The Lady Nun Vows Revenge by Caroline Rowland

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A coming-of-age ceremony? Seriously? The thought struck Eliza like a jolt. Didn't

I already go through that nightmare ages agoť'

She could still feel the sting of that day-sharp and cold, like a blade etched deep into her soul.

The mocking laughter of the guests. Her brother's venom-laced jabs. Her fiance's cold, merciless withdrawal. And worst of all, the crushing disappointment in her parents' eyes, their words like knives

She'd lived it. Bled from it. And died with the memory still burning in her bones

も

"So why the hell is it happening again? Her brows knitted, her chest tightening

with confusion. Is Sophie really trying to pull the same dirty trick? What-ruin me all over again, until I break for good!

Eliza's breath hitched, her whole body trembling as the panic rose. But then- something stopped her cold.

She blinked. Her hands... they were fine. Not a single scar. Not even a scratch Her heart pounded as she looked down. Her feet were meady, untouched.

Her face paled. No. No way. This... this can't be real"

Her tendons-every single one-had been cut. She remembered the pain, the screams, the hopelessness. There was no healing from that. None

Something was very wrong. She turned slowly, scanning the room with growing dread. And then recognition began to dawn.

The furniture. The curtains. The scent in the air. Everything matched a place she thought she'd never see again.

Her eyes landed on the old dressing table in the corner. Slowly, hesitantly, she walked toward it. Her reflection emerged in the bronze mirror- clearer with every step.

And what she saw made her breath catch in her throat. A young face. Smooth. Untouched. Not a trace of the disfigurement Sophie had left her with...

Her clothes, her hair-everything screamed innocence. This was her, before the fall. Before the disgrace. Before the pain.

No. It can't be. Did I come back? Did I really wake up an the day of my coming- of-age ceremony? The thought hit her like thunder.

Her breath came out shaky, almost a laugh. She covered her face with trembling hands, on the verge of hysteria

"That's right... I died." Her voice cracked, barely above a whisper. "I died by Matthew's blade"

And yet, here she was. Alive, Breathing. Not a ghost-but reborn into the same nightmare she thought she'd escaped.

“Well, ain't that just perfect, she thought with a bitter smile. "Heaven's got a twisted sense of humor

She had sworn-sworn on her grave-that she'd never have anything to do with the Stonors again. She was done with them. And now, fate had dragged her right back into their web.

Her teeth sank into her lower lip, hard enough to draw blood. The metallic taste snapped her back into clarity. Her gaze umed icy.

Maybe this was fate's way of screwing with her. But maybe this was her second shot..

She'd faced death before. Now, she was done being afraid.

Eliza used to be the most favored lady of the Duke's estate-the apple of everyone's eye

moment she

her

say

of her life, she lived

of that changed the year she turned fifteen, That was when her father returned with a strange little girl and made

then on, her

her knights in shining armor, slowly pulled away from her and

word that used to belong to her now belonged to

439 PM &

Chapter 2

idea what she'd done wrong. She tried everything- swallowed her

enough. All it brought her was pain- endless, soul-crushing

up. Benedict would drag

once snapped her arms and legs without blinking. Mathew tortured her like the was some

face and smeared her narse until she couldn't even walk down the street

own blood-cast her out of the family without hesitation, erased her from the records, and left her with just five cruel words You're not fit to be a

to disgraced outcast, it took

the end, the had nothing left--no name, no home, no hope. She'd finally decided to leave Hasen City behind and start fresh somewhere far away, where no one knew who she

- sent men after

just yet. Right before she could leave, Sophie accused her of stealing a

and demanded

of her still hoped-maybe

just a lide... She gambled her last breath on

And low

shaky breath, shutting her eyes, tight she forced

myself all along. That's fine. I made the wrong choice

echoed in the quiet room. Something had fallen to

blinked in surprise-it was a familiar piece of emerald.

cradling it in her palm like it was the most precious thing in the world. Carefully,

was broken.

pendant had been two interlocking emerald hearts-a symbol of unity, of love.

the pendant. The break was

fall.

just cracked," she murmured. "What

the edge

of dizziness overtook her, and when she opened

she was no

stood in a vast, silent realm blanketed in white mist. The air felt still

place_?"

down and touched the ground. Grass. Cool and real beneath her

mind. 'Could I be inside the pendant And my time travel-is this all

wasn't large. There was a field of soft grass, a crystal-clear stream trickling

approached the hut. It was empty and dustless. Like

caught her eye, making her pause in

her reyes widened in amazement. No, it wasn't just any

prized specimens, ginseng, golden root,

Chapter 2

medicinal herb-priceless treasures in the

just the ones she recognized. There were dozens more that she'd never even seen

her most wasn't the herbs themselves-but how they were