2-Damian's Poker Face

"Maya, Maya?"

After God knows how long, Maya drowned in the absolute void when suddenly a faint voice rose, calling her name.

The darkness surrounding her faded away, and now Maya heard sounds, felt warmth, and saw–

Light. Light came knocking on her eyelids.

She opened her eyes, and before she could focus them, she saw a nebulous face came dangerously close. She flinched, only to gasp in utter fear when she recognized that face–

It was Jason!

“Are you okay?” Jason leaned in, his blue eyes getting closer and closer, taking air out of Maya’s lungs. His right hand reached behind her, seemingly to hug her.

Maya couldn’t read the care in those blue eyes, when all she could see in her mind was the coldness in them when she was dying on the floor. The desperation of death gripped her throat and then washed her through. Fear, anger, detestation. Her body couldn’t seem to handle all the emotions rampaging inside her so they all rushed up to the back of her tongue.

She stopped her gagging with a hard swallow as she backed several steps in panic, trying to put distance from that upsetting face, only to bump into the person behind her.

But at least, Jason didn’t get to hug her for that. Maya thought. It was worth it.

The man she bumped into steadied her body with a hand under her elbow, right before Jason grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him again. This time Maya saw the genuine care in Jason’s eyes, very much different from the cold ones she saw right before her death.

What was wrong with Jason?

Actually! What was wrong with her?!

Shock gripped Maya’s throat. She died! She fell down the staircase and died! The piercing pain in her chest was still so vivid that Maya felt her breathes hurt even though she couldn’t find the wound on her chest anymore.

What happened?!

Her mind was a total mess now. The only thing her twirling brain could process was her hatred toward Jason.

All his guile, his malevolence, her resentment, her rancor… Death was supposed to have taken them away, but they all came back to her the moment she saw Jason’s face again!

Feeling her hatred and anger would break loose if she sees that face for one more second, Maya chose to distract herself and turned with gratitude to the man who helped her.

“No problem,” The man said, and only then did Maya notice – it was Damian!

Damian? Maya blinked in utter confusion.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart? Tired?” Jason pulled her back, again, ignoring her little interaction with Damian.

Couldn’t face Jason, Maya grabbed her own temple and temporized with a faint voice: “Maybe…I'm fine, don’t worry…”

It was then did the buzzing sound around her became clear, and her eyes fell on herself –

She was in a wedding dress! The three-layer, laced, light, smooth, special-made wedding dress that she spent a fortune on–

This was her wedding day!

“Let’s get you a place to rest then,” Jason smiled at her answer, getting relieved. He had the kind of sunny face that can infect people at ease. But it failed on Maya this time. Biting her lips, Maya tried her best to suppress her nausea as she followed Jason’s lead.

Sitting at the corner of the bar, Maya was relieved when Jason finally left her alone after checking several times that she was okay. His care was the last thing she needed right now.

She needed to figure out what happened.

For some reason, she was back on her wedding day after she died on her living room floor. The arrangement looked exactly the same as the wedding in her memory. She knew. She was the one taking care of all the details, even though to her, this wedding ended four years ago.

So…she was back alive?

What were the past four years then? Was it all just too real a dream? Or did she really live through the four dark years to that horrible ending? All the memory of those four years were still printed in her mind, bloody vivid. She could still feel the pain after she fell to her death, the desperation as drained out of her, the anger burst out of her in that argument – the first and only argument she ever had with Jason, and the countless times when she backed down from Jason just to avoid a fight…

Maya gritted her hand, her nails cutting deep into her palm at the anger rose by those memories.

It couldn’t be all bad, could it? Maya closed her eyes, and the angelic smile on Madeline’s face appeared, as well as the beautiful sound every time the word mom came out of her lovely daughter…

…and, her wedding. One of the few days when she was truly happy last time.

She was happy as a bird last time – flying around the hall, joking with everyone with loud laughter. Unlike now – exhausted, jittery…angry.

The four years had to be real! Otherwise she wouldn’t have so much strong, negative emotions embedded in her soul!

No matter how unlikely, she had to accept that she was back to life, four years ago no less. She could only call this a touch of God, and she was more than grateful for a second chance like this.

Only…bitterness spread in her mouth when Maya looked down on her wedding dress again –

Why did she have to come back on this particular day?

If God was granting second chances, why couldn’t he take her a little bit earlier in her life? Even if just one day she could have stopped the wedding and left Jason, steering far away from the four years of mistakes.

She looked at the reception party, the party she planned for so long last life, with desperate, gloomy eyes. The room was shining, and the guests laughing, especially the guy who just registered with her earlier this day, Jason.

But her happiness was no longer there.

With only a peek at Jason’s face, Maya’s stomach turned, and she quickly darted her eyes off him, only to bump into Damian’s eyes by accident.

Maya was not used to see Damian by Jason’s side. She knew Damian was Jason’s great friend, but now she looked back, only to realize that it seemed to be after their wedding when Jason started drifting away from Damian.

Every time she brought up Damian in front of Jason, she would get only relunctant answers. She used to think it was Damian who drifted away because his career went up the sky, and no longer had time for ordinary couples like them. She even felt a slight resentment towards Damian for that.

But when she went to Damian for helf after she suspected Jason, Damian still sat down with her in great patience, and even helped her with evidences beyond her request. Though he looked cold that time, but then again, that man always looked cold and distant…to everyone.

He was the opposite of Jason, who wears sunny smiles on the outside, but is corrupted rotten inside.

If she remembered correctly, when she asked Damian what he planned to do with all the evidence on Jason’s crime, his exact answer was, “Probably give him another chance…”

Staring at the man for too long, Damian suddenly looked up and met her eyes directly. He nodded at her lightly in a distance.

Somehow, in his poker face and icy eyes, Maya felt a hint of worrisome.

That, coming from the last person who showed her kindness last life, gave Maya a little warmth. She managed a faint smile in return, but Damian paused at her forced smile and then looked away.

Cold sweat broke out of Maya again – no one knew she replaced herself from four years ago! She was supposed to be the carefree little bird that flies through guests right now!

This was the sweetest period between her and Jason, and there wasn’t supposed to be anyone in her eyes, anyone but Jason! Not to mention, she was never close with Damian, the least now!

Sure, she managed to fool Jason once, but now what? She couldn’t hide behind her “mild discomfort” forever!

Could she just out with her story and tell people about Jason’s crime, cheating, and the fact that he would basically kill her? People would only think she was crazy!

The memory of the four years, belonged only to her now!

Maya pressed on her own temples – a real headache kicked in.

She can’t let people know about her reborn. It wouldn’t benefit her at all, but just might push her into a worse situation. Actually, she had to hide it, and hide it well! She couldn’t give anyone even the slightest reason to suspect her of knowing something she was not supposed to!

In that second, Maya pulled one string out of the mess in her mind – no one could know about her reborn!

She had to pretend to be herself from four years ago. She had to suppress her hatred, and hide her disgust at all cost, just so she could find a chance to leave Jason safely.

No, not good enough!

The pain and desperation still printed on her soul, how could she just leave and let him get away with everything?! What he had done to her was done and no police could punish him now, but she remembered! And if she couldn’t revenge for what Jason did to her last life, at least she would find out what he had done and will do this life, and she will make sure Jason pays for every bit of his sin!

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Maya tried to take control of herself.

She was grateful for this extra life. She wanted to survive, and live this time, to live a satisfying life with a clearer mind.

This time, she will steer her own path.