"Are you sure about this?" Emily asked, leaning forward from the bed.

​Lyvana didn’t answer right away. She looked down at the silver liquid inside the vial.

​"No," Lyvana said with a shrug.

​Raising the vial to her lips, she drank the liquid in one swallow. It was surprisingly cold. She placed the empty vial beside the candle, closed her eyes, and waited.

​One minute passed. Then another. Nothing happened.

​Lyvana let out a small breath and shook her head.

I can’t believe I paid three thousand dollars for this, she thought.

But the candle flame flickered suddenly. Once. Twice.

​Then, a strange warmth spread through her body. It started in her chest and slowly moved outward.

Her eyelids felt heavy, pulling shut under a weight she could not fight. The sound of the ocean outside disappeared into complete silence.

The warmth in her chest turned into a sharp heat. Then suddenly, several images flashed in her head like lightning. A moment later the flashes slowed down.

She saw herself getting married to Mark inside a church.

Then, another flash. The image changed.

She was sitting in a chair at the apartment lobby. She was still wearing her wedding dress. It was her wedding night. The night she died in her previous life.

Her phone rang. She answered at once. Mark’s voice came through, telling her he would be there in a few minutes.

She sat in there quietly waiting for her new husband. She looked down at her wedding ring, a small smile on her face. Everything felt perfect.

"Ms Lyvana or should I say Mrs Vaughn."

It was one of the resident staff.

"Hi, errm... Tricia right?"

"Yes," the woman replied, her smile polite and warm. "I just wanted to offer you my congratulations. The ceremony was beautiful."

​"Thank you. I appreciate that."

​"Are you waiting for Mr. Vaughn?" Tricia asked, looking around the quiet lobby.

​"Yes, he just called," Lyvana explained, adjusting the skirt of her heavy wedding dress. "He had to take care of something quickly, but he said he will be here in a few minutes."

​Understood." Tricia gave a small nod and turned as if to leave.

Then she paused.

"I’m curious, Mrs. Vaughn," she said, her tone tightening. "Why sell the company? You built it with your own hands."

"I didn’t sell it," Lyvana answered evenly. "I transferred ownership to my husband."

​"I’m pretty sure he sold it," Tricia repeated. "Because I know the buyer."

​Lyvana stared at her, her heart skipping a beat. The small smile vanished from her face.

"What do you mean? Mark wouldn’t do that. It was a transfer of ownership for security, reasons."

​Tricia looked around, suddenly looking nervous. "I shouldn’t have said anything."

​Before she could ask another question, Tricia quickly apologized, turned on her heel, and walked away toward the staff backrooms.

Flash.

​The image of the lobby disappeared. Suddenly, she was standing in the ladies’ room of the building.

​

The bright, white lights reflected off the large mirrors. She stood in front of the sink. Her breathing was fast and shallow. In the mirror, her face looked completely pale against her white wedding dress.

Her mind was racing, trying to understand what Tricia had just told her.

Mark sold the company?

Then, she heard heavy footsteps approaching the restroom door.

Panicking, she rushed into one of the toilet stalls and locked the door behind her, not wanting anyone to see her in this state.

Two women entered the restroom, their high heels clicking sharply against the tiled floor.

Lyvana remained frozen inside the stall. She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop.

But then she heard her name.

"Of course," one of the women said. "Guess who I saw in the lobby today. Lyvana."

Lyvana’s heart skipped a beat.

Me?

"Ugh," the second woman scoffed. "She doesn’t even know it was Mr. Grant who invested in her company anonymously. She sold the company without a second thought."

Lyvana’s breath caught.

Her fingers tightened against the stall door.

In her mind, confusion and panic swirled. Mr. Grant? Which Mr. Grant?

"Well, he was foolish enough to invest," the first woman replied.

"Why do you think he did that?"

"Because he loved her."

The second woman laughed.

"Loved her? That’s absurd."

"Tell me about it. Imagine falling in love with a woman from a photograph."

Lyvana’s pulse thundered in her ears.

Something about the voice felt familiar.

Very familiar.

"I’ve loved him for years," the woman continued bitterly. "But he’s never even looked at me that way."

A pause followed.

Then:

"Since he’s never going to be mine anyway, I might as well accept Madam Zara’s offer."

Lyvana’s eyes widened.

​Slowly, she peered through the narrow gap in the stall door.

​Back then, she hadn’t known who that was. But now, in her mind’s eye, she could see the woman’s face with perfect clarity.

​It was Trudy. Julian’s physical therapist.

​The sight of her sent a cold chill straight down Lyvana’s spine.

​"Do you really think it’s possible?" the second woman asked nervously.

​Trudy smiled confidently. "Julian trusts me." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

​She reached into her handbag and pulled out a small glass bottle. "I just need to slip this into his drink."

​The other woman stared at the vial, her eyes wide. "And then?"

​Trudy’s smile widened. "Then Julian Harrison Grant the Third will be gone."

​Inside the stall, Lyvana gasped, the sound slipping out before she could stop it.

​The two women instantly froze. The restroom went dead silent. They whispered something quickly to each other, their hurried footsteps clicking against the tile as they rushed out of the room.

So Julian was the mysterious anonymous investor, in her past life.

He had even been in love with her.

Flash.

Another image, she was back in the lobby.

She had never met the investor. But she had exchanged emails with his representative countless times.

Her fingers flew across the screen, as she searched her inbox.

Finally she found the email, and opened it.