Chapter 1

The memory burned, sharp and clear, even now.

The Zenith Music Awards, seven years of my life, our secret marriage, all about to explode.

Seraphina, my Sera, on stage, radiant.

Next to her, River Stone, the indie darling she' d become obsessed with.

Then the words, "We're expecting a baby."

The crowd roared, a sound that crushed my chest.

My wife, announcing her pregnancy with another man, on national television.

I confronted her backstage, my voice shaking.

"Sera, what is this? Our marriage..."

She looked at me, her eyes cold, a stranger.

"Ethan, it's for River's career, his dream of being a father. It' s just for show."

A lie, I knew it then, a brutal, casual lie.

Devastation hit me, a physical blow.

In my rage, my pain, I did the only thing I could think of.

I leaked our marriage certificate.

TMZ, Page Six, it was everywhere in hours.

"Pop Diva's Secret Husband Revealed!"

Her career imploded.

River, the charismatic idol, couldn't handle the hate, the shame.

An overdose, they said. Or maybe he just gave up.

Sera, she blamed me for everything.

For River. For her ruined kingdom.

And her revenge was absolute.

The fire.

The screams. My mom, my dad, Chloe, my little sister.

The heat, the smoke, then nothing.

That was my first life.

Then, I woke up.

Sunlight streamed through the bedroom window.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand.

A reminder: "Zenith Music Awards - 7 PM."

Today.

The day it all happened.

The day they died. The day I died.

But I was alive.

A cold calm settled over me, a terrifying clarity.

I knew what was coming.

I got dressed, the expensive suit feeling like a costume.

I drove to the venue, the LA traffic a familiar crawl.

Inside, the air thrummed with manufactured excitement.

I found my seat, a good one, front section, a privilege of being Sera's "producer."

The show started.

And then, there they were.

Sera and River, hand in hand, walking to the microphone.

Her practiced smile, his cool confidence.

She made the announcement, the exact same words.

"We're expecting a baby."

The applause thundered.

This time, I stood up.

I clapped, my hands hitting together with a steady, even rhythm.

A standing ovation, just for them.

My face, I imagined, was a mask of polite support.

Inside, the ice was spreading.

Later, in the sterile quiet of our shared LA home, the one I'd paid for with my songs, Sera found me.

She looked relieved, almost grateful for my public display.

"Ethan," she began, her voice soft, the one she used when she wanted something.

This was the moment, the same script as before.

In my first life, I had screamed, accused, broken down.

I remembered the words that followed, her cold justifications.

"It was for River, Ethan. His band needs this push. He' s always wanted to be a father. It' s a good story, the fans will love it."

She had said that, her eyes distant, already seeing a future without me.

"It doesn' t mean anything for us, not really. It' s just... image."

Image. My life, our marriage, reduced to an inconvenience for her image.

Her words had been like stones, each one hitting me, breaking something inside.

I remembered the desperation, how I' d pleaded, how I' d reminded her of our vows, our history.

She' d just sighed, annoyed.

"Don't be so dramatic, Ethan. You always overthink things."

That dismissal, that casual cruelty, had fueled my decision to leak the certificate.

A desperate act of a man pushed too far.

An act that led to fire and death.

Now, she stood before me again, ready to deliver the same lines.

"Ethan," she said, "I need to talk to you about River, about the baby."

She took a breath. "For River's sake, for the baby... I need you to agree to a divorce."

There it was. The exact same request.

In my first life, this was where my world shattered.

This time, I met her gaze.

"Okay, Sera," I said, my voice even.

She blinked, surprised by my quick agreement.

I wasn't supposed to agree. I was supposed to fight, to be heartbroken.

Her script was wrong.