Chapter 5

 Paulina couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling gnawing at her.She moved to the window and peeked through the curtains, watching as Alexis walked down the driveway making a phone call, which seemed quite suspicious. 

Her half-sister’s movements were slow, deliberate. Paulina’s heart pounded in her chest as she watched Alexis glance back at the house before getting into her car.

 Paulina let the curtain fall back into place, her mind spinning with questions.

 Alexis had always been skilled at hiding her true feelings, at playing the role of the caring sister when it suited her. But now, with the knowledge of the future, Paulina saw everything through a different lens. She couldn’t trust anyone, especially not Alexis.“What do I do now?”. Paulina whispered to herself, her voice trembling. 

She had been given a second chance, a chance to rewrite her fate. But the enormity of the task was overwhelming. She had to think, had to plan, there was no room for mistakes.She paced the living room, trying to piece together a strategy.

 The first step was to protect herself from James and Alexis, to ensure that they never had the chance to betray her. But how? Should she cut them out of her life entirely? Or was there a way to use this knowledge to her advantage?Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her phone.

 She jumped, startled by the sudden noise, and quickly reached for the device. The caller ID showed James’ name, and her heart skipped a beat. What could he possibly want now?Paulina hesitated for a moment before answering. “Hello?”

“Paulina,” James’ voice was soft, almost pleading. “I’m sorry for leaving earlier. I just—I'm worried about you. Can we talk?”

Paulina clenched her jaw, her mind flashing back to the image of him with Alexis in the future. 

But she forced herself to stay calm. This was a different James, a James who hadn’t yet committed those sins. She needed to be careful.

“There’s nothing to talk about, James,” she replied, her voice cold. 

“I need some time to think.”

“Please, Paulina,” he persisted, his tone growing more urgent. “I don’t understand what’s happening. 

“You’re shutting me out, and I don’t know why. Let me help you.”

Paulina’s heart twisted with conflicting emotions. 

Part of her wanted to believe him, to let him in and share the burden of her grief. But the memory of his betrayal was too fresh, too raw.

.”I just need space,” she said firmly. “Please respect that.”There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and for a moment, Paulina thought he might argue. But then he sighed.

 “Alright. I’ll give you some space. But if you need me, I’m here.”

Paulina ended the call without another word, her hands shaking as she set the phone down. She couldn’t let herself be drawn back into his web, not when she knew how things would end. 

But as she stood there, trying to steady her nerves, a new thought crept into her mind: what if she could change James? 

What if she could somehow stop him from becoming the man who would betray her?

The idea was tempting, but dangerous. People didn’t change so easily, and she couldn’t afford to risk her future in the hope that James might be different this time. She needed to focus on herself, on securing her own future.But how?

 What could she do to ensure that she wouldn’t fall into the same trap as before?As she mulled over her options, a knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts. Her pulse quickened—

was James’s back? Or had Alexis returned?

She approached the door cautiously, her heart pounding in her chest. The knock came again, more insistent this time. Taking a deep breath, Paulina opened the door, bracing herself for whoever was on the other side.

 There were many things she couldn’t remember, ten years ago was indeed a long time.As she looked at the person behind the open door, she realized it wasn’t James or Alexis. It was a man she didn’t recognize, dressed in a dark suit with a somber expression on his face.“Mrs.westfield ?” the man asked, his voice formal and measured.

 She hadn’t heard her surname in a long while, it made sense as  She wasn’t married to James yet.Paulina’s heart skipped a beat. “Who are you?”

The man reached into his jacket and pulled out a sealed envelope, handing it to her. “I’m a representative of your parents’ legal counsel. 

This was entrusted to me to deliver to you today.”

Paulina stared at the envelope, her hands trembling as she took it. The weight of the past, the present, and the future all seemed to converge in this one moment. What could be inside? Was it something her parents had left for her? Or something that might change the course of her life once again? She didn’t remember any of this.

The man tipped his hat politely and turned to leave, his footsteps echoing down the hallway as Paulina stood frozen in the doorway, the envelope clutched in her hands. She had no idea what to expect, but whatever was inside this envelope, she knew it was important, perhaps even crucial to her future.

With trembling fingers, she tore open the seal and pulled out the contents. Her eyes widened as she read the first few lines. It was a letter, written by her father. 

The handwriting was unmistakable, strong, precise, just like him. But as she continued reading, her breath caught in her throat.“My dearest Paulina,” the letter began, 

“if you’re reading this, it means that we are no longer with you. There are things you need to know, things I couldn’t tell you while we were alive. Our family has secrets, and they are now yours to bear…”

Paulina’s hands shook as she read on, the words blurring before her eyes. Secrets? What secrets could her father have been hiding from her? And why had he waited until after his death to reveal them?As she reached the end of the letter, the final words made her blood run cold: “

Beware of those closest to you, Paulina. Trust no one, not even those who share your blood.”

Paulina’s heart raced as the implications of her father’s warning sank in. Alexis, James, was it possible that this letter came last time and James must have been the one to receive it?.

Did he hide it from her the last time?. Just as she was about to re-read the letter, desperate for answers, there was another knock at the door—louder, more urgent this time. 

Paulina’s heart leapt into her throat. She wasn’t ready for another confrontation, not after what she had just discovered. But whoever was on the other side wasn’t going away.

The knocking grew more insistent, almost frantic.Paulina slowly approached the door, her heart pounding in her chest. With a deep breath, she reached for the doorknob and pulled it open.

Before she knew what was happening, a man with a huge body frame and strong scent grabbed her by himself and gave her a hug, a hug so tight she could barely breath. “I came as soon as I heard” the voice said to her.

 Tears welled up in Paulina’s eyes. “Elijah is that you?”