Chapter 3: Second Chance, Same Lie

I slowly opened my eyes. A beam of sunlight filtered through the window blinds, shining on my face.

The room smelled faintly of furniture polish and fresh cotton sheets. I blinked, squinting at the soft glow. My mind spun. “Is this… heaven?”

I jerked upright, expecting pain—but my body felt almost weightless, like I’d shed a heavy winter coat.

The ache in my bones was gone. For a moment, I thought maybe I’d dreamed the whole thing. But when I looked down, my hands were smooth again, my wedding ring glinting in the sunlight.

"Oh, thank goodness! You’re up. Let me help you get dressed—your mother-in-law’s already asking for you."

Looking at Faith in front of me, she seemed… much younger.

She had the same freckles dotting her nose, but the lines of care and worry that marked her face in my memory were absent now. Suddenly realizing something, I rushed to the vanity mirror.

Faith was startled.

I asked anxiously, “What year and month is it now?”

"Young Mrs., it’s April 1st, 2003. Is something wrong?"

April 1st. April Fools' Day. Was the universe playing some kind of joke on me? I was completely stunned.

This was the first year after I married Marcus Evans.

I recognized the pale blue wallpaper, the scent of honeysuckle drifting through the open window. My wedding photo still sat on the dresser, dust-free and new. And today was precisely the day the news of Marcus’s death arrived.

I finally realized: I had been given a second chance.

My hands trembled as I smoothed my skirt. I wasn't sure if I should laugh, cry, or fall to my knees in prayer. Before I could think further, a housekeeper from the front hall came to report that the eldest son’s boat had capsized at Lake Erie, and the body was now outside the house.

When I hurried to the front yard, I saw a body covered with a white sheet, quietly laid out on the lawn.

The grass was wet with dew, and the neighbors' dog barked from across the street. I slowed my steps and approached, my mind racing.

The words my mother-in-law said before I died in my previous life still echoed in my ears.

If what she said was true, then this body could not be Marcus Evans.

“Ma’am, young Mrs., the eldest son’s boat capsized on the way back. There was a sudden storm that day. I know a little swimming, so I barely escaped with my life.”

That housekeeper began to sob as he wiped his sleeve: “But when I went to find someone to rescue the young master, his body had already been eaten beyond recognition by fish.”

His voice cracked as he spoke, hands trembling. I remembered, in my previous life, how quickly people accepted this story, how no one questioned its convenience.

“My son…”

My mother-in-law suddenly wailed and threw herself to the ground in tears.

Neighbors gathered at the end of the driveway, whispering behind cupped hands. I caught Mrs. Bartlett from next door shaking her head, her eyes wide with morbid curiosity. In my previous life, upon hearing this dreadful news, I fainted immediately.

I had never even doubted such a clumsy excuse.

Thinking of this, I turned to look at my mother-in-law and found that although she howled pitifully, there were no tears on her face.

It was a performance, like something out of a high school play—loud, dramatic, but nobody’s buying it.

I suddenly stepped forward and lifted the sheet, only to see a face beyond recognition.

The stench hit me first—a sharp, ammonia tang that made my eyes water and my knees nearly buckle. The only thing familiar was Marcus's class ring on a swollen, unrecognizable hand.

Faith hurriedly pulled me away. “Young Mrs., please try to hold it together…”

She gripped my elbow tightly, voice soft but urgent. Before I could speak, someone suddenly rushed over from the side.

It was Marcus’s younger brother, Derek Evans.

Derek’s sneakers skidded on the gravel as he came running, panic etched across his face. I saw Derek throw himself before the body, eyes full of disbelief.

When he looked up again, his eyes were already red: “Mom, Natalie, is this really my brother? Didn’t he go to Savannah to visit friends? How could… how could…”

His voice broke, and I saw the confusion and heartbreak twist his features. His expression and words didn’t seem fake. It appeared he truly didn’t know about Marcus’s faked death.