Chapter 1

The tour bus carrying my mother-in-law and my son had careened off a sharp bend in the canyon.

It was currently snagged on a cluster of sturdy pines halfway down the cliff, swaying precariously. One wrong move, and it would plunge into the abyss.

My husband, Gideon, was the captain of the local Search and Rescue team. When the police called for backup, they discovered he had taken his entire squad to attend a private school event for his first love's son.

In my previous life, I had begged a friend to drag him away from that school to save his own family. But because of that, his obsession, Lydia, cut him off after her son failed to win his competition.

Gideon was eventually fired from the team for his negligence. After his mother and son were discharged from the hospital, he didn't thank me. Instead, he tied me and my friend up and threw us off the very same cliff.

"If it weren't for you two, I wouldn't have lost everything!" he had screamed.

In this life, Lydia's son won his trophy just like he wanted. But this time, Gideon wouldn't be smiling for long.

1

The wail of sirens filled the mountain air.

A sharp rapping on my car window startled me.

"Ma'am, are you the one who called in the canyon accident?" the officer asked urgently.

I shivered, my mind racing as I took in the scene. It hit me like a physical blow―I had been reborn.

In my last life, my mother-in-law, Evelyn, had forgotten her scarf. She had demanded I drive it to her, but the bus had already left by the time I arrived.

She told me to follow behind them in my car. I watched in horror as the bus suddenly swerved and tumbled over the edge.

I had frantically called Gideon, but he hung up on me with a sneer. When the police tried to reach his rescue squad, they were told the whole team was at a school function for Lydia's brat.

The officer's voice snapped me back to the present. I gripped my phone, the phantom pain of my bones shattering at the bottom of the cliff still echoing in my nerves.

Seeing my dazed expression, the officer assumed I was in shock and dialed the rescue line himself. He received the exact same answer I had heard in my previous life.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated violently. It was Evelyn.

"Elara! Save us! Noah and I are trapped!" she shrieked. "My battery is dying! Call Gideon right now!"

The officer looked at me. "You have family on that bus?"

"Yes, my mother-in-law and my son are inside," I said, my voice trembling. "My husband is Gideon Miller, the captain of the nearest rescue unit."

"Then call him! Now! We'll try to coordinate with other teams in the meantime."

I dialed Gideon's number right in front of the officer.

It rang for a long time before he finally picked up. His voice was laced with pure venom. "Didn't I tell you not to call me? I'm busy cheering for Leo!"

"The bus carrying your mother and Noah went off the cliff," I said, trying to remain calm. "It's caught on some trees, but it won't hold. You need to get here now."

The phone was suddenly snatched away. Lydia's soft, manipulative voice came through. "Elara, please, just have a little heart. Leo doesn't have a father, and Gideon finally brought the guys to support him. Don't ruin this for the boy."

"I know you've always been jealous of us, but I promised I won't break up your home. You don't need to make up such a horrible lie just to lure him away."

I could hear her ???? to sob on the other end. It was a practiced, pathetic sound.

Gideon grabbed the phone back, his rage boiling over. "Using my mother and son to tell a lie like that? Are you even human, Elara? The more you act like this, the less I want to come home. Don't you dare call again!"

Before he could hang up, the officer snatched my phone. "This is Officer Reed of the Westview Precinct. Your wife is not lying. This is a life-or-death emergency. I called your station, and they said your team is MIA. Get your asses back here now!"

To my horror, jeers erupted from the background. Gideon's teammates were laughing. "Hey, who's this guy? I know everyone at Westview, and I've never heard of an Officer Reed."

"Captain is already on a short leash at home. Give him a break, Elara! Why drag the whole squad into your drama? You're going to get us all written up for a fake alarm!"

The officer's face turned a deep, angry red.

I leaned in and whispered, "Call the other units. That bus doesn't have much time."

In my last life, I had called my friend Caleb Brooks to help. He had gone to the school and forced the principal to shut down the event, which finally pushed Gideon to show up.

But that move had cost Caleb and me our lives. I wasn't going to let an innocent man get dragged into this disaster again.

Gideon must have overheard me. "Elara, that's enough! If you dare harass the other fire stations or rescue crews, I'll show you exactly what happens to liars!"