Reincarnated 3
Emerald
She lunged at me so fast I barely saw her move. One moment she was standing near the door staring at me with those wide furious eyes and the next, her hands were around my throat, squeezing so tightly that spots burst behind my eyes.
"You evil bitch!" she screamed, her voice shrill and cracking like broken glass. "Give it back, please, it's mine, it's mine. I can't breathe in this body, please!"
Her nails dug into my skin, sharp and brutal, and I couldn't breathe. My lungs burned, my chest heaved uselessly, but all that came out was a strangled croak. Her face loomed over mine—my face—twisted with a hatred so vicious I almost didn't recognize it.
For a moment, I just stared at her, stunned. My heart slammed against my ribs, panic rising like bile in my throat. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening.
But it was.
She was in my body. The body that had once been mine. The girl I used to see in the mirror every morning. The girl Marcus and Francesca had destroyed without a second thought.
Now, somehow, Francesca was in it. Somehow we had swapped bodies.
Her thumbs pressed harder into my windpipe. My vision blurred and darkened at the edges. A low ringing filled my ears as the room spun. I could hear voices, Rebecca screaming, Landon shouting, Marcus roaring with rage, but they sounded far away, like echoes through water.
I clawed weakly at her wrists, trying to loosen her grip. My limbs felt heavy and uncoordinated, and each movement sent sharp pains shooting through my shoulders. I could feel my skin tearing under her nails. Hot blood dripped down my neck and into the sheets.
"Stop it!" Marcus shouted, and then his hands were around her arms, yanking her away from me so hard she flew backwards and slammed into the wall with a dull thud.
Air rushed into my lungs in a painful gasp. I coughed and wheezed, sucking in huge mouthfuls of oxygen as tears streamed down my cheeks. My entire body trembled uncontrollably. I couldn't think. Couldn't move. I could only lie there and gasp for breath as my vision cleared.
When I managed to look up, Marcus was looming over her, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. His chest heaved with each furious breath.
"Are you out of your fucking mind?!" he roared, his voice shaking with rage. "You just tried to kill her! You're insane! You witch!"
She scrambled to her knees on the floor, reaching out to him with shaking hands. Her eyes were wild, tears mixing with the blood trickling from a split on her brow that was inflicted from Marcus shoving her against the wall.
"Marcus, please," she sobbed. "Babe, it's me. It's Francesca. She took my body. Please, listen to me!"
He didn't even blink. His face twisted into a snarl as he raised his fist and slammed it across her cheek. The crack of his knuckles hitting her skin was loud in the silent room.
"Don't you ever say her name again," he spat down at her, his voice vibrating with hatred. "Don't you ever come near her again, you disgusting witch."
She crumpled sideways, clutching her cheek. A sob tore out of her throat as she curled in on herself, shaking all over.
Rebecca rushed to my bedside, her hands fluttering uselessly over my face and shoulders as if trying to reassure herself that I was still alive. Tears streamed down her perfectly painted cheeks, ruining her mascara. Landon moved to stand between me and Francesca. No, between me and my old body, his expression hard and furious.
"I'll call security," he growled, pulling his phone from his pocket with trembling fingers. "She's lost her mind."
"Please!" the girl on the floor screamed, her voice hoarse and broken. "Please, listen to me! I'm Francesca! That thing in the bed isn't me! She's a thief, she stole my body, she stole my life—"
"Shut up!" Marcus shouted, his face red with fury. "Shut your filthy mouth before I shut it for you permanently."
She flinched, curling in on herself even more. Her shoulders shook with silent sobs. She looked so small. So pathetic. Exactly like the girl I used to be in my old life.
And for a moment, just a brief flicker of a moment, I felt something twist in my chest. Pity? Guilt?
But then I remembered her foot slamming into my ribs. Her laughter as I bled out on the concrete floor. The way she used to look down on me like I was filth under her shoes and just like that the guilt and pity I felt was gone.
No. I didn't feel sorry for her. Not even a little bit.
Marcus turned to me then, his eyes softening instantly. He reached out and cupped my cheek with trembling fingers. "Are you okay, baby? Did she hurt you? God, I'm so sorry. I'm so fucking sorry. I should have never let her near you."
I couldn't speak. My throat burned too much. I could only stare at him with wide eyes, my mind spinning in circles as I tried to digest everything that was happening.
