What if death wasn't the end? What if your soul could live on, even after your body had stopped breathing? What if there was a way to come back to life, even after you had died? These are the questions that haunted Alessia, a young lady who died a few days to her wedding. Finding herself in the afterlife, Alessia was given a chance at a second life - but only if she could find the soul that her own had been intertwined with from birth. What if the 31 days given to her to complete her task is only about her own survival but also to unravel secrets? And what if she isn't fated to live again?
CHAPTER ONE
"Do you think I'm a fool? I overheard everything!"
Bryan's words came in a yell, causing Alessia to flinch a bit. She batted her lashes, pinching herself to be sure if this was really her fiance – the one she'll be getting married to in three days.
He changed completely from being a gentle and loving man to something else.
"Bryan, stop it. Besides, how dare you eavesdrop on my mother's conversation with me?" she asked in a tone that wasn't harsh nor blunt.
"Don't ask questions, I need an answer," he said with a serious expression.
"Your mother gave you a box containing treasures and she asked you to keep it, where is the box?" He asked and Alessia scoffed.
The room had on its ceiling a dim light that casted a faint glow on them and the white walls. Nothing else filled the air but their voices.
"I'm sure you eavesdropped on the full conversation and you heard the part when she clearly asked me to keep it a secret! I haven't even checked its content yet, she asked me to do so on our wedding day and when I'll be twenty five which is just a three days away" She replied, getting upset already..
"We planned on spending the remaining days of our wedding together, why are you ruining things by bringing up issues that don't even concern you?" she asked further..
"Because I want the treasures, I'm your husband-to-be and I should be the one controlling our money and not you" he said, sweating profusely.
Alessia's brows scrunched up on their own in disappointment.
"I can see you're just being jealous. The safe box's contents are my father's family's treasure, something that is passed to every first born, I can't break the rule of giving it to an outsider" She spewed out without thinking twice.
"An outsider?" Bryan scoffed.
"Err... I meant to say.." her voice trailed off.
"Are you even marrying me out of love or because of my late father's wealth?" she raised her voice, digressing.
"All of it!. Can't you see it, I'm just a poor orphan, I need money and you are the only one that can give me access to that" he said with desperation obvious in his voice.
Alessia was shocked to the core, she shook her head sideways, taking a step backwards.
"Have you been deceiving me all this while? Pretending to love me just because of my father's wealth?" her tears dropped.
"I love you Alessia, in sincerest speaking. Tell me where the box is, that's all!" his last words came with a yell.
"I will not" Alessia said stubbornly and tried leaving his sight but Bryan was quick, he grabbed her arm before she could move, pinning her to the rough wall.
"What are you doing?" Alessia asked, staring at his lips. A part of her assumed he wanted to take her lips in his but judging from his expression, he obviously wasn't interested in that.
"For the last time before I lose it completely, tell me where you kept the box" he muttered in a voice that wasn't so audible.
"Get away from me" she said, trying to push him off but Bryan's temper wasn't as gentle as he seemed. He lost it completely and without warning, he raised his hand to her neck, tightening his grip on it.
"Bryan.. stop... it.." Alessia managed to say as she almost choked, struggling to get away from his grip. At that point, she saw criminal intentions in his eyes but it disappeared immediately.
"The fact that I love you doesn't mean I can't hurt you" he smirked.
"Where's it?" he said further, yelling with a questioning tone.
"Stop..." Alessia's tears dropped and in frustration, he let go of her neck, sighing while she coughed repeatedly, trying to calm her nerves.
"You are a monster!" she cried.
"I'm not!, you're only making me feel like one" he said. Each time he spoke, his voice was always different from the previous, depicting the swinging in his mood and expressions.
"Talk to me Alessia, don't keep me waiting" he said, becoming serious again.
"Do your worst, I'm not going to say anything!" she yelled stubbornly and a wave of anger rushed down his spine. It was uncontrollable and at the same time overwhelming.
Silence!
Screams!
The body's red liquid!
Silence again!
These were what flashed in his head like he was being programmed and without a second thought, he grabbed a flower vase and smashed it on her head.
