chapter 1

That night, while my husband, Jason Reeves, pedaled along the city with his first love, Wendy Shaw, my mother-in-law, Judith Reeves, collapsed at home, a hand pressed to her heart.

She sobbed and begged me to phone Jason.

He rushed back, bundled Judith into the car, and sped to the hospital.

Prompt treatment kept her alive, yet Wendy, cycling alone after he left, ran into some gangsters who violated her. She died before dawn.

Jason tried to comfort me, insisting it had been nothing but a tragic accident. Judith agreed, saying Wendy had died to save her and that I should not blame myself.

But when I reached the fifth month of my pregnancy, my husband and mother-in-law drugged me, planning to hurl my powerless body beneath a bridge swarming with homeless men.

I pleaded for my life and for the tiny one kicking inside me.

Jason struck me across the face. “If you hadn’t called me home that night, Wendy would still be alive. She carried my child while she suffered. I want you to suffer exactly the same.”

Judith avoided my eyes, mumbling toward the floor, “I told you I was fine. You insisted on rushing Jason home, and look what happened. You brought this on yourself.”

Under their icy stares, the vagrants tore me apart until the last breath rattled from my throat.

I opened my eyes again and found myself back in the living room on the very night Judith had her heart attack....

Moments after I drank the broth Judith cooked, my limbs went limp, and I collapsed onto the couch.

Jason scooped me up, carried me to the car, and drove with Judith to a stretch of road so desolate it lacked even a streetlamp. When the engine fell silent, terror tightened my throat. In a whisper, I managed, “Jason?”

Jason delivered another stinging slap. “Stop calling me so familiarly,” he hissed. “I’d end you myself if I could. If it weren't for you lying and tricking me home out of jealousy, how could my Wendy have died? Do you know where we are? Less than a mile from where Wendy died, which is a bridge full with homeless men. I’m going to tear the clothes off your body and toss you inside.”

I broke into a cold sweat, cradling my abdomen as I shook my head. “Please, no. Your child is in my womb.”

Jason snorted. “I want nothing from a viper like you. Wendy suffered with my child inside her, and you will feel every agony she felt. That is the price of your lie.”

Through tears, I turned to Judith. “No, I didn't lie. Mom was exactly ill that night. Please tell him. You know you were ill that night.”

Judith kept her gaze on her shoes. “I told Jason the truth long ago. I was only tired and short of breath. You were the one who insisted it was a heart attack and rushed him home. This is your punishment.”

I tried to run, but my numbed legs buckled after two steps. I could only watch as Jason and Judith ripped away my clothes and hurled me into the echoing darkness beneath the bridge.

Knowing death was certain, I slammed my skull against the concrete, choosing to end my life.

Moments later, I heard Judith’s dramatic cry once more. “Oh dear, my heart. Call Jason! I’m about to die!”

I had no idea how long the darkness had held me before Judith’s shout yanked me awake.

Blinking, I stared at the furniture around me. It was unmistakably our home, yet a single fact chafed at me. I should have died, so why was I still here?

I touched my forehead where a ragged cavity should have been left. However, my skin was smooth. Goosebumps rippled along my arms as the truth hit. I had traveled back to the day Judith had a heart attack.

The final moments of my previous life crashed over me—the despair, the sight of Jason and Judith wearing those vile, triumphant smiles. Rage surged so brightly I almost lunged at Judith and tore her to pieces. However, she was running out of time. She hurled the television remote at me and barked, “Are you deaf or dead? Can you not see I’m in pain? Call Jason right now.”