Second Chances

In a remote warehouse, Emma Wilson was engulfed in a raging inferno, drugged and bound, unable to move.

Through the deadly flames, she caught sight of her stepsister and her new husband-whom she had just married earlier that day at city hall- standing safe and sound. In despair, she screamed, “Why the f***k are you doing this to me?”

Standing at a safe distance, her sister Aria Wilson spoke with contempt. “Emma, really? Haven’t you figured it out yet? Elijah didn’t cheat-he never loved you at all! He only pursued you to get his hands on your shares. Now that he has got them, and you’ve been his wife for a day, it’s

time for you to die!”

Reeling from the betrayal, Emma struggled to grasp that the man she had truste

e years could be so cruel.

Her eyes filled with rage as Aria continued, “You get why we had to set this up, right? So Elijah can ditch you without splitting any assets. The entire Wilson fortune will be all mine! Oh, and that 2 million dollars your dear mom left you? I used it to fund my studies abroad three years ago, thanks to your naivety. She’d be turning in her grave knowing her husband was stolen, her daughter murdered, and her life savings **d by me!” She burst into hideous laughter.

As the fire roared louder, Emma, through her tears, watched Aria and Elijah walk away hand in hand, laughing.

Blinded by grief and fury, Emma’s eyes burned with hatred. She was not ready to die-not like this.

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the warehouse, and a concrete beam plummeted towards her. Emma tried to dodge, but her body was drained of strength.

Just then, she heard rapid footsteps. A man rushed towards her and shielded her with his body. A second later, the beam crushed his back.

Amidst the roaring flames, Emma caught sight of the man’s face and froze. ‘Liam… What is he doing here?’

“Don’t be scared, Emma,” Liam Hall murmured, his eyes bloodshot from exhaustion.

He had come as soon as he got the news, but it was already too late.

“No-run for it!” Emma screamed as the ceiling threatened to give way.

But Liam stayed, fiercely protecting her as flames and debris fell around him, the smell of burning flesh filling the air.

“Why… Why the hell are you doing this?” Emma cried, tears streaming down her face.

“Don’t worry, Emma,” Liam’s voice was calm, almost serene amid the chaos. “I won’t let you face this alone. Not even in death. I’ll always be with you…” His handsome face gradually disappeared into the flames.

Despair washed over Emma as she shut her eyes, swearing to herself, ‘Elijah! Aria! In another life, I swear I won’t let you off!’

“Liam… next time, it’s my turn to protect you,” she whispered into his ear. Her words were barely out before the fire surged, engulfing the embracing pair in its fierce grasp.

Emma’s eyes snapped open. Instead of the inferno she’d expected, she found herself in a warm, cozy room.

She instinctively checked her hands. They were intact, no longer bearing the calluses from her martial arts training and no signs of burns- what was going on?

Scanning the room, Emma realized this place was no ordinary hotel. It was decked out with medical equipment and carried the faint scent of

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10

disinfectant, resembling more a luxury hospital suite than anything else. It all felt disturbingly familiar.

Suddenly, it hit her. ‘This is the day I was taken back to the Wilsons when I turned 181 I’ve been reborn on the day I returned to Troln City!”

Emma held back a wave of ecstatic relief. With this second chance at life, she vowed to utterly destroy the s**m who had wrecked her life before.

“Emma, your blood has been sent off for testing. Now, take off your coat so I can check you over,” a voice announced as a man in a white coat entered. He was strikingly handsome, a tear-shaped mole accentuating his eves

It was Elijah Taylor, Rage boiled within Emma as she faced the man respons

so much of her past agony.

In her past life, she had complied and removed her coat without hesitation, which was exactly when reporters, alerted by Aria and her cruel stepmother Nora Wilson, had stormed in. They had smeared her reputation, painting her as a wanton seductress for supposedly trying to entice a doctor on her very first day back. Her father, grandmother, and the entire Wilson family had shunned her, branding her a disgrace.

‘Of course, this was all a setup by Elijah and Aria from the get-go,’ Emma realized. Fueled by rage, she grabbed a vase from the bedside and hurled it at Elijah’s head, shattering it with a loud crash.

Elijah staggered, his head gushing blood. He never expected the seemingly naive and fragile Emma to lash out.

“What the f**k, Emma?” Elijah bellowed, clutching his wounded head.

“Elijah, you think you can kidnap me and get away with it? I’ll beat the c**p out of you!” Emma yelled back, her voice thick with fury.

Elijah was completely taken aback. Just moments before, Emma had meekly followed him to the hospital, and now she was accusing him of abduction. ‘Has she figured something out?’ he wondered.

“Emma, what the hell are you talking about? Kidnapping? You came here on your own-” His words were cut short as she struck him again with a vase.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

Panic set in, and he shouted for help, “Somebody help! Restrain her!”

Seven or eight burly men rushed into the room.

“So you had your goons waiting outside?” Emma sneered, contempt in her eyes. “What, ready to force me if I didn’t comply?”

Elijah’s face contorted with fury, all traces of his earlier gentlemanly demeanor gone. “I was just trying to give you a medical check-up, and you spin it into a kidnapping! Grab this crazy woman, now!” he ordered.

Emma scoffed, her mind racing. ‘Thes**ds,’ she thought. ‘If I play nice, they’ll s**t-s**e me. Fight back, and suddenly I’m the nation’s notorious madwoman. Well, if they’re gonna call me crazy, I might as well own it.’

“If I’m guilty, let the law punish me, not you bullies!” With that, she cracked her knuckles and charged at them.

Thanks to these s**gs, her return to the Wilson family had been a nightmare. They showered Aria with the best of everything, leaving Emma with crumbs and daily insults.

Driven to desperation, Emma had fled the Wilson family and joined a mysterious organization, dedicating herself to learning how to protect herself. Now, it was finally time for revenge.

The thugs were initially stunned as Emma rushed at them, but her swift kick to one’s neck and a ruthless punch to another’s eye quickly turned their surprise into screams.

Moments later, all the goons were sprawled out, defeated on the ground.

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In the hospital’s security room, a group of bodyguards watched the monitor in silent

match. However, Emma’s fierce skills made even these hardened protectors wary

Among them, a man in a wheelchair was glued to the screen, his gaze unwavering.

They had to admit that Elijah’s men were no