"Arrgh!" Alessia screamed in pain as the base destroyed completely, its flowers falling down in bits. Immediately, the doorbell rang and he spared her a last glance, watching her groan in pain before leaving the room.
It was like he was being brainwashed because desperation pushed out some actions he couldn't control.
He descended the stairs with long strides and getting to the main door in the sitting room, he opened the door to see a delivery girl. Earlier, he had ordered food for both him and his fiancée.
"Greetings from Wine and dine restaurant, you ordered --" the young lady was saying but Bryan really wasn't in the mood for that, he cut her short immediately.
"Come back in an hour!" he yelled thoughtlessly and closed the door immediately. The delivery girl looked on in surprise, blinking repeatedly.
"Some clients could be annoying. How am I supposed to leave and come back again within an hour?" she rolled her eyes.
"I'm just going to wait," she said, looking around to get a place to sit.
"You still won't say something right?" Bryan yelled from the door and immediately he barged into the room.
His eyes caught Alessia's lifeless body on the flood and her body's red liquid flowing freely from her head and other holes in her body. His senses returned to him immediately and realization hit him like a ton of bricks, exposing the effects of his actions.
"Alessia?" he called, getting scared. He bent over to her level and shook her body repeatedly but she remained still.
"Get up please, we are getting married in three days" his lips shivered as his sweat drops fell on her wrist.
"What have I done?" he breathed heavily, looking with widened eyes.
Memories came rushing and stabbing his heart a million times...
Her cheerful smiles..
The gifts he receives from her..
How she succeeded to make him seem rich to her family for the marriage to be approved...
The numerous times she cleared his debts...
How he secretly watched her mother giving her their family's treasure..
And now what desperation had led him into. – Eliminating the life of his bride!
"Noooo!!" his loud screams echoed in the air and with that a tear drop fell from his eyes.
Soon, he couldn't cry or scream again. The heart ache he was feeling was excruciating, and no expression of his could describe it completely..
He raised his hand up, it was stained with her red liquid already.
Julia and Evan were the perfect couple-or so she thought. But everything changed when Evan abruptly ended their relationship, leaving her heartbroken and unable to tell him she was carrying his child. Years later, Julia has built a life for herself and her son, Andy, while Evan has risen to unimaginable wealth and success. Their paths cross again at a chance meeting, but Julia soon discovers Evan has moved on with someone else. Julia is done with the pain. She's fought battles alone, raising a son who deserves the truth about his father, even if Evan doesn't deserve her forgiveness. When Julia told Evan years ago she had something to say, he didn't listen. Now, it's time for him to listen. But is it too late to reclaim what he lost? "We should break up," he'd said, the words cutting through her like glass. The pregnancy test in her pocket stayed hidden, just like the child they would never share. Now, it's Evan's turn to hear the truth-and to face his deepest regret.
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
The whispers said that out of bitter jealousy, Hadley shoved Eric's beloved down the stairs, robbing the unborn child of life. To avenge, Eric forced Hadley abroad and completely cut her off. Years later, she reemerged, and they felt like strangers. When they met again, she was the nightclub's star, with men ready to pay fortunes just to glimpse her elusive performance. Unable to contain himself, Eric blocked her path, asking, "Is this truly how you earn a living now? Why not come back to me?" Hadley's lips curved faintly. "If you’re eager to see me, you’d better join the queue, darling."
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross me."
When Zora was sick during the early days of her pregnancy, Ezrah was with his first love, Piper. When Zora got into an accident and called Ezrah, he said he was busy, when in actual fact, he was buying shoes for Piper. Zora lost her baby because of the accident, and throughout her stay at the hospital, Ezrah never showed up. She already knew that he didn't love her, but that was the last straw for the camel's back, and her fragile heart could not take it anymore. When Ezrah arrived home a few days after Zora was discharged from the hospital, he no longer met the woman who always greeted him with a smile and cared for him. Zora stood at the top of the stairs and yelled with a cold expression, "Good news, Ezrah! Our baby died in a car accident. There is nothing between us anymore, so let's get a divorce." The man who claimed not to have any feelings for Zora, being cold and distant towards her, and having asked her for a divorce twice, instantly panicked.