Regretting The Wrong Girl Twice

My husband, a man who had never known a sick day in his life, was suddenly dying. His grip on my hand was iron-tight, desperate.

When Lila goes, I go too. Shes my soulmate, Nora. You know that. Shes the only thing that ever mattered.

The realization hit me like a physical blow. He wasn't just dying; he was giving up. He was choosing to follow his dead ex-girlfriendhis "one that got away"into the grave.

Our children were still young. His companys finances were in shambles. Yet, to him, none of that held a candle to the memory of Lila recent passing.

" In the next life," he rasped, his eyes losing focus, "Ill make it up to you. Im sorry. I failed you."

Cole Prescott took his last breath before his assistant even dared to step into the room.

The report, when it came, was the final insult. Cole had liquidated his personal assets. Everythingevery centhad been placed in a trust for Lilas children. There was nothing left for us.

I stared at Coles lifeless body on the hospital bed. I looked at the legs under the sheetlegs that had been crushed and paralyzed saving my life years agoand I couldn't find a single word to say.

His assistant shifted uncomfortably, clutching a file. "Mrs. Prescott theres something else. For a long time, your biological parents were looking for you."

My head snapped up.

"Ms. Lila intercepted the communications. Mr. Prescott well, he knew. He let her hide the letters. When your parents passed away, we handled the arrangements. Their house was filled with nothing but photos of you and missing person flyers."

I stared at him, the room spinning. A coppery taste of blood flooded my mouth. The betrayal wasn't just financial; it was existential.

When I opened my eyes again, the sterile white of the hospital was gone.

I was back in the smell of bleach and boiled cabbage. The group home.

A handsome teenage boy walked in, practically dragging his wealthy parents behind him. He pointed a finger straight at me, his face glowing with excitement.

"Her," he said. "We have to adopt her."

I looked at his familiar, youthful face, and felt nothing but a glacial cold spreading through my chest.

Cole Prescott.

I didn't care if this was a second chance. In this life, I wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.

"Mom, Dad, if youre going to give me a sister, it has to be her!"

The moment I heard the desperation in his voice, I knew. Cole had come back, too.

I thought about his dying promiseIll make it up to you. I arched a brow. Well, give the devil his due; he was trying to keep his word.

In my past life, I had been ambitious. I was starving, bullied, and desperate to escape the poverty of the state system. I wanted a golden ticket. I had schemed and clawed my way into the Prescotts' line of sight.

I had been so close. But the day before the papers were signed, Cole had walked in holding Lilas hand.

Lila had cried crocodile tears, accusing me of bullying her. She told them I was manipulative, that I seduced the male staff, that I was a pathological liar.

And Cole? He believed every word.

That day, my American Dream shattered. As Cole led Lila away to her new life of luxury, he turned to the other kids and staff, his voice dripping with disdain:

"Nora Bennett is bad news. Shes a curse. Do yourselves a favor and stay away from her."

From that moment on, I fell from purgatory into hell. I endured five more years of abuse in that system. Meanwhile, Lila became the Prescott princess, adored and spoiled.

But now, here was Cole, standing in front of me, his eyes pleading.

"This time," he whispered, low enough that only I could hear, "youre going to be my sister. Im going to take care of you. You wont ever have to be jealous of anyone again."

I understood. He was grieving the Nora of the past.

Somewhere down the line, in our previous life, he must have found out Lila had lied. He had spent decades regretting that he left me to rot in this place for five years.

Mr. and Mrs. Prescott smiled at me. Just like before, there was an instant connection. They liked me.

But I didn't want his charity. I didn't want his guilt. I opened my mouth to tell them to go to hell.

Suddenly, a young girl burst into the room, sobbing hysterically. Her dress was torn, and blood trickled from a shallow cut on her arm.

"Lila!" Cole gasped. "Are you are you okay?"

Lila glanced at me, eyes sharp with suspicion, before throwing herself at the Prescotts' feet.

"Please! Are you here to save me? Please take me! I dont want to die! Im scared!"

She was copying me.

In the old timeline, the Director of the home was a monster. I had staged a scene like this to save myself. But Lila? She had never been his target. She was always safe.

In the past, seeing her act this way broke me. I had screamed, grabbed her, demanded the truthwhich only made the Prescotts think I was unhinged.

But now? Cole knew she was lying. He knew she was acting. Yet, looking at her small, trembling form, he couldn't help it. The old instinct to protect her kicked in.

"Who hurt you?" Cole demanded. "I wont let them get away with it."

Lila couldn't risk the truth. If she didn't get adopted, shed be stuck here with a Director she had just falsely accused.

