No More Sacrifices: Chloe's Vow

The last thing I remembered was the screech of tires and a crushing impact.

Then, I was a ghost, floating above my own lifeless body, pulled from the wreckage.

I watched silently as my fiancé, Liam, the man I' d given everything for, proposed to my stepsister, Scarlett, at my funeral-the very ring I' d once admired.

Their passionate kiss, the congratulatory smiles of our friends-it all ripped through me with a pain far worse than death.

My entire life had been a lie, a sacrifice for their happiness, and the regret consumed me whole.

I woke up with a gasp, drenched in sweat, in my childhood bedroom.

The date on my laptop screen read June 12, 2008-the day it all went wrong.

An email glowed: "Internship Offer: Prestigious New York Firm."

I had a second chance.

My heart turned to ice as the doorbell rang-it was Liam, charming as ever, with a bouquet of my favorite flowers.

He walked in, proposing marriage, but only if I gave my prestigious internship to Scarlett, his "soulmate."

"Marry me, Chloe," he whispered, "if you give her your internship spot...She' s my soulmate, you know that, but you...you're the one I want to build a home with."

This time, I slowly pulled my hands from his, a cold smile touching my lips.

"No."

His facade cracked, revealing the selfish man beneath.

"You're over, Liam," I said, holding the door open.

"I'm taking the internship. And I am never, ever going to sacrifice my life for yours again."