Reincarnation: No Longer Your Love's Replacement

"Adi, you're human, you should know I can feel pain…" A feeble female voice echoed through the room.

"Shut up," came a harsh, icy male reply cutting her off mid-sentence. "Didn't I warn you? Your voice doesn't sound anything like Aisha's!"

With those words still hanging in the air, Adi grabbed a pillow and pressed it against Nadi's face with evident disdain.

His actions spoke volumes, he truly despised her. Before hearing her speak, he could at least pretend she was someone else. But now, even the resemblance of her face to Aisha's didn't matter anymore. To him, she was nothing more than a tool, a means to an end.

Nadi struggled for breath, suffocating under the weight of both his rejection and the fabric over her face. Her efforts to fight back were futile, leaving her no choice but to bite her lip and let the tears fall silently.

Three years ago, a car accident wiped out every memory she had. Yet amidst the void, one name remained etched in her mind: Aditya Rahman, the man she loved with all her heart.

Over time, her feelings for Adi only deepened. She admired him from afar, too shy to approach or pursue. Social interactions weren't her forte, and romance felt like an impossible dream. So when fate intervened, forcing their union through family orders, she accepted without hesitation, believing it was a miracle sent by the heavens.

But reality hit hard once she stepped into the Rahman household. It turned out that the person Adi wanted wasn't her, it was her younger sister, Aisha.

She became branded as a conniving woman who shamelessly stole her own sister's love interest. No matter how much she protested her innocence, Adi refused to believe her. When she suggested divorce, he mocked her hypocrisy and dragged his feet on the process.

On their wedding night, Adi seized her by the throat, his voice dripping with venom. "Nadi, you vile woman! Let me tell you something, don't ever expect my heart. You will never be anything more than Aisha's stand-in. Since Aisha is too frail for certain intimacies, you'll have to take her place."

Two months had passed since their marriage. Almost every night, barring times of inconvenience, Nadi endured unspeakable torment. Though her body bore the brunt of the pain, it paled in comparison to the agony wrenching her heart apart.

"Boring." The word slipped hoarsely from Adi's lips, each syllable laced with disgust.

That single word stabbed deeper into Nadi's soul than any blade ever could.

"Take your pill and get out of this room," he barked, shoving her off the bed with a kick.

The bitter contraceptive lodged itself in her mouth, its taste mirroring the bitterness swelling within her chest. Naively, she thought her heart couldn't possibly ache any more than it already did. But she was wrong, it hurt worse, numbing her senses entirely.

Dragging her trembling legs beneath her, Nadi pulled herself upright. Her limbs screamed in protest as she dressed and trudged wearily back to her guest quarters.

No sooner had she entered than her phone buzzed. An unfamiliar number flashed on the screen.

Suspicious but curious, Nadi answered.

"Are you Aisha's older sister?" a voice asked urgently. "Your sister has been wronged. Please come quickly! And remember, don't tell your parents, or Mr. Rahman. Aisha begged us not to involve them. She doesn't want them seeing her disgrace."

"What?" Nadi's eyes widened in shock. Without wasting a second, she demanded the address and rushed toward the location.

Though Aisha was Adi's beloved, the first woman he'd ever loved, she was also Nadi's little sister. Family ties compelled her to act.

City of Sura Bay suburbs loomed ahead.

When Nadi arrived, she found Aisha huddled against the wall, arms wrapped tightly around her knees. Gone was the vibrant girl she knew; in her place sat a broken figure, pitiful and alone.

"Aisha!" Nadi sprinted forward, crouching beside her sister. Just as she reached to drape her coat over Aisha's shivering frame, Aisha suddenly whipped out a small, gleaming knife.

Was she planning to take her own life?

Panicked, Nadi lunged to stop her, but before she could react, Aisha shoved the weapon into her hand. With surprising force, Aisha grasped Nadi's wrist and plunged the blade straight into her own chest!

Nadi froze, her mind reeling. Shock coursed through her veins as if struck by lightning. "What are you doing?" she stammered, disbelief clouding her features. "Are you… trying to frame me?"

Tears welled in Aisha's pale eyes as she gazed up at her sister. "You've already stolen Adi from me," she whispered tremulously. "And now my purity, and perhaps even my life, are gone because of you."

Before Nadi could respond, blinding headlights pierced the darkness. Adi burst onto the scene, his anguished cry slicing through the night: "Aisha!"