I blinked, stepping forward with a calm I didn't feel. "It was the Director," I said, my voice steady. "He likes the pretty ones. And Lila is the prettiest girl here."

"What?" Mr. Prescotts hands curled into fists. "That animal."

"Oh, you poor thing." Mrs. Prescott looked heartbroken.

Cole stood there, lips pressed into a thin line. I knew him better than I knew myself. I could see the gears turning. He was wavering.

"Mom, Dad," he said, his voice cracking slightly. "We have to take Lila."

"Mr. and Mrs. Prescott, you should adopt Lila."

We spoke at the exact same time.

"Nora...?" Cole looked at me, stunned.

He remembered the old Norathe one who would have begged, screamed, and fought to get out of this hellhole.

But I ignored his complicated, guilt-ridden gaze. I turned to his parents, projecting the image of a mature, thoughtful child.

"Mr. and Mrs. Prescott, honestly? Ive always wanted to know what it feels like to be an only child. I don't think I'd do well sharing parents. So, thank you, but please take her."

The Prescotts looked surprised, a shadow of regret crossing their faces, but they nodded.

When Lila realized she had won, she sidled up to me while the adults were signing papers. She tilted her chin up, a smirk playing on her lips.

"I told you, Nora. You can never beat me. Im going to be a rich girl now." She leaned closer. "And you? You can rot here. Blame yourself for being too stupid to call out my lie."

She skipped away, triumphant.

From the shadows, Cole emerged. He looked like hed been slapped. He hadnt realized that even back then, Lila wasnt the innocent angel he thought she was. Hearing her cruelty firsthand had shaken him.

He looked at me, eyes wet, silently begging for comfort. He wanted me to tell him it was okay.

I looked right through him and turned to walk away.

"Nora, wait," he stammered, grabbing my arm. "I Lila is just young. Shes scared. Shell change."

"Sure," I said, forcing a smile. "Whatever you say."

"Nora!" Panic edged into his voice. He started digging through his pockets, pulling out a wad of cash. "Take this. Please. I owe you this. Listen, give me two weeks no, five days. Three days! Ill come back for you. Ill find a way to get you out."

"I don't need it."

"Nora, I promise! Just wait for me!"

He didn't leave because I rejected him; he left because Lila tripped and scraped her knee near the car, screaming in pain.

I watched him run to her. Predictable.

Thank God I had killed the part of me that loved him long ago.

Lila was smart. Before she left, she must have whispered something to the Director. Because this time, the Director didn't just ignore me. He came for me.

Three days passed.

Five days.

A month.

Cole never came.

But I didn't wait. I let the Director break my arma calculated sacrificeso I could hide a camera in his office. I got the footage. I called the police. I called the press.

As the police dragged the Director away in handcuffs, his "favorites"five older boys who were practically his sonscornered me in the yard.

"It was you, wasn't it, Nora? You traitor."

"We're going to starve because of you."

"Get her! Kill the snitch!"

I curled into a ball, protecting my already broken arm and my head. I had anticipated this. Pain was just the price of freedom.

One of the boys picked up a brick, aiming for my skull.

Suddenly, a shadow lunged in front of me.

The brick connected with a sickening thud.

"Argh!"

Cole collapsed onto the dirt, blood pouring from his head.

"Cole!" My eyes widened. "Are you okay?"

Blood streamed down his face, blinding him in one eye. He wiped it away with a trembling hand, looking fragile but smiling like a maniac.

"I did it," he wheezed. "This time, I saved you. Nora, I made it in time."

In the past, his sacrifice would have melted me. But now? The worry vanished as quickly as it came, replaced by a cold void.

I remembered the winter in our past life. Our childour babywas sick. Because of one of Lilas fabricated emergencies, Cole had abandoned us in a cabin in the middle of a snowstorm to go to her.

He left us without firewood. Without transport.

I watched my child freeze to death. I wandered the woods for three days like a zombie carrying a small, cold body.

When I was rescued, I broke. I went mad with grief. I tried to destroy Lila. But Cole? He protected her. He always protected her.

We spent decades tearing each other apart. Eventually, he lost his legs saving me from a car accident I caused in a blind rage. The proud, golden boy became a cripple.

Guilt had forced me to stay. I agreed to call a truce. And how did he use that truce?

He sat in his wheelchair, pale and weak, and begged me: "Nora, please. Let Lila go. Do it for my legs."

That was the moment my soul finally left the building. "Fine," I had said, weeping silently. "I promise."

Now, back in the present, Cole was gripping my hand, desperate for validation. "Nora, I told you Id protect you."

