The moment I took hold of Mom’s and Dad’s hands again, I could feel their warmth and knew that I had been reborn. I clung to them, laughing through my tears.
They thought something must have gotten to me.
Every glance at them stirred up memories of my past life. I couldn’t ignore the hatred I felt for Owen, and the urge to make him pay burned inside me. But when I saw their gentle smiles, my resolve wavered. I’d been given a second chance, and I didn’t want my thirst for revenge to take it away.
Besides, Owen’s mother had passed away from an illness shortly after giving birth to him. Owen’s father worked as Dad’s driver, giving his life to save Dad during a car crash on a business trip.
Dad never forgot that sacrifice. He brought Owen to live with us and raised him like his son. So, Owen and I were childhood companions, growing up side by side.
When I was 16, I was abducted during a day out. The abductors didn’t just demand ransom. They intended to harm me.
In the darkest moment of my life, I saw Owen appear in the doorway of the warehouse. He shielded me with his body, taking blow after blow from the abductors. His blood mingled with my tears.
By the time the police showed up, Owen was on the brink of death, but he still held me tightly in his arms. He had saved my life.
Those abductors were merciless fugitives and had never meant to let me survive.
A deep sigh escaped me as I remembered it all. Owen had saved me but had also taken my life in my past life. We were even now.
After he took my life in that basement, there was nothing left between us. Dad had repaid Owen’s father by raising Owen in two lifetimes, and Owen claimed his own favor when he took my life.
Now, we were simply strangers.
But Owen didn’t see it the same way. He dropped to his knees, crying with a broken heart. His hand trembled as he reached for mine, but my cold stare made him pull it back.
“I was wrong, Audrey…” he said. “After you left, I realized you’re the one I truly love. That’s why I ca after you. I was only with Vanessa for the thrill.
“I had grown so comfortable with you that I couldn’t figure out if it was love or just family connection I felt, and that’s how I made the mistake. Please forgive me, Audrey. I can’t lose you.”
I stepped back, my voice calm but resolute. “No. You lost me a long time ago, Owen. Maybe it was when you first started seeing Vanessa, or when you gave her my proposal, or every time you chose her over me. You lost me long before this.
