The next day when she woke up from sleep, it was already 9 am. Vivienne opened her eyes, yawning. Last night she barely slept, and her eyes still felt sleepy. But instead of leaving her bed, she lay there, looking at the ceiling of her room. It was already late in the morning, but her room was still dimmed in half-darkness. The thick curtains prevented the sunlight from entering inside.
Vivienne never felt mornings this peaceful ever! Everyday, she used to wake up early, getting busy with various things. But for the first time, she lay quietly, without thinking about anything.
A second chance at life, and she was determined to think only and only about herself in this life.
Vivienne's thoughts drifted back to her past life. The last night, she thought about it the whole night. The more she thought, the more she realised, how naive, how timid, how stupid she was! To please everyone, she almost forgot herself; to take care of everyone, she neglected her health; yet, when the time came, those whom she thought were her people ditched her, abandoned her, and finally... killed her.
Now, even thinking about this made her heart burn with fury.
Vivienne wasn't the Winter family's biological child. She was adopted by Mr. Winter when she was only eight years old, from one of the orphanages funded by the Winter family.
But she didn't know who she was, and how did she end up in that orphanage. The memories of the first eight years of her life were swept away; as if someone erased them with an eraser. The only thing she knew was that she was found on the river bank on a chilly winter night. Other than that, nothing was known about her.
After rescuing her from the river bank, they kept her for about three to four months. During that time, they searched for her family, but all these efforts bore no fruit. Vivienne forgot everything which made the search very difficult. Whenever she tried to think about her past, she ended up having a sharp headache. And eventually, they gave up.
After that, she was adopted by the Winter family, brought into the Winter family mansion, and given a new identity. Over time, her desire to remember her forgotten past also faded.
Since the day she entered this house, she was determined to win everyone's heart. She didn't know who she was, what was her original name or where she lived before, but she was thankful to them for considering her worth giving the Winter family's name. She was grateful to them for giving her a family, an identity.
The moment she stepped into this house, she got to know one thing: the Winter family was influential in this city, and she had to behave well to stay there. So she worked hard; and never let anyone look down on her just because of her 'adopted' status. Be it study, extracurricular activities, or public appearances, she excelled in every field. Soon, she had become the idol of the young girls of the whole Rontrix city! Even her worst enemies also couldn't deny that she had moulded herself into the Elite circle excellently!
Looking back, Vivienne laughed at herself; she had enough of this, but not anymore. She had given her everything to this family, but what did she get in return? Nothing.
She got out of her bed. Gone were the days when Vivienne Winter used to be the puppet, a people pleaser; this girl was not the same. With slow steps, Vivienne walked towards the bathroom; she had already decided what to do first.
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"Good morning, Viv!"
As soon as she stepped out of her room, she met Sarah. She stood in front of her, dressed in a black one-piece. Her eyes felt tired.
'What kind of expression should I wear?' Vivienne questioned herself. She felt a pang of disgust inward, but outwards, she maintained her composure.
"Good morning." She replied with a small smile. If it was earlier, she would have given her a tight morning hug, but today!
Well, no way.
"Mom said you didn't come back home last night?" She asked patiently.
"Yeah", she smiled. "I was at a friend's place. We planned a girl's night together."
'Wow! What a liar!'
"Oh," Vivienne snorted, "Then, last night, you had fun, I guess!"
"Yeah," she smiled back. "Are you going to the university?"
"Yap!"
"Okay, I need a long shower right now, bye!"
After that, Sarah went inside of her room. Both the sisters' rooms were adjacent to each other; Vivienne looked back at the closed door.
'A really nice sister!' She smiled inwardly, then walked towards the dining room. After an almost sleepless night, she was starving.
The dining room was empty. She walked towards the kitchen, where the chef was busy making lunch for the Winter family.
"Hey, is there anything left for me for breakfast?" She asked him in a joking tone.
"Yes ma'am, your breakfast was set aside." He replied with a smile. Among all the residents of this house, she was the only member who had a very good relationship with almost all the household staff.
"Ahh, nice! Then, serve it, please; I'm starving." She smiled back and headed towards the dining table. The chef immediately took out her plate and put it in the microwave.
"Here's your meal, ma'am." He placed a plate with bread and a bowl of chicken clear soup, her favourite.
"Wow! That smells delicious!" She smiled at him.
After it was served, Vivienne took her time to finish it, then headed towards her room. In a couple of minutes, she got ready.
Standing in front of the mirror, she looked at herself; she had on a denim jumpsuit, her long wavy dark brown hair was tied up in a ponytail, and with a little makeup and a bit of lip gloss, she looked like a young university student.
She smiled at herself. She didn't just look like, but she was indeed still a university student. She was one of the best students at the best university in this city, in the design department — she was her final year, and she was only eleven months away from being a graduate.
Vivienne took a deep breath; hanging the backpack on her shoulder, she left the house. The car she used to commute to and from the university every day was parked right in front of the porch. She got into the car and told the driver, "Drive to the Ashford family mansion."
The driver was a little surprised but didn't say anything and started the engine. Vivienne leaned back on the backseat, closing her eyes.
In her last life, she dropped out of the university after her marriage to Damien and never graduated. It was the very first mistake of her life. In this life, she had to correct this mistake as the first step.