Chapter 1
The day I was diagnosed with advanced bone cancer, Serena’s childhood sweetheart came to our house and then mocked my condition before setting the house on fire. But I didn’t call Serena this time. Instead, I covered my mouth and nose with a wet towel and waited for rescue in silence. This was different than what happened in my past life. In my past life, I panicked. As soon as the fire started, I called Serena Moon, begging her to take me to the hospital to the ICU. While I was lucky enough to survive, Roman Dunbar, her childhood sweetheart, was burned alive in the flames. Despite Roman being burnt to death, Serena told me that she never put the blame on me. Instead, she reassured me, stayed by my side at the hospital and even took time off to care for me. But on the day I was discharged, she dragged me straight to Roman’s grave. Before I could react, she drove a dagger. It was one she had sharpened in advance. And then she stabbed it straight into my chest. Blood splattered across her face, her eyes filled with hatred. “If you hadn’t set that fire, Roman wouldn’t have died! Do you think you can fool me by pretending to be the victim? Dream on, James! You will pay for his life!” As soon as Serena stabbed me, she poured kerosene over me and set me on fire. Then, I watched as the flames consumed me. I could feel my flesh burn away until nothing remained but ashes. And then … I opened my eyes and found myself back in the fire. —— Thick smoke filled my lungs, choking me. I coughed violently as the pain jolted me awake from the memories of my past life. This time, I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed my phone and dialed for help, but I didn’t call Serena, the head of the rescue team. Rather, I called 911. In the meantime, I saw Serena from a distance. She was leading the hospital staff, directing them to rescue Roman from the fire. Only after I saw him being carried out did I finally make a sound and call for help. The rescuers turned to look at me, but their expressions were cold. They thought I was making a scene. In fact, they even berated me for wasting their time. The wedding photo on the wall collapsed, crashing down onto my chest. Pain exploded through my body as several ribs shattered. Blood gushed from my mouth, but no one seemed to care. I gritted my teeth, pushing through the agony. I forced myself to use what little strength I had left to crawl out of the burning house. But all the emergency equipment that was used to cool the body had already been used on Roman. Serena didn’t even glance at me. Instead, she sneered mockingly. “You brought this on yourself,” she said. Pain wracked my body. Cold sweat dripped from my forehead. Blood pooled in my mouth and I could feel my life slipping away.