In Your Next Life

“Jason? Elle?” Anna’s lips trembled as she watched her husband and his mistress, her very own sister scramble to grab their bathrobes, trying to hide their nakedness as their eyes fell on her “How could you two?”

She wanted to believe that she was imagining things, that it was her mind playing games with her but the look on their faces crashed the truth of the situation over her.

Elle’s fingers hurriedly tied the robe around her body and smothered her disheveled hair.

“An…Anna,” she called, her eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?”

“Sister, please.”

“Fucking say something.” Anna’s rage took over. She needed someone to tell her it was a prank. She needed someone to tell her anything, just anything even if it was a lie. It was her baby shower/gender reveal party and she’d come in search of her husband only to hear them speak about their ploy against her in the bathroom.

Elle stepped forward, wiping the fake tears from her cheeks.

“Since you already found out, we’ll tell the truth, sister.”

“Elle.” Jason tried to stop her.

“What? Fuck the will. I’ll get what we need some other way, don’t worry. I’ve been pretending. I just can’t anymore. Anna, this is it. Me and Jason.”

“Jason, this is not true, our baby.” The tears that she has been holding the whole day while tolerating his family finally streamed down her cheeks.

“Don’t bring your baby into this. Who knows if the baby is truly Jason’s.” Elle snapped. “For all I care, it might be someone else’s.”

“Elle.” The woman who was before her was not the sister she had known all her life. Although they were half-sisters, they were also best friends. She wasn't the cute, considerate, and cheerful Elle anymore. All she saw was her mistake. A huge mistake.

“Doesn’t matter now, does it? Besides, we all know about your medical report, your brain tumor. You'll die soon after giving birth, anyway.” She twirled her jet black hair with her fingers, rolling her eyes as she continued.

“I talked to your doctor, you want to know what he said? You have less than a year so share something good with your sister for once. As you heard us say previously, everyone acts nice to you because they want your property. For your notice, no one likes you.”

Anna chuckled in disbelief, nodding her head slowly, deep in thought. Three bad years she endured with the bastard of a man with the hope that he would change, that he would stop being abusive, that he would treat her lovingly again.

She should have known. Her step-family and her husband only wanted her property. Elle? She made her believe that she was the only one who truly understood her.

But guess what? Game over. They started it, she was going to end it once and for all. Looking up to the ceiling, Anna took a deep breath.

“Fine then. Since this is how we’ll play. Watch me expose your secret to the whole world. To everyone downstairs. I'll make sure you two don't go scot-free.”

At that, she whirled around heading towards the door, her eyes brewing in anger.

“You wouldn't dare.”

Before she could get to the door, Elle got to her, yanking her back into the bathroom.

Jason grabbed her from behind, his hands pinning her arms backward while Elle searched for something to tie her up. In the moment of desperation, Anna sank her teeth into his flesh sharply, her bite brutal, his scream ringing loudly In the whole bathroom.

“Ahhhhhh. Get away from me.”

Suddenly, he let go of her, his arms shoved her backward. Her eyes widened in horror as her body hurled backward.

It all happened in slow motion. Her brain rang loudly, her whole life flashed right in front of her as her head collided with the edge of the bathtub, the pain spreading from her head down to her belly where her daughter had shelter.

Blood gushed out of her head and lower body. She could barely make out the blurry figures standing over her. “Don’t worry. We’ll tell everyone that she slipped.” They held themselves watching as she laid in the pool of her own blood.

Elle took slow steps toward her. “Let me give you a piece of advice, Anna,” she started, the pure innocent girl that Anna knew her as was replaced with a bloodthirsty devil. “In your next life, don’t be too welcoming. It’s only going to make your life pathetic and you’ll end up dying.”

As darkness slowly enveloped her, she saw the bathroom door pushed open and someone rushed in, pushing them out of his way and kneeling at her side.

‘Caspian,’ she called inwardly. ‘Where have you been?’

As Anna’s life slipped, a single thought ran through her mind. ‘Please Almighty, pity this fool. Give me one more chance, I'll bet my all on revenge, I won't waste the chance. So please give me another chance.’

—

“Anna? Anna?”

Anna let out a strangled breath as her sight cleared.

Several pairs of eyes stared at her with curiosity, She took a step backward, looking at her surroundings in shock, her lips parted and her heart pounded loudly in her chest. Her eyes looked around the huge crowded hall that she was in.

There were over a hundred unfamiliar overly dressed people staring at her with the same question in their minds.

What was she doing here? Was this the afterlife? The questions in her head swung like a rollercoaster and she found herself touching every part of her body for any trace of injury but she found none.

“Anna, stretch out your finger. What’s wrong?”

Her vision suddenly revealed him right in front of her, his eyes staring at her in concern, in his hand was a diamond ring. “Anna, your finger.”

“Anna, are you okay?” She saw Elle walk to stand beside him, their gazes fixated on her in concern and confusion. Her eyes were wide as she stared at her worst nightmares right in front of her. Jason and Elle. The two people she’d trusted with everything in her.

Anna gasped as she looked over the hall and finally recognized it. They were in the Coopers hotel hall. She has been to this exact party before. How on earth did she come here?

She retracted backward.

Ignoring the horror on everyone’s face at her sudden behavior, her eyes stare at the large projector in the hall. ‘Engagement ceremony of Jason Lutra and Annalise Cooper. April 12, 2020.’ She read inwardly.

“What in the world?” It was 2020 and not 2024. Her eyes fell on the dress she was wearing again and she remembered that she had given it out to one of the female servants. How does she still have it?

All the dots started to connect in her head. Her eyes grew wide in shock, shivers traveling down her spine. Everything started to make sense to her.

It only means that she traveled four years back when she was not married to Jason, on their engagement party.

As a drop of tears streamed down her cheek, she smiled.

The almighty had given her a second chance in life, a second chance to correct all her mistakes, and this time, she wasn't going to be the all-forgiving Anna that they easily trampled on.

This time, she was going to make everyone who harmed her in her last life regret their deeds. Wedding? Love? Scratch that. Those can go to hell for all she care because this time, she would make them pay without remorse.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to Jason who still held the ring in his hand. She stretched out her fingers.

“Here, put it in.”