Second Chance: Reborn as the Villainess

The first thing Katrina Donovan understood that night was this-

Felix Clarke had never loved her.

"Doctor, prepare for surgery. I want everything foolproof."

Rachel's voice drifted lightly through the darkness, calm and elegant, as if she were discussing a dinner reservation instead of a life.

"I've searched a long time for this heart," she added, a faint smile curving her lips. "Now it's finally time to harvest it."

A shrill scream ripped through the closed-down medical wing, echoing against the hollow walls.

"Ah-!"

The sound tore into the night, sharp and desperate against the suffocating silence.

Katrina's wrists strained against the restraints binding her to the stretcher. Cold metal bit into her skin. The sharp scent of rust and disinfectant filled the air, turning her stomach.

Her heart pounded violently in her chest.

Her heart.

The one they wanted to rip out.

"Rachel... what are you doing?!" Katrina's voice trembled, fury burning in her crimson eyes. "What are you trying to do to me?!"

Rachel stepped forward from the shadows.

Under the dim light, her face looked delicate, almost fragile-the kind of woman others instinctively wanted to protect.

But her eyes were cold.

Mocking.

"Trying to do?" Rachel tilted her head slightly. "Kate, don't make it sound so dramatic. You should feel honored."

Honored?

A dull ache spread from Katrina's chest outward, as if invisible claws were tearing through her ribs. For the first time in her life, true fear coiled around her spine.

She suddenly turned toward the man standing beside Rachel.

Toward the man she had trusted more than anyone.

"Felix!" Her voice cracked. "Hurry-stop her! She's gone insane! Stop her!"

For a moment, he didn't move.

Then-

"Heh."

A low, cold laugh slipped from his lips.

The gentle, refined expression Felix had always worn-the mask that had fooled her for years-shattered completely. What replaced it was something ruthless. Detached.

Almost disgusted.

"Kate," he said calmly, "give it up. This is fate."

Fate?

Her fingers curled tightly into her palms.

"Even if you die," Felix continued, his tone disturbingly reasonable, "your heart can still be preserved. And with your status, being able to donate your heart to Miss Sterling is the greatest honor of your life."

The words struck harder than any blade.

Katrina stared at him as if seeing him for the first time.

Strange.

Terrifying.

Was this really the childhood sweetheart who had held her hands beneath the summer sun and promised to protect her forever?

The man who had sworn, over and over again, that he loved her?

Not only had he deceived her feelings-

He wanted her dead.

He wanted to carve out her heart and offer it to that vile woman as a gift.

Heh... Felix Clarke. I trusted you so completely.

A bitter laugh rose in her throat but never escaped. Grief flooded her chest, heavy and suffocating. All these years... she had been blind.

Blind enough to fall in love with a man like him.

Resolve surged through her veins.

With a sudden burst of strength, Katrina broke free from one of the loosened restraints and hurled herself toward a stone pillar.

Even if she died, she would never let them take her heart to prolong that bitch's life.

"Trying to die? You think I'll let you?"

"Grab her! Strap her back onto the stretcher!"

Rachel stepped forward, a faint, smug smile curling on her lips. In her mind, this battle had already been won.

She looked down at Katrina like a queen passing judgment on a condemned criminal.

The doctors and nurses exchanged knowing glances, their movements swift and practiced.

Rachel took a slow breath and lay down on the operating table. Confident as she was, facing such a major surgery still left her palms damp with sweat. But the thought that, once successful, she would never again have to worry about her condition filled her with anticipation.

She turned her head toward the other stretcher.

Katrina lay there, restrained once more, struggling in vain.

"Katrina," Rachel said, her voice brimming with triumph, "say goodbye to the world. Hahaha..."

"No! Rachel, you can't do this! This is a crime! You can't-let me go!"

Terror consumed her. Tears streamed down her face as she fought desperately, but it was useless.

The nurses pinned down her arms and legs. The masked doctor, expressionless, lifted a gleaming scalpel.

Slice.

Then another.

And another.

The blade cut into her chest, each stroke sending waves of agony through her body. Her vision blurred, darkness creeping in from the edges as if Death itself were calling her-step by step, dragging her into a bottomless abyss.

Every second felt like an eternity.

Watching herself slowly die was worse than death itself.

'Rachel Sterling... if there is another life, I will carve you into a thousand pieces and grind your bones to dust. This debt will be repaid.'

'And you, Felix-if there is another life, I will become your worst nightmare and make sure you suffer for eternity.'

