(Country B, Volvolk Estates)
........
Warmth.
That was the first thing Ariel felt.
Not the sting of cold rain, not the weight of regret, but soft sunlight brushing across her face.
Her eyelids fluttered open. The ceiling above her was familiar. White with faint gold patterns, delicate chandeliers glinting like morning dew.
For a moment she couldn't breathe. She knew this room.
Her room.
Not the cramped apartment she had been living in for the past three years, but her old bedroom in the Volvolk mansion. The scent of jasmine from the balcony drifted through the air. Her hands clutched the soft silk sheets and trembled.
It couldn't be.
She sat up, heart pounding, eyes wide as she looked around. The vanity mirror reflected a face she hadn't seen in years smooth skin, bright eyes, the face of a seventeen-year-old girl untouched by sorrow.
Tears filled her vision.
Her fingers reached for her reflection as if it might disappear.
"I'm… alive?"
Her voice came out hoarse, small, trembling.
The door creaked open. A familiar maid stepped in, holding a tray.
"Miss Ariel, you're awake! Breakfast is ready, and your parents said to meet them before they leave for their trip."
The words hit her like thunder.
Her parents. Their trip.
That trip , the one where everything had begun to fall apart. The one that had led her straight into her aunt's hands.
Her heart squeezed tight. She remembered it all — her foolish defiance, her cruel words, her blind trust in her aunt's sweetness.
But now she was here again. Back at the start.
"Miss Ariel?" the maid asked softly, worried by her silence.
Ariel quickly wiped her tears and stood. "Tell them I'll be right down."
Her voice was calm, but inside her chest, a storm was rising.
She walked to her wardrobe and ran her hands over the gowns she had once worn without thought. She used to throw tantrums over the smallest things, believing love would always wait for her. She had wasted so much time.
Not again.
Not this time.
When she stepped into the hallway, sunlight streamed through tall glass windows, painting gold across her skin. Every sound, every scent felt achingly real. She passed the grand staircase, where she had once shouted at her parents for leaving her behind.
But today, she would not repeat that mistake.
She found them in the sitting room — her father with his usual composed smile, her mother adjusting her gloves, her sister Serena holding a cup of tea.
For a long moment, Ariel simply stood there, drinking in their faces.
Her mother's gentle eyes, her father's calm strength, Serena's warm smile.
Tears blurred her vision again.
Her father looked up first. "Ariel, there you are. We were about to call you down. Are you still upset about our trip?"
Three years ago, she had shouted at him.
This time, she ran forward and threw her arms around both her parents.
"Dad… Mom… please be careful."
They froze, surprised by her sudden embrace. Her mother laughed softly, stroking her hair. "Silly girl, it's only a week. We'll be back before you know it."
But Ariel held them tighter. Her heart was pounding so hard it hurt.
"I love you," she whispered.
Serena blinked in surprise. "Ariel, are you crying?"
Ariel quickly wiped her cheeks and smiled. "No. I'm just… happy."
Her parents exchanged confused glances but smiled anyway, thinking it was just a moment of affection. They didn't know that in another lifetime, she had lost them to lies, regret, and death.
As they left for their trip, Ariel stood by the gate, watching their car disappear down the road. Her fingers curled into her skirt.
"Marianne Rodens," she murmured under her breath, her eyes hard and cold.
"You took my love, my family, my life. But this time, I will take everything from you."
The soft wind carried her words away, but in her heart, a fire had already begun to burn.