The first memory that returned to Selene was not the cliff, nor the pain, nor even the sound of her baby’s heartbeat fading away.

It was an apple.

She had been seventeen, walking home with a small basket of fruit she had bought from the market. The wind had tugged at her hair, and in her clumsiness, an apple rolled from the basket. She had bent down too slowly, her hands shaking, but a boy’s hand had reached it first.

Darius.

He had smiled at her at that moment. A warm smile. His eyes had shone in the sunlight. “Here,” he had said softly, wiping the apple with the sleeve of his shirt before placing it gently back in her basket.

It was the first kindness Selene had felt in years. After her mother’s death, her father’s coldness, her stepmother’s sharp tongue, and Liora’s endless mockery, that small act had felt like light after an endless night. She had held on to that smile, to that warmth, and she had let it become her world. She remembers wanting to see him more, forsaking her training to spend more time.

Now, falling through the darkness of death, Selene saw the truth. That smile had been a mask. The hand that once cleaned her apple had only dirtied her soul.

Everything made sense now: why Liora had accepted her father’s arrangement without hesitation, why she had been too calm when she accepted the swap, and why her father, who was usually overprotective of Liora, didn't protest much. Why did her letters stop coming? She had never been writing to inform Selene, only to indirectly mock her that the plan was a success, while Darius lay beside her at night.

A sharp pain cut through Selene’s chest, but then warmth. A softness against her cheek.

Her eyes opened slowly.

She was no longer falling. No longer bleeding. She was lying with her head in a lap she had longed for all her life. She blinked, stunned, as trembling hands touched her mother’s gown.

“Mother,” Selene’s voice broke.

Lady Isolde smiled, her silver hair flowing like moonlight, her violet eyes filled with tenderness. She stroked Selene’s wet hair gently, humming the lullaby she used to sing when Selene was still developing in her.

Selene broke. She flung herself into her mother’s arms, clutching her as though the world would steal her again. Tears poured down her face, hot and desperate. “I missed you. I missed you so much”

Her mother held her, her embrace warm, but there was sorrow in her voice. “My little one, you shouldn’t be here. Not yet. They stole your light too soon.”

Selene’s body shook. “Am I dead?”

Her mother nodded softly. “Yes. But the goddess allows me to meet you, just once more. I can give you a gift, Selene. I can wipe your pain away. You can rest. You can forget all of this.”

Selene froze, staring into her mother’s eyes. Forget? Rest?

“No!” she cried, shaking her head furiously. “I can’t. I won’t. Mother, they killed you. They killed your family. They used me. They killed my baby. I can’t let that go. I need revenge. I need justice. Please, don’t take this from me. Please!”

“I was too in love to see the damage, Selene, but,” her mother paused, proceeding to cup her face, her thumb wiping away Selene’s tears. “If you choose revenge, my daughter, your path will be heavy. If you fail to find love, true love, the goddess will not allow you another life. You will be gone forever.”

Selene’s lips trembled, but her eyes hardened. “Then so be it. I don’t need love. I don’t want love. I only want justice for you, for my child, for myself. That’s all that matters.”

Silence stretched between them. Finally, her mother sighed, sadness in her gaze. “Then promise me one thing, Selene. When you return, seek your uncle. He is alive, though hidden. He waits in the northern forest. You will need him if you are to survive this path.”

Selene gasped. “My uncle? But?”

Her mother smiled faintly. “Trust me. Find him. He has become more influential; tell him you are mine, and he will protect you. You will find that both of you share the same goal: revenge.”

Before Selene could speak, her mother kissed her forehead. The world around her grew white, so bright she had to close her eyes. Her mother’s voice echoed softly in her ears, fading.

“Rise again, my daughter. Rise, and take back what is yours.”

When Selene opened her eyes, the world was familiar but wrong.

She was not broken and bleeding. She was not on the cliff. She was lying in her own bed, her body whole, her heart racing.

She sat up, her breath caught in her throat. The curtains at her window fluttered. The room smelled of fresh flowers. Outside, she could hear the distant sounds of villagers.

Her stepmother’s voice drifted from the hall. “Selene, Liora has left for training. Be sure you prepare yourself for the emperor’s letter.”

Selene froze. Her heart pounded. Training? Liora gone?

Two days before the proposal, she knew this because it was the very day her stepmother made the announcement. She was back.

Her mother had kept her word.

Selene’s chest rose and fell, her eyes burning. She pressed a hand to her belly. It was flat, empty. No child. Not yet.

She clenched her fists. This time… it will be different.

Selene knew where Liora truly was. She wasn’t training. She was with Darius.

Selene said nothing. She smiled sweetly, nodded at her stepmother, and returned to her room. She had no tears left for them. Only fire.

Her first step came to her quickly. In her past life, Darius had been promoted during this week. He had refused to celebrate, brushing it off with excuses about work. Now Selene knew why. He hadn’t wanted her to see what he was truly celebrating,with Liora in his bed.

This time, she would not wait quietly. This time, she would expose them.

She spread word through the village, smiling shyly, pretending to be the happy, innocent girl they all believed her to be. She told them Darius had been promoted. She told them she was planning a surprise feast at his home.

She even told them her family would be waiting there, ready to celebrate.

By the time night fell, Selene had gathered a small crowd; neighbors, friends, curious onlookers, and those eager to congratulate Darius and eager for an opportunity to drink a lot followed her. They laughed and whispered as she led them down the path to his home, carrying baskets of food and drink.

Her heart pounded, but her face never broke.

When they neared the house, Selene lifted a hand and hushed them. “Shh, let’s surprise him,” she whispered, her voice sweet.

The villagers giggled, nodding eagerly, their arms full of wine and bread.

Selene stepped ahead, her bare feet light against the earth. She walked straight to the bedroom door. Her hand trembled as she reached for it, but not from fear, from fury.

Slowly, she opened it just a crack.

And there it was.

The sight that had haunted her soul, the sight she had died knowing. Darius, lying bare-chested in bed. Liora, on top of him, moaning so loud as she rides him, her golden hair now scattered and rough. The moans were soft, intimate, the kind of sound that once made Selene’s heart ache with longing.

But now, her tears did not fall. Her heart was cold.

She took a deep, steady breath.

Quietly, she slipped into the room. She moved to the bed, her movements sharp and precise. She grabbed their discarded clothes, dragging them toward the door. One by one, she threw them into the hallway, letting them scatter on the floor. Each piece of fabric felt like sealing their new fate.

Then she turned.

With all the strength in her lungs, she screamed so loudly.

“Help! Someone come! Look at what they’ve done to me!” she proceeded to shout really loud, startling Darius and Liora.

Her voice rang through the house like a bell. The villagers gasped, then rushed forward, bursting into the room.

Liora scrambled upright, eyes wide with panic, clutching the sheet to her chest. Darius cursed, leaping up, but it was too late.

The crowd poured in, their shocked gasps filling the air. “By the goddess!” someone cried. “With her own sister?”

Selene’s knees buckled. She fell to the floor, sobbing, clutching at her chest. Her cries shook the walls.

“My sister, my love, how could you betray me like this?” The Selene act began. Her words were laced with fake hurt, drawing the people's empathy.Her tears rushed in, quickly soaking the floor, her body trembling. But behind her sobs, her eyes were cold, steady, burning with revenge.

And as the villagers stood frozen, staring at the unveiled betrayal, Selene knew, this was only the beginning.