Chapter 1

The air in our house always felt thick with unspoken rules, especially now, with SATs looming and college applications piled on my desk. This time, a different kind of pressure filled the room, a cold dread I recognized from a life I wasn't supposed to remember. I knew what was coming.

Ethan Vanderbilt, my fiancé, stood in the center of our living room. The word "fiancé" felt wrong, like a borrowed coat that didn't fit. My parents, supportive and kind, watched him. His parents, the Vanderbilts, were notably absent. That told me everything.

"I have something to tell everyone," Ethan announced, his voice too bright, too forced.

Mia Sanchez, whose father managed the Vanderbilt estate, stood close to him. She looked down, the picture of innocence. I saw the lie in her eyes. I' d seen it all before.

"Mia and I are taking a trip," he said, puffing his chest out a little. "A spiritual cleansing journey. We're going to an eco-lodge in the Amazon rainforest."

The words didn't shock me. They landed with a heavy, familiar thud. The Amazon. The specific lodge. The parasite.

For days, news reports had been quietly spreading, then growing louder. A dangerous parasitic infection, spreading fast, right there.

In my first life, the life that ended so badly, I had screamed. I begged him not to go. I showed him the news articles, the warnings.

Ethan accused me of being jealous. He said I was trying to stop his personal growth. Mia cried, her face a mask of wounded purity, claiming I wanted to spoil her one chance at something real.

Mia got the parasite. She died. Ethan blamed me. Then, he arranged my "accident."

This time, I said nothing. I watched his fake smile, watched Mia' s quiet triumph. Let them.

My mother frowned, her brow furrowed with genuine concern. "The Amazon, Ethan? Right now? With your exams just weeks away?"

"It's crucial, Mrs. Chen," Mia interjected, her voice soft, almost a whisper. "For Ethan's spirit. He needs this."

Ethan nodded quickly. "Exactly. This is more important than SATs."

A bitter laugh almost escaped me. Oh, it was important. More important than he could ever understand.

I kept my face blank, my eyes steady. Let them walk right into it. This time, I wouldn't be the one trying to save them from themselves. This time, I wouldn't be the one they destroyed.

This time, I would be ready. My silence was my new shield, and my new weapon. The memories of my past life were a map, and I knew exactly where their path led.