Laura’s Victory Second Chance

8% 44%2

“Laura Sharpe, you’re out of control! How could you hit on your sister’s fiancé at her own party? Get lost! You’re no Sharpe anymore, Laura’s mom snapped, her voice sharp as a whip.

“You’re just a burden! I should have never taken you in. I can’t believe how evil you are,” Laura’s dad added, his anger echoing through the room.

Laura had always tried to be the perfect daughter, but the moment the Sharpes found their real daughter, she was cast aside. It felt like every breath she took was a mistake.

“Mom, Dad, it wasn’t me! I swear!” Laura’s voice cracked as she pleaded, her heart breaking. “Robert Brown is my fiancé. You know that! How can you not see the truth?”

It felt like everything Olivia did was right, while Laura was wrong no matter what. It was Olivia who had stolen. Laura’s fiancé, who had plotted against her, drugged her, and set up this whole mess. But no one was on Laura’s side.

“Mom, Dad, don’t blame Laura. It’s my fault. She wouldn’t have acted this way if it weren’t for me,” Olivia said, her voice dripping with fake concern. “Laura, I know you care about Robby, and I promise I won’t stand in your way. I’ll call off the engagement and leave the family. You and Robby can be happy.”

“Liv, you’re too good for this. How can you just walk away because of her?” Robert said, his voice pained.

The whispers around Laura grew louder. “Laura’s already ruined, and she still goes after her sister’s man?” “Her face is a mess from trying to seduce some director. Now she’s after her sister’s fiancé?”

“Laura was just jealous of Olivia.”

“Poor Olivia, having to deal with such a sister.”

The accusations were a tidal wave, pulling Laura under. The looks she got were full of disgust, as if she was the s**m of the earth.

Laura felt the cold indifference of the world pressing down on her. She couldn’t take it. In a sudden move, she dove into the ocean.

The freezing water closed around her, pulling her down. She fought, but it was futile. Her lungs burned with each desperate breath, as if on fire.

“Is this it? My life’s been a joke. It’s so unfair… Laura thought, her mind foggy. She thought she heard a voice, fierce and wild, echoing in her ears. “If she’s going down, you all go with her!

As the water filled her mouth, dragging her deeper, just before everything went black, Laura saw a face in the water, a face she never expected to see…

“Ms. Sharpe? You awake now?” The voice echoed through Laura’s foggy mind. She blinked, her surroundings a blur of Victorian elegance. She was in a bedroom that whispered wealth and taste.

20.29 Sat, Sep 21

944%

“Where am I?” she muttered, her mind racing. She remembered the cold sea, the desperate plunge. “Did someone pull me out?”

She glanced down at her dress, a red that mirrored the one she’d worn when she was eighteen. A chill ran through her. Is this one of Olivia’s tricks?’ she wondered.

As she stared into the mirror, her reflection was a shock. Her face was unmarked, smooth as a teenager’s. She looked years younger.

A wild thought took hold. ‘Could I have… gone back in time? Tears welled in her eyes. She was alive.

“Ms. Sharpe, now that you’re with us. I’ll’arrange for the car to take you home,” a voice interrupted her thoughts. Laura turned to see Cedric August, his face a mix of familiarity and distance.

She understood where she was. “I need to see him,” Laura said, her voice firm despite the tremble in her hands.

Cedric’s brows furrowed. “Did you hit your head? You just turned him down. Why would he-

“Cedric,” she cut him off, her gaze steady. “I need to talk to him. In person.”

A smirk played on Cedric’s lips, a hint of the earlier rejection still stinging. “You might be getting ahead of yourself. Without the family engagement, do you really think he’d give you the time of day? I’m afraid you’ve missed your chance. The door’s that way. Goodbye.”

Ignoring the dismissal, Laura knew she was still in his mansion, and time was on her side. She sprinted in the opposite direction, her heart pounding. There was someone she had to find, words she had to speak.

She burst through an iron gate, the garden a burst of color against the white walls. Roses in shades of red, pink, and white climbed the villa, a fairytale come to life. And at the heart of it all, a man who was meant to change her world.

As she walked, she reached a dark corridor. At the end sat a man in a wheelchair, his short hair and the black veil over his eyes adding an air of mystery. Laura knew that look would steal anyone’s breath.

She shivered, realizing her safe arrival was thanks to his unspoken command. Any other intruder would have faced a fate far worse.

He didn’t move, his focus on a rose in his hand. It was as fragile as the girl before him, ready to crumble at a touch. His voice was a cold whisper. “You’re going the wrong way.”

Laura didn’t budge. Instead, she stepped closer, her gaze locked on his. His skin was pale, the sunlight doing little to warm the chill that seemed to emanate from him.

She crouched down, her hand trembling as it reached for the veil. The memory of her past rejection weighed on her, her fingers hovering, emotions swirling.

“Easton Ryan,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper, “I want to marry you.”

Sat, Sep