Chapter 5

Aria’s POV

How I’m I alive? It’s not possible. I begin to question myself. There’s no way I would survive from that moment or experience. This must be some kind of dream my mind created to cope with that experience.

I look down at my body and surprisingly enough, my parts are complete. So what happened?

The door is sent open again and this time, Caleb is walking alongside the doctor as they rush to my front.

“She’s finally awake doctor and she looks perfectly fine.” He says excitedly and I’m worried. Isn’t this the man who wanted to end my life before with my stand-in sister, Susan?

The doctor approaches me and slowly touches my forehead. His palm was calm and gentle. I close my eyes.

“Please, Inhale and exhale, Mrs, Flynn.” He mentions Caleb’s surname. That means I’m still married to Caleb.

I did what he asked me to do. I inhale and exhale. His stethoscope was on my chest. He smiles.

“Looking perfect.” He looks me in the eyes and back at Caleb who is biting his finger nervously.

“What about the baby?” Caleb asks the doctor in a rush and my heart skips. Yes! My baby. What about it? Why did he care now when he caused the death of both of us?

“Get me the scan.” The doctor ordered the nurse who stood behind wearing a white scrub. She nods adequately before exiting the room. “Mrs. Flynn, can you speak?” The doctor returned his eyes to me and I looked between him and Caleb who was staring at me anxiously.

“I can speak, Doctor.” I pause, my hand covering my mouth. My voice sounds different. My forehead frowns, trying to understand what’s going on here.

“Is something wrong, Mrs. Flynn?” The doctor asks me and I look up at him, confused.

“What year is this?” I ask and the doctor looks back at Caleb confused.

“Aria, darling, what do you mean by that?” He stuttered in between. “Get me a mirror,” I ordered him and the doctor just nodded at him to do what I asked.

He went out and returned with a mirror. I collect it from his hand in a rush. Looking at my reflection, I’m DIFFERENT!

Not only is my voice sweeter than the previous one, but I also look prettier. My lashes were thick and long, my hair blonde and curly. My lips were shaped perfectly as they fit on my v-shaped jaw and chubby cheeks.

I look back at Caleb with a smile.

“Caleb, is this me?” He nods at me confused and looking at me indifferently.

I kept touching my face and admiring the texture of my skin. Felt like glass. What am I? A model?

As I was still looking at my reflection, the door of the room opened again and the nurse pushed a monitor along to the side of my bed and nodded her head at the doctor.

“Shall we begin then, Mrs. Flynn? Please relax your back on the bed. I want to check if the baby is alright.”

I nod at him as I relax my back as he has ordered. My mind was still in a daze and not believe my very eyes. This can’t be true. I’m alive, I’m reborn with a new and perfect look not only that the sound that comes after. My baby's heartbeat.

“Wow, surprisingly your child is perfectly okay. It’s healthy.” He interrupted and Caleb jumped in excitement as he took my hand into his.

“Our child is perfectly fine. Did you hear the doctor?” I just force a smile on my lips.

Even though I had been reborn, was Caleb a different person from his previous self? From my previous life? Everything seems unreal.

“Why? Aren’t you happy?” He asks me but I don’t know what to reply with. I open my mouth as the room feels silent, waiting for my reply but nothing comes out. I don’t know how to form words.

“I-I” I stuttered, their eyes boring into me like an alien, “I’m happy. Everything is just too much for me. I had thought I would die and not wake up again, b-but-.”

The doctor cuts me off.

“It’s understandable, Mrs. Flynn.” He returns the stethoscope over his shoulders. “Everything is like a shock to you. When Caleb here brought you in, we thought we had lost you for good. Thankfully your life and well.”

“What happened to me? Why did I lose consciousness?”

“You don’t remember?” Caleb comes to my front his blue eyes staring into mine. “Susan rushed you to us. She said you mistakenly fell when you guys were on your normal morning stroll. I had warned you several times to stay at home and leave the exercise for another time. Maybe after the baby you can resume.”

“Susan…”I mouth with hate and disgust.

“Yes, your sister.” I look at him, my heart with hate and sadness that she was still alive and allowed to roam freely.

