Chapter 1

I was stranded on a treacherous mountain peak, facing death. My fiancé, the captain of the search and rescue team, had diverted every single resource to find his missing childhood sweetheart.

I didn't bother calling for help this time. I simply waited for the end to come in the biting cold.

In my past life, he had actually answered my call. He saved me from the cliff, but his precious childhood friend remained lost.

He claimed he didn't regret saving me. He even meticulously planned our wedding.

But the day before we were supposed to say "I do," he did the unthinkable. He had the child in my womb removed and dumped me at the very spot where his friend had vanished.

"The mountain wasn't even dangerous that day. You were just jealous of Willa, and now she's gone because of your lies!"

"A venomous bitch like you deserves to die in her place!"

I bled out in the heavy snow. My unborn child froze to death right beside me.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of the mountain accident.

This time, I chose to step aside and let him be with his little sweetheart forever.

01.

The temperature was dropping fast.

I was trapped on a narrow ledge, shivering and starving.

I dialed the rescue number I knew by heart. The voice that answered was one I knew all too well.

"Maya, is that you? My brother went to find Willa. He specifically said to ignore any calls coming from you."

The girl on the line was Nora Reed, my fiancé Asher's sister. She was also a member of the rescue team.

I curled into a ball on the cliffside as the freezing wind lashed at my face.

I couldn't even find the strength to speak. Nora's mocking voice continued to pierce through the static.

"Stop faking it, Maya. Every time Asher is with Willa, you suddenly have a fever or a stomach ache. Now you're claiming you're stuck on a mountain?"

"Willa is actually fragile. she wanted to end it all because she didn't want to be a burden. You're perfectly healthy, so stop being a drama queen."

"The wedding is next month. It would be a shame if the bride had to be replaced because of your antics."

Nora's voice was cold. My hand was almost frozen to my phone. I didn't want to waste any more energy, so I just hung up.

I placed my hand over my still-flat belly. My eyes were filled with a bitter sense of irony.

I never expected to be reborn. Especially not at a moment as life-threatening as this.

In my previous life, I had also gone hiking and got caught in extreme weather.

The ground was slick and freezing. I had slipped down a cliff and instinctively called Asher.

He brought the entire team to save me from hypothermia. In doing so, he missed the call from his childhood friend, Willa Brooks.

I found out later that Willa disappeared right after that call.

The last place she was seen was near a deep, bottomless lake.

Asher and his team searched that lake for weeks but found nothing. I was too scared to tell him I was pregnant.

He held me tight then, saying nothing mattered more than me and the baby. He even knelt and proposed right there.

I bought the most beautiful wedding dress. But the night before the ceremony, Asher drove me to the edge of that same lake.

He ruined me. He took my baby away and left the poor thing in the snow.

"Maya! I finally found out. Willa disappeared because of you!"

"You pushed her away! She might be dead because you lied about needing rescue!"

"You murderer! You love acting like you're in danger? Now you can feel what real desperation is like!"