My Unchosen Ex Chases Reborn Me (Soren and Fiona) novel Chapter 2

Autumn rain carried the chill of winter. Frost covered the morning ground. 
After several days in a coma from her fall, Fiona, the fourth daughter of the Niven family, finally woke at dawn. The household was already alive with commotion.
"I heard they caught the man who pushed Ms. Fiona into the water," a servant whispered. "Mr. Niven interrogated him through the night and beat him bloody. Still, the man wouldn't confess who was behind it."
"Even if he dies, what of it? Whoever dared harm Ms. Fiona deserves nothing less!"
The chatter outside reached her ears. Inside, Fiona's heart was filled with conflicting emotions, but joy outweighed them all.
She had returned six years into the past—before her marriage, before the years of cold neglect. This time, she would not suffer.
Her previous life had been outwardly smooth but filled with regrets she could never shake. Now she had the chance to set them right.
"You're still weak. Why are you sitting up without a cloak?" Her mother, Meryl Sutton, entered carrying a tray of medicine, frowning at the sight of Fiona in only her underclothes.
She set the medicine down, reached for a snowy fur cloak, and bent to wrap it around her daughter. Before she could, Fiona's arms wrapped tightly around her.
"Mother," Fiona whispered, her voice breaking.
In her past life, she had few regrets, but one of them was dying before her mother. Meryl had already endured the grief of losing a son. To lose a daughter, too, Fiona could not bear to imagine it.
Meryl stroked her hair, eyes glistening red. After a moment, she pulled her closer. "Don't be afraid, my dear. Whoever tried to harm you, I'll see them dragged into the light."
But Fiona froze.
In her past life, Meryl had indeed discovered the culprit—Eleanor Yates, her father's concubine. Yet the only witness was silenced before testifying. Lacking hard proof, Eleanor was punished but not properly condemned.
The Niven Estate could not afford to offend Meryl's powerful family further, so the matter was smoothed over. Her father, Zachary Niven, blamed Meryl for being ruthless. Their marriage crumbled. Peace left the household. Children never came again.
Later, Fiona's only brother, Vincent Niven, died. Meryl's health deteriorated day by day. Apart from the rare moments when she looked at Fiona, she was distant, hollow, consumed by grief. And all the honors her brother had fought for fell into the hands of the main branch of the family.
As for the man caught, he had once been Eleanor's lover before she entered the household. That was why he had refused to expose her. Fiona only learned the full truth after her marriage, after it was too late. Even knowing the truth, her relationship with her father was never mended.
This time, she would not let history repeat itself.
"Mother, I want to see Father," Fiona said softly.
"Your father is on his way. He rushed back the moment he heard you'd woken. He'll be here soon. For now, take your medicine."
Fiona accepted the medicine, draining the bitter liquid. Just then, steady footsteps approached. Her father entered, still in his official robes from the ministry, tall and stern, though his gaze softened at the sight of her.
"Fiona."
"Father." She smiled through her tears.
"You've suffered." Zachary's voice cracked. The man who never flinched at the sight of bloodshed had wept several times these past days. "You owe your life to Lord Soren and Mr. Xavier. If not for their intervention, I dread to think what might have happened..."
He couldn't finish.
They had come so close to losing their precious daughter.
Fiona's heart ached at the mention of Soren. In her past life, she had loved him truly, even if he had never returned it.
But the name Xavier puzzled her. She didn't recall him. In her memories, she had only been told she was rescued by Soren and a son of the Luthor family, though she had never met the latter in person. "Mr. Xavier Luthor?" she asked.
"Xavier just returned to Jexburgh this month. You wouldn't have met him. Once you're well, your mother will take you to the Zonfrillo Estate and the Luthor Estate to give thanks," Zachary explained.
Fiona didn't want to see Soren again. But gratitude could not be avoided. She nodded. "And the man who pushed me? Did you learn anything?"
"His mouth is stubborn," Zachary said with a cold laugh. "But I'll deal with him."
Fiona hesitated.
Catching her hesitation, Zachary softened. "Speak freely, Fiona. You never need to measure your words with me."
Fiona lowered her gaze. "Father, that man... he was Mdm. Yates' lover. Could she have been the one who ordered it?"
By speaking first, she placed the suspicion squarely where it belonged—not on her mother. And since the affair between Eleanor and the man was real, even if the evidence was thin, Eleanor could hardly escape punishment.
Color drained from Zachary's cheeks.
"What proof do you have?"
"I once saw them in an embrace," Fiona answered. In her previous life, she hadn't understood what she had witnessed before her fall—the man had called the woman "Ellie." Only later did she realize that Eleanor's given name was precisely that.