4.
1226 Words
Diana stood frozen as Thompson and Nora disappeared down the hallway.
The bridal consultant cleared her throat awkwardly. "Miss Diana? Would you like to continue looking at the venue options while they return?"
Diana slowly turned back. Her fingers were still trembling, but unlike before, it wasn't fear anymore.
They had done this before. Every promise Thompson had whispered while holding her hand had all been a lie.
She forced the corners of her lips upward. "Of course."
The consultant smiled in relief and sat back down.
For the next few minutes, Diana pretended to look through wedding catalogues. She nodded occasionally and answered simple questions, but her mind wasn't there.
It was replaying her death. The fire extinguisher crashing against her skull and Nora standing there and watching.
Back then, she had thought Nora was simply shy and reserved. Now she realized the truth, Nora had never wanted to stand beside her, she had wanted to replace her.
Several minutes passed and neither of them returned.
Diana slowly closed the magazine in front of her. "I'll just check on them."
The consultant smiled politely. "Certainly."
Diana walked out of the room. Her heels clicked softly against the marble floor as she followed the hallway toward the restrooms.
She knew exactly where they were because this had happened once, before but she didn’t walk up to the restroom, she believed they were chitchatting.
The closer she got, the tighter her chest became. Diana stopped beside the corner. She slowly leaned forward and saw them.
Thompson had Nora pressed gently against the wall, one hand around her waist while the other brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
Nora wrapped both arms around his neck then she kissed him.
Diana's heart seemed to stop.
For one brief second, she forgot how to breathe.
She remembered how, just yesterday, Thompson had held her hand and promised they would spend forever together.
Now those same hands were touching her sister.
He pulled away with a slight frown. "Damn..."
Nora blinked. "What?"
Thompson made a face full of disgust. "Every time Diana kisses me, I feel sick."
Nora giggled. "Why?"
"I don't know." He shrugged. "Maybe it's her perfume. Maybe it's her breath. Sometimes I don't even want her near me."
Diana felt as though someone had stabbed her chest. Her fingers dug into the wall to keep herself standing.
Nora reached up and touched his face. "Then don't marry her."
Thompson looked at her.
Nora smiled sweetly. "Marry me instead." She moved closer. "On the wedding day... we'll lock that stupid b***h somewhere, and I'll walk down the aisle in her place."
Thompson simply stared at her and then he laughed. "Nora..." His voice became cold. "Don't get carried away."
Her smile faded slightly.
"You aren't even my standard to become my wife."
Diana watched the color leave Nora's face.
"You and I are just having fun."
Nora slowly lowered her eyes. "So... you don't love me?"
Thompson sighed. When he noticed the hurt on her face, he pulled her closer and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Come on." His voice softened. "You know I love you more than Diana."
Nora immediately smiled again and buried her face against his chest. "I knew it."
Diana stood there quietly. She expected herself to cry or her heart to break.
Instead she felt strangely calm. Everything was exactly as she remembered.
The people she trusted most had already decided her fate but fate had made one mistake.
It had given her another chance.
She slowly stepped away from the corner before either of them could notice her. Her footsteps were silent as she walked back through the boutique.
The consultant looked up. "Oh? Did you find them?"
Diana smiled. A perfect, gentle smile. "They're probably still busy." She picked up her handbag. "I suddenly remembered that I have something important to do."
The consultant nodded. "I'll let Mr. Thompson know."
"Please do." Diana walked out of the boutique.
The afternoon sunlight fell across her face. Cars moved through the busy streets while people laughed and talked around her.
It was exactly the same world. Yet she wasn't the same Diana anymore. She slowly reached into her bag and looked at the engagement ring on her finger.
The very ring Thompson had used to fool her. She remembered the night he proposed.
He had cried. He had told her she was the only woman he would ever love.
She had believed every word.
Diana let out a quiet laugh. Then, without hesitation, she pulled the ring off.
She closed her fingers around it tightly.
The old Diana had lived for love, she had trusted too easily, she had died on that rainy road.
She looked up at the sky. "No." Her voice was soft but firm. "I didn't come back to cry."
She got into her car and drove home alone. The entire journey was quiet. The betrayal still hurt, but the pain had settled into something colder.
By the time she arrived at the large villa she had once dreamed of sharing with Thompson, she no longer saw it as their future home.
It was hers, her father had left it to her.
Everything she owned belonged to her family, yet in her previous life she had foolishly handed the keys to the people who destroyed her.
Never again.
She walked inside, closed the door behind her, and leaned against it for a few seconds.
The silence felt strangely comforting.
Diana took a deep breath and walked toward the kitchen. As the coffee machine began to work, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
The call connected after only two rings. "Good afternoon, Miss Diana."
"I need every lock in my house changed today."
The repairman sounded surprised. "Today, ma'am?"
"Yes. Every single one."
"I'll send my team immediately."
"And one more thing," Diana added calmly. "No one enters this house without my permission."
"Understood, Miss Diana."
She ended the call. The rich aroma of fresh coffee slowly filled the kitchen.
Diana wrapped both hands around the warm cup, staring out the large windows.
In her last life, Thompson had possessed a spare key. He would walk in whenever he wanted, sometimes he came alone. Sometimes...he brought Nora.
A bitter smile crossed her face. Not this time. She carried her coffee into the living room and switched on the television.
The news channel was already running. "Breaking financial news..."
Diana wasn't paying attention at first. Then a familiar face appeared on the screen.
Her hand froze. It was Ethan.
He was standing in front of a crowd of reporters, dressed in a black suit that fit him perfectly. The years had sharpened the features she remembered from childhood, making him look even more mature and distinguished.
The reporter smiled brightly.
"The Ethan Group has once again shocked the financial world. After today's stock surge, Mr. Ethan Carter has officially become one of the youngest and most influential business figures in the country."
A small smile slowly appeared on Diana's face. She quietly watched him answer questions.
Nothing like the broken man who had held her in the rain while begging her not to die.
Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the coffee mug. She remembered his voice. "I... there was always something I wanted to tell you."
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