Roxanne lay on her bed on a hot afternoon, her brows scrunched tightly, as her nightmare unfolded. She was reliving the worst day of her life…
"Wh… What do you mean by Roman Winslow is already dead? What the heck are you talking about?"
Roxanne kicked the door open as soon as she heard those words coming from the two Sinclair guards.
It was too careless of them to be speaking so loosely, and in the public washroom at that. However, her anger got the better of her, and she couldn't take the suspense anymore.
"M…Madam…" The two guards hastily bowed, after which they kept their gazes on the floor. They didn't dare to look her in the eyes, nor attempt to speak either.
"What are you being so quiet about? The lady asked a question, and you think being silent is how best you can save your tongues?" Lambert Chuck stepped into the men's washroom, only to chastise the guards for their silence.
Seeing three men surrounding her in the men's washroom didn't even have the slightest effect on Roxanne. The only emotions coursing through her veins at the moment was pure rage and grief.
"Roman Winslow was murdered by some inmates three days ago. That's all we know, madam." One of the Sinclair guards responded hastily, scared that Roxanne may badmouth them to the boss. They would really lose their heads if that should happen.
"What! Three days ago? Th… Three days ago…" She agreed to marry Sebastian only three days ago, after he threatened to eliminate her brother in prison if she didn't take his offer.
'To think he already killed Roman, yet, he forced me to marry him for the same reason…' Roxanne was trembling from all the pent up emotions in her heart.
"Hahahahahahahah!!!!!" She burst out in a bitter laugh in self deprecation, not paying heed to the guards who were scurrying away from her.
'Is this what I threw my life away for? He already killed Roman. Sebastian killed my brother, yet he wants me to sleep beside him every night, for the rest of my life?'
"Hahahahahhaah!!!" The laughter continued, and this time, tears accompanied them.
"I'll make you pay for this, Sebastian Sinclair. I will so make you wish you were dead. I will destroy you for messing with my family. If I don't make you eat, sleep, and drink regret and pain for the rest of your life, call me a bastard!"
With raging emotions coursing through her body, Roxanne finally calmed down after the initial shock was over.
She grabbed onto the sink tightly, her knuckles turning white. Roxanne watched her tear-stained face in the mirror, taking her overall haggard look into account.
She was supposed to change into her new attire. A group of people were gathered in the reception hall, awaiting the arrival of the power couple. Roxanne was supposed to change her clothes for the third time that day. However, she headed for the washroom first, as she didn't get the chance to use the place for hours.
Earlier on, Roxanne Winslow heaved a huge sigh after she was done with her business in the ladies' room, before quickly heading towards her room.
Not even in her wildest dreams did Roxanne expect the bodyguards to be speaking so openly about how Sebastian murdered her brother. Now, all she could think about was the expressionless face of the monster she agreed to spend the rest of her life with.
'Sebastian Sinclair! I will kill you with my bare hands!' As Roxanne got lost in thought, her legs suddenly developed a mind of their own, wobbling toward a certain direction.
Upon entering her room, she plopped onto the floor, covered her face with a pillow, and screamed her lungs out.
"Aaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!"
Roxanne remained there, mourning her only brother's passing with guilt, pain and helplessness.
After what seemed like an eternity of staring blankly into the air, her phone began to ring. It was already the fifth ring, but Roxanne didn't care.
…
Roxanne Winslow suddenly woke up with a start, her pillow and bedsheets awfully wet beneath her. For a few seconds, she remained on the bed, roaming her gaze through the room. She knew she just had a dream, but dead people don't dream.
"I'm in my room… at home… But this doesn't make sense…"
Looking around, Roxanne couldn't fathom what was going on. "I slashed my wrist and stabbed my chest in Beaver Heaves. I remember breathing my last while thinking about Sebastian's beautiful smiling face. So, why am I sleeping here and dreaming about my wedding day?"
Nothing made sense to her, but Roxanne dragged herself out of bed.
When her feet met the floor, the coldness reminded her of how alive she is right now.
"What's going on? Is this my room in heaven?" She stood beside her bed, roaming her gaze on all the familiar things she could see.
Being in her room in heaven was the only reasonable explanation she could come up with. Anything else made no sense at all.
"I didn't get the chance to repay my debt to you, Sebastian. But I hope you also find a good place, just like mine. Rest well, Sebastian Sinclair."
Unbeknownst to Roxanne, warm tears were sliding down her cheeks, but she brushed it off as her sweat. After all, no one would cry in heaven, right?
As she was getting consumed by her memories of Sebastian Sinclair, and everything she did to hurt him, Roxanne feared walking close to the door.
"What if the punishers are waiting for me behind this door? I lived a terrible life, after all."
[Bang!]
[Bang!!]
[Bang!!!]
"Open the damn door, Roxanne. Don't you dare think you can hide in that room after all the atrocities you committed against the family. I will not allow you to sleep in this house until you get back my husband's sweat and tears."
Audrey Winslow's heart-wrenching voice rang from the other side of the door.
"Mom?" Roxanne mouthed, looking at her hands and feeling her chest at the same time. "No scars. No cuts. No blood…"
She kept mumbling the words until her mother's next action caused a gush of memories to flood her head.
"You think you're the only one who can lock that door? I'll show you that this is still my house, and you are not sleeping under my roof. I have no daughter like you."
As she registered her mother's words, Roxanne's eyes went wide in realization.
"I am not dead! I'm not dead…." She rushed into the bathroom, fixed her scared gaze onto the huge calendar against the wall, and finally understood what was happening.
"Holy heavens!" Roxanne you held her cheeks, her wrist, her chest… "I'm back to the day I found out about that jerk's betrayal."
She could clearly remember the pain she felt on the night she died. However, it was obvious that things were different now, and she wasn't in that sorry state anymore.
"I'm alive. I've been reborn. I've been reborn to the day I lost all my family's shares to that bastard, Manny Hansley. I'm three years back in time…"
"Come out here, Roxy!" Her mother screamed as soon as she opened the door and realized Roxanne wasn't in the room.
Audrey's expression was unsightly, but she didn't care about her looks right now. All she wanted was to drive the despicable child out of her house. She didn't see herself spending one more minute under the same roof with this child of hers.
"Woooohooo! I miss you so much."
Audrey rushed out of the bathroom with water droplets on her face.
She carelessly threw herself into her fuming mother's arms, disregarding the broom that she brought to chase her out.
Audrey Winslow Could hit her with the broom, slap her, kick her in any part of her body, or even throw her out of the house.
Right now, however, Roxanne only wanted to feel her mother's warmth. It's been too long…
"I miss you, mom…"