Her bloodshot eyes burned with hatred. If looks could kill, Rachel would have been torn apart a hundred times over. That vicious woman not only stole her man-she wanted her heart.

Such hatred could never be washed clean.

But it was too late-

The surgery was nearing its end. The searing pain in her left chest completely devoured her senses. Perhaps in the next second, she would truly die.

"Katrina!"

Suddenly, just as her consciousness began to fade, a breathless shout pierced through the darkness-like dawn breaking through night.

"I-I'm here..."

She tried with all her strength to respond, but her voice was no louder than a whisper. Her throat was raw, her body drained of all strength.

And then-

She was pulled entirely into hell.

...

Intensive Care Unit.

Katrina's eyes flew open.

The last thing in her mind was the moment before death-the cold scalpel, the tearing pain in her chest. But the next second, the tubes connected to her body dragged her back to reality.

The oxygen mask. The IV lines. The steady beep of machines.

All of it proved one thing-

She was still alive.

She had been saved.

She had escaped the clutches of that cheating couple.

Her eyes instantly reddened. Overwhelming relief crashed over her, washing away the suffocating terror of death.

But in the very next moment, a tall, broad figure suddenly entered her line of sight like a bolt of lightning-

Owen Blake.

That devil.

Why was he here?

Did he save her?

No. Impossible. He and Rachel and Felix were clearly on the same side-birds of a feather.

Hatred flooded her veins. Katrina glared at the man in front of her, her eyes bloodshot and filled with murderous intent. If she could, she would tear him apart with her bare hands-make him suffer in the cruelest way possible.

Owen didn't seem fond of her either. His gaze was icy, his presence distant and cold.

"Since Rachel is awake," he said indifferently, "there's no need to inform Dad and Mom. Tell them everything is stable. No need for them to rush back."

His assistant nodded, then hesitated. "Mr. Blake... what about Miss-"

"Leave," Owen ordered abruptly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Wade glanced at Katrina, sighed softly, and lowered his head before walking out.

The moment the door closed, Owen's polite façade completely vanished. His lips moved, his words sharp as ice.

"Rachel, your life really is tough. Post–heart transplant infection, multiple complications. The doctors already issued a death notice, yet you still survived."

Because of the oxygen mask, Katrina couldn't speak.

But nothing could suppress the killing intent blazing in her eyes.

If looks could kill, Owen would have died ten thousand times over.

A weak, mocking curve lifted at the corner of her lips.

Of course he didn't want her to live.

If she died, who would save his sister?

Wait-

Suddenly, something clicked.

Her pupils shrank as she stared at him in disbelief.

Rachel?

The woman who stole her boyfriend... the woman who took her heart?

No.

No!!!

This couldn't be real.

Katrina struggled violently, tugging at the tubes. Her mind was a chaotic mess.

What was going on?

Why was he calling her Rachel?

Her beautiful eyes widened in shock. She thrashed too hard; the monitoring devices clattered to the floor. Her breathing grew erratic, her vision darkening-

And then everything went black.

From beginning to end, Owen merely watched coldly, as if observing a stranger. His face showed nothing but indifference. Deep within his eyes, however, a trace of suppressed ferocity flickered.

After a long moment, he finally withdrew that dark glint. Soon, a group of doctors and nurses rushed in, pushing the bed toward the emergency room.

...

When Katrina opened her eyes again, night had fallen.

Beside her bed stood Owen.

His tall shadow loomed over her, and he himself looked like a sculpted statue-cold, distant, untouchable.

Under the harsh hospital lights, his sharp, chiseled features appeared even more severe. Every angle of his face radiated frost.

His piercing gaze landed on her.

"Dad and Mom's flight arrives early tomorrow morning. Your body is weak-you can't handle any more stress. Behave yourself."

For a brief second, he truly felt like washing his hands of her completely.

But he could not betray the kindness his adoptive parents had shown him.

Before leaving, he dropped one final sentence, his voice colder than winter steel.

"Rachel. Your life was bought with hers. Aren't you afraid of death? Then remember this-your life belongs to her. I won't allow you to waste it."

Rachel.

Rachel.

This time, Katrina was certain she hadn't misheard.

He had called her Rachel more than once.

No matter how unwilling she was to accept it, she forced herself to calm down and sort through everything.

Her name was Katrina Donovan.

She grew up in an orphanage. Felix Clarke was her childhood sweetheart. They had grown up together.

Then the nightmare began.

Felix met the heiress of the Sterlings. Behind her back, he became entangled with Rachel. On Katrina's birthday, he tricked her into going to the closed-down medical wing.

