The Day Fate Gave Me a Second Chance

I knew that Julian didn't love me, but I never expected his coworkers to misunderstand me this deeply.

The cramps were so bad that I couldn't even make a sound. It felt like the blood was just rushing out of me uncontrollably. Everyone was gathered around Vera, and no one even bothered to check on me.

Just when I thought I was about to pass out from blood loss, I heard someone yell, "Whoa, look at all that blood! That is really bad. She's in serious trouble, isn't she?"

"Nah, she's just faking it. She wants Dr. Sutton to ditch his friend and help her. None of this would've happened if it wasn't for her. Just ask Dr. Sutton."

Finally, Julian drew closer. However, he wasn't coming to help me. He kicked at my head and snapped, "Had enough of the drama, Kate? I'm here now. You can drop the act.

"What's wrong with you? You grabbed the wheel yourself and ended up like this just to get me to feel sorry for you? I've told you a thousand times that Vera's my friend. That's it. Believe me or don't."

He still believed that I had caused the accident and that I was putting my kid's life at risk just for attention. The disappointment and pain hit so hard that I didn't even have the strength to explain.

I grabbed his foot as he was about to leave, desperate for him to see how badly I needed help. But he just paused briefly, scoffed, and lifted my maternity dress.

"That's a pretty convincing blood pack you've got there. If Vera hadn't told me about how you had planned this, I might've actually bought it."

With that, he turned and walked off without giving me another look.

I could hear people whispering all around me.

"This doesn't seem right. Blood packs aren't usually that color."

"Could the baby really be in danger?"

"Don't bother. Ms. Levine said that Kate got those blood packs from the hospital supply, so they look really convincing. Let her keep playing her little game. She'll probably end up killing her baby sooner or later."

Someone got fed up and kicked me. The force sent me rolling over. My face hit the ground hard, and I finally passed out.

In my dream, I was transported back to the day I first met Julian. He was an amazing ER doctor who came to my college to give a talk on first aid. His tall, good-looking frame had all the young women—myself included—totally hooked.

I fell for him the second I saw him and did whatever I could to get his contact information. Back then, I was just a student who was way too naive compared to him.

He turned everyone else down but added me as a friend. He told me that I reminded him of one of his friends because we both had that same innocent vibe.

I had no clue about Julian's complicated history with Vera. I naively thought I was different. I went after him without thinking, chasing after whatever little attention he gave me.

He never said that he wanted to be with me but never shut me down, either. I took that as his approval and kept falling harder for him.

He finally said yes after I confessed my feelings to him a hundred times. I could never forget how happy I was that day. I never thought it would be the start of my nightmare.

Once we were together, he started growing distant. He'd always find a reason not to sleep with me, saying that it was "for my own good" and that we should wait until we were married.

I loved him, so I bought into his lies. After I graduated, I got an email from Vera the night before our wedding. That was when I found out the truth.

Julian avoided touching me because I reminded him of her. Yet, that was also why he was drawn to me.

In her email, Vera said that she and Julian had been in love for ten years. Their families came from entirely different worlds, which kept them apart.

So, they decided to stay friends, and he picked me to be her stand-in. I was really crushed to read through all the memories they'd shared over those ten years.

On our wedding night, Julian got drunk and actually slept with me for the first time. But during our intimate act, he called out Vera's name. Nevertheless, I swallowed my pride and went along with it.

Even after Vera passed, Julian remained composed. I thought that he might have finally moved on and I had actually won his heart.

It wasn't until he took my life that I realized the truth. I was just a stand-in for his love for Vera.