When I go to speak, nothing came out because no matter how much I hated Francesca, no matter how much I despised wearing her skin, I couldn't tell them the truth either. Who would believe that Emerald, the stupid surrogate, the worthless girl, was alive inside the body of their beloved daughter?
They wouldn't. They'd think I was mad like Francesca who was now on the floor and muttering incoherently.
So I stayed silent.
Rebecca pressed her lips to my forehead, sobbing softly. "It's okay, sweetheart. You're safe now. She can't hurt you anymore."
Landon was on the phone, his voice low and angry as he spoke to security. I could hear snippets, "psychotic bitch"… "danger to my daughter"… "remove her from the premises immediately."
Francesca scrambled forward on her knees, her hands clasped together in desperate prayer. "Please, mother," she begged, her voice raw with pain. She must have given up on trying to get through to Marcus because she reached to grab the hem of Rebecca's dress, "Please, I'm begging you. I don't want to hurt her, I just want my body back. I just want my life back. Please, listen to me. I'm your daughter not her. Mother, you need your listen to me."
But they didn't. They ignored her as if she was a stray dog barking at the window. Rebecca slapped her hand away from her designer dress and turned to hug me to her chest.
Marcus turned to her one last time, his eyes filled with hate. "If you ever come near her again," he said softly, his voice low and trembling with rage, "I will kill you myself."
And then security arrived, two large men in black uniforms who grabbed her roughly under the arms and hauled her to her feet. She struggled against them, kicking and screaming, but they didn't falter. They dragged her out of the room as her screams echoed down the hallways.
"Give me back my body! GIVE ME BACK MY BODY! I'M FRANCESCA! I'M FRANCESCA—"
The door slammed shut, cutting off her cries.
Silence fell over the room, heavy and suffocating. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest like a trapped animal. My hands were shaking under the blanket, my skin slick with sweat.
Marcus sat down on the edge of the bed and took my hands in his. His touch made my skin crawl, but I forced myself not to flinch. His eyes were red and tired as he pressed his forehead to mine.
"I'm so sorry, baby," he whispered before pressing his lips to mine in a swift kiss and the urge to throw up gripped me but I forced it down. "I should have protected you. I failed you once, but I won't ever fail you again."
Rebecca sniffled beside me, wiping her tears with trembling fingers. "We're so glad you're okay, sweetheart. You've been through so much."
Landon put his hand on my shoulder, his grip firm and reassuring. "Don't worry about her. We'll keep you safe."
Safe.
They thought I was in danger from her.
But the truth was, the real danger was right here. In this room.
Me.
I was the danger.
Because I knew the truth. I knew Francesca was alive.
She was trapped in my body, just as I was trapped in hers. And no matter what happened next, I couldn't let her get her body back.
Not now. Not ever.
I would do whatever it took to keep her away. To keep this life for myself. It would be very much worth seeing her suffer the same way I did. I want to see how much she could take from everybody hating and hitting her before she decides to end it all. Or maybe Marcus would kill her the same way he killed me.
My throat burned with unshed tears as I stared at the door where they had dragged her out. Her screams still echoed in my mind, haunting and desperate.
But I didn't let a single tear fall.
I simply lay there, silent and trembling, as Marcus wrapped his arms around me and whispered promises of love I didn't want to hear. Words that made me want to shove him away. I wish he would join her outside the room but that would give her the time to convince him that she was the real Francesca not that anybody would believe her.
"Doctor," Rebecca said suddenly, her voice tight with worry. "She's in shock. Look at her. She's not responding to us."
Dr. Yusuf, who just came in nodded quickly. He stepped forward and checked my vitals, his brow furrowing.
"Her blood pressure is elevated," he said calmly, though I could hear a hint of worry in his voice. "She's in distress. I'll call for sedation to help her sleep."
Sleep.
I wanted to laugh. As if sleep could fix this nightmare that was not so much of a nightmare anymore.
As they fussed over me, preparing the sedative injection, I closed my eyes.
And all I saw behind my eyelids was her face, my face, twisted in grief and rage as they dragged her away.
My enemy that now wore my face.
And for the first time since waking up in this cursed body, a small smile curled across my lips.
Because no matter how loud she screamed, no one would ever believe her.
The second chance I prayed for was granted and in more ways than I could have ever asked for.
This life was mine now. And I would never give it back.