Rebirth for Revenge

AVA’S POV

I felt like I was drifting in the water, the waves making me sway in a sea of air. Then, a striking pain in my head.

I slowly opened my eyes and first, it was all blurry, then I met a pair of icy blue eyes gazing back at me, cold as the North Pole. He cleared his throat.

“Is that a joke?” He asked me and his husky voice was like a stab. I didn’t answer, I was frozen! He squinted and I could feel he was definitely not happy. “Ok, let’s get it done.” He said and started to unbutton his shirt.

What the hell? Who was that man? Where was Stefan?

“AAAAH!” I started to scream and I saw the man widen his eyes at me, as if I were nuts. I shoved him away from me and next thing I had my back glued to the headboard of the bed.

“Have you gone mad?” He asked me and I saw his jaw clenching. To my relief, he turned around and stormed out.

I could feel my body trembling and when I took a better look around me, I had no idea where I was. It was very luxurious, there was no doubt it was a rich place. All I know is that I was marrying the man of my dreams, Stefan Scheider and at the wedding party I… I felt ill. That was all.

A memory of a scented bath came to my mind, but I had no idea why. Was that a dream? Have I fainted during the party and now I was dreaming?

I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate. I had to wake up! For God’s sake, I just got married! It was my wedding night, the one I have been dreaming about for so long. I refused to miss it!

When I opened my eyes, nothing had changed and I looked at my side, where a phone was on a nightstand. It was a weird feeling, because it was like I knew that phone, but that was not mine at all. Well, since it was a dream… Everything was mine, right?

I touched the digital reader of the device and the screen lit up. Ok… no picture in the background. I went to the agenda and saw my name there. I mean, where it should be my name. But it was written… Evelyn. No, my name was Ava. Ava Schneider, now.

I had a flash in my head. A wedding ceremony, but I knew no one, except… the man who was inside the room just minutes before! Was he the groom? What? How was that possible…?

Another flash. Stefan and I… we were drinking champagne and I felt dizzy and blacked out.

Shit! Wait… I had a phone and after looking at it, I could see there was internet connection! I searched for my name and, to my astonishment, it said… I WAS DEAD?

No, no, no! I scrolled the news down and yes! It said there I died forty night days before. And... What? A picture of Stefan and Emilia, holding hands. The news said ‘A NEW COUPLE?’.

I was dead, my husband was going out with my best friend? What kind of crazy nightmare was that?

Again, I decided to use the internet, this time, to look into the social media on that phone. A woman with chestnut hair and amber eyes looked back at me from the profile picture. Was that me? I raised my hand and touched my hair, taking a strand of it and looking down. Yeah, dark hair. But I was naturally blonde!

I got up from the bed and the dizziness got me, but it passed. I went to the bathroom and looked at the mirror. I was the woman in the picture? That was just… I died and got back into someone else’s body. It meant that person died as well? If I had not seen the news about my death, I would think we might have switched bodies, like those TV shows I loved to watch.

Evelyn… Evelyn Crane. My social media said I was engaged to Theodore Crawford. I clicked on the name and there he was, the scary, but very handsome man from before. Oh, my… I loved Stefan, but that one was the hottest guy I had ever laid my eyes on. I didn’t know people like him existed! Like, in real life.

Small flashes kept coming in my head. How weird… Theodore and I were together on many occasions, but we were never really close to each other. He was cold and distant. What kind of relationship did we have? I mean, Evelyn and him.

I looked at the time and it was almost morning. I went to bed and let myself hold the pillow, which had a very nice smell on it. Hmmm… At least that!

I fell asleep at some point, because when I opened my eyes, the room was all bright and I could take a better look. Yeah, it was a very nice place. Theodore, for what I could see on the internet, was a CEO. He must have money. I, or better, Ava, was also a CEO. Maybe we could talk about it. I was not Ava anymore, but Evelyn. Eve.

I went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, took a nice shower and decided to take a look at the drawers. Before I had an elegant, long but sexy nightgown. Nice taste. I wondered who chose it: Evelyn or Theodore himself?

I found feminine clothes and by the size of them, they belong to Evelyn. A pair of jeans and a simple t-shirt. Found socks, sneakers… great! I opened the door and peeked at the hallway. Empty. Man, wow! I mean, I was not poor, but that place? Or Theodore was really rich or just too snobbish.

I followed the corridor and found the stairs. Everything was really beautiful.

“Hello, ma’am!” A mid-aged woman said to me with a nice smile.

“Hi!” I answered.

“Please, Mr. Crawford is already waiting for breakfast.”

Oh, yeah, Mr. Crawford was Theodore, who happened to be my husband. I kept repeating his name in my head so as not to forget. And when we passed through an arch, I saw a long table and by the end of it, him.

He was even more handsome than in the pictures, and first, he was neutral, then, astonished and finally, cold. Did he hate me, by any chance? How odd… and we got married.

“Morning!” I said, trying to be very polite.

The jerk didn’t even answer! He got back to his phone and to his food. How rude! But then, I screamed at him last night, during our wedding night. I couldn’t blame him for being pissed with me, right?

I sat on his right side and I saw his eyes moving at me, but not raising them to look at me.

The food was served and I started to eat. I did my part, I greeted him, now if he could not do the same, I was not going to keep talking. I was not in my territory, had not all the facts, so I was vulnerable. I could not just snap at him.

“I’ll be back by noon.” He said and got up, closing the buttons of his tailored suit. I didn’t answer. Two could play that game. “Did you hear me?”

I calmly raised my eyes at him.

“Oh, you’re talking to me, now.”

He took a deep breath and pursed his lips, as if containing himself not to give me a bad answer. I could see it in his eyes. I didn’t know what kind of woman Evelyn was, but I was not one to easily accept to be treated without respect!

As he said nothing, I got back to eating.

“Evelyn!” He yelled and I didn’t answer. I heard his deep breath. “Good morning.”

“Ah!” I said and looked at him. “Ok, see you by noon, then. Have a nice day.” And I smiled.

He gave me a weird look, but said nothing, just turned around and left.

It was not long after Theodore left that I finished eating, but I heard high heels footsteps and voices echoing through the corridor. An old woman with blazing blue eyes and another woman, a bit younger than the first one, following the first.

“Evelyn!” The older woman said and a name appeared in my head, Iris, said to me and then turned to the other one, Riley. “I told you that boy didn't go to the honeymoon we planned!”

Oh, so it was, indeed, an arranged marriage!

Now, there were two things I had to find out: how I died and who killed me. Both Ava and Evelyn.