chapter 2

I woke up from my dream and stared at the familiar concrete ceiling above me.

The smell of food drifted into the room and made my stomach growl before my brain even fully woke up.

Then it hit me. I'd been reborn back to when I was three months pregnant.

My past life felt like a distant dream, yet every detail was burned into my memory as if it happened yesterday.

Damien walked through the door. When he saw me still lying in bed, he frowned a little.

He sighed and pulled a chair over to sit beside the bed. "You haven't eaten dinner yet, have you? I brought food back from the cafeteria. Come on, get up and eat something.

"Even if you don't want to eat, the baby needs food. After you eat, I'll walk downstairs with you. It's good for both of you."

I stayed on my side with my back to Damien, not saying a word.

Damien ran out of patience and grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to lie flat and face him. His face was a mix of frustration and exhaustion.

"Scarlett, you're about to be a mother. Are you really going to throw tantrums like a kid and refuse to eat just because things didn't go your way?

"It's just a job. Is it really worth starving yourself over? It sounds like I can't provide for you!"

Oh right. I remembered it all now.

The job Damien thought was no big deal was actually the elementary school teaching position I'd fought so hard to get.

Over the past couple years, more and more military families had moved to the base. Their kids ran wild outside all day long.

They got into arguments and fistfights constantly.

And when kids fought, parents got involved too.

The whole military base turned into total chaos. There was drama every single day.

Base command finally had enough and decided to open a preschool and elementary school.

Every kid in the military base had to attend.

So now we had schools and students, but no teachers.

The base was stuck out in the middle of nowhere. It took three hours to drive to the nearest real town.

Most educated young people had already been shipped off to work in rural villages, so finding teachers was practically impossible.

Command figured the easiest solution was to hire from the military wives.

Preschool teachers just needed to have finished elementary school themselves. Elementary teachers needed better credentials—at least a middle school diploma.

When I heard about this, I was thrilled.

Damien's salary was enough to keep us comfortable, but being able to earn my own money was completely different.

Having money meant I had options.

With my rare high school diploma, I landed the elementary school teaching job.

I just had to wait for the school to buy desks, chairs, and teaching supplies before classes could officially start.

I was nervous but excited, waiting for the school to open, when Damien suddenly told me he'd given my job to Chloe.

His excuse was that Chloe's husband, Owen Spencer, had died serving our country. She was pregnant and had a three-year-old son to raise.

She needed this job more than I did.

I was flared. I told him to go to the higher-ups and get my job back.

I made sure to emphasize the word "my job."

Damien refused flat out. "How can I take back something I already gave away? Besides, the higher-ups already told Chloe she got it. It's too late to change it now.

"Do you think I have that much pull with the brass? That I can keep asking for favors over and over?"

"I don't care!" I snapped. "I earned that job myself! Why do you think the higher-ups picked me over Chloe in the first place? Because I have better credentials and I'm a better teacher! That job should be mine. What gave you the right to make that decision for me?

"She's not good enough to earn it, so now she's coming for my job? Oh, I'd love to hear her explain that logic to my face."

I was so angry that I headed straight for the door, but Damien blocked my way and wouldn't let me leave the house.

He looked at me with disappointment. "Scarlett, you're going to be a mother too. You should understand how hard things are for Chloe.

"She's all alone, taking care of one kid while pregnant with another. That's a huge burden."

His tone softened. "You're different. You have me. This job doesn't really matter to you, but it's everything to her. If you have any compassion at all, you should give her the position."

Damien tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. His eyes looked dark and serious. "Scarlett, don't disappoint me, okay?"

That day, I was so mad I felt sick to my stomach. I skipped dinner and went straight to the bedroom.

When I woke up this morning, I realized I'd been reborn.

The shock of losing everything and then getting it all back made my stomach cramp up. I didn't dare move around much, so I ate a quick lunch and went back to bed.

Now that I was getting a second chance, nothing mattered more than my baby.

"Little one, this time, I'm going to make sure you're born safe and sound," I murmured.