Dead to Them, Reborn for Me

Tonight was the night I was waiting for. After meeting the man, I chose to relax in the living room, trying to calm myself down from the news of the truth that I had just learned. Suddenly my cell phone rang.

"Will you accept, Ms. Ohlson?" Jarvis' voice echoed in the room.

"Yes," I said as I sat down on the sofa.

"One incoming message from: The same personal contact from yesterday."

A video automatically opens on the screen.

Bianca stood in the center of a luxurious room, surrounded by flowers and spotlights. My hands clenched into fists as my eyes fell on the large bouquet given to her, white and purple roses, tied with a satin ribbon, looking so pretty, with a small card that read from Sebastian and Ethan, two special people in your heart.

I looked at the date and time of the video. It was on my birthday yesterday when Sebastian excused himself to attend an important meeting. Yes, this is a picture of their happiness yesterday.

The notification sound rang clearly in my ears again. I sighed. I had expected another harsh reality.

Sure enough, Jarvis checked my phone, "Incoming message, sent by an unknown number."

I frowned with my hands shaking on my cappuccino cup. I saw the video link from Bianca's fans' social media.

'Power Couple Alert! Sebastian Hayes and Bianca were caught on camera having a romantic dinner at their private engagement event.'

"Enlarge!" I ordered softly.

As the screen enlarges, we see Sebastian kissing Bianca on the cheek in front of the guests. Their smiles are locked together. On Bianca's lap, Ethan sits spoiled, holding her hand as if she were his mother.

The video switches to photos of the party. Ethan feeds Bianca a piece of cake and Bianca strokes Ethan's hair in return, while Sebastian laughs loudly beside them.

They look like a happy family, without me.

"Blood Pressure (BP): 158/102 mmHg (elevated)

Heart Rate (HR): 112 bpm (tachycardic)

Respiratory Rate (RR): 22 breaths/min

Temperature: 36.8°C. "Are you sure you want to continue Mrs. Hayes?"

"Yes, go ahead. I can still take it."

The screen again showed a photo that made my chest tighten. The picture showed a diamond ring.

My eyes widened. I recognized the design so well.

A ring with a marquise stone in the center, surrounded by small leaf carvings on either side.

"The ring of my dreams." I had whispered to Sebastian while passing by the jewelry store a few months ago.

And, Sebastian simply replied, "It will be yours, right on your birthday. I want you to wear it first."

Underneath, the caption reads:

"The symbol of Bianca's engagement from her beloved special ring made with love."

My heart seemed to stop for a moment. It was like swallowing something sharp. Slowly, but surely piercing. All my dreams now belong to Bianca.

The voice messages kept coming in, making me ask Jarvis to ignore them. I no longer wanted to open it because I knew it would continue to hurt me. I just sat on the chair with heavy breathing.

The flowers Ethan gave me yesterday. They were the same color, but smaller, a far cry from the bouquet they gave Bianca.

"So, the flowers they gave yesterday were because they had to?" I monologued, shocked as if in disbelief. "I shouldn't be surprised anymore.”

I didn't cry, even though my heart felt broken. It wasn't that I wasn't sad, but love was gone. My trust has been buried. Right now all that was left was me and that was enough. More than enough to start all over.

I never thought this would happen, considering I used to be the woman Sebastian admired.

Their first meeting happened by accident in college. I dropped the books I was carrying in the hallway after colliding with a man named Sebastian.

When Sebastian helped me pick up the books, there was something in his eyes that immediately caught my attention. From then on, Sebastian always watched me from a distance-without words, only through his gaze I felt that he wanted to know more about me.

Without realizing it, that feeling grew slowly in my heart. There was a calmness that I felt every time I was around Sebastian, as if the silence between them was full of meaning.

One day, they were sitting across from each other in a small café. I was eating quietly, and Sebastian kept looking at me as if the world around him no longer existed. That gaze was no longer just full of admiration, but also warmth and sincerity. I didn't say anything, just stayed silent with a small smile and slid a cup of cappuccino toward him.

One cup of the same drink, different times, different emotions.

My cell phone rang so loudly, breaking my daydream about the sweetness of the past.

"Incoming call from an unknown number. Connecting..."

The voice on the other side immediately tried to provoke my anger. "Elara... Oh, you finally picked up my call. I was just wondering, have you seen the video? It's very clear, isn't it? The bouquet? The proposal ring? Or, Ethan in my arms that's my favorite part."

I didn't answer. My gaze was straight ahead.

"You know, I didn't expect Sebastian and Ethan to be that happy when they were with me. It's so different when they talk about you. They look so lazy and fed up," Bianca said with a laugh.

"Bianca," I said the name quietly.

"You're no match for me, Elara. The world recognizes my achievements, while you...even your family discards you. What a pathetic woman! You'd better back off if you don't want to get sicker."

Bianca's words sounded so painful. I took a deep breath but didn't tremble in the slightest.

"Are we done?" I asked calmly, unprovoked.

"That's enough for now. It feels really good to be able to say that every day," Bianca said. "We'll see who survives, Elara."

I laughed. "Maybe you're winning now, taking them away from me. What about Sylvia Hayes and Marco?"

"Did you ever think that Sylvia knew you were still after her brother?"

There was no sound from Bianca. I was baiting her on purpose.

I waited for her to say more, but there was silence. "What about Bianca?"

"What the fuck are you saying?! Sylvia is dead and you should have died with her yesterday!"

The call was cut off.

I didn't get angry, nor did I scream in annoyance. I just smiled. No need to reply today.

Elara's divorce papers were finished. Jason would hand them over to Sebastian on the day of her funeral, as per Elara's last request.