Serena's POV
I woke up gasping for air.
My chest heaved violently as if I had just been dragged out of deep water. For a few seconds I couldn't move. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst out of my ribs.
I was alive.
But that didn't make sense.
The last thing I remembered was collapsing on the balcony floor, poison burning through my body while Lily smiled down at me. I remembered the cold marble under my hands, the sound of footsteps rushing toward us, and the darkness swallowing my vision.
I had died.
I was certain of it.
So why was I breathing?
Slowly, I forced my eyes open.
The first thing I noticed was the ceiling.
It wasn't the elegant white ceiling of my penthouse bedroom in the city. This one was painted pale blue, with a faint crack running along one corner that I remembered far too well.
My breath caught.
No... that couldn't be right.
I pushed myself upright, my hands gripping the bedsheets tightly.
The room around me looked painfully familiar.
The wooden study desk beside the window.
The small bookshelf filled with old textbooks.
The faded floral curtains I had always hated but never bothered to replace.
My heart began beating faster.
I knew this room.
Not from recently.
From ten years ago.
"This... isn't possible," I whispered.
My voice sounded younger.
Softer.
My stomach twisted.
I quickly threw the blankets aside and stumbled out of bed, nearly tripping over my own feet as I rushed toward the mirror across the room.
For a moment, I was afraid to look.
But I forced myself to raise my head.
The girl staring back at me wasn't the twenty-eight-year-old woman who had died on that balcony.
She looked eighteen.
My hair was longer, my face softer, untouched by the stress and exhaustion that had marked my later years. My skin was smooth, my eyes clear.
I lifted a trembling hand and touched my face.
The reflection copied the movement perfectly.
My fingers felt warm skin.
Real skin.
Not a dream.
Not a hallucination.
My legs weakened and I grabbed the edge of the dresser for support.
"I... went back?" I whispered.
Memories flooded my mind all at once.
Lily's smile.
The poisoned champagne.
Her voice whispering that everything would become hers.
A sharp wave of anger surged through my chest.
I had trusted her.
Protected her.
Given up so much for her.
And she had killed me without hesitation.
My nails dug into my palms.
"If this is a dream..." I murmured.
Then I noticed something on the desk beside the bed.
A white envelope.
My heart skipped.
I walked toward it slowly, my stomach tightening with every step.
I already knew what it was.
I didn't even need to open it.
But I did anyway.
Inside was a letter with the official seal of Westbridge University.
My acceptance letter.
The same letter I had received ten years ago.
The same letter I had given away.
My hands began to shake.
"This is the day..."
I remembered it perfectly now.
The day I gave up my university admission so Lily could attend instead.
She had cried and begged, saying she didn't get accepted anywhere else. My father had asked me to sacrifice just this once for the family.
And I had agreed.
Because I believed being a good sister meant putting her first.
That single decision had changed everything.
Without that education, I had spent years depending on my family.
Years being manipulated.
Years becoming the perfect, obedient daughter they expected.
Until Lily decided she didn't need me anymore.
A sharp knock on the door suddenly broke the silence.
"Serena."
My father's voice came from the hallway.
My entire body stiffened.
Even after dying once, hearing that voice still made me tense.
"Are you awake?" he asked impatiently.
I swallowed.
"Yes."
"Good," he said. "Come downstairs. We need to discuss the transfer papers."
My heart dropped.
Transfer papers.
The document that would give my university admission to Lily.
The exact moment my future was stolen.
I stared at the acceptance letter in my hand.
In my previous life, I had happily signed those papers.
I thought I was doing the right thing.
But this time...
A slow, cold anger spread through my chest.
I folded the letter carefully and placed it back inside the envelope.
"Serena?" my father called again.
"I'm coming," I replied.
My voice sounded calm.
But inside, something had changed.
I opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
The house looked exactly the same as it had ten years ago.
Bright.
Elegant.
And completely suffocating.
I walked down the stairs slowly, memories flashing through my mind with every step.
When I reached the dining room, everyone was already there.
My father sat at the head of the table, his usual stern expression fixed in place.
Beside him was my stepmother, Margaret, dressed elegantly as always.
And sitting across from them...
Was Lily.
My chest tightened the moment I saw her.
She looked exactly the way I remembered.
Soft blonde hair.
Delicate features.
Wide blue eyes that made her look innocent and fragile.
The same girl who had knelt beside my dying body and smiled.
When Lily saw me enter, her face brightened.
"Sister!" she said softly.
The sound of her voice made my stomach churn.
In my past life, hearing her call me that had always made me happy.
Now it just made my skin crawl.
"Good," my father said when I sat down. "You're finally here."
He slid a folder across the table toward me.
Inside were the transfer papers.
"This will allow Lily to take your place at Westbridge University," he said matter-of-factly.
My stepmother nodded approvingly.
"Your sister needs this opportunity more than you do."
Lily lowered her head slightly, pretending to look guilty.
"Sister... are you sure you're okay with this?" she asked softly.
Her acting was flawless.
Anyone watching would think she truly felt bad about taking my place.
But I knew better now.
I opened the folder slowly.
The contract was exactly the same as I remembered.
All it needed was my signature.
Just one signature...
And my future would disappear again.
The room waited silently.
My father looked impatient.
My stepmother looked confident.
And Lily looked hopeful.
I closed the folder.
"I'm not signing it."
The words came out calmly.
But they hit the room like a thunderclap.
"What?" my father snapped.
I met his gaze without hesitation.
"I said I won't sign it."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Lily's face turned pale.
"Sister...?" she whispered.
I looked directly at her.
And for the first time in my life, I allowed myself to feel the anger I had buried for years.
"You should earn your own future," I said quietly.
My father slammed his hand on the table.
"Serena! What nonsense are you talking about?!"
But I stood up.
My voice remained steady.
"I'm going to university."
My stepmother's expression twisted with anger.
"After everything this family has done for you?!"
I looked at all three of them.
And for the first time, I truly saw them clearly.
The people I had sacrificed everything for.
The people who had never once protected me.
"I'm done sacrificing," I said.
Then I turned and walked out of the dining room.
Behind me, chaos exploded.
But I didn't stop walking.
Because this time...
I wasn't going to give my life away again.
