Chapter 2

The fire trucks arrived, sirens wailing, lights flashing.

They pulled Ryan out first. He was clutching Chloe.

She was alive, but barely. Her face, her arms… burned. Badly.

Ryan wasn' t moving from the waist down.

They said his back was broken. A severe spinal cord injury. Paralyzed.

My hands, the ones that held my violin, my life, were untouched.

Perfect.

Later, at the hospital, the air was thick with antiseptic and unspoken accusations.

Mr. and Mrs. Ashton cornered me.

Mrs. Ashton' s face was a mask of grief and fury.

"You were there! Why didn't you stop him? Why didn't you try to pull him back?"

Her voice was sharp, cutting.

I looked her in the eye.

"Ryan made his choice, Mrs. Ashton. He chose to go in for Chloe. It was his decision."

My voice was calm, steady. It surprised even me.

Mr. Ashton just stared, his jaw tight.

Then came my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Miller.

My mother rushed at me, her face twisted.

"You did this, didn't you? You set that fire!"

My father nodded, his expression stern. "You were always jealous of Chloe. Jealous she got the lead in the university play."

The old, familiar accusations.

But this time, something was different. I wasn't the broken girl from my past life.

I felt a cold anger rise, but I kept my voice even.