Chapter 2

The wail of a siren cut through the quiet afternoon.

An ambulance, lights flashing, sped past my street.

It turned onto Elm Street. Sarah Miller' s street.

A cold dread gripped me. In my first life, Sarah died today.

The day of my wedding to Vicky. A critical heart condition, they said.

No. Not this time.

I sprinted, my paramedic instincts kicking in, my heart pounding for a different reason.

I had to reach her.

Vicky' s words echoed, "You remember too."

She knew. And she was unpredictable.

As I neared Sarah' s small, neat house, a black SUV screeched to a halt beside me.

Two large men in dark suits jumped out.

"Ethan James?" one grunted.

Before I could answer, they grabbed me.

I fought, but they were professionals.

A sharp pain in my neck, then darkness.

I woke up in a lavishly furnished room, not a hospital.

Sunlight streamed through barred windows. A guesthouse. A Belmont guesthouse.

My head throbbed.

The door opened and Vicky stalked in, Dylan smirking behind her.

She looked pale, a handkerchief pressed to her lips, but her eyes burned with manic fury.

"Trying to run to your little charity case?" she sneered. "Did you think I wouldn' t find out?"

"What do you want, Vicky?" I asked, my voice rough.

"You' re obsessed with me, Ethan," she declared, a wild look in her eyes. "You' re trying to sabotage my wedding to Dylan. You can' t stand to see me happy."

Dylan put a possessive arm around her. "He' s just jealous, babe. He knows he can' t have you."

"Let me go, Vicky. This is kidnapping."

"Kidnapping?" She laughed, a harsh, brittle sound. "I' m protecting myself. You' ll stay here until after my wedding. Then, maybe I' ll let you go, if you behave."

She believed her own delusions. That I, after what she did, could still want her.

"You' re insane," I said.

"And you' re a liar!" she shrieked. "Dylan told me everything in our last life! How your mother bribed doctors, how you faked my illness, all to get your hands on our money!"

"Dylan is the liar, Vicky. He manipulated you then, and he' s doing it now."

"Shut up!" Dylan snapped. "She loves me. We were meant to be."

Vicky swayed, and Dylan steadied her. "You' ll stay put, Ethan. Don' t make this harder than it needs to be."

They left, locking the door.

I scanned the room. No obvious escape.

But they underestimated me. I wasn't the broken man from my past life.

I still had my paramedic training, my wits. And I had a burner phone I always kept stashed in my boot for emergencies. They hadn't found it.

I pulled it out, fingers flying.

"911, what' s your emergency?"

"I' ve been kidnapped. My name is Ethan James. I' m being held at a Belmont property, a guesthouse near their main estate."

I gave them the details, the names.

It didn' t take long.

The sound of sirens, closer this time.

Vicky burst back in, her face contorted with rage. "You called the police? How dare you!"

The police were at the door, their voices firm.

Vicky had no choice. She was furious, but she had to let them in.

"He' s a stalker!" she tried to tell the officers. "He' s obsessed with me!"

I calmly explained the situation. The officers were skeptical of her story, especially with my clear head and their knowledge of the Belmonts' reputation.

They escorted me out.

As I passed Vicky, her eyes promised retribution.

"You' ll pay for this, Ethan," she seethed, her voice low and dangerous. "You and your whole pathetic family."

I met her gaze, unwavering. "I' m not afraid of you anymore, Vicky."

But I knew this was far from over. Her revenge would be swift and brutal.

And Sarah was still in danger.