The rain had not stopped for three days.
Lina Hart lay quietly in the narrow nursing home bed, listening to the sound of raindrops hitting the window. Her hands rested on the thin faded blanket as the familiar smell of disinfectant and old flowers filled the room. At sixty-one years old, she felt every single year of her life weighing heavily on her.
Thirty-eight years of marriage to Lucien Cole, the most powerful man in the city, and it had all come to this. A cold room, a face-down photograph on the bedside table, and no one who cared enough to visit.
She still remembered the will reading three months ago.
Lucien had passed away quietly in his sleep. His lawyers had handled everything swiftly. Aaron, the son from his previous relationship, received the entire Cole Group, all the properties, and every asset. To Lina, Lucien had left only nine cold words.
"Thank you for your care of Aaron all these years. You always understood."
Nine words after thirty-eight years.
During the reading, Ivy had stood beside Aaron in a dark red dress, her eyes cold as she looked at her mother. Lina had not seen her daughter in three years. When Ivy finally spoke, her voice was calm but each word cut deep.
"You must be pleased, Mother. You spent your whole life loving someone else's son. Now it is official."
Ivy had continued without raising her voice.
"When I was eight and begged you to attend my school recital, you said Aaron had a fever. When I asked why Father never hugged me, you told me to be more understanding. When he slapped me at fourteen, you said I was being too sensitive. You sacrificed your own daughter just to chase a man who never chose you. Look where that got you."
After saying those words, Ivy had picked up her bag and left without looking back. That was the last time Lina ever saw her.
Now, in the quiet nursing home room, Lina picked up her phone with a thin, trembling hand. The screen showed no new messages and no missed calls. She scrolled to Ivy's number and pressed call.
It rang twice before going to voicemail.
Lina closed her eyes and said nothing. Outside, lightning flashed across the sky as an old song began playing on the small radio beside her bed. It was one from the early days of her marriage.
"You said forever, and forever slipped away..."
A weak laugh escaped her lips. It sounded small and broken.
"Forever was never meant for me," she whispered to the empty room.
A sharp pain suddenly tore through her chest. Lina closed her eyes as the rain grew louder against the glass.
If I had another chance, I would do everything differently. I would choose her first. I would always choose her first.
Then everything went black.
When she opened her eyes again, she was gasping for breath.
Lina sat up abruptly, her heart pounding hard. She touched her face and felt smooth, firm skin. These were not the hands of a sixty-one-year-old woman. They were young. Twenty-three.
She quickly got out of bed and rushed to the large mirror in the room. The woman staring back at her was young and beautiful, with thick dark hair and wide green eyes filled with shock.
She placed her hand gently on her stomach and felt it immediately. That familiar warm presence.
She was pregnant.
This was the master bedroom of the Cole estate. It was 2016. She had only been married for three months. Lucien was still in Singapore finishing a business deal and would return home on Friday.
She had really come back.
All the pain, all the regrets, and all the lessons from her previous life were now hers to use. She would not repeat the same mistakes. She would not make herself small again. She would not sacrifice her daughter for a man who never truly saw her.
This time, things would be different.
A soft knock came from the door.
"Madam, you're awake. Mr. Cole called last night. The Singapore deal finished early, so he will be home on Friday instead of Sunday. The kitchen asked if you want breakfast sent up."
It was Maggie's voice.
In her previous life, Lina would have spent the next few days nervously preparing everything for Lucien's return. The perfect dinner, the perfect dress, the perfect smile.
Not anymore.
Lina walked over and opened the door.
Maggie stood there with her notepad, looking as professional as always.
"Cancel the gardenias from today," Lina said calmly. "I want white lilies in the main hall instead. They are my favorite flowers."
Maggie paused, surprised. "But Mr. Cole prefers gardenias, madam. He has always been very specific about—"
"White lilies," Lina repeated firmly but politely. "This is my home as well. And when Lucien arrives on Friday, please tell him I need to speak with him privately that evening. It is important and cannot wait."
Maggie nodded slowly. "Of course, madam. Is everything alright?"
Lina glanced down the long elegant corridor of the Cole estate. This place had once felt like a beautiful cage.
"Everything is fine," she said with a small smile. "I have simply decided to stop waiting for my own life to begin."
She closed the door gently and walked to the window. Morning sunlight fell across her face as quiet determination filled her chest.
Lucien Cole was coming home on Friday.
He had no idea what kind of woman was waiting for him now.