Chapter 1

Priya lay on her deathbed...

Her entire body was soaked in blood.

Every breath hurt.

Every second felt heavier than the last.

And the person standing before her with blood on her hands was none other than Kayal - the sister of her best friend Kritika... the girl Priya trusted like her own sister.

With trembling lips and tear-filled eyes, Priya looked at her.

Priya:

"Why...?"

Kayal laughed bitterly.

Not the happy kind.

The scary "main villain finally revealing everything" kind.

Kayal:

"You're asking me why?

Because you stole my love...

Ram... Ram Kumar... the man I loved even before I understood what love truly was."

Priya's eyes widened in shock.

Kayal:

"I was the one who should've married him that day. Not you.

Both of us made mistakes... but you took my place."

Priya:

"What...? You planned all this...?"

Kayal smirked proudly like she won an award for "Best Psycho of the Year."

Kayal:

"Ram Kumar... the village nattamai... a gentleman every girl dreamed of marrying.

That day, he and I were supposed to be locked in that room together. Everyone would've forced our marriage."

She crossed her arms dramatically.

Kayal:

"But unfortunately, I met with a small accident.

And you... you went searching for your little goat like some village detective."

Priya blinked.

Even while dying, she wanted to slap her past self.

"Why was I emotionally attached to a goat...?"

Kayal:

"Ram came there because of an emergency call... and my friend locked the door."

Priya remembered that cursed night.

One locked room.

One misunderstanding.

One accidental marriage.

And unlimited trauma.

Kayal:

"That's why I poisoned your mind against Ram after marriage.

And you believed every word.

You hated him... divorced him...

Such a fool."

Before Priya could process everything, her eyes fell on another figure standing behind Kayal.

Her stepmother.

Maharani.

The woman she called "Mom" for years.

Tears rolled down Priya's cheeks.

Priya:

"Mom... please help me..."

But Maharani's face remained cold.

Cold enough to freeze Priya's remaining hope.

Maharani:

"Who is your mother?

I'm Kayal's mother.

My real daughter."

Priya froze completely.

Her heart shattered more painfully than the knife wound.

Maharani:

"After my first husband died, I left Kayal with my sister's family.

Everything happening now is for my daughter's happiness.

How dare you stand in her way?"

At that moment, Kritika came running toward them.

Terrified.

Crying.

Kritika:

"Kayal! Stop this!"

But before she could even reach them-

Kayal stabbed her mercilessly.

Priya screamed in horror.

Priya:

"No...! She has a child... please let her go..."

But Kayal showed no mercy.

That day...

She killed her own sister.

And then...

She turned toward Priya.

As death slowly embraced her, Priya's thoughts drifted toward only one person.

Ram.

His eyes.

His silent care.

The way he loved her even when she pushed him away.

Guilt crushed her heart.

Because somewhere along the way...

She had fallen in love with him too.

But she was too stubborn to admit it.

Too hurt.

Too blinded by misunderstandings.

And now...

It was too late.

Everything slowly turned dark.

Then suddenly-

FLASH.

A bright light hit Priya's eyes.

"NOT AGAIN-!"

She screamed and rolled dramatically off the bed.

THUD.

Two seconds later...

Priya:

"...Ow."

She slowly opened one eye.

Birds chirped peacefully outside.

Her ceiling fan rotated lazily like it had no responsibilities in life.

And beside her...

A packed travel bag.

Priya sat up slowly.

The bag sat there innocently.

Priya pointed at it like it committed crimes.

"You."

The bag stayed silent.

But Priya knew.

That bag was dangerous.

Last time she touched it, her life turned into:

friend's wedding → forced marriage → misunderstanding → divorce → murder → premium emotional damage.

Priya held her head dramatically.

"I died and got reincarnated... and my first mission is still PACKING?!"

Her phone suddenly rang.

Lakshmi ❤️

The moment she saw the name, her expression softened instantly.

Her real mother.

The woman who walked away from betrayal with nothing but dignity.

The woman everyone mocked.

"A woman alone can do nothing."

But Lakshmi proved everyone wrong.

She built a small business from scratch and turned it into a successful empire.

Meanwhile Priya...

Built trust issues.

As a child, Priya hated her mother for leaving.

Because children don't understand betrayal.

They only understand absence.

So Priya stayed with her father.

Stayed with Maharani.

Stayed in a house where she always felt like an unwanted guest.

But as she grew older...

She slowly understood everything.

The hidden calls.

The fights.

The tears her mother hid.

The truth.

That was the day Priya stopped defending her father blindly.

After that, their conversations became short.

Cold.

Necessary.

Nothing more.

Because some betrayals permanently change how love feels.

Her phone kept ringing.

Lakshmi:

"Priya? Dear, are you there?"

Priya quickly wiped her tears.

Priya:

"Yes, Mom..."

Her voice became softer than ever before.

After dying once...

