The alley reeked of blood, sharp and suffocating.

I gasped for air, clutching the gaping wound in my abdomen.

My clothes were soaked in blood, the pain so intense I nearly screamed.

I shouldn’t have come out tonight.

Since Ethan moved out, my savings had dried up.

I’d been working multiple jobs just to pay rent.

Tonight, I’d only wanted to grab a discounted mystery meal box.

Click, click, click.

The sharp sound of high heels echoed through the quiet alley. I pressed myself against the wall, trying to summon the strength to move.

“Who’s there?” I called out, my voice trembling. “Show yourself! Stop playing games!”

Then I caught a familiar scent—Sophia’s favorite perfume, the one that smelled like datura flowers.

I knew it well.

Sophia, with her soft, delicate features and flowing blonde hair, looked like the quintessential damsel in distress.

She loved that perfume.

I didn’t know much about datura flowers, but I’d seen them once at her place.

Their dark, blood-red petals intertwined like a symbol of sin and power. Even dried, they had an unsettling aura.

“Sophia, is that you?” I asked, my voice shaky. “I thought you moved away. I messaged you a few days ago, but you never replied.”

Click, click, click.

The sound of heels grew closer, and the familiar scent enveloped me like a suffocating cloud.

Then I heard a sharp, mocking voice.

“How beautiful,” the voice sneered. “No wonder Ethan chose to hide his true self just to be with a mere human like you.”

I forced my eyes open, only to see a flash of fiery red fabric and the glint of pointed high heels.

A woman stood over me, her gaze filled with malice.

“Look at you,” she said, her voice dripping with venom. “Even in this pathetic state, you’re still so captivating. No wonder he fell for you.”

She kicked me like I was trash, the sharp heel of her shoe piercing my thigh. I cried out as blood seeped from the wound.

“Who are you?” I gasped, clutching my leg. “I’m divorced from Ethan! If you’re here for revenge… Sophia?”

I looked up, and my heart stopped.

The woman in front of me, with her smudged smoky eyes and red high heels, was nothing like the meek, white-dress-wearing Sophia I knew.

Her face was twisted with hatred, her eyes cold and filled with murderous intent.

“You… how?” I stammered, my mind reeling. “Did you bring me here? What do you want? Let me go!”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“And why should I?”

Sophia’s voice was icy, a far cry from her usual gentle tone. “Do you know how long I’ve loved Ethan? And yet, he chose you—a human! He even came to your world and married you!”

Her voice rose, sharp and shrill, her expression contorted with jealousy.

“We’ve been friends for seven years,” I said, my voice breaking. “How could you…?”

“Friends?” Sophia let out a bitter laugh. “You think we were friends? You’re nothing but a mundane, a human with no special abilities, a lifespan that’s barely a blink in time. All you have is a pretty face, and you don’t even know how to use it.”

In her eyes, I saw my reflection—torn clothes, bloodied legs, my body battered and broken. I looked like I’d been dragged through hell.

Sophia crouched down, her red dress brushing against the damp ground. She grabbed my face, her nails digging into my skin as she forced me to look at her.

“You’re lucky,” she said, her voice low and dangerous. “Ethan protected you before. I couldn’t touch you without ruining my image in his eyes. But you… you were so easy to manipulate. You actually believed Ethan was an addict, that he cheated on you. Did you know that werewolves only have one mate in their lifetime?”

My breath hitched. “Werewolves?”

Sophia’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “Oh, you didn’t know? Your plain, ordinary ex-husband is actually the prince of the werewolf clan, the most powerful Alpha.”

Her eyes glazed over with reverence as she spoke of Ethan.

“He’s like a god—handsome, powerful, with silver hair that shimmers like moonlight. Even in disarray, he looks like he belongs on the cover of a magazine. No photograph could ever capture his true beauty.”

Her words sounded like a fairy tale, something too absurd to be real.

“Wait,” I said, my voice trembling. “You’re talking about Ethan? A werewolf? That’s impossible.”

The Ethan I knew was ordinary, forgettable, with a scruffy beard and a habit of taking mysterious pills. He didn’t even have a job. We’d been divorced for two years, and I hadn’t heard from him in months.

Sophia smirked, clearly enjoying my confusion. “What you saw was just a disguise. As for the ‘affair’—that was one of Ethan’s subordinates. He was trying to protect you, to keep you from being frightened.”

Her claws emerged, sharp and deadly. “You’re a lucky girl, but your luck ends here.”

Pain exploded through my body as her claws tore into me. Darkness closed in, and my last thought was a desperate wish: If I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t have let Ethan go. I’d have fought for us.

……

When I opened my eyes again, the first thing I noticed was the smell of roasted turkey.

Sunlight streamed through the window, warming the room and easing the pain in my body.

“Elena, you’re awake,” a familiar voice said. “Are you okay? You’re not feeling well, so let’s not talk about divorce for the next couple of days.”

I blinked, my vision clearing to reveal Ethan standing in front of me.

He was wearing a plaid shirt, his sleeves rolled up to reveal muscular arms.

His face was scruffy, his beard unkempt, but his eyes…

His eyes were a deep, mesmerizing shade of amber-blue, like a mysterious spring.

They were so beautiful, so out of place on his otherwise ordinary face.

I stared at him, stunned. How had I never noticed how striking his eyes were?

“Divorce?” I mumbled, still disoriented. “But we’re already divorced.”

The room fell silent, the air growing heavy. Ethan’s expression darkened. “Elena,” he said, his voice cold, “do you really want to leave me that badly?”

Before I could respond, I heard a news report playing in the background. I couldn’t make out most of it, but one thing caught my attention—the date.

Five years ago.

I had gone back five years in time.

Five years ago, I was 25, just three years into my relationship with Ethan. This was the year when things between us had started to fall apart.

I stared at Ethan, then at my phone, my hands trembling as I scrolled through the messages. The phone was an older model, the kind I hadn’t used in years. My chat app was still open, and there, at the top of my messages, was a text from Sophia.

[Sophia: I’m sorry, but I feel like you should know this.]

[Sophia: You should really ask Ethan what kind of medication he’s taking.]

[Sophia: Also, he says he’s going to work every day, but I’ve never seen him at the office. Maybe… you should ask him about that too.]

Sophia’s profile picture showed her in a white dress, smiling softly, looking as innocent and harmless as a little rabbit.

But I knew better.

Memories of what had happened next flooded my mind, and a wave of anger surged through me.

If it hadn’t been for Sophia, Ethan and I would never have gotten divorced.

Maybe, in my past life, I hadn’t trusted Ethan enough. Maybe that had given Sophia the opening she needed to worm her way into our lives.

But not this time.

This time, I had been given a second chance. And I wasn’t going to waste it.

“This time,” I muttered under my breath, my eyes narrowing with determination, “I’m going to make things right. And Sophia… you’re going to pay for what you did.”