The Girl Who Returned

"Please, help—"

A hand stretched out towards a woman standing at the edge of the cliff. Her heartbeat was so fast, it overwhelmed the noise of the sea crashing on the rocks.

Her eyes were filled with hope of seeing her beloved man reaching for her.

But in the next second,

The hand that was supposed to pull her back into his arms pushed her instead.

…

"NO!!"

Rosalie abruptly sat up in her bed, her heart hammering against her chest.

Her hand was outstretched as if she were grabbing something—a lifeline that could save her from the fall. But there was nothing in front of her.

The feeling of being airborne and expecting a horrible death seemed to grip her by the throat, choking out the breath she took and forcing her to be breathless.

"Haa…ha…"

She was hyperventilating.

But no matter how much she tried to calm herself, Rosalie couldn't find the strength to do it.

I…

I'm still alive, right…?

Rosalie questioned herself.

She frantically groped her body, checking for any injuries that had resulted from the fall. Especially, the huge wound that had bled herself to death at the back of her head. After ensuring she was alright, she finally stopped moving. But her hands continued to tremble.

Soon, droplets of tears trickled from her eyes down her cheeks.

For the past three days, she would wake up in the middle of her sleep, screaming and feeling the fear of death. She desperately wished it was just a nightmare and forgot all about it in the morning. But even if she denied it every single time, the memory of her dying couldn't be erased.

The haunting past repeats itself in the form of a nightmare.

It was as if it was reminding her that she could not escape her fateful death.

That's right. Rosalie died.

But she miraculously returned three years ago before she experienced a hellish life in the hands of her family and husband.

One might say she lucked out. But honestly, she wished her death had put an end to everything.

In the cold and dim-lit room, she silently cried.

***

Morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains.

Rosalie stirred in bed, frowning at the light hitting her face. Covering her eyes from the blinding light with her arm, she opened her almond-shaped eyes.

As she regained consciousness, she realized that she had forgotten to close the window when she went to sleep last night. No wonder she felt so cold and woke up in the middle of the night.

There was also a painful headache after crying so much.

Standing up, she stretched her body, feeling the soreness in her muscles the more she stretched. After washing up and drinking some headache medicine, she returned to her room and stopped when she heard her phone ringing on top of the bedside table, adding to her already aching head.

Ignoring the call, Rosalie walked to the fridge and poured herself a cup of water.

Much to her annoyance, the call persistently rang.

Bringing the glass of water, she moved to her bedroom. When she picked up the phone to take a look, she saw the caller was 'Emma'.

Her eyes flashed with surprise when she saw the name on the phone screen. Instinctively, her thumb hovered to pick it up, but she quickly stopped herself.

Ignoring the call, she unlocked her phone and looked at the date.

January 18, 2023.

In an instant, Rosalie was brought back to what had happened on that day. Her hands clenched as her heart started to pound her chest as she picked up the call.

The frigid voice of her stepmother sounded from the other side of the phone: "Where are you?"

Rosalie's eyes turned sharp. How long has it been since the last time she heard the voice of her mother, one of the people who drove her to insanity and death?

"Our relatives and friends are already at the hotel. Don't you know you're putting us on the spot if you don't come?" Emma sternly issued an order, "Come to the hotel right now! I don't care if you have to come naked!"

Beep beep. The other part hung up before she could respond.

But Rosalie was not disheartened.

She glanced at the time. It was already 10:32 in the morning, just less than thirty minutes before the party started. It was understandable why Emma was at the end of her wits.

It was the day it was revealed that she was not a real Ameratti.

In her past life, Rosalie blindly walked into a trap Emma, her stepmother, had meticulously created for her. The party was intended to celebrate the foundation of the Ameratti Corporation, and everyone in the country's elite circle attended. And under everyone's watch, Rosalie was humiliated and abandoned.

As it turns out, on the same day it was publicly announced that she no longer belonged to the Ameratti family, a young actress called Elise posted on social media, claiming she was the real heiress of the Ameratti family. With a DNA test result that proved her relation to the Ameratti family and a necklace that once belonged to the previous matriarch of the family, everyone accepted her with open arms.

Rosalie became an outsider in a single day. She couldn't accept the truth and tried to debunk Elise's claim. However, a second DNA test was conducted, and yet the result was still the same. Elise was an Ameratti.

With such irrevocable evidence, could anyone still deny it?

Yet Rosalie didn't want to believe it. She couldn't accept being a fake heiress.

But who would've thought that her insistence could lead her to a sequence of situations that dug her grave further to the ground.

Following that day, friends, relatives, and even the servants in their mansion began to look down on Rosalie. They treated her with disdain and impatience while showing consideration and kindness to the gentle and timid, Elise.

Rosalie, however, didn't give up. No matter how fake she was, she lived with the Ameratti family for several years. There was no way they wouldn't develop some sort of kinship towards her, right? Moreover, she had been trained and taught to be an honorable member of the family. Could an actress with no knowledge of how to do business or proper etiquette win against her?

And so, after begging the old patriarch to let her remain in the family, Rosalie was given a chance to prove herself to everyone.

However, she discovered that everyone still favored Elise, no matter what she did.

Rosalie didn't understand where she went wrong. She never bullied Elise; she just wanted to return to the time when everyone still treated her with respect and affection.

Slowly, her motivation disappeared.

Elise rose up from her status. No matter what angle, she excelled at everything, and every person she met would inevitably be drawn to her.

Rosalie, who desired nothing but a place to belong once again, lost everything. Her father, Albert, suggested that she study in China. It was a silent message for her to leave. She couldn't refuse, and at the time, she thought it would be better to get away. Maybe then, when she's gone, everyone will realize how precious and important she was to the family.

For two years, Rosalie diligently studied. Out of loneliness, she agreed to date one of the men who courted her. Eventually, she married him, only months after they started dating. Everything was going well for her. She finished her studies and got married. If she's lucky, she could even start a family of her own.

If she only knew what would happen next, maybe she would've never desired anything else.