Chapter 1

The federal courtroom buzzed, a low hum under the harsh fluorescent lights.

I stood before the judge, my hands clasped loosely behind my back.

Chloe Vance, my fiancée, faced me, her beautiful face streaked with tears.

"Ethan, please," she whispered, her voice thick with unshed sorrow, "you have to sign the plea bargain."

Her eyes, usually bright with ambition, were clouded with a desperate appeal.

"It's for Derek. He's too fragile, too sickly. Prison would destroy him."

Derek Smith, her lover, the man she was protecting.

My lover, in our previous life, before she and Derek orchestrated my ruin.

A bitter taste filled my mouth.

This scene, this plea, it was all so familiar.

A lifetime ago, I had stood in this same position.

Chloe had wept then too, begging me to take the fall for corporate espionage, for stealing source code from Hayes Innovations.

Derek, she'd claimed, was too delicate.

Back then, I refused.

My refusal led to my framing, my conviction.

Years in a brutal prison, where Chloe's hired thugs ensured my life was a living hell.

They beat me, starved me, and finally, ensured I could never father children.

My death came slowly, painfully, alone in a cold cell.

But this time, I was reborn.

I remembered everything.

Every betrayal, every lie, every moment of agony.

I looked at Chloe, her performance almost convincing.

Almost.

A cold smile touched my lips, a fleeting expression she didn't catch.

I would sign.

This time, compliance was my weapon.

"Alright, Chloe," I said, my voice surprisingly calm, devoid of the rage that simmered beneath.

"If it saves Derek, I'll sign."

Her shoulders sagged with theatrical relief.

"Oh, Ethan, thank you! I knew you'd understand."

She reached for my hand, but I subtly pulled away.

The U.S. Attorney pushed the plea agreement across the polished table.

I picked up the pen.

The ink flowed smoothly, sealing my supposed guilt.

Corporate espionage. A five-year sentence, potentially.

Chloe watched, dabbing her eyes with a lace handkerchief.

Derek, her fragile, sickly lover, would walk free.

For now.

My smile widened, unseen by the others.

This was not an ending.

It was a new beginning.

My beginning. Their end.