Poppy couldn't believe her ears. "Apologize? Apologize?!"
She let out a cold, bitter laugh that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"You... you destroyed my marriage. My life. You stole my husband, lied to my face every single day for three years—and now you stand there, asking me to apologize?!"
James scoffed. "Stop being dramatic."
"No!" Poppy screamed, rendering everyone speechless. She took a shaky step toward James. "You're disgusting," she spat.
"You brought her into our home, made me give up everything—my dreams, my peace, my dignity. For her! You made me spray lavender every damn morning because 'she needed it to calm her nerves.' I thought she was traumatized, James! I thought she was your sister! And you—" her voice broke, "you were just hiding your filthy affairs."
"Oh, please!" Sarah rolled her eyes. "Don't blame others for your miserable, boring life. James didn't make you look like a dying cow, you did that yourself!"
Poppy stared at her in disbelief.
"And do you think I wasn't suffering?" Sarah snapped. "Do you know what it's like to hide our love? Watching you pretend to be his wife?!"
Poppy: "..."
Pretend to be his wife...
All these years, and she was the pretend wife?
She stared at James, the man she had once loved more than life itself.
Then something inside her snapped.
She walked further into the room calmly. Too calm that Sarah immediately tensed and stood behind James.
Poppy walked to the shelf and picked up a small black camera. She'd thought of surprising James earlier for their anniversary, and since she wanted to capture every moment, she placed a camera earlier.
No one had noticed it, but it had recorded everything.
She pulled out the memory card. "This…" she said softly, "...has recorded every disgusting thing that happened in this room today."
Sarah gasped. "You were filming?!"
Poppy nodded. "I was planning a surprise. I wanted to capture every precious moment of our anniversary."
"Give me that card!" James lunged toward her, but Poppy tucked it into her bra.
"No! I'm going to upload this. I'll show the world what their favorite, perfect model really is — a liar, a homewrecker. A woman who's been sleeping with her brother!"
"No—no! James—!" Sarah shrieked, biting her fingers as she watched Poppy walk away.
But James was quicker. He grabbed Poppy's hair from behind and yanked her backward.
Poppy screamed as her body crashed into the glass table. The glass exploded beneath her, and pain shot through her body, leaving a pool of blood that soaked the floor.
James hovered over her. "You think you can ruin us?!"
Poppy's vision was almost gone, but she clutched the card to her chest. She couldn't lose it. This was the only way to get her revenge.
So she thought, until Claudia rushed to her and tried to pry her fingers from her clothes. When she couldn't, she kicked her again and again. "How dare you threaten us, you fat, useless wretch!"
Poppy cried out from the maddening pain she felt everywhere.
James joined in when she still didn't bulge. His shoes slammed into her broken ribs. Her stomach. Her face.
"Get the card, James!" Sarah screamed, holding her stomach. "We can't let that get out!"
Poppy's fingers tightened as she felt her entire body grow weaker by every passing second. More blood stained the floor, and her heartbeat grew weak as well.
"Please stop..." She thought weakly, but she didn't beg. She couldn't. She didn't even scream anymore.
She just lay there as all her memories flashed before her eyes.
And as the light faded from her eyes, a bitter tear rolled down her eyes.
She'd dedicated her entire life to James and ended up getting killed by him. If only there was another life... But Poppy knew that life was like a belly-button.
Her vision went pitch black.
********
It was bright.
So bright that Poppy squinted, shielding her eyes.
She blinked slowly, trying to adjust. The pain from earlier was gone. The floor didn't feel cold or sticky, it felt soft. Like grass. Or maybe clouds.
Her breathing was calm now, and steadier. Unlike before.
Too much light... it hurts.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, the brightness faded a little.
She could see more clearly now.
She was no longer lying in blood. She was standing. Her body was clean, and there were no injuries or pain. Her dress too was perfect, like nothing ever happened.
Poppy's hands trembled as they touched her stomach. She expected to feel where James and Claudia had kicked her—but there was nothing.
No pain. No blood. No bruises.
What… was this place? Was she dead?
She had numerous questions, but then she heard it.
A soft breeze, and a voice. It was gentle, but strange.
"Poppy Langford."
She turned around.
A girl stood a few steps away from her. She was chubby, and dressed in white. Her face looked young, but her eyes… they were cold. Too cold.
Poppy felt a chill crawl down her spine. In those eyes, she saw anger, sorrow, and loneliness. It reminded her of herself.
She cleared her throat softly. "Am I… dead?"
The girl nodded.
Tears filled Poppy's eyes. "They killed me," she whispered heartbroken.
Silence followed for a moment.
Then the girl spoke again. Her tone became colder than before. "Me too." She stepped closer to Poppy. "Bella Highland. That was my name."
Poppy blinked. "What is this place?"
Bella didn't answer that. She only said, "I want revenge. And I want you to take it for me."
Poppy blinked. "Revenge? What are you talking about? And I don't even know you."
Bella didn't move. Her expression didn't change. "You will," she said softly. "Because you will live on... in me."
"In you?"
"No," Bella corrected, "As me."
Poppy's mouth opened, but no sound came out. Her body felt light. Her thoughts were slowly slipping away. "Wait—"
"It's your second chance, Poppy. Don't waste it."
Poppy barely had time to process her words before everything started spinning. The blinding brightness came back, and she suddenly started feeling dizzy. Then suddenly—
Darkness.