SECOND CHANCE

Reborn

Rahuliya lay on the cold, hard floor, his vision blurring as he stared at the pool of blood slowly expanding around him. His eyes caught the photo lying nearby—an image of his ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend, the very people who had led him to this tragic moment. A bitter laugh escaped his lips, his voice echoing in the room like a ghost. "How pathetic," he muttered, the irony of his situation sinking in. Once a world-famous actor, adored by millions, now reduced to this—a broken man, bleeding out, betrayed by those he had once loved more than life itself.

The pain in his chest wasn’t just from the physical wound but from the deep emotional scars those two had carved into his heart. They had started by taking little things—his confidence, his joy, his peace—until they had stripped him of everything. He had fought with his own family for them, stood by their side against the world, and this was his reward. They had publicly humiliated him, spread vile rumors, and ultimately, they had taken his life, not with a knife, but with betrayal and deceit.

Just then, Vi rushed into the room, dropping to his knees in front of Rahuliya, his usually calm and composed face twisted with panic and despair. Vi, who had always been the strong one, the protector, now had tears streaming down his face as he pleaded, "Please, Rahuliya, keep your eyes open. Daksh Bhai is calling the ambulance. Just hold on!"

Rahuliya's heart ached at the sight of Vi’s tears. Vi never cried—he was always the pillar of strength, the one who held everyone together. Yet here he was, breaking down for the brother who had once accused him of faking his love, of lying about the bond they shared. It felt like a cruel twist of fate that now, in his final moments, Rahuliya could see the truth—Vi had always loved him, had always been there, even when Rahuliya had pushed him away.

“Sorry,” Rahuliya whispered, his voice barely audible. His mind drifted back to the past, to the moment he had walked out of his family’s life for the people who had eventually destroyed him. How foolish he had been to trust them, to stand by them against his own blood. Now, all that remained was regret—a deep, soul-crushing regret that he had failed the very people who had loved him unconditionally.

As darkness began to close in, Rahuliya felt his strength fading. His last thought was of Vi, of how he had misjudged his brother, how he had failed him. He wished he could go back, undo the mistakes, but it was too late. With a final, shuddering breath, Rahuliya closed his eyes, the regret weighing heavily on his heart as he slipped into the void, leaving Vi to mourn the brother he had lost.

Rahuliya's final breath seemed to last an eternity, and then, in an instant, the darkness swallowed him whole. But instead of the void he expected, there was a sudden rush of light and sound. He felt disoriented, as if he were spinning through time itself. His body felt weightless, and the pain that had consumed him just moments ago was gone.

When the spinning stopped, he blinked, trying to clear his vision. Instead of the cold floor and the blood-soaked room, he found himself standing in the middle of a bright, sunlit room. The walls were familiar, painted in the soft colors of his childhood home. The scent of fresh coffee and the distant sound of birds chirping outside the window filled the air.

Rahuliya's heart raced. This wasn’t the afterlife he had imagined. He quickly looked down at his hands—no blood, no wounds, just the smooth, unblemished skin of a young man. His clothes, too, were different—no longer the torn and bloodstained remnants of a painful night, but a simple, crisp uniform that he immediately recognized. It was his old university uniform, the one he had worn on his first day a decade ago.

His eyes widened as he took in the room around him. It was his old bedroom, exactly as it had been ten years ago. The posters on the walls, the books scattered on the desk, even the cricket bat leaning against the corner—everything was just as he remembered. Panic gripped him for a moment. Had he really gone back in time?