The sensation of floating suddenly ended with a single deep breath. My lungs felt as though they were exploding as cold air was forcibly drawn into my chest. I jolted awake, sitting bolt upright with ragged breaths and cold sweat dampening my forehead.
My heart pounded wildly, seized by fear. Reflexively, my trembling hands flew to my neck and chest. I anxiously felt my own skin, searching for the marks left by Leo's rough fingers or the pain from the brutal impact of my body hitting the bottom of the cliff.
But there was nothing. No crippling pain. No scratches from sharp rocks. Even the night wind that had pierced my bones was gone, replaced by the incredibly comfortable warmth of a room.
I furrowed my brow, trying to gather my senses. My eyes swept around the room in confusion.
I wasn't lying on muddy ground at the bottom of a cliff. Instead, I was on an enormous bed with a soft mattress and sheets that felt incredibly smooth against my skin.
The smell of cooking spices that usually clung to my clothes had vanished completely, replaced by the delicate scent of floral perfume that stung my nose.
The room I was in was incredibly spacious, enclosed by tall glass walls, with a modern minimalist interior that radiated luxury.
"Where... am I? How did I get here?" My voice came out softly.
I froze. The voice sounded completely unfamiliar. It wasn't my voice. This voice was clearer and firmer, with a slightly cold intonation.
An overwhelming sense of panic began creeping through my entire body. With weak, trembling legs, I forced myself out of bed. A thick fur rug greeted my feet as I staggered forward, gripping the wall to keep my nearly collapsing body upright.
I walked toward the large glass panel in the corner of the room. I lifted my face and stared straight at the mirror, and in that instant, my breath seemed to stop altogether.
The figure standing in the mirror wasn't Stella.
"Whose face is this?"
The dull face, puffy eyes full of exhaustion, and limp hair I saw every morning were gone. The reflection in the mirror showed the face of an extraordinarily beautiful young woman. Her brows were sharply arched, her round eyes held elegant light-brown irises, and her naturally full lips were coated with a thin layer of balm. A cream-colored silk nightgown draped perfectly over her tall, slender body.
"This... this can't be..." I whispered as I raised my hand. The figure in the mirror made the exact same movement. My fingers, now slender and well-manicured, touched that smooth cheek.
The pain felt real when I pressed my cheek a little too hard. This wasn't a dream. This wasn't hell or the afterlife.
"THIS CAN'T BE?!"
I spun around, sweeping my gaze across the unfamiliar room. My steps stopped in front of a vanity. An open black leather bag lay on top of it, revealing a cardholder inside.
With trembling hands, I pulled out the cardholder and took out an ID card. My eyes widened as I stared at the passport photo and the rows of writing on the thick plastic card.
Name: Aster White.
The name felt... incredibly familiar. I knew it all too well. And it sounded so pleasant to my ears.
Aster? This was Aster's body. The woman who had destroyed my marriage. The woman Leo praised as perfect, the woman who had everything. The woman who was the reason Leo pushed me off the cliff to my death!
"Why... why do I have to be inside this woman's body?!" I screamed in frustration, gripping the edge of the vanity tightly.
My chest heaved as I fought the rage and the fate that was toying with me. My soul—the soul of Stella, who had just been brutally murdered—was now trapped inside the body of the woman I hated most.
Amid the chaos raging inside me, my eyes caught sight of a smartphone lying beside the nightstand. I hurriedly snatched it up. My frantic thoughts urged me to immediately search for news of Stella's body being found at the bottom of the cliff, or at the very least contact the police to report Leo's crime.
My fingers moved frantically. The phone screen lit up. But before I could open the news app, my eyes locked onto the row of numbers and letters in the corner of the home screen.
A date and year indicator.
Friday, May 14, 2021.
Thump! My entire body froze. The phone nearly slipped from my hand and plunged to the floor.
"The year... two thousand twenty-one?" My voice trembled violently.
I checked the calendar on the phone again and again, swiping across the screen in disbelief. The date didn't change.
Was this a dream? Was I imagining things?
I hadn't just moved into the body of that cheap woman... I'd also been thrown into the past? Five years into the past?