Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 18308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 92(@200wpm)___ 73(@250wpm)___ 61(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 18308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 92(@200wpm)___ 73(@250wpm)___ 61(@300wpm)
Just like before, all of her coworkers—Leah, Nellie, and the guys—had come here earlier. But they hadn’t stayed for long. They never did. And while none of them ever talked about it...
Of course they all knew the truth, Payton included.
They came here because of her, but they always left because they couldn’t bear seeing her...mistreated.
“Finally! What took you so long?”
Like now.
Even her husband’s friends thought it was fine to treat her like a slave, and it just made her sick, thinking of how she had let this go on for years.
Thankfully, she was all but forgotten as soon as she placed the beer bucket on the table. And even though she was acting without any conscious effort to replicate her movements in her first life, she would realize a moment later that there were things she would always end up doing.
Because as she turned away, her gaze absently went where it was fated to go—
An empty chair at the head of the table.
His chair.
The first time this happened, she remembered thinking it was odd that her husband was missing. And so she had gone looking for him. But now that she knew what she would discover...
Her gaze went to where Rosé was seated.
Empty.
She found herself walking like a zombie, but she only made it as far as the foot of the stairs before she started having difficulties breathing.
Her gaze strayed to her rebirth marks.
Two marks.
Most people only had one chance to live. But she had two. That should make her feel braver. But instead, she just felt panic bubbling inside of her, and she was so, so tempted...
Oh, if only she were the type to run away.
But no.
Her whole life, she had always been the work-hard-and-don’t-give-up type.
And even though what she was about to do might mean she’d have to die again...
Payton just knew instinctively that the rebirth marks on her wrist weren’t there for her to take the easy way out.
Not everyone in the world was given the chance to be reborn, and while most people would probably quote Spiderman at this point...
The words that came to Payton’s mind were a Bible verse that her husband had cited in her own funeral.
‘Luke 12:48 Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more. And my wife...she had a really beautiful life, she was given much, but she wasn’t able to handle it, but because God is love, I know He’ll understand, and He’ll forgive her.’
The memory had her fingers tightening around the wooden cap of their stairway’s newel post until her knuckles turned white.
Did she ever know him at all?
How could he have the gall to murder her...and then quote the Bible in her own funeral?
It just made her so, so sick to—
Stop thinking about the past, Payton!
Reliving those memories were pointless. If she wanted to get to the bottom of this, there was only one thing to do, and that was to do the same things she had done the first time.
And so she went up the stairs.
And checked every room even though she already knew what she would—or rather wouldn’t—find.
Masters. Empty.
Guest room. Empty.
Study. Empty.
Payton was now at the end of the hallway, with one last room to check.
And of course, they were here.
Her music room of all places.
She opened the door, and it was just occurring to her now—this door usually made a creak whenever it moved. But now it swung open in complete silence, and after being reborn and all, she knew that meant this was just one of those things that had to happen.
A part of her was still tempted to skip over certain parts, but she somehow found the courage to turn her gaze to where she had once found them, and ah, there they were.
Rosé.
And her husband.
Kissing.
And after that...yup.
That happened, too.
Her husband lifting Rosé on top of the piano, which had the other girl laughing as she placed her hands on his shoulders.
“Oh, babe, this is so crazy. What if someone sees us?”
“I can’t help it,” Eric groaned. “You drive me insane with how hot you are.”
Yup, she thought again. Everything was according to the script, and if it sounded like she was doing commentary on the destruction of her marriage, well...that was exactly what she was doing. As a coping technique.
And...
Here it comes.
Rosé was now slowly leaning back on her elbows, and...oh.
Payton remembered it now.
This was the time she had started holding back her tears.
But now, she didn’t even feel sad.
She was just mostly numb, and—
AAAH!
Someone had suddenly covered Payton’s mouth from behind as she was yanked back into the hallway.
What in the world was happening?
Was she being abducted?
But before Payton could even start struggling, her captor had already turned her around, and—
N-Niccolò?
He kept his hand on her mouth, his golden gaze steady on her.