Sia stared blankly as she tried to understand what was happening. The long, dawdling darkness slowly dwindled. Sounds of chatter and light laughter drifted through the atmosphere.
If her memories were correct, this was the same day Adams had proposed to her in her past life. Wait. Was her last wish for a second chance granted, or was she not dead at all? She was confused, but she tried to compose herself.
Fairy lights glittered overhead, swaying softly in the warm evening breeze. The laughter and murmured conversations of guests rose and fell like a distant tide. Musicians played a gentle melody, something elegant and romantic, the kind someone planning a perfect proposal would choose.
The scenery was beautiful.
It had been beautiful the first time too.
But the woman standing in the center of it all was not the same.
Sia's fingers rested lightly against the skirt of her pale pink dress, the same dress Nicole had chosen for her years ago. She remembered how excited she had been to wear it then. How she had twirled in front of the mirror like a girl tasting happiness for the first time. How her heart had fluttered at the thought of belonging to someone.
Now, her heart was still.
Her face remained gentle and composed, exactly as everyone remembered her to be. Soft, warm, loving. But her eyes saw everything differently.
She saw the insincerity behind the guests' smiles. The envy. The assumptions. The shallow admiration for a romance they believed was pure. She saw how easily illusions could fool a crowd. How fast love can be used to blind someone.
She saw Nicole.
Nicole stood to her right, beautiful as always, her deep red dress hugging her curves. Her long hair curled softly, her makeup immaculate. She looked like the perfect friend, joyful and supportive, beaming with happiness for Sia.
The perfect friend.
The perfect liar.
Nicole's smile was bright, but Sia noticed the tension in the corners of her lips, the slight stiffening of her jaw, the faint glimmer of something sharp in her eyes. She was watching closely, too closely, waiting to measure Sia's reaction, as if she had something to lose if today did not go the way she expected.
And then there was him.
Adam Smith stepped forward from the crowd, pretending to be shy under everyone's attention. He was dressed in a simple black suit, tailored well enough to look respectable but not expensive. His hair was neatly styled, his expression gentle and humble. To everyone around them, he looked like a man deeply in love, a man who had found a rare treasure in Sia.
People adored him for it.
A man with nothing offering his heart to a woman with everything. It sounded romantic.
In her first life, Sia had believed the same thing.
Now, she saw what was beneath the softness. Resentment. Laziness disguised as helplessness. Need disguised as love. The desire to be taken care of. The entitlement to be forgiven, every time, for everything.
Adams had never wanted to build a life.
He wanted to be carried through one.
But no one else could see that.
Only her.
He approached with slow, calculated steps, drawing out the moment to create suspense. Gasps and giggles fluttered among the crowd. Someone whispered, "He is finally going to do it." Another said, "Lucky girl." Someone sighed dreamily.
Lucky.
Sia almost laughed.
He reached her and paused, pretending to steady himself, as though overwhelmed by emotion. Then he lowered himself onto one knee. The musicians shifted into a more romantic tune, the lights dimmed slightly, and more cameras rose into the air to capture the perfect memory.
"Sia," he began, his voice soft and trembling in the way she once found endearing, "you have been with me through everything. You believed in me when no one else did. I may not have much now, but I promise never to hurt you, never to disappoint you. I promise to always stand by you and to always love you, and I will work hard to give you the life you deserve. So please complete my joy by accepting to marry me."
The velvet box opened.
The ring inside sparkled.
Gasps rippled through the garden like wind through leaves.
In her first life, tears had spilled down her cheeks. Her hands had flown to her mouth. She had nodded so hard she almost could not breathe. She had believed every word. She had offered her heart willingly. She had stepped forward into the future with nothing but faith.
This time, she simply looked.
She did not see a future.
She saw the end.
She saw herself working late into the night while Adams slept, or drank, or laughed. She saw her youth melt away in quiet sacrifice. She saw her joy slowly fading under the weight of carrying someone who never intended to walk on his own. She saw Nicole, always close, always smiling, always circling the things that belonged to her.
And finally, she saw the road.
The headlights.
The impact.
The cold, sharp silence of death.
All of it, so clear, so vivid, so cruel.
Her last memory had been begging for another chance.
And she had been given one.
She drew a slow breath, letting it fill her lungs, steadying her pulse. The garden blurred slightly as she lifted her gaze, not from emotion but from clarity so sharp it almost stung.
She turned her eyes to Nicole first.
Nicole smiled wider, encouraging her, expecting her to cry, to tremble, to cling to love like a lifeline.
Sia's lips curved.
Soft. Gentle. Beautiful.
But behind the softness, something ancient and cold awakened.
"Yes," Sia said, her voice smooth and steady. "I will marry you."
Applause exploded around them like fireworks.
Guests cheered. Cameras flashed. Music swelled.
Adams exhaled in relief, rising to his feet and sliding the ring onto her finger. He pulled her into his arms, and she let him, her body warm, her posture soft, her head resting lightly against his shoulder.
But her eyes were open.
Watching. Calculating.
And when Nicole rushed forward to embrace her next, Sia returned the hug, lightly and gracefully, her hand resting on Nicole's back.
A gentle touch.
A harmless gesture.
But inside, her voice whispered like a vow cut from steel.
Last time, you took everything from me.
This time, I will take everything back.
Slowly.
Thoroughly.
And beautifully.
Sia smiled, radiant and unshakable, exactly the woman everyone thought she was.
But her heart was no longer warm.
It was awake.