And there, they carved her heart out of her chest.

She had died miserably at the hands of the man she loved most.

And now...

She had been reborn.

Reborn into Rachel's body.

Heh.

How utterly ironic.

A self-mocking laugh escaped her.

She laughed-

And then she cried.

Tears slid down her cheeks one by one.

While Rachel was alive, she had schemed to get close to her, even persuading Owen to approach her. That night, when Katrina watched her own heart being dug out, the pain ripping through her chest couldn't compare to the agony of betrayal.

She had died with her eyes wide open.

Now she finally understood.

Rachel had asked Owen to get close to her... for her heart.

Perhaps even Rachel herself never imagined that she would die instead-

And that Katrina would live on in her place.

Half laughing, half crying, Katrina lay back against the pillows, her frail body trembling with exhaustion. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier until she finally drifted into sleep.

Her shallow breathing was proof-

She was truly alive.

But her sleep was anything but peaceful.

In her dreams, she relived the moment of her death over and over again-the cold blade, the tearing pain, the suffocating helplessness. The nightmare wrapped around her like thorny vines, tightening with every struggle, dragging her back to the brink of death again and again.

...

Two days later, Katrina had finally forced herself to accept reality.

She was now Rachel.

Her body was gradually recovering. At the very least, she no longer needed the machines to keep her alive.

The day Rachel's parents landed, they rushed straight to the hospital. Because of her weakened state, Katrina remained constantly on edge, terrified she might expose herself.

She knew nothing about Rachel.

Her habits. Her personality. Her past. The countless details that shaped her life.

Katrina was completely in the dark.

All she could do was tread carefully, responding cautiously to every word.

For the past two days, Wade had been running around the hospital nonstop. Since that confrontation, she hadn't seen Owen again.

Good.

Out of sight, out of mind.

"Help me find out... where Katrina is buried."

Even saying the word buried out loud felt strange.

Wade froze slightly. "That..."

"What?" she turned to look at him.

He shook his head. "Miss Donovan's funeral is today."

Katrina frowned. "Where?"

If she remembered correctly, it had already been nearly half a month since her birthday.

And they were only burying her now?

Thinking of Owen's warning, Wade lowered his head and fell silent.

He didn't know what this spoiled young lady had done to anger his boss again, but he could tell-this time, Owen was genuinely furious.

Wade didn't dare say too much.

Katrina struggled to sit up.

If he wouldn't tell her, she would find out herself.

"My god, what are you doing now?" Wade rubbed his forehead helplessly.

This young lady truly didn't care about her life.

She had just survived a major surgery, suffered severe complications, barely clawed her way back from death-and now she was stirring up trouble again?

"The address," she insisted.

Sweat beaded on Wade's forehead. Finally, he gave in.

"Okay, okay, Miss... I'll take you. I'll take you, alright? Please, just stay put. I'll get a wheelchair."

When her temper flared, only Owen could suppress her. Wade had no desire to provoke her.

In the end, he reluctantly pushed her to the cemetery.

The funeral had just ended.

Katrina scanned the area.

When her eyes landed on Felix-standing there, crying with a grief-stricken expression-her hands tightened around the wheelchair armrests. Veins bulged faintly on the back of her hands.

She forced herself to look away.

Forced herself to suppress the raging hatred threatening to burst from her chest.

Not far away, Owen stood in a black suit. A white daisy was pinned to his chest. Dark sunglasses concealed his eyes, revealing nothing of his emotions.

Katrina curled her lips in cold mockery.

After joining hands to kill her, they still had the audacity to show up at her grave?

Did they want to disturb her even in the afterlife?

Too bad.

Her life wasn't meant to end.

She stared at them both, swearing silently in her heart-

One day, she would have her revenge.

Owen.

Felix.

She wouldn't let either of them go.

Suddenly, a heart-wrenching sob erupted behind her.

Her body stiffened. A flicker of sorrow flashed across her face before she could stop it.

A figure rushed in front of her.

"Rachel, you bitch! What are you doing here? Get out! Get out of here! Haven't you hurt Kate enough while she was alive? You bitch! You and that bastard Felix will get what's coming to you! You won't die a good death! Kate is watching you from heaven! You two shameless adulterers-how dare you show your faces at her grave?!"

Katrina looked up.

The face before her was painfully familiar.

Tear-streaked. Twisted with hatred and overwhelming grief.

Each word cut into her heart like a blade.

Sophie.

Her closest friend when she was alive.

Grief surged through her chest. She forced the tears back with sheer willpower.

There were too many eyes watching.

