Chapter 1

My blood, a rare gift, a curse. It healed, mended broken bodies, but it couldn't bring back the dead. Not even her.

Ethan Vanderbilt, my husband in that first, wretched life, stood over me. His face, once handsome, was twisted with a grief I knew was not for me.

"Her body," he rasped, "Veronica's. They found her. The orchid expedition... it was too dangerous."

He dragged me to the cold room where she lay, Veronica Croft, his true love, preserved like a tragic doll.

"Heal her, Amelia," he commanded, his voice raw. "Bring her back."

"I can't, Ethan," I whispered, my own life ebbing away from a wound he'd inflicted. "My blood doesn't work that way. It can't raise the dead."

He didn't listen. He never listened. He saw my refusal as another betrayal.

His grief turned to a familiar cruelty. He watched as I bled out, a slow, agonizing departure.

Just before the darkness took me, a whisper from a terrified maid reached my ears.

"Mrs. Vanderbilt... Veronica... she wasn't in the Amazon."

The words were faint, a chilling secret.

"Another man... a powerful one... his wife... she found out."

Eliminated. Not by an accident, but by a rival's jealous rage. Ethan's quest, his torment of me, all for a lie.

Then, nothing.

Until now.

I gasped, air flooding my lungs. My hands flew to my throat, expecting the phantom feel of his grip, the searing pain.

Nothing.

I was whole. Alive.

The scent of antiseptic, the sterile white walls. A hospital room.

But not the one where I died.

A calendar on the wall. The date.

It was the day. The day the Vanderbilts first summoned me. The day Ethan, paralyzed from a reckless car race, was presented as a challenge, a prize.

My second chance.

A sharp knock. The door opened.

Eleanor Vanderbilt, Ethan's mother, imperious even in her distress, swept in.

"Miss Hayes," she said, her voice tight with forced composure. "My son, Ethan. You've heard about his condition."

I met her gaze, my own calm, a stark contrast to the turmoil I felt, the rage I suppressed.

"I have, Mrs. Vanderbilt."

"The doctors... they say there's little hope. But we've heard of your... unique abilities."

This time, things would be different.

"Mrs. Vanderbilt," I began, my voice clear and steady, "some conditions, especially those brought on by extreme arrogance and a disregard for safety, are beyond even the most... unconventional methods."

Her eyes widened slightly. A flicker of anger.

Ethan was wheeled in then, his face a mask of frustration and pain. He looked at me with disdain.

"So, you're the miracle worker?" he sneered. "Get on with it. I don't have all day."

The same arrogance. The same entitlement.

"Mr. Vanderbilt," I said, my voice devoid of warmth. "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do for you."

"What?" he roared, his face flushing. "Mother, what is this charlatan saying?"

Eleanor stepped forward. "Miss Hayes, please. We'll pay anything."

"It's not about money, Mrs. Vanderbilt." I looked directly at Ethan. "Your son's condition... it's quite hopeless, I'm afraid. Perhaps he should have considered the consequences before engaging in such a dangerous race."

His jaw clenched. "How dare you!"

"I dare because it's the truth." I allowed a small, cold smile. "Besides, I hear his girlfriend, Miss Croft, is on a valiant quest for a mythical healing orchid. I'm sure she'll return a hero."

The barb hit its mark. Ethan's eyes blazed with a fanatical belief in Veronica.

"She will! Veronica will save me!"

"Then you won't be needing my services." I turned to leave.

Eleanor grabbed my arm. "Please, Miss Hayes. Don't say that."

I gently removed her hand. "I'm sorry for your son's predicament, Mrs. Vanderbilt. But my skills are not for him."

As I walked out, I heard Ethan smashing something against the wall, his roars of fury echoing down the corridor.

Good. Let him rage.

Just outside, a woman approached me, her eyes red-rimmed, her expression desperate.

"Miss Hayes?" she asked, her voice trembling. "I'm Bridget O'Connell. My son... Liam... he was in the same accident as Ethan Vanderbilt. He's in a coma."

Liam O'Connell. Ethan's rival.

"Please," she begged, clutching my hands. "They say you can perform miracles. Please, save my son."

The past, a cruel echo. But this time, the choice was mine.