" To any deity hearing me, now that things have turned out this way, I regret my life with all my being, and if you give me one more chance, I will give everything I have and get my revenge. I swear to you."
BEEP...
------
The fused warm light of dawn was now creeping down the summit. Paige bated her eyes open, waking up to the early morning sun which had cast its luminescent glow on her face as her head rested on her desk.
"What's going on, " she muttered mentally to herself, her brows creased as she registered her environment. On an impulse, she jerked, sitting upright. But then, her chair tilts. Out of control, it sends her
CLASH...
Her behind graces the hard floor. "Ouch~" she winced.
At that instant, she notices a familiar envelope. Picking herself up, she reaches for it and studies it. As confused as she was, she pulled out the content. On an impulse, she gasped, realizing it was the same ticket she received from her boss a week before her wedding.
Remembering it now, it was in her car when she got into the accident. But then, something was different. There was an inscription on it that wasn't there earlier. Slitting her eyes to get a closer look, it read
My gift to you. Hope you have a great trip.
Paige instinctively understood what that meant. Dropping the envelope, she quickly grabbed her mini calendar sitting at the far end of her desk.
January 25, 2023.
She had gone back in time. Exactly a year ago when she got engaged to Nolan Paterson– a mistake she regretted. That meant she was still living with her family. She was in her thoughts when Itzel barged in.
"Arise and shin..." she announces but pauses between words on noticing Paige as she hurries to the bed with folded blankets in her arms. "Why are you holding that?" she snapped, dropping the blankets on the bed.
While she headed for the door, Paige's gaze remained on her, speechless. "Hey," Itzel giggled, "Are you okay?" she inquired but her sister's gaze was blank. "I don't know what you're thinking about but you should get moving before you run late," she warns and trod out.
These were the exact words of Itzel a year back when she was given her third project in the company. And her sister was right, she was getting late. She is working out of the office today. She had to meet the suppliers and then the distributors.
A few minutes later, she was refreshed and adorned in an elegant contract trim bodycon long-sleeve dress. Now, she is determined, determined to change her fate. The first to deal with was her health. She needs to pay more attention to her medication.
And just as she recollected her lost memory before the accident, it was from this very day that her medication got swapped. Though it was the same container, the content was different. Picking it up, she marched to the washroom and emptied its contents into the water closet– then flashed it.
-----
New York City had always been a city that never sleeps. Being Day or Night. Huddled up in the backseat of her car, Paige stared out the window, her gaze blank as Itzel and Nolan's words taunted her mind.
The traffic was heavy due to the rush hour– which she hated the most. She sighed, registering her frustration while still getting a hang of the whole situation.
"Was it a dream?" she wondered, "But it felt so real." Thinking of it alone makes her choke with emotions. It makes her want to kill someone. But the ticket makes it clearer– she wasn't hallucinating. Impulsively, she sighed for the tenth time.
Instinctively, the chauffeur glanced at her through the rearview mirror– checking if it was something he was doing or if she was just paranoid.
As if in sync, their eyes met and he quickly looked away. It was then that Paige realized she was being loud without saying anything.
Though she had mixed feelings about the whole situation, she was sure of one thing. She wasn't going to be played once again. Either by her family or so-called fiancee– at least life gave her another chance.
"I'm going to set things right." she made a mental note. A ring from her phone drew her attention to her classic designer bag.
Rummaging through the bag, she pulled the phone to her view. "Talk of the devil," her nonchalant expression read but she didn't hesitate answering.
"Babe, can we meet this afternoon?" Nolan's voice rasped her ear from the other side of the phone. For no reason, Paige's heart raced in her chest just hearing his voice. Her immediate environment felt like it was closing in on her.
In her mind, she was growing larger and larger, expanding with rage. Anger curled hot and unstoppable in her gut, like a blazing inferno that wanted to burn her from the inside out.
"If I don't do something fast to get myself under control, I will explode and take it out on anyone and anything around me." she made a mental note.
Intuitively, she braces herself, checking her schedule. "I'll be free at 2 pm. Let's meet. I also have something to talk about." It took her great effort not to explode.
After what seemed like an endless wait, her car pulled up in front of JUSTINE JAY's COOPERATION, the mother supplier of most of their raw materials. Working with them has been a great decision Paige never regretted taking.
Settling out with the chauffeur, she treaded in. Taking a general survey was the first thing they handled. The rest of the meeting and agreements dragged on for two hours. It was around 12: 44 pm when she walked up to her car. She still had a few rounds before her meet-up with Nolan. Being the time-conscious type, there was totally no time to waste.
☆☆☆☆☆
Even with the breeze, the air remained thick and hot, and it still tank of petroleum. Paige sat around a table against the glass wall of JUDIVET CAFE, her favorite– sipping on a glass of juice.
As usual, Nolan was stalling time again. Now that she was giving it some thought, it had always been like this. She rested her back on her seat with folded arms– crossing her legs in the process.
It was then that she noticed Nolan approaching from the distance. The indifference in her eyes made it difficult to read through her.
"I'm so sorry Paige," Nolan voices with a heavy breath– settling in the seat across her. "Did I keep you waiting?" he smiles but Paige could read the dishonesty right through his false smile.
"How fake," she mumbled mentally to herself– disgusted just by his sight. Impulsively, she jerks to her feet. Nolan stared at her with a creased brow, not sure what she was up to. A menacing smile instantly spreads across her face.
Without warning, she picks up her glass of juice, lifting it mid-air above him. Before he could make out any words, Paige started emptying its content on him.
"Paige!" He jolts back, stunned.
She chuckles, seeing the look on his face. "My breakup gift." she giggles– slamming the glass on the table while strolling off. But Nolan quickly lunches after her, holding her by the hand.
Paige yanks him off, turning to face him– bottled up with anger. "What's wrong with you? Why are you suddenly acting up? If you are upset about something let's talk it out."
They had taken center stage by now. Literally, all eyes were on them. "Acting up?" Paige re-echoes the words, her voice puzzled with rage. "Did you think I wouldn't know?" she hinted but Nolan seemed lost here.
His brows furrowed with confusion, "What are you talking about?"
Paige scoffs, surprised at his pretense. She turns to leave but he holds her back again. "Where are you going?" he sounded urgent.
"To announce our breakup to our family and Itzel, the woman you cherish." a flash of shock spreads across his face as he freezes.
Paige chuckles at the look on his face and trends off.