Chapter 1

I was reborn, back to the day my daughter and my husband's old flame were kidnapped.

Over the phone, the kidnappers demanded I choose one.

In the background, my daughter Anne and another girl sobbed.

My husband Jed Bennett snatched the phone, his eyes bloodshot, and roared at me, "Katrina has claustrophobia! Save her first!"

In my past life, he chose Katrina Watson, and it cost my daughter's life.

I laughed, tears streaming down my face.

"Mommy... I'm scared..." came Anne's faint cry through the receiver.

Jed bellowed again, "Amelia! Choose! Save Katrina!"

I looked at him, nodded slowly, and took the phone.

Then, calmly, I said into it, "Do it."

Dead silence followed on the other end.

The kidnapper, who had been sneering moments before, seemed stunned by my words.

Jed froze too.

The fury and rage on his face turned to absurd, disbelieving shock.

He stared at me like I was insane, his lips trembling. "Amelia... what did you say?"

I ignored him.

My hand, hidden behind my back, dug nails deep into my palm, drawing blood.

My heart pounded in my chest, each beat painful.

Pain was good.

In my past life, my tears and pleas only earned Jed's disgust and my daughter's cold body.

Crying was for the weak. This time, I needed clarity.

Only pain kept me sharp and composed.

In my past life, Jed chose to save Katrina.

I had knelt at his feet, begging him to save our daughter Anne first.

He kicked me away, calling me cruel and selfish, saying I didn't understand.

He said, "Katrina has claustrophobia! She could die! Anne's tough, she can wait!"

He said, "Katrina is my life!"

For his life, he sacrificed mine-my daughter, Anne.

I listened as Anne's cries over the phone went from terrified to faint, then silent.

Katrina was rescued unharmed, collapsing into Jed's arms, sobbing, "I was so scared."

No one remembered my Anne.

Even as I held my daughter's cold body, Jed blamed me.

He said if I had agreed to save Katrina sooner, the kidnappers wouldn't have been provoked, and Anne wouldn't have died.

How absurd.

A father who pushed his own daughter into the fire.

In this new life, I opened my eyes and waited for this call.

This wasn't a choice. It was a judgment.

A judgment on Jed and my own past foolishness.

"You're out of your damn mind?" the kidnapper finally snapped, cursing over the phone. "Do you know what you're saying? Your daughter's in there!"

"I know," I replied, my voice steady.

Jed snapped out of his shock, his face drained of color, lunging for the phone. "Amelia, you monster! Are you trying to kill Katrina?"

I was ready, sidestepping as he stumbled and crashed into the wall.

"Jed, you're the one who made me choose," I said. "You chose Katrina and abandoned Anne. Now, I'm giving you what you wanted."

His face twisted, muscles twitching as he pointed at me, speechless.

The kidnapper shouted through the phone, "Fine! Let's see how tough you are! We'll start with your daughter's blood!"

In the background, Katrina's screams pierced the air, sharp and painful.

But my Anne only whimpered, softly calling, "Mommy."

My heart felt crushed, the pain nearly stealing my breath.

Still, I couldn't falter.

The last life taught me that panic and begging only hastened Anne's death.

I forced myself to stay calm.

Speaking clearly into the phone, I said, "You want money, not lives. One hundred million for my daughter's life. But if she loses a single hair, you get nothing. Don't mention Katrina. Her life means nothing to me. My husband's money? It's all with me. So you deal with me. If anything happens to my daughter, I'll make sure you all pay with her."

I hung up.

Jed lunged at me like a rabid beast, eyes red. "Amelia! Why did you hang up? Katrina's still with them! You monster!"

I stared at his contorted face, my heart ice-cold.

"From now on, Jed," I declared calmly. "Your precious love will pay for my daughter."