Chapter 1

The feeling of falling was the last thing I remembered, the cold New York air rushing past me, the city lights a blur of betrayal below. My husband, Damien, had pushed me from our penthouse roof. He did it after his men had their way with me, a punishment for the death of his lover, Isabelle.

Then, I blinked.

I was standing in my office, the scent of lemon cleaner and old paper filling my nose. The knot in my stomach was familiar, a ghost of a memory. I looked at the clock on my desk, 3:47 PM. This was the moment. The exact moment my previous life began its final, downward spiral.

My name is Evelyn Reed, a senior litigator. Or I was. Now, I am a ghost given a second chance, and my only purpose is revenge.

The doors to the main lobby burst open.

The sound was like a gunshot in the quiet, carpeted halls of Croft, Davies & Reed. Mr. Davies, the firm' s managing partner, jumped from his seat.

"What is the meaning of this?" he sputtered.

A group of large, angry men stormed in, their cheap suits looking out of place against the polished mahogany and chrome. They were the "family" of my pro bono client, Mrs. O' Connell. In my last life, I thought they were just concerned nephews. Now I knew better.

The man in the lead, Finn, had a face like a block of granite and knuckles that had seen too many fights. He wasn't a nephew, he was an enforcer.

"Where' s Damien Croft?" Finn' s voice was a low growl that vibrated through the floor.

Mr. Davies wrung his hands, his face pale. "Mr. Croft is... unavailable. There' s been a miscommunication."

"Miscommunication?" Finn laughed, a harsh, ugly sound. "His office was supposed to file an emergency injunction for my aunt. The deadline was an hour ago. The marshals are at her door right now. So I' ll ask again, where is he?"

All eyes turned to me. I was Damien' s wife, I was supposed to know. In my first life, I had covered for him, made excuses, and tried to fix his mess. The effort had destroyed my reputation and started the chain of events that led to my murder.

This time would be different.

I met Finn' s cold stare without flinching.

I took a deliberate, calm breath.

"Damien isn' t here."

Mr. Davies looked at me, desperate. "Evelyn, please. Where is your husband? This is a serious matter."

"It is," I agreed, my voice steady and clear, loud enough for everyone in the panicked room to hear. "He took an emergency personal day."

I paused for effect.

"He' s in the Hamptons. He' s helping his junior associate, Isabelle Vance, look for her lost show cat."