Chapter 4

The apartment felt suffocating with despair.

Mom sat at the kitchen table, staring at a pile of bills. Dad was on the phone, his voice strained, arguing with another creditor.

"Mom, Dad," I said, sitting down. "I need to tell you something. The truth."

I told them everything.

About my first life, the "Healing Aura," how I mistakenly believed the Belmonts saved me.

About Vicky' s betrayal, my horrific death, their ruin.

And about Sarah Miller, the quiet librarian who had actually pulled me from that childhood accident, whose family never asked for anything.

Mom listened, tears streaming down her face. "Oh, Ethan... my poor boy."

Dad hung up the phone, his face grim. He walked over, put a hand on my shoulder.

"So, this... this Healing Aura is real?" he asked.

"Yes. And it saved Vicky in the first life, before she... turned."

"And Sarah Miller... she' s the one who truly saved you?" Mom whispered.

"Yes. And in my first life, she died. From a heart condition. On the day I married Vicky."

I looked at them, my resolve hardening. "Her ambulance was at her house yesterday. I think she' s in critical condition now. I have to save her."

"How, Ethan?" Dad asked. "With this aura? By marrying her?"

"It's the only way I know for sure it works. A deep, committed relationship. Marriage is the clearest form."

Mom hesitated. "Marriage... to a girl you barely know? For a... a life debt?"

"She saved my life, Mom. It' s a debt I have to repay. And if it helps her... I have to try."

Later that day, I called the Miller family.

Mrs. Miller answered, her voice kind but worried.

I explained who I was, reminded her of the accident years ago, how Sarah had helped me.

Then, stumbling over my words, I explained Sarah's critical condition, and my... unconventional proposal.

I didn't mention the aura directly, just a desperate hope, a feeling that a deep bond, a marriage, might create a miracle. I framed it as a sort of "faith healing" through commitment.

There was a long silence.

"Sarah is... very ill, Ethan," Mrs. Miller finally said, her voice thick with emotion. "The doctors... they don't give us much hope."

She paused. "I' m a woman of faith. I believe in miracles, in unconventional paths when all else fails. If you truly believe this... this union... could help my Sarah..."

"I do, Mrs. Miller. With all my heart."

"Then we agree," she said. "We' ll talk to Sarah. If she agrees too..."

The next day, Mrs. Miller called back. Sarah had agreed. She was weak, but hopeful.

The Millers were a stark contrast to the Belmonts. Kind, humble, genuinely grateful for any chance to save their daughter.

They even offered financial help. "We don't have much, Ethan," Mrs. Miller said, "but what we have is yours. For your father's store, for your family."

I hesitated, but the thought of my parents, their suffering, made me accept. "Thank you, Mrs. Miller. You don't know what this means."

The wedding was planned quickly, a small, simple ceremony.

For two days later.

Coincidentally, or perhaps fatefully, the same day Vicky and Dylan planned their lavish wedding.

The storm was gathering.