Chapter 1

The captain' s voice cut through the cabin' s quiet hum.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain Carter speaking."

My husband, Alex.

His voice, usually smooth, held a tight edge.

"We will be diverting our flight from Los Angeles to New York."

A murmur went through the passengers.

"We are heading to Denver International Airport due to a medical emergency for a dear friend."

My breath caught.

Not again.

This was not happening again.

Denver. Brittany.

The words echoed in my head, a nightmare playing out for the second time.

My hands clenched on the armrests, cold sweat on my palms.

I looked out the window, but all I saw was the past.

Last time, on this exact flight, Alex had said those same words.

Brittany Evans, his childhood friend, his obsession, had called him, claiming she was dying in Denver.

He diverted the plane, a cross-country flight held hostage by his personal drama.

Back then, a real medical emergency had happened on board.

Julian Knight, the famous actor, had a genuine crisis.

I, a paramedic, knew he needed an immediate landing.

I begged Alex, pleaded with him, to land at the nearest suitable airport.

He refused, focused only on Brittany.

The delay, his delay, was critical.

Brittany, it turned out, had died from her own reckless stunt, something self-induced while waiting for her dramatic rescue. It was an accident, but one she brought on herself.

Alex, however, twisted everything.

He blamed me for the "stress" that supposedly worsened Brittany's fake condition.

He blamed me for Julian Knight' s near death, even though I was the one who fought to save him.

After we finally landed in Denver, too late for Brittany, Alex somehow spun the story.

He claimed he was the hero who saved Julian Knight, taking all the credit for the emergency medical work I did mid-air.

The world believed him.

My career was destroyed by his lies.

My reputation, gone.

He made my life a living hell.

And when he was done, when he had squeezed every last drop of misery out of me, he staged a car accident.

He murdered me.

I remembered the crunch of metal, the searing pain, then darkness.

Now, I was back.

Reborn.

Alive.

On the same flight, with the same announcement.

Alex' s voice crackled again, "We expect to land in Denver in approximately 45 minutes."

This time, things would be different.

I wouldn' t beg. I wouldn' t plead.

I wouldn' t be his victim.

A cold resolve settled deep in my bones.

He wanted Denver for Brittany?

Fine.

But he wouldn't destroy me again.

He wouldn't destroy anyone else either, not if I could help it.

My unique skills, the naturopathic treatments my grandmother taught me, my specialized kit in my carry-on – they weren't just for show.

Last time, my hesitation, my focus on protocol Alex ignored, cost lives and my own.

This time, I would act.

My eyes narrowed.

Alex Carter would learn that this Evie Hayes was not the one he killed.