Page 24 of Reborn to Love You

Her gaze went to where Rosé was seated.

Empty.

She found herself walking like a zombie, but she only made it as far as the foot of the stairs before she started having difficulties breathing.

Her gaze strayed to her rebirth marks.

Two marks.

Most people only had one chance to live. But she had two. That should make her feel braver. But instead, she just felt panic bubbling inside of her, and she was so, so tempted...

Oh, if only she were the type to run away.

But no.

Her whole life, she had always been the work-hard-and-don’t-give-up type.

And even though what she was about to do might mean she’d have to die again...

Payton just knew instinctively that the rebirth marks on her wrist weren’t there for her to take the easy way out.

Not everyone in the world was given the chance to be reborn, and while most people would probably quote Spiderman at this point...

The words that came to Payton’s mind were a Bible verse that her husband had cited in her own funeral.

‘Luke 12:48 Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more. And my wife...she had a really beautiful life, she was given much, but she wasn’t able to handle it, but because God is love, I know He’ll understand, and He’ll forgive her.’

The memory had her fingers tightening around the wooden cap of their stairway’s newel post until her knuckles turned white.

Did she ever know him at all?

How could he have the gall to murder her...and then quote the Bible in her own funeral?

It just made her so, so sick to—

Stop thinking about the past, Payton!

Reliving those memories were pointless. If she wanted to get to the bottom of this, there was only one thing to do, and that was to do the same things she had done the first time.

And so she went up the stairs.

And checked every room even though she already knew what she would—or rather wouldn’t—find.

Masters. Empty.

Guest room. Empty.

Study. Empty.

Payton was now at the end of the hallway, with one last room to check.

And of course, they were here.

Her music room of all places.

She opened the door, and it was just occurring to her now—this door usually made a creak whenever it moved. But now it swung open in complete silence, and after being reborn and all, she knew that meant this was just one of those things that had to happen.

A part of her was still tempted to skip over certain parts, but she somehow found the courage to turn her gaze to where she had once found them, and ah, there they were.