Chapter 1

I was reborn on the day of the final challenge, the air thick with the smell of burnt sugar and desperation. In my last life, this was the day my misery began.

The "Scott Hospitality Innovator's Gauntlet." A series of four culinary trials with a $100,000 prize. I needed that money. My father was in a hospital bed, the bills piling up like snowdrifts, and his life depended on it.

I won. But I didn't get the money. Instead, I got Duncan Scott, the old patriarch of the Scott empire, who saw something in me. He saw grit. He saw a skill with French cuisine inherited from my grandmother. He saw the perfect wife for his grandson, Ryan Scott.

Ryan didn't see me. He saw Molly Chadwick, the socialite "foodie" he loved, the woman who came in second place. On my wedding day to Ryan, Molly staged a suicide attempt. It was a dramatic, public spectacle that cemented her as a tragic victim in Ryan's eyes and painted me as the villain who stole her life.

Years passed in a cold, loveless marriage. I gave him a son. I thought maybe, just maybe, a child could bridge the gap between us.

I was wrong. I woke up one night to find Ryan pressing a pillow over our baby's face, his voice a venomous whisper.

"You stole her life, Gabrielle. You and this thing. You took everything from Molly."

He smothered our child. Then he had me killed. My last thought was of my father, alone in the hospital, knowing Ryan would pull his life support next.

Now, I'm back. It's the final challenge. A dessert competition. The air is electric, the judges are waiting. But this time, I'm not competing. I have a new plan.

I walk past the gleaming workstations, ignoring the frantic energy of the other chefs. My target is Molly Chadwick. She's standing by her station, pretending to review her notes, but I know she's just waiting to steal someone else's idea. She's a fraud. I know it, and so does Duncan Scott.

I approach her, my steps steady.

She looks up, a flicker of annoyance in her eyes. "What do you want, Johns? Here to beg for a job after you lose?"

I don't smile. I keep my voice low and even. "I'm here to sell you the competition."

Molly freezes. Her perfectly sculpted eyebrows arch in disbelief. "What did you say?"

"You heard me. My scores from the first three challenges. They're high enough to guarantee a win, even if you just present a bowl of melted ice cream today. I'll give them to you. For a price."

Her eyes narrow, searching for a trick. "Why would you do that?"

"My father is sick. I need money, not a trophy or a forced marriage into some Boston dynasty. The prize is one hundred thousand. I want two hundred and fifty thousand."

Her shock is real. The amount is staggering, but I can see the gears turning in her head. A guaranteed win. The title. The validation. The approval from Ryan. It's all she's ever wanted.

"You're insane," she says, but there's no conviction in her voice.

"I'm serious. A cashier's check. Now. Or I walk back to my station and I win. And we both know what happens then. Old man Duncan will be tying a leash around my neck and dragging me to the altar with Ryan. Is that what you want?"

Her face pales. The thought of me marrying Ryan is her worst nightmare. She knows Duncan despises her. She knows he'd do it.

"Fine," she hisses, her voice tight with a mixture of fury and greed. "Wait here."

She disappears for ten minutes. I stand perfectly still, ignoring the stares and the calls from the stage managers telling me to get to my station. She returns, pressing a folded cashier's check into my hand.

I unfold it. $250,000.

"It's done," I say. I turn and walk away without another word.

"Gabrielle Johns, you have one minute to get to your station!" the announcer's voice booms over the speakers.

I don't look back. I walk straight out the door, the check clutched in my hand. This time, I'm saving my father. I'm saving myself.