Endure.

She couldn't expose herself.

"Get out... Rachel, get out!" Sophie screamed hysterically. "Just wait-I'll find proof that you murdered Kate. I won't let you get away with this!"

Sophie's words struck straight into Katrina's heart, shattering the fragile composure she had been desperately holding onto.

"I-"

Before she could finish, Sophie suddenly lunged forward, reaching to shove her wheelchair.

Felix reacted instantly, stepping in front of Sophie and blocking her.

"Have you lost your mind, Sophie? I already told you-Kate's death was an accident. It had nothing to do with Rachel. Are you done causing a scene? This is Kate's funeral! What exactly are you trying to do here?"

-Smack!

The sharp sound echoed through the cemetery.

Felix's face snapped to the side. A clear handprint bloomed across his fair cheek.

"Felix," Sophie spat, pulling her hand back, "the one who has the least right to stand in front of Kate is you, you hypocritical coward."

She took two steps back as if being close to him would stain her.

Felix's face darkened, his eyes blazing as he glared at her.

When he was slapped, Katrina had nearly applauded.

Just one slap?

That was letting him off easy.

But...

She would have plenty of chances in the future to settle the score with Felix-slowly.

"Who allowed you to come here?"

A cold, merciless voice sounded from behind her.

Owen.

The faint curve at the corner of her lips disappeared instantly.

"I heard Miss Donovan was being buried today," she replied calmly. "I thought I'd come and see her off one last time. Is that not allowed?"

Attending her own funeral.

What a ridiculous thing.

And yet it had happened to her.

Owen let out a cold snort. "What right do you have to stand in front of her? Rachel, you truly have no shame."

The moment he saw Rachel appear at the funeral, a chill had radiated from his entire body. If not for his iron self-control, he would have ordered someone to drag her out without hesitation.

Katrina gave a soft laugh, her tone dripping with mockery.

"Why can't I come? After all, Miss Donovan was technically my lifesaver. I'm just here to send her off. That's not too much, is it?"

The moment she mentioned that, Owen's anger surged uncontrollably. His icy eyes flared with piercing cold.

That night, when he learned that Rachel and Felix had lured Katrina out under the pretense of visiting a friend, he had gone nearly mad searching for her.

He hadn't slept for a single second.

Like a wild beast driven insane, he tore through the city.

But when he arrived at the abandoned hospital, the only thing left was the thick stench of blood in the air.

On the operating table lay Rachel-unconscious after surgery.

Katrina was gone.

She wasn't found until three days later.

"Go back," Owen ordered, his voice brooking no refusal.

Katrina almost laughed.

"You can stay, but I have to leave? Why?"

She lifted her chin, meeting his increasingly frigid gaze with open defiance. There was no fear in her eyes-only raw hatred.

She hated him.

Katrina hated Owen.

Completely.

Yet he paid no mind to the hatred in her gaze.

"Wade," Owen commanded coldly, addressing the silent assistant behind him, "take her back to the hospital. Until her body has fully recovered, she is not to leave the ward for even half a step."

What he regretted most-what he blamed himself for most-was failing to find Katrina that night.

Failing to pull her out of Rachel's hands.

Now, even in death, Rachel refused to leave her alone. How could he allow her to stand here and disturb Katrina's final farewell?

Although Owen had been adopted by the Sterling family since childhood and was Rachel's nominal older brother, his patience with her had already reached its limit after what she had done.

The fact that he hadn't strangled her with his own hands was already the extent of his restraint.

Wade quickly stepped behind Katrina and began pushing her away.

This time, she didn't resist.

As she was wheeled off, her gaze drifted to the photo on the tombstone.

Her own face smiled back at her.

A deep sorrow rose in her chest.

She knew that after today, there would no longer be anyone in this world named Katrina Donovan.

No matter how much she loathed the name Rachel, she would have to live on wearing the identity of the person she hated most.

She had to avenge herself.

What she didn't notice was that as she left, Felix's eyes never left her.

In his gaze swirled a complicated emotion-something unfamiliar, almost breaking free.

...

After returning from the cemetery, Rachel was practically confined to her hospital room by Owen.

This time, she cooperated obediently.

Not because she had given in-

But because she needed her body to recover as quickly as possible.

Only once she left the hospital could she begin doing what she truly intended.

If God had arranged for her to be reborn in Rachel's body, then her story was far from over.

Katrina was dead.

Now, she was Rachel.

The reborn Rachel.

Once she came to terms with that, no matter how much she resisted it in her heart, she would survive under this name.

And she would make them all pay.