"So, now tell me—what's the real story?" Nadine asked, her eyes narrowing with curiosity.
It was nearly evening; the sun had long dipped below the horizon, and a few stars had already begun to twinkle in the night sky. The two of them sat on the rooftop, surrounded by nothing but the gentle breeze and the quiet shimmer above.
Nadine watched Vivienne closely. The girl sitting across from her felt... different.
She was used to a timid, uncertain Vivienne — someone who flinched at confrontation and feared her own shadow. But this Vivienne wasn't the same.
She looked calm. Composed. There was a quiet strength in her eyes, the kind that said she could stand on her own now, no matter what came her way.
Can just two years really change a person so much? Nadine wondered. Is that really enough time to become someone entirely new?
Vivienne picked up the warm mug of hot chocolate from the coffee table between them. "I told you, Nini. I've realized my mistake."
Leaning back in her chair, she took a slow sip.
Ahh… Her eyes shut in contentment. Hot chocolate, especially the one from Juno's, had always been her favorite. It had been years since she last tasted it.
"I get that." Nadine said, folding her arms. "But what I'm asking is, what happened? What miracle turned you into Buddha overnight?"
Vivienne stilled, something flickered in her gaze.
She sat quietly, gathering herself. There was no way she could tell Nadine the truth — not about the rebirth. She knew Nini wouldn't believe it, never. She needed something else. Something real... or at least believable.
After a long pause, she finally spoke. "Nini… Damien cheated on me."
Nadine let out a dry scoff. "Yeah. I knew that already — just a matter of time. Details, please."
Vivienne took a deep breath and began to recount everything that happened on the day of her engagement.
When she finished, Nadine's eyes were wide with shock. "What?! Are you serious? Damien and... Sarah?!"
She was stunned.
Vivienne simply nodded.
Nadine shook her head in disbelief. "I always knew Damien was trash. He was never going to be good for you. But cheating with Sarah? Your sister? That's... That's insane! You might be adopted, but you're still a Winter. She's still family!"
Nadine still couldn't wrap her head around this. Damien cheating — sure, that was not surprising; he always gave off that smug, slippery vibe. But... Sarah! That bubbly, ever-smiling sister of Vivienne she'd met countless times, shared dinner tables and insider jokes!
Never in a thousand years had Nadine imagined her in the middle of this mess.
A bitter smile escaped Vivienne's lips. "Yeah, at first, even I couldn't believe it. But how do you deny something that you've seen with your own eyes; heard with your own ears?"
She paused for a moment, her gaze lingered on the distant, dark sky.
"I really wanted it to be false." She said quietly, "So I investigated. I dug through messages, called people, and tried to find traces in whatever way possible. I wanted to prove myself wrong badly."
"But do you know what I found out?"
Her voice dropped, "It had been going on for years."
"What!" Nadine's breath caught.
"Yeah, Nini. Not days, not weeks, not months. They were in a secret relationship for years. While I was planning my life with him, he was living another one — with her."
She gave a hollow laugh.
It was the truth — but not the whole of it.
She did investigate them; she had uncovered their betrayal, but not in this lifetime.
In her past life, after two years of her marriage, she'd gotten to know the truth — a truth that shattered all her dreams and broke her heart into pieces in no time!
She didn't tell Nadine that this time, she didn't have to investigate, because she had already known the truth. She couldn't tell her that since her rebirth, her memories are hunting her like ghosts.
But that was a secret, one that only she would carry — alone.
Nadine stared at her; for the first time, she was in shortage of words. The girl in front of her was calm, but she could imagine the crack beneath that facade — it was unmistakable.
Vivienne wrapped her fingers around the mug, "That day changed everything in me — the way of seeing them, the world, me."
She looked at Nadine, "Remember Nini, what you said to me on the very first day of high school — 'don't be too naive. Otherwise, people will take advantage of you.' I guess I haven't learned that lesson enough; I let myself be fooled again and again."
Nadine reached out to her and held her hands tightly. She hadn't said anything. She didn't have to!
Sometimes, words were never enough to hold the weight of pain. Sometimes, only a simple touch or a tight hug was enough to say that — you're not alone. I'm here, and I will be, always.
Vivienne looked at their intertwined hands, and for a fleeting second, the mask of calm had slipped off her face. Her lips trembled, and her eyes glistened again — but this time not from pain, from strength.
She had found herself, the people she loved, the girl who cared for her. In this life, she wasn't at a loss.
They sat like that for a long time. Then suddenly, something clicked on Nadine's mind.
Didn't she say that she'd seen Damien doing phone sex before her engagement? Then why on earth did she get engaged to him after all this mess?
She pulled back enough just to meet her eyes. "Vivi, how the hell did you even get engaged to that jerk in the first place?"
She asked, startled. Her tone was sharp, eyes narrowed in disbelief. "Now don't tell me that you still love that scum!"
Vivienne let out a faint breath, something in between a sigh, and a laugh. "No."
She said in a low, but certain voice. "I don't love him. Not anymore."
Nadine watched her, her expression softened a bit, curiosity flashed in her eyes. "Then?"
Vivienne leaned back, the stars reflecting in her eyes. A small, knowing smile curled on her lips.
"Because…"
Her voice was low; dangerous.
"I'm up for a show."
What Nadine didn't know was that Vivienne had already seen the ending to this story once before.
But this time—she planned to write it herself.