Chapter 1

The champagne glass in my hand felt cold, a stark contrast to the warm, buzzing atmosphere of the restaurant. My husband, David, was beaming, his arm draped proudly around our daughter, Lily. It was her university graduation party, a celebration of everything we had worked for, everything we had given her.

In my previous life, this day was the beginning of the end. Today, it was the beginning of my new beginning.

I took a slow sip of champagne, the bubbles fizzing on my tongue. The memory was so clear it felt like it happened yesterday. The confrontation in our living room, the room I had designed with so much love. Lily' s tear-streaked face, twisted not with remorse, but with defiance.

"You're not my real parents," she had screamed, her voice echoing in the high-ceilinged space. "You wouldn't understand the bond of blood."

Those words had shattered me. They came after I discovered she had not only transferred the down payment for her graduation condo and the funds for her new car to her biological brother, Mike, but had also drained my retirement account. My life's savings, gone. All to fund a parasitic family that had thrown her away like trash when she was a baby.

David had been a wreck. He couldn' t comprehend how the sweet girl he had doted on for twenty-two years could be so cruel, so utterly devoid of gratitude. We had given her everything. The best schools, tutors, trips abroad, a life of privilege and opportunity. In return, she had bled us dry for people she barely knew, people who saw her as nothing more than a walking ATM.

The devastation led to my fatal car crash. A moment of distraction, of overwhelming grief, and it was all over. But then, I woke up. Not in a hospital, not in an afterlife, but right here, in my own bed, on the morning of this very party. A second chance. This time, I would not be the selfless, nurturing mother. This time, I would be a survivor.

"Mom? Are you okay? You've been staring into space."

Lily' s voice pulled me back to the present. She was looking at me, her head tilted, a perfect picture of concerned innocence. The sight of her made my stomach clench.

"Just thinking about how proud I am of you, sweetie," I said, forcing a smile. The lie tasted like ash in my mouth.

"Oh, Mom." She leaned in and gave me a hug, her expensive perfume filling my senses. "I couldn't have done it without you and Dad."

David' s eyes welled up with tears. He was so easily moved by her displays of affection. He couldn' t see the calculation behind them.

"We know, Lily-bug," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "And we have a little something for you. A graduation present."

Here it comes, I thought, my grip tightening on the glass.

Lily' s eyes lit up, a genuine flicker of greed replacing the feigned affection. "Oh, Dad, you shouldn't have!"

"Nonsense," David boomed, loving the attention. "You' ve worked so hard. You deserve it. We found a perfect condo for you downtown, and there' s a new car waiting for you in the dealership. The papers are all ready."

In my last life, I had been just as excited as David, thrilled to give her a head start in her adult life. Now, I saw it for what it was: the fuel for my own destruction. The condo and car she would soon try to liquidate for her "real" family.

"A condo? And a car? Oh my god, you guys are the best!" Lily squealed, throwing her arms around David. She turned to me, her eyes sparkling. "Thank you, Mom! This is a dream come true."

She was a great actress. I had to give her that. She knew exactly which buttons to push, how to play the part of the perfect, grateful daughter.

"You deserve the world, honey," David said, kissing her forehead. He looked at me, his expression full of pure, unadulterated love for the girl we had raised. "Right, Sarah?"

I looked from my well-meaning, naive husband to the smiling viper we called our daughter. In my past life, I would have agreed without a second thought, my heart swelling with pride.

Now, my heart was a block of ice. I knew what she was really thinking. She wasn't seeing a home or a vehicle. She was seeing cash. Cash for Brenda, for Gary, and especially for her useless, freeloading brother, Mike.

I gave a small, tight smile. "Of course, David. Anything for our daughter."

But as I met Lily's gaze over David' s shoulder, my inner voice was cold and clear.

Enjoy the fantasy while it lasts, Lily. Because this time, the "bond of blood" you cherish so much is going to be the only thing you have left. And you' re about to find out just how much that' s really worth.