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

she

little sister to her four older brothers, and the

never say

she lived like a pearl in a golden

That was when her father returned with a strange little girl and made a shocking announcement this was his long-lost daughter,

her

toward her grew cold, replaced with an obsession for Sophie. Her brothers, once her knights in shining armor, slowly pulled away

every kind word that used to belong to her now

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Chapter 2

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

it was never enough. All it brought her was pain-

teared up. Benedict would drag Eliza out and make her to

arms and legs without blinking. Mathew tortured her like

youngest, destroyed her face and smeared her narse until she couldn't

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

beloved heiress to disgraced outcast, it took only three years

decided to leave Hasen City behind and start fresh

- sent men after

she could leave, Sophie accused her of stealing a jade pendant. The Stonor family s ber,

and demanded she hand

then, some part of her

still care, just a lide... She gambled her last breath on

And low

breath, shutting her

mine, she thought bitterly. Maybe I was just fooling myself all along. That's fine. I

echoed in the quiet room. Something had fallen to the

and blinked in surprise-it was a familiar piece

it was the most precious thing

was broken.

interlocking emerald hearts-a symbol of unity, of love. But now, only half remained. She

The break was smooth, too

fall.

just cracked," she murmured. "What if... it's supposed to be like

the edge of the break and

dizziness overtook her, and when

again, she was no longer in her

a vast, silent realm blanketed in white mist. The

this place_?" she thought,

the ground. Grass. Cool

thought bloomed in her mind. 'Could I be inside the pendant And my time travel-is

scanned her surroundings. The space wasn't large. There was a field of soft grass,

hut. It was empty and

something on the other side caught her eye, making her pause in her tracks. The

No, it wasn't

golden root, St. John's Wort, elderflower, and even the

Chapter 2

one was a rare medicinal herb-priceless treasures in

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

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