Chapter 3

Ariella

"Did I really reborn?" The question lingers in my mind, but the answer seems just out of reach. I step into the bathroom, my feet brushing softly against the cool floor, and I pause before the mirror. For a moment, I’m unsure whether I’m seeing things clearly, or if my mind is playing tricks on me.

I look at myself—really look—and something isn’t right. My reflection stares back, but it’s... different. The woman in the mirror isn’t someone I recognize completely, yet I know it’s me. My skin is smoother, my eyes are brighter, and my face, somehow, looks more youthful—more alive. The lines that once traced the edges of my face are gone, as if time has erased them completely. My hair, too, seems fuller, glossier, and the tiredness I always felt inside is somehow missing from my expression.

I blink several times, hoping it’s some sort of trick of the light. But no matter how many times I close and open my eyes, the reflection remains the same. This can't be real, can it?

I raise a trembling hand to my face, fingers lightly grazing my cheek, as if expecting the reflection to shatter or change under my touch. The softness of my skin—how could this be? My gaze drifts down to my arm, and without thinking, I pinch myself, a sharp, stinging pain that snaps me back to reality. The pain is undeniable, real, grounding me to this moment.

I wince from the sensation, but it doesn’t help the swirling confusion inside me. It hurts, but it doesn’t make sense. How could I be here, looking like this, when everything I knew had been so different just hours ago? Is this really happening?

I stare into the mirror, my reflection both comforting and alien. There’s no explanation for this, no reason that I can understand. The questions circle in my mind, and the weight of them presses down like a heavy fog. My breath catches in my chest as I wonder if I’ve crossed some line, if this is some second chance, or a twisted dream I haven’t yet woken from.

I was lost in my thoughts when suddenly, a voice broke through the haze. It was soft, yet unmistakably familiar. "Ariella," it called—gentle but clear, and filled with something that made my heart skip. I froze for a moment, my mind racing as I tried to place it. It was a woman’s voice, but there was something deeply comforting about it, something that made me feel safe. And then it hit me.

It sounded like her. My mom. I couldn't deny it.

Before I had time to think, my feet were already moving, my legs carrying me forward on their own, as if some invisible force was pulling me toward the sound. The house around me seemed to blur as I sprinted, the air cool against my skin as I followed the voice, desperately, through the familiar hallways. It felt like a magnetic pull, drawing me closer and closer.

I burst into the kitchen, and the moment I laid eyes on her, everything in me stilled. Standing by the counter was a woman who could have been my mom—wearing a simple, light-colored dress that hung just right on her frame, and an apron tied neatly over it. The brown apron matched the warmth of the room, a cozy comfort that made everything feel like it belonged here.

Her hair was pulled back effortlessly, soft waves framing her face. It was her—the way she stood, the way she looked at me. A kind of warmth radiated from her, but what stopped me in my tracks was her smile. It was brighter than anything I had ever seen, filling the room with a warmth that wrapped around me like a blanket.

The smile was so familiar, so full of love, that my heart squeezed in my chest. It was the kind of smile that I had missed, that had been absent for so long. I didn’t even think, I just moved—running toward her without hesitation, propelled by a mixture of disbelief, longing, and the overwhelming need to close the distance between us. It felt surreal, like I was standing in some dream where nothing made sense, but everything felt right.

I ran toward her, my heart pounding, and the world around me seemed to fade away, leaving only the warm glow of the kitchen and the woman standing in front of me. Every step felt like an eternity, but my legs carried me faster, until I was right in front of her.

For a moment, we both just stood there, frozen in time. I could see the details now—the way the soft light from the window caught in her hair, the way her hands rested gently on the counter as if she had been waiting for me all along. She didn’t move at first, her smile never wavering, just looking at me with a kind of recognition in her eyes, like she knew me even if I couldn’t make sense of everything.

"Mom?" I whispered, the word slipping from my lips before I could stop it. It felt so strange, so right, but at the same time, so unbelievable.

“What happened, dear?” My mom asked, her voice filled with worry. She sat down beside me, her hand gently brushing my hair back from my forehead. I could see the concern in her eyes, the way she always looked at me when something was off.

“Nothing, I just love you, Mom. I missed you,” I murmured, my voice thick with emotions I hadn’t expected to surface. The words came out more vulnerably than I intended, and I felt a lump form in my throat. I didn’t even realize how much I needed her in that moment.

She gave me a soft smile, her hand still resting on my shoulder as she leaned in closer. “I missed you too, sweetheart. But if something’s bothering you, you know you can tell me, right?”

Before I could respond, I heard another voice—deep, warm, and familiar. “Did you have a bad dream, princess?”

I turned toward the sound of the voice, and there he was—my dad, Maxwell Carter. Tall and imposing, his presence filled the room. But despite being one of the wealthiest men in London, there was nothing intimidating about him at that moment. His eyes were soft, filled with concern, and he knelt down in front of me, resting a hand on my knee.

“You’re safe, kiddo,” he added with a reassuring smile, his voice calm and steady. He always had a way of making everything feel right, even when the world around us was anything but.

I looked at my parents, their faces glowing with care, and for a moment, I let myself feel the warmth of their love. It was a comfort I didn’t realize I was craving.

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