Before I could answer, I was shoved hard from the side.

Smack!

Lila slapped me across the face, screaming.

"You jinx! Get away from my brother! Hes my brother!"

She scrambled to help Cole up.

"Lila, stop," Cole groaned. "Apologize to Nora. Now."

Lila immediately burst into tears. It was her trump card. Cole crumbled. He hated seeing her cry. He softened immediately, shushing her.

I dusted off my clothes, ignoring the triumphant glint in Lilas teary eyes. I turned to leave.

"Stop right there!" Lila barked, her spoiled princess persona slipping out. "Who said you could leave? Stay away from us. You're bad luck."

"Lila!" Cole stepped in front of her as I turned back, shielding her with his body.

He always did that. He assumed I was the threat. He always forgot that I was the one standing alone, while she had an army.

I looked at him and rattled off a string of names and numbers.

Lila looked confused. "What is that? Gibberish?"

But Cole went pale.

Those were the dates and account numbers marking the beginning of the Prescott familys financial ruin. In the last life, I had saved his familys company. It took me years to find the mole and the bad investments.

"Nora, you..."

"Thanks for taking the brick," I said flatly. "But were even now. I don't owe you anything, Cole. Stay away from me."

Cole stood there, mouth open, looking like Id just ripped his heart out. He couldn't process it. He couldn't understand why the Nora who had loved him across time and space now looked at him like he was a stranger.

The government took over the facility. The living conditions improved overnight. The Director went to prison five years earlier than in the original timeline. I had saved myselfand everyone elsefive years of torture.

The other kids, sensing the shift in power, started circling me, trying to get on my good side. The Director's cronies became the pariahs. I watched it happen with satisfaction. I always believed in karma.

A month later, Cole rushed to find me. He looked disheveled. He told me Lila had been "sick" and hed been too busy nursing her to visit.

He hung his head, apologizing profusely.

It was his signature move: abandon me for her, then offer me crumbs of affection later. Like dangling a carrot in front of a donkey.

"Nora, good news. I found a private school for you, and a family willing to foster you."

"No thank you," I said, polite and distant.

The state had already arranged for us to attend the local public high school.

Unfortunately, fate has a sick sense of humor. I ended up in the same homeroom as Lila.

It took less than three days for the rumors to start. The whole grade was whispering that I had "seduced the forty-year-old Director."

Boys snapped my bra straps in the halls. Girls looked at me like I was contagious. They started calling me "The Community Bike."

I knew this was Lila.

I checked the calendar. My biological parentsthe Westcottsshould be landing soon.

Emboldened by the imminent arrival of my cavalry, I didn't hold back.

During a break, Lila smashed a pencil case into the back of my head.

"Hey, Community Bike!" she shrieked. "Nice new shirt. Which man did you sleep with to get that one?"

Laughter rippled through the classroom.

"Yeah, slut."

"Disgusting."

I stood up slowly. I walked over to Lilas desk. She smirked, waiting for me to cry.

Instead, I grabbed a handful of her hair and slammed her face into the mop bucket sitting by the cleaning cart.

"Agh! Let go! Let go of me!"

"Your mouth is filthy," I snarled, holding her down. "I figure you need to rinse it out."

"Lila, we both came from the same gutter. The Director wanted you first. I protected you. And this is how you repay me? You ungrateful little parasite."

"No... blub... no!"

Every time she opened her mouth to scream, grey water rushed in.

I raised my voice, addressing the room. I started listing facts. I listed the specific lies shed told about the other girls. I revealed how shed bullied the previous teacher into quitting.

The class went silent. The laughter died. People started exchanging looks. The dots were connecting.

"Nora! Get your hands off her!"

A body slammed into me from behind. I lost my balance and hit the floor hard. My left armthe one barely healedcracked.

I gasped, white-hot pain blinding me.

Cole stood over me, helping a sputtering, wet Lila to her feet. When he saw me clutching my arm, his face crumpled with regret.

"Brother!" Lila sobbed, clinging to him. "Make her leave! Get her expelled! Shes crazy!"

"Okay," Cole whispered, stroking her hair. "I promise. Ill handle it."

I let out a dry, bitter laugh. "There it is. You never change, Cole. Youre pathetic."

Cole couldn't meet my eyes. "Nora, you started it. Violence isn't the answer. Ill... Ill make it up to you later."

"You won't have to," I said.

Suddenly, the homeroom teacher burst in, beaming, completely oblivious to the tension.

"Nora! Nora Bennett! Your parents are here! Your biological parents! Theyre taking you to Europe!"