he doesn't find out anything about this.''

"Of course," my husband agreed.

I watched as they headed towards my body, and when they reached it, they both started laughing. "Who would have thought that she would die like this?" my sister laughed and kicked my leg. I almost screamed at her, asking myself how she could do that when we were both sisters.

Owen also joined in the laughter. "She should have taken the money I offered her and left instead of staying behind and trying to fight us. What a pathetic fool!" he tutted and grabbed my hand. He raised it and then dropped it again. "She looks pathetic even in her death!"

I clenched my fists as they both burst into laughter. "She has been blinded to our love all along!" my sister said and then yawned. "I am tired, baby. Let's dump her body as planned."

Owen nodded in response and carried my lifeless body from the ground, heading towards the car boot where he dumped it. I shouted at him as he closed the car boot.

"How could you have done this to me after everything I have done for you? I was even pregnant with your baby, and yet, you did this to me!" I screamed out loud and waved in front of him. I wanted to punch him so badly at that moment, but I couldn't do it, and what I could do was stare at him.

"Babe, follow me with the other car!" Owen shouted, then swiftly entered his car and started the engine. I walked to the left side of the front seat and attempted to open the door, but my hand went through. Undeterred, I phased into the car, much like a ghost from the movies, and joined him inside. My ranting persisted, though he couldn't hear me.

"Your mother hated me all these years, and I endured the abuse because I loved you. Yet, you've been sleeping with my sister," I confessed, burying my face in my hands, tears flowing once again. "We've been together since college, and I genuinely believed you loved me when you asked me to marry you." I chuckled, reminiscing about old memories. "I should have known you married me because you thought I was the legitimate daughter, all for the inheritance." I chuckled, rubbing my hands together. "Why did you kill me?" I questioned, then laughed. "Right, you can't even hear me," I sighed, looking ahead as he parked the car beside a secluded road.

We were alone in the car, and as he exited, I followed, watching him carry me from the trunk and place me in front of the driver's seat, my hands on the wheel. "Now, this is perfect," he said, grinning wickedly. "Everyone will think you decided to die on your own!" He laughed.

Another car arrived, its headlights left on as Ariana stepped out with a bottle of keg in her hand. "We have to burn her to prevent the media and the police from asking too many questions," she said, handing the keg to Owen.

"You're a genius, baby!" Owen chuckled, taking the keg and pouring it over my body.

"No!" I shouted, rushing towards him, only to pass through his body. "You don't have to burn my body!" I yelled. "I don't deserve to die such a cruel death!" I continued shouting, hoping someone would hear me, but my tears would never reach anyone's ears because I was dead. "how could you do this to me!" I walked towards him, shouting in his ears, but he continued pouring the fuel on my body.

This was my fate. I met my end at the hands of my sister, whom I trusted, and my husband, whom I loved with all my heart. What a cruel fate, I thought as I witnessed Owen setting the car ablaze. I watched as the flames engulfed the vehicle, swallowing up my body, and they both stood there, staring at the destructive result.

How could anyone be so wicked? It was their Greed. They wanted everything and knew that staying alive would reveal all their dirty plans.

"That should do it," Ariana muttered, embracing Owen. "Finally, the company will be ours."

"I love you, baby," Owen kissed her.

"I love you too, baby," she returned the kiss, indifferent to my body burning before them.

They chuckled as they returned to the car and drove away, seemingly oblivious to any wrongdoing. I moved closer to the fire, clenching my fists tightly. All that crossed my mind was how I had come to this point. How did I end up in such a situation, facing my demise? Why did I deserve to die in such a horrific manner?

I dropped to my knees and burst into tears. "Why me!" I screamed out loud, but it was futile because no one would hear me. I eventually lay on the ground, blacking out in the process. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in the center of the road in front of a giant billboard announcing news about me. I watched as my face was plastered all over the news, accusing me.

"Billionaire illegitimate daughter Elena Alonora Brown has committed suicide after being caught cheating on her husband with an unidentified lover. She set herself on fire, and this morning, her body was found along Randiok Road!"

I gasped, placing my hands over my mouth as I listened to the news. This was what everyone believed had happened to me. They all thought I had cheated on my husband and taken my own life. "No, no," I moved backward, only to realize I was in front of a funeral home. I entered and saw my father standing before my displayed picture, with many reporters surrounding my family.

"Is it true that your daughter had a lover?"

"Is she your real daughter?"

"Who is her lover?"

I stared at them as they were helped past the reporters by the guards until they got to their car. "Grandpa," I muttered as I watched my grandfather enter the vehicle, and the car drove away, "I was murdered," I said and burst into tears.

The only one who truly cared about me was my grandfather.

I walked back into the funeral home, stared at my picture, and then felt the tears coming. Why me? That was the question that I kept asking myself again and again.

"I must say that the news about her affair is the right thing to do," I heard someone say from the outside. I rushed out and was not surprised to see that it was my sister and Charles.

"They all believed us," Owen laughed and then looked towards my picture. "at least she is gone from her life. Goodbye to her!"

"let's go celebrate, baby!" Ariana grabbed his hand, and then they started walking away.

I clenched my fists angrily as I watched them leave. It was all their fault; they had caused me sorrow and led me to my death, and yet again, they lied against me. It was as if they had planned everything against me, and now, they had won, and I had lost.

It was all over, but they had won, and I had lost. I lowered my head and started walking away, but then passed through someone. I didn't want to stop when I saw the person entering the room with my picture.

I turned back and entered the room again. The man bowed his head to my picture, and when he raised his head again, my eyes widened in shock as I recognized him from the hospital elevator.

What was he doing here? I thought as I looked at him.

"I am sorry that I am late, Elena," he muttered. ''I should have stayed with you back then.''

He just called my name, but I didn't remember sharing my name with him in the elevator. How could he remember my name because I don't know him? I was curious, but then he stood up and turned to leave. As he neared the entrance, he stopped and then chuckled.

"We never got to talk, but I had always admired your courage. I hope that when you are reborn into this life, you won't suffer such a terrible fate like this," he muttered and then walked out of the room.

I wanted to go after him, but I couldn't, as it felt like a wall around me, and I couldn't go further. Something was stopping me from leaving the room. "why!" I shouted, and then a bright light suddenly appeared, almost blinding me, and then it hit me in the chest. I fell to the ground, groaning in pain, and then gasped for breath as I stretched forth my hand towards the entrance.

"Just once," I struggled to say. "I wished to be reborn!" I muttered and then closed my eyes, begging to be saved if miracles existed. I wished I could return and make them pay for everything they had done to me.