Chapter 3

• Riley 's eyes opened slowly, his vision blurred and unfocused. Despite being in a disoriented state, he managed to croak out, "Where... Where am I?"
• He bolted upright, suddenly, patting his body in a frenzy, with disbelief registered all over his face. "I'm alive? Where the hell am I? A hospital?"
• As he surveyed the strange environment, a person standing by the door caught his attention. Their eyes locked, the surprise on her face evident before she turned and sprinted away.
• "Doctor!, He's awake!" She shouted. "He's awake!"
• Riley shifted his attention back to his environment, examining the luxurious room, taking note of the furnishings and state-of-the-art medical equipment around him.
• The interior decor seemed more like that of a high-end hotel than a hospital. It dawned on him that he must be in one of those exclusive VVIP rooms found only in private hospitals.
• Bewildered, he wondered, "What am I doing here?" The last thing he remembered was the blinding pain of the collision, followed by the heartfelt plea for justice as his world faded to black. So how exactly did he end up in a VVIP room.
• The door swung open, cutting Riley 's confused thoughts as a doctor and two nurses came in, hurriedly. They immediately began to conduct different examinations, using various equipment to assess his condition.
• "How are you feeling?" the doctor asked, his voice filled with genuine concern.
• "Are you experiencing any form of pain or discomfort?" a nurse inquired, her eyes fixated on the monitors.
• They threw many questions at him, but Riley insisted that he felt perfectly fine, his confusion growing with each passing moment.
• The medical staff exchanged bewildered looks before the doctor finally exhaled heavily.
• "Our careers are saved," he muttered, his tone filled with relief.
• Riley 's pulled his brows together as he tried to decipher the meaning behind the doctor's remark. Before he could respond, an elegantly dressed, slightly old man resembling a butler entered the room.
• As they noticed the man's presence, the medical staff quickly composed themselves, standing up straighter as if awaiting inspection.
• The butler approached Riley , a polite smile on his face.
• "I'm glad to see you've fully recovered, sir," he said, his tone filled with warmth and respect.
• Riley could only stare at him, bewildered, a single word escaping his lips: "Sir?"
• The situation became more complicated as the sound of a girl's voice echoed through the hallway, steadily growing louder.
• "That weakling actually survived that? Or does he have a body that only functions when he's about to die?"
• Riley froze, his breath hanging in his throat. The voice was familiar—too familiar.
• As she stepped into view, the air left his lungs. Long blonde hair, piercing blue eyes... No, it couldn’t be.
• "Miss Sarah," the butler greeted her with a courteous nod.
• The name slammed into Riley like a truck, dredging up buried memories of her smirk, her betrayal, her words like knives.
• "What the hell is this?" His voice cracked as he stumbled out of the bed, yanking the IV from his arm. Blood trickled from the wound, but he barely noticed.
• "Stay away from me!" he shouted, his voice hoarse and trembling.
• The girl tilted her head, confusion flickering across her face. "What’s wrong with him?" she asked, her tone casual, dismissive, like his panic was nothing more than a passing annoyance.
• Riley backed into the wall, his heart hammering against his ribs. "This is a nightmare. This has to be a nightmare," he whispered, his hands clawing at his hair.
• But then the memories came. The accident. Sarah’s chilling smile. His mother’s lifeless body. The sharp pain in his head felt like confirmation.
• "No, it was all real," he muttered, laughing bitterly. "And now this? What kind of hell is this?"
• "Please calm down, sir," the doctor advised, switching his voice to a soothing tone as he slowly approached Riley . The nurses followed, their movements cautious and measured.
• "Stay the fuck back! Stay away!" Riley cried out, his back pressing against the wall as he scanned the room for an escape route.
• As the medical staff continued their cautious advance, Riley 's instincts took over. He darted past them, deftly dodging their outstretched hands as he fled from the room, the sound of their shouts echoing behind him.
• "Don't just stand there looking pretty," the doctor urged the shocked nurses. "Go get him!"
• The unsettled footsteps made by Riley 's legs echoed through the corridors as he desperately looked for a place to hide. He dashed into the bathroom, slamming the door and fumbling with the lock.
• His chest went high and low as he took have breaths. He leaned against the door, his mind pulsing with questions.
• "Sarah. Sarah Sinclair. It’s not possible." He muttered the name, the syllables like poison on his tongue. "Why is she here? Why does she look like that? And why the fuck does everyone act like I’m supposed to know her?"
• "Was all of that just a nightmare?"
• As if on cue, like a reminder, his head rang with a sharp pain, followed by a series of images from the accident and Sarah's sinister smile.
• "No, it was definitely all real." He clutched his head. "But what was this? Some twisted hell? He added, laughing nervously.
• As Riley pulled at his hair in frustration, a black thread-like object slowly fell to the floor. He locked his eyes on it, perplexed.
• "Is that... my hair?" He thought.
• The confusion took its root from the fact that his hair was brown. But what he was currently looking at was black.
• Why was this strand different? And why did he sound different? His mind had been too preoccupied earlier to notice these subtle changes.
• He immediately rushed to his feet and scrambled towards a mirror, only to be welcomed by a shocking reflection. What he saw was not a middle-aged man with brown hair and weary eyes.
• What he saw was a young teenager, with a handsome face and glowing black hair complemented with crimson eyes.
• Lost in shock, backed away, falling onto his butt as he struggled to process what he was seeing.
• With a desperation for answers, Riley called out to the doctor on the other side of the door. "Uhm... Doc... What's my name?"
• There was a moment of hesitation before the doctor responded. "I don't underst—"
• "I said, what's my fucking name?!" Riley shouted, his patience growing thin.
• "Alexander," the doctor replied, a hint of confusion looming over his voice.
• "Alex what?" Riley muttered to himself. "Who the hell is Alexander...?"
• He took a deep breath, summoning the courage to ask another question, knowing fully the answer might as well flip his world. "What's my full name?"
• "Alexander Sinclair," the doctor answered, his tone now cautious. "And the girl you saw earlier, that was your twin sister, Miss Sarah Sinclair."
• "Please come out; everyone's worried about you. We understand you're going through something right now, but we can't help you unless you come out."
• Riley however only took in the information he needed and filtered the rest of the words uttered by the doctor.
• Rebirth was one of the many concepts that sparked Riley 's interest and criticisms. As an atheist, he never believed in anything like a second chance worked by a divine power.
• As if to make jest of Riley , his final wish was granted by this divine power he called non-existent.
• The fragments of the broken glass began to fall into place. Riley could not comprehend how it had happened, but he was now in the body of the brother of the woman who had taken everything he cared about the most.
• For him, this meant he was now the son of the man who had ruined his life in a flash.
• Suddenly, a maniacal laughter erupted from deep within him, echoing through the bathroom and spilling out into the hallway.
• The doctor, nurses, butler, and Sarah all exchanged glances of concern, uncertain how to react.
• The laughter continued, backed with a single, statement that only Riley could understand. "So my voice was heard this time. My final wish... My final wish was granted!"
• Outside, the doctor and nurses exchanged uneasy glances. The butler shifted uncomfortably, while Sarah stood with her arms crossed, an eyebrow raised in annoyance.
• "Don't tell me this idiot has lost his mind," Sarah muttered.
• The laughter cut off abruptly.
• The bathroom door unlocked with a faint click, and everyone tensed as it creaked open. Riley stepped out—or rather, Alexander Sinclair stepped out.
• "Sorry for worrying you all," he said, his gaze settling on his sister. "I'm fine now."