Chapter 1: A Second Chance

The large wooden door stood before me exactly as I remembered.

Pinned to its center was a white board with bold black letters.

"Penelope Hudson is forbidden from entering."

Below it, someone had scribbled another word in red paint.

"Witch."

The ugly handwriting made the guests whisper and laugh as they walked past.

Some even glanced at me with mocking smiles before entering the brightly lit mansion.

Yet instead of feeling humiliated, tears slowly rolled down my cheeks.

I wasn't crying because I had been insulted.

I was crying because I had been given another chance.

"I'm alive..." I whispered.

"I'm really alive again."

I raised a trembling hand and touched the rough wooden sign.

It felt real.

Everything around me felt real.

The cold evening breeze.

The distant music coming from inside the mansion.

The familiar scent of roses blooming in the McLaren estate.

I knew this day.

How could I ever forget it?

It was Emil McLaren's twenty-fifth birthday.

It was also the day my nightmare had truly begun in my previous life.

Back then, I had worn my favorite white dress and spent three days preparing his birthday present.

I believed that if I loved him enough, one day he would finally look at me the way I looked at him.

I had stood outside these same gates for nearly eight hours.

I waited like a fool, hoping someone would come outside and invite me in.

Instead, I caught a terrible fever after standing in the freezing wind.

When Emil's parents found me unconscious the next morning, they blamed him for going too far.

Out of guilt and pressure, they accelerated our engagement.

At the time, I thought fate had finally smiled upon me.

How foolish I had been.

Our marriage wasn't the beginning of happiness.

It was the beginning of hell.

I slowly closed my eyes.

The painful memories flooded back.

The cold villa where Emil never came home.

The endless empty dinners.

The lonely nights.

The countless divorce papers he refused to sign.

Every anniversary he deliberately forgot.

Every cruel word he threw at me.

"Sarah died because of you."

"You're the reason she's gone."

"I'll never forgive you."

Those words had haunted me for years.

He blamed me for the woman he loved.

He punished me every single day for a crime I had never committed.

Then one rainy afternoon, after years of emotional torment, I walked into the sea.

The icy waves swallowed me without hesitation.

I remembered believing everything would finally be over.

But death gave me one last cruel surprise.

My soul lingered above the ocean.

I watched the world continue without me.

Weeks later, I saw Sarah McLaren return to Bellamore.

Alive.

Healthy.

Beautiful.

She had never jumped off a cliff.

She had simply left the country to build her career.

She became a world-famous designer.

The media praised her talent.

People admired her elegance.

Then she reunited with Emil.

They embraced beneath flashing cameras.

Everyone called them a perfect couple.

No one remembered the woman who had died alone in the sea.

No one remembered me.

The realization shattered whatever remained of my soul.

I had sacrificed everything for a lie.

Then darkness consumed me.

When I opened my eyes again...

I was standing here.

Right outside these gates.

Back before everything went wrong.

"Miss Hudson?"

A security guard's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Please leave."

"Mr. McLaren doesn't want you here."

His words carried no sympathy.

Only indifference.

I looked at the two guards holding electric batons.

Just like before.

Only this time...

They no longer frightened me.

Emil's childhood friends stood nearby with folded arms.

One of them sighed impatiently.

"Penelope, stop embarrassing yourself."

"Emil personally ordered us not to let you inside."

"Just go home."

In my previous life, I had begged them.

I cried.

I apologized.

I even promised not to disturb Emil.

None of it mattered.

Today was different.

I looked at the familiar faces one by one.

Then I smiled.

"Alright."

Everyone froze.

"...What?"

"I said alright," I repeated calmly.

"I'm leaving."

The men exchanged confused glances.

"That's it?"

"You're not making a scene?"

I shook my head.

"No."

"Please wish Emil a happy birthday for me."

Without another word, I turned around.

My heels clicked softly against the stone pathway.

Behind me, complete silence filled the entrance.

None of them had expected me to leave so easily.

As I reached the main road, I heard hurried footsteps.

"Penelope!"

Someone grabbed my wrist.

I turned around.

It was Emily Carter, one of my closest friends.

"What happened?" she asked anxiously.

"Why aren't you going inside?"

"Didn't you spend days preparing his gift?"

She looked down at the beautifully wrapped present in my hands.

"And weren't you planning to confess your feelings again tonight?"

I stared at the gift.

Inside was a handmade photo album.

Every page contained memories of Emil and me growing up together.

It had taken me months to finish.

In my previous life, I had treasured it more than anything.

Now...

It meant nothing.

"Emily," I said softly.

"Would you mind throwing this away for me?"

"Throw it away?"

"Yes."

"I don't need it anymore."

Emily looked at me as though I had become a completely different person.

"Penelope... are you okay?"

I smiled gently.

"I've never been better."

For the first time in two lifetimes...

I wasn't chasing Emil McLaren.

I wasn't waiting for his approval.

I wasn't hoping he'd finally love me.

I was finally choosing myself.

As those thoughts settled in my heart, my phone vibrated.

A new email appeared on the screen.

"Wanoki Island Volunteer Program."

"Congratulations."

"Your application has been approved."

"Departure: Tomorrow morning."

I stared at the words for several seconds before smiling through my tears.

"This time..." I whispered.

"I'm leaving before you can destroy me."

Behind me, the mansion doors suddenly opened.

A familiar deep voice echoed across the courtyard.

"Where's Penelope?"

I stopped walking.

But this time...

I didn't turn around.