Chapter 1

1

Mom was really sick, and she felt bad that I'd been crushing on Sarah, my stepsister, forever with zero luck. She actually asked Sarah if she'd marry me.

Sarah, looking at Mom with this totally pleading look in her eyes, said, totally blank, "I will."

Our wedding night? Her soulmate, Chad, shows up, screaming his head off. "After all these years! How could you do this to me?" he yelled.

Then, right there, he offed himself.

I freaked, but Sarah? She handled it. Cold as ice. She even made sure I was okay.

That night, she was… nice. Really nice. I thought she actually cared. I thought maybe she was falling for me.

But a month later, when she found out I was sick, she locked me in my room. Her eyes were like ice. "If your mom hadn't pulled that guilt trip, I'd never have said yes. I never would have married you." she said.

"I've been waiting for this. He suffered, and now, so will you!"

She kept stabbing me, over and over, with this sharp knife. Blood everywhere.

Turns out, Sarah never gave a damn about me. It was all revenge.

Then I woke up, back in the hospital with Sarah and Mom.

Mom was starting her whole spiel about Sarah marrying me. Before Sarah could even answer, I jumped in. "Mom, I'm already seeing someone. I have a girlfriend…"

...

The pain had been brutal. I stumbled back, feeling faint. Sarah grabbed my arm. "Whoa, you okay? You're covered in sweat."

My eyes focused, and yeah, I was in the hospital, Sarah was right beside me, all worried-looking.

"Sarah, honey, I'm not getting any younger, and I just want to know you and Kevin will be alright when I'm gone. So, would you consider…?"

Mom, bless her heart, was trying to set me up. I knew what was coming. She was trying to play matchmaker for me and Sarah.

If I hadn't lived through the horror of my past life, I might have jumped at the chance to marry Sarah. Now? I just felt a wave of dread.

Sarah came into our lives when I was six, adopted by my mom after her parents died. We always treated her like family.

But because of my feelings for her, her soulmate, Chad, had killed himself on our wedding night, and she blamed me for everything. It was hell.

Now that I had a chance to change things, there was no way in hell I was letting that tragedy happen again.

I panicked and grabbed Mom's hand. "Mom! Stop it with that talk. I've already got a girlfriend."

Mom's face went from pleading to surprised, then happy. "Really? When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I will, I will. I'll bring her by tomorrow. You can meet the old lady. Just get better, okay?"

I nodded, trying to sound convincing. "Mom, you just focus on getting better. I want you to be there when I get married. Okay?"

Sarah, standing behind me, looked shocked. "Kevin? You have a girlfriend? Since when?"

I turned to her, dead serious. "I'm a grown-up, Sarah. Do I have to clear everything with you?"

Mom listened to us, getting happier. "Sarah, you have a crush on your coworker? That's great! If you two get married, I can go happy!"

Sarah went quiet, but I could feel her eyes on me.

As we were leaving the hospital, Sarah stopped me. She grabbed my arm. "Kevin, what is this? I've never heard you mention a girlfriend."

She sounded accusatory, her eyes searching.

"Sarah, I'm a grown man. I don't have to report everything to you, do I?"

Sarah froze, then pulled her hand away. Her face went back to that usual cold look.