Reborn from heartbreak; Soraya's story.

SORAYA

I sat on my old bed, staring at my hands. They were young again, smooth, without the wedding ring that had meant everything and nothing at all. My fists clenched as Marissa's words echoed in my head.

"Your perfect life was built on my misery."

"I'm taking what should have been mine all along."

And Reid – God, Reid's voice when he talked about having me committed, about accidents happening in those places. So casual.

My chest felt tight, but not with grief this time. With burning rage.

"I'm so fucking lucky," I whispered to myself.

Most people don't get second chances. But here I was, twenty-one again, with the knowledge of exactly who my enemies were.

I looked around my childhood room, really seeing it for the first time since I'd woken up. The calendar on my wall showed the date – three months after Dad's funeral.

I'd spent almost ten years drowning in grief and depression.

Not this time.

I was about to get up when I heard voices outside my door. Low, quiet voices.

"She's been sleeping all day again," a woman said. Nurse Patricia, I realized.

"Good," came a man's reply. Dr. Chen, the private physician Marissa had insisted I needed. "The medication is working then."

My blood went cold.

"Miss Marissa will be pleased. She was worried about Soraya getting too... energetic."

"The medication should keep her manageable," Dr. Chen said quietly. "Just like we discussed."

"Oh My God," I said, everything clicked into place.

No wonder why I felt so foggy all the time, why I couldn't concentrate. I'd thought it was grief, depression.

But they'd been drugging me.

And I'd let them, because I'd trusted them. Because Marissa had recommended them, and Marissa was family.

The conversation outside my door continued, but I'd heard enough.

I stood up, my legs shaking – not from whatever they'd been giving me, but from the anger I felt.

I walked to my closet and threw on the first clothes I could find. Jeans, a sweater, boots. Then I yanked open my bedroom door.

They were standing right outside, Patricia in her crisp white uniform and Dr. Chen with his leather medical bag. They jumped apart like teenagers caught making out.

"Oh!" Patricia gasped, pressing a hand to her chest. "Soraya, you startled us. You should be resting."

"Should I?" I asked calmly.

Dr. Chen cleared his throat. "You need your medication, Miss. You missed your afternoon dose."

"Did I?" I stepped closer to them. "And what exactly is in that medication, Doctor?"

"Just something to help with your... grief," he said, not meeting my eyes.

"My grief." I smiled, but it wasn't pleasant. "How thoughtful of you both to be so concerned about my wellbeing."

They looked at each other, something passing between them.

"Perhaps we should call Miss Marissa," Patricia suggested carefully.

"You do that," I said. "But first, you're both fired."

"You can't fire us," Dr. Chen said quickly. "Miss Marissa hired us to-"

"This is my house. My father's house." My voice was ice cold now. "And you're no longer welcome here."

"Soraya, please," Patricia said. "You're not thinking clearly. The medication-"

"The medication that was supposed to keep me manageable?" I asked sweetly. "Yes, I heard that part."

Their faces went white.

"I think there's been a misunderstanding," Dr. Chen stammered.

"I don't think so." I pointed toward the stairs. "Out. Now."

They didn't move fast enough for my liking.

"I said get out!" I screamed.

That got them moving. They scrambled for the stairs like their lives depended on it.

"Miss Marissa will hear about this!" Dr. Chen called back.

"I'm counting on it," I said sweetly.

I watched them rush down the stairs, grabbing their bags and coats. The front door slammed behind them.

The silence that followed was beautiful.

I leaned against the wall, pieces clicking into place. If they'd been drugging me for months, keeping me weak and confused... What about Dad? He'd been on medication too, in those final weeks. Heart medication, they'd said.

My hands started shaking as the implications hit me. The timing was too convenient. Dad dies, leaving me everything. Then suddenly I need a nurse, a doctor, medication to help me cope.

But I couldn't think about that now. I needed to be smart about this. I'd shown my hand a little with Patricia and Chen, but not enough for them to know I remembered everything from my previous life.

I grabbed my purse and keys from the dresser. There was somewhere I needed to be.

I hadn't been outside since Dad's funeral. But as I opened the front door, the fresh air hit my face like a blessing.

I checked my phone. Three-fifteen. The audition was at four.

In my previous life, I would have been curled up in bed right now, too weak from whatever they'd been giving me to even remember what day it was. While Marissa stole my future.

Not this time.

I got in my car, and as I backed out of the driveway, I thought about everything I now knew. The drugs, the lies, the manipulation. They'd literally turned me into a prisoner in my own home, used my grief against me, made my own mind a cage.

But they'd made one crucial mistake. They'd underestimated me.

I pressed harder on the gas pedal.

"Let the games begin," I whispered.

As the audition building came into view, I smiled. A real smile this time.

I was done being their victim.

This time, I was going to destroy them first.