Chapter 2

Two:

That was when I made up my mind.

I wasn't going to be the fool I'd been in my past life, rushing to prove him innocent. I turned to go, acting like none of it had anything to do with me.

But the second I turned around,

Harry, who a moment ago had been buried in the crowd, was suddenly right behind me, gripping my arm so hard it hurt.

His eyes fixed on me, cold and dark, and he ground the words out against my ear.

"What do you think you're doing?"

I froze. In my past life he'd been too busy shielding Josephine to notice me slipping away. For him to act like this now, he'd probably been reborn along with me.

I kept it off my face and just pretended to be angry.

"I'm leaving, obviously. So I don't have to watch the two of you!"

Harry stared into my eyes, and once he saw nothing there but "jealousy" and temper, nothing else, he let out a breath.

He didn't say much more, just told me to stop meddling.

"Paula, why do you always have to make trouble?"

"You think if you dig up some false witness to hurt Josephine, I'll be grateful and go marry you?"

"I'll be honest with you. If it weren't for your help all these years, I'd have broken off the engagement long ago. Every time I have to walk beside you, it makes me sick."

"If you insist on sticking your nose in,"

"I don't mind dragging you down with me!"

Harry said it loud, and even pinned a "false witness" label on me, which set the whole crowd murmuring.

I let a wounded, heartbroken look cross my face, but still "couldn't stop myself" from backing him up.

"Harry, what's gotten into