Chapter 1

The acrid smell of burning plastic filled my lungs, a scent I remembered with chilling clarity. A massive server rack pinned my leg, the pain a dull, crushing throb beneath the searing heat. Sparks flew from a nearby console, casting a hellish orange glow on Tiffany' s terrified face.

This was it. The moment everything went wrong. The moment I was reborn into.

In my last life, I screamed Liam' s name. I told him I was the CEO's daughter, using my father's power to force his hand. He saved me, but his eyes held a cold fury. Tiffany died in this room, and he never forgave me. On our first wedding anniversary, he locked me in a burning car, his last words a whisper about revenge.

The memory of the fire consuming me then was so vivid it felt like it was happening all over again.

This time, I would not beg.

The heavy server room door was thrown open, and Liam stood there, silhouetted against the relative safety of the hallway. His eyes scanned the room, landing first on Tiffany, who was coughing dramatically near the door, then on me, trapped and bleeding under the rack.

He didn' t hesitate.

"Tiffany!" he yelled, rushing to her side.

"Liam, oh god, I can't breathe," she gasped, clinging to him. She' d only inhaled a little smoke. My leg was shattered.

"I've got you, I've got you," he soothed, wrapping his arm around her.

He glanced back at me, his expression hardening. "Chloe, are you okay?"

I stared at him, the man who murdered me. "What do you think, Liam?"

"Look, I have to get Tiffany out first," he said, his voice clipped and impatient. "Her family are our main investors. If something happens to her, the company is finished. You understand, right? It's for the greater good."

The same excuse. The same hollow words he used last time.

He dismissed my crushed leg. "Your injuries don't look that bad. I'll come back for you. Just hang on."

He turned to leave, supporting Tiffany.

"Liam, wait!" I shouted, not for myself, but for the others outside. "The backup batteries! They're going to overload and explode!"

He paused at the door and sneered. "Still trying to manipulate me, Chloe? Trying to make me look like the bad guy for making the logical choice? Pathetic."

He and Tiffany disappeared into the hallway. The door swung shut, leaving me in the roaring darkness.