Everything felt precious now.

Lakshmi:

"Go safely, okay?

And don't fight with others there.

You somehow create problems wherever you go."

Priya remembered:

- fighting with Ram,

- fighting with Kayal,

- fighting with destiny itself.

Honestly, destiny started it first.

She laughed softly.

Priya:

"Okay, okay, Mom. Don't worry."

Then she whispered unconsciously-

"This time... it won't be the same."

Lakshmi:

"What?"

Priya froze.

Oops.

Almost leaked time-travel spoilers.

Priya:

"Nothing, Mom! I just meant... I'll behave properly this time."

Lakshmi laughed softly.

Lakshmi:

"That itself is a miracle."

Priya gasped dramatically.

"Wow. Even my own mother has trust issues because of me."

But hearing her mother laugh...

It healed something inside her.

A warmth she ignored for years.

Her eyes slowly became emotional again.

Priya:

"And Mom..."

Lakshmi:

"Hm?"

Priya smiled softly through her tears.

A real smile.

The kind that comes after surviving pain.

Priya:

"I love you a lot."

Silence.

Beautiful silence.

The kind where love speaks louder than words.

Lakshmi's voice trembled slightly.

Lakshmi:

"Love you too, dear...

Call me when you reach there, okay?"

Priya closed her eyes slowly.

In her previous life...

She never got the chance to say these words properly.

But this time...

She would protect the people she loved.

Her mother.

Kritika.

And maybe...

Even Ram.

No matter what.

Priya:

"Okay, Mom."

After the call ended, Priya looked at the travel bag again.

The bag looked peaceful.

Too peaceful.

Priya narrowed her eyes.

"I survived death once..."

Then she sighed dramatically.

"...but this wedding still feels more dangerous."

Just as Priya placed her phone down, it rang again.

The screen flashed:

Drama Queen Kritika 👑

Priya froze.

Her heart tightened painfully.

Kritika.

Her best friend.

The same girl who died trying to save her in the previous life.

For a second, Priya simply stared at the screen.

Then quickly picked up the call.

Before she could even say hello-

Kritika:

"Did you pack your things? When is your train? When will you come? What dress are you wearing? Did you buy my gift? And listen-"

Priya pulled the phone away from her ear dramatically.

"Same battery level. Same non-stop talking."

Some things truly never change.

A small smile appeared on her face.

In her previous life, she lost this voice forever.

But now...

She could hear it again.

Alive.

Happy.

Annoyingly loud.

Priya:

"Wait... wait... breathe first. Oxygen is free."

Kritika gasped loudly.

Kritika:

"Wow. I missed you and this is how you treat me?"

Priya laughed softly.

God...

She really missed this idiot.

Priya:

"I'll come tomorrow morning. My train is tonight."

Then her expression slowly changed.

Her eyes darkened slightly.

Because this journey...

Was not just about attending a wedding anymore.

It was about changing fate itself.

A slow smirk appeared on her lips.

Priya:

"I'll come..."

She paused dramatically.

"...and this time, I'll take back what belongs to me."

Kritika became silent for two seconds.

Kritika:

"...What belongs to you?"

Priya blinked.

Oops.

Again with accidental villain dialogues.

Priya:

"Uh... your friendship. Obviously."

Kritika:

"Hmmm... suspicious."

Priya quickly changed the topic.

Priya:

"So tell me... is your village still full of gossip aunties and random goats?"

Kritika gasped dramatically.

Kritika:

"First of all, don't insult the goats. They are more loyal than people."

Priya suddenly went silent.

Because honestly...

The goat really caused half her problems last time.

Maybe Kritika had a point.

After talking for a few more minutes filled with useless gossip, random teasing, and Kritika's wedding panic attacks, the call finally ended.

Priya slowly placed her phone on the bed.

The room became quiet again.

Too quiet.

For a moment, she simply sat there staring at nothing.

Last time...

At this exact point in her life...

She was just an ordinary girl going to attend her best friend's wedding.

Carefree.

Clueless.

Dramatic for no reason.

But now?

Now she was a woman who had:

- died once,

- time travelled once,

- and unlocked trust issues with half the population.

Priya took a deep breath and stood up.

"Okay, Priya," she muttered to herself.

"This time:

- no following goats,

- no getting locked in rooms,

- no accidental marriage,

- and definitely no dying."

She nodded proudly.

Then immediately paused.

"...Actually the accidental marriage part wasn't completely terrible."

Ram's face suddenly flashed in her mind.

His calm eyes.

His silent care.

The way he looked hurt when she pushed him away.

Priya quickly slapped her cheeks lightly.

"No. Focus."

She walked toward her cupboard to get ready.

Opening it dramatically like a serial heroine discovering family secrets.

After staring at her clothes for five whole minutes, she sighed deeply.

"Wow."

"I literally survived murder... and I still have nothing to wear."

Truly.

Life was unfair.

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