Now that I’m alive, I’d make it my mission to punish her for all the wrongs she has done to me. Even if it’s the last thing I do. For now, I had to be more careful because of my unborn child.

“When would I be discharged?” I asked the doctor and he raised my chat and started to stare intently.

“After a day of monitoring, we’d let you leave tomorrow.” He replies bringing his hands down and looking right at the nurse in the room. “We would take our leave now.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” Caleb appreciates and follows the doctor out of the room. “I’d be right back.” He smiled at me and I forced a smile back at him.

I had to play cool with all that was going on. I wasn’t going to let anyone know about what happened and how I was reborn again.

I notice a cell phone on the bedside table. It must be mine. I raise it and turn the screen. As it lightened, I noticed a picture I and Caleb took together at the beach.

I shake the feeling of excitement from my face and then, I try to unlock the phone and see if I have any text or message or anything that can better inform me of how I’m living my life.

4564

I type a random pin but I don’t unlock. What pin did I use to lock my phone? I wondered.

1999 the day I was born. Still nothing. What the fuck did I use as my phone pin?

2023? I wondered before putting in the pin and then it opened. I sighed heartily. It turns out I used the year I got married. Last year.

I scroll through my past call history and chat. Anything to get me better informed. The only caller I made for the past two months was that of Caleb and an unknown user.

I frown. Who might this user be? I wondered before deciding to call. After a long ring, no answer.

I shrug my shoulders. Maybe I’d find out the user some other time. I turned on my data and immediately the connectivity showed, the screen pops up with millions of notifications all flooded in.

I grasp. From F******k, I*******m, and Twitter, I received bountiful messages, calls, tweets, tags, etc.

I read the first message from a fan on my I*******m.

“Love, are you alright? Heard the news. I hope you’re okay!”

Another read.

“I’m your biggest fan! I hope you receive all the love and care you deserve. Too bad you have to go on break.”

The comments kept coming and I started to read one after the other. It turns out I’m a celebrity. I look at the followers I had on I*******m.

“80 million followers!” I mouth in surprise, almost screaming at the top of my voice. My eyes widen in shock as I stare at the screen of my phone in disbelief.

“No way…” I shake my head, not believing my very eyes.

I rush to check my F******k.

“160 million followers” and back to Twitter, “100 million.”

It turned out I was very influential and I had millions of supporters and soon, maybe billions. Not only was I reborn pretty, but was I reborn with love, care, respect, and much happiness surrounded by me.

As I was still looking at the screen, the phone lightened up and the unknown caller which I had dialed previously was now calling me. I pause, staring at the screen for a while before I decide to pick up the call.

“Hello, Aria, is that you?” The female caller sounded concerned from the other end.

“Who is this?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

“It’s me, your assistant. Don’t tell me you didn’t save my number.” My face fell. I had an assistant? Oh yes! I remember her now. A memory of our encounter flash through my face. But I don’t remember her name.

“My assistant???” I call slowly, maybe giving her a hint that I don’t know her name and that she should mention it.

“Maria? Remember? Your assistant.” A silence followed after and I just chuckled awkwardly.

“Oh, Maria. Where are you for crying out loud!” I spoke and she replied with a scream.

“I’ve been calling you since I heard the news but you weren’t picking up your calls. Even your husband has refused me to see you. Are you okay?”

I smile halfway.

“Yes, I am.”

“Where are you now?”

“At that hospital.” I look around the room wondering why Caleb hasn’t returned yet.

“Still.” Maira sighed. “Where is your husband by the way? I want to give him an earful for allowing me to find out about your condition from social media.”

I chuckle slightly as I stand to my feet and walk to the door and find out where he is. I looked to my left and right but found him nowhere. Just the random patients walking past and nurses invested in their duty.

“Hold up,” I say to Maria over the phone. “Let me go get him.”

I walked along the corridor until I stopped in my tracks when I heard that familiar voice. I look into a room and see Caleb's back view as he is speaking to someone in the room. It must be the doctor since he had left the room earlier.

“What are you doing here?” I hear his voice whisper as he shouts at the person right in front of him. I could not see the person yet as I approached. “You’re not meant to be here after what you did to Aria.”

I stopped my legs refusing to take another step further as my eyes landed on Susan.

That bitch!