Darkness

*CAMILLA’S POV*

Everything was pitch black. I couldn’t see, couldn’t hear. It was as though I had been swallowed by the abyss. Was this the afterlife? Was this what death felt like? I floated in that darkness, wondering if this was how it all ended if this was my eternal punishment. Life had been nothing but misery and I had done nothing to deserve such ill fate.

A sound. Faint at first, like a distant hum, but it grew louder. I strained to listen, focusing on the noise, hoping for something, anything, to pull me out of the void. It sounded familiar, like the rhythmic beeping of a machine. The more I focused, the more I realized… it sounded like beeps you’d hear in a hospital.

I became more aware of my surroundings. My eyes fluttered open, my lids feeling impossibly heavy. The harsh, fluorescent lights blinded my vision, making me squint as I tried to adjust. The sterile smell of antiseptic filled my nostrils. It was a hospital, but something about it felt too familiar, like I had been here before, like I knew this place.

“Could Tom have brought me to the hospital?” I wondered to myself.

 I tried to sit up, groaning as a wave of pain washed over me, but the soft shuffle of footsteps caught my attention. A nurse walked in, a warm smile on her face as she approached my bed. Her expression was gentle and comforting, but there was something else—something unsettling about how familiar she seemed. Had I met her before?

"Congratulations," she said, her voice chipper and kind, as though she’d just delivered the best news in the world. "You had a safe delivery. Your baby is healthy and strong."

 I froze, staring at her with wide eyes. Delivery? What did she mean? I couldn’t have had a baby. I was only three months pregnant. My hands instinctively went to my stomach, but instead of the slight swell that had been growing, I felt loose skin around my abdomen. Panic surged through me.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, my voice hoarse and shaky.

The nurse’s smile didn’t falter as she gently placed a small, wriggling bundle into my arms. I looked down, and my breath caught in my throat. A baby. Not just any baby—my baby. I could feel my heart racing and the tears that formed in my eyes as I stared at the tiny boy in my arms, his little eyes closed, his small fingers curling up against my chest. Jasper. This was Jasper—my son. And he was a baby again.

Was I dreaming or hallucinating? I stared at the nurse, confusion and disbelief clouding my mind.

“Why was Jasper a baby again?” My thoughts questioned what was going on.

“What are you going to name him?” The nurse asked snapping me out of my confusion.

I was still unsure of what was going on but I answered. “His name would be Jasper,” I said smiling at my baby boy. I didn’t care if it was just a dream or my life flashing before my eyes. He was right here in my arms.

“What’s today’s date?” I asked turning to face the nurse.

The nurse looked taken aback for a moment but answered calmly. “It’s September 3rd, 2018.”

Her words hit me like a sledgehammer to the skull. September3rd, 2018. My mind struggled to comprehend it. How was this possible? I had been pregnant for only three months—no, I had been pregnant for Jasper seven years ago. I pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. If I’m here right now— then I died. Tom killed me. The pain, the darkness, the miscarriage… it had all been real. But now, here I was, holding a newborn Jasper in my arms, and I was back in time. This meant Dante was still alive. In my past life Jasper’s father Dante was my boss but after we had sex and I found out I was pregnant, I quit my job and kept Jasper a secret.

My hands trembled as I clutched him closer, trying to steady my breathing. The room spun for a moment as the realization sank in. I had been given a second chance. 

The door creaked open, and I glanced up to see John my fatherwalking in, his expression concerned but distant. “Camilla,” he said in a worried tone. “How are you feeling?”

I swallowed hard, trying to process his presence. He looked just like he had seven years ago before everything had unraveled.

The happy words left my lips, “I’m… better than ever Dad,” I replied smiling.

“that’s good news. The doctors told me there were some complications with your pregnancy but I’m so glad to see you much better.”

“what did you name him?” He asked coming closer.

“Jasper.”

“That’s a beautiful name, Camilla. I wish your mother was still here with us. She would have loved to be here for you.”

This moment felt like déjà vu. The words that trailed out of his mouth were the exact same things he said in my first life.

“I have a business meeting I have to get to, I’ll send the head maid, to come help you with whatever you may need. I won’t be back till the evening.”

“That sly fox,” I muttered. I could feel my brow frowning at the thought of that woman.

She had betrayed me just at the moment I thought I had gained an ally, all because of money. Now that I thought about what transpired, I feel stupid for falling for her trap.

“What is it?”

“Nothing. You don’t have to send her here I’ll be fine on my own,” I quickly replied.

“Are you sure you can manage on your own till I come back?”

“Yes, Dad I’m sure. You better go before you’re late for your meeting.”

“Alright Camilla, I’ll get you some treats on my way back.”

“Thanks, Dad, bye.”

I watched him walk out the door, my grip on Jasper tightening as I allowed myself to breathe again. The pieces of my life started to click into place in my mind. Everything felt so surreal—being back here, holding Jasper, staring at John. But one thing was clear: I had a second chance at life, and whether it was a miracle or some cosmic twist of fate, I wasn’t going to question it. I had to have been brought back to this moment for a reason and I was not going to waste it. The years of suffering under Tom’s cruelty, the betrayals, the pain they were still fresh in my memory.

“I won’t repeat my mistakes,” I muttered to myself.

“I promise you Jasper I won’t Die and I will protect you, making sure they have a worse fate than I did.”