A SECOND CHANCE IN LOVE

CHAPTER 3

The instant Kiran left, Vanessa collapsed on the floor.

Her whole body was trembling, and she was sweating all over. The lamp she was holding fell on the floor with a soft thud. Then she suddenly realized that she was staring at the messy bed where she found herself a few minutes before lying together with her ex-husband.

She was incredibly confused. Since the beginning of their marriage, she could easily count on one hand the number of times Kiran had shared her bed.

A few of those times, he was drunk, and Vanessa had no idea if he was looking at her or the drunken illusion of his true love, Riana.

But the man she'd been with earlier was completely sober.

Maybe he felt guilty about what Riana had done to their baby?

Vanessa could feel that her womb was empty, and all at once, tears fell like raindrops on her cheeks. Her baby was gone—all because Riana couldn't tolerate that she got pregnant first who could have been Kiran's legitimate heir.

But she knew that what had happened was partly her fault too. If she hadn't been so trusting and foolish, perhaps she could have given birth to a baby that would give her the love she lacked in her life.

As she was putting the lamp back on the bedside table, she caught sight of her reflection on the dressing table.

All at once, extreme shock made her mouth drop open in surprise.

It was because the young woman in the mirror was astonishingly beautiful.

Her hair looked silky and smooth, tumbling in loose waves across her shoulders. Her skin was clear and fair. Her lips were full and shaped like a Cupid's bow, and at that moment, it was parted enticingly in surprise.

And Vanessa immediately realized with a start that she recognized the young woman in the mirror. She was the younger version of herself.

She slowly reached up and touched her cheeks, but the roughness that she was getting used to feeling was not there. There were no calluses on her hands because of hard work, and the dark shadows underneath her eyes because of too many sleepless nights had also vanished.

Vanessa was stunned.

"What was going on?"

She silently contemplated.

Am I dreaming? She pinched her cheeks to make sure but she immediately hissed from the pain. "Ouch! Huh? I still looked young.What was the meaning of this?? Did I go back in the past?? But how could that be possible?!"

Vanessa is still full of doubt. But as she looked around her she realized that the place she's in is different than what she's been using now. She recognized the apartment she had woken up in. It was the apartment she had rented when she and Kiran had just gotten engaged in her past life.

Although he was always busy with work, Vanessa clearly remembered that she had begged him countless times to stay with her every night. What happened earlier was probably also because of her extreme reluctance to let him go.

Vanessa watched as the eyes of the woman in the mirror slowly turned cold.

Now that she was given a chance to relive her life, she would not make the same mistake again...

..........

The next day, the impatient knock on the door woke Vanessa up.

She found herself lying on the bed she had owned when she was still twenty-two. She's very happy because she had a good night's sleep. Ever since she married Kiran, she always went to sleep late because she always helped him with his work, or sometimes when she was plagued with endless nightmares.

So she opened the door with a bright smile, which instantly dissolved once she saw who was knocking on the door so early in the morning. It was none other than Kiran Lauder.

Lauder frowned. He found that this woman had been behaving oddly since last night. Usually, she would open the door with a frown, but once she saw that it was him, it would quickly blossom into a smile.

So why does it seem the opposite now? Perhaps...she was expecting someone else? How irksome. Does this woman have any shame?

Vanessa felt her waist being grabbed, but before she could protest, the words died in her mouth when Kiran suddenly kissed her.

She jerked her head away, but the arm around her waist tightened its hold on her.

A hand grabbed her chin to keep her steady, so Vanessa was helpless as Kiran ravaged her lips roughly...his tongue tangled with hers, and the resolve she had made last night began to crumble.

Vanessa was nearly out of breath when Kiran finally pulled away. She looked at him with wide eyes. A second later, she began to feel uncomfortable, when she felt something warm and hard began to press against her stomach.

Kiran pushed her away.

"Go inside and change," he said, his voice cold. "We're leaving in five minutes. Don't be late again."

Immediately after saying that, he walked away without looking back.

Vanessa flinched. She felt like he had slapped her.

So he had only kissed her to punish her. After being treated as a slave in her previous lifetime, had she still not learned her lesson?

Vanessa bitterly laughed, hating herself for being so weak.

If she couldn't fight for herself in this lifetime, then what was the use of coming back in time?

...

After she got into his car, they immediately drove off. As sceneries passed her by, Vanessa realized that the route was starting to look familiar.

So she looked at Kiran.

"Are we going to the airport?"

He didn't even look at her. "Yes."

Vanessa remembered in a flash what had happened in her previous life when Kiran decided to bring her with him to the airport.

He had told her in terse words that the woman he was going to pick up was his childhood friend, and that she should better be nice to her because they were close to each other.

The Vaness of that lifetime had felt excited that her fiancé was finally introducing his friends to her, so when they went to the airport, Kiran's precious 'childhood friend' instantly became Vanessa's best friend.

She was even happy that the young woman from abroad seemed so nice, always looking out for her...however, the Vanessa of that previous lifetime did not notice the flash of intense jealousy on the girl's face when she realized that Vanessa was Kiran's fiancée.

Because of that, she had been completely vulnerable to the girl's devious tricks and plans...

As they arrived at the airport, Vanessa's eyes turned cold as her lips slowly curved into a sneer.

Riana, let's see who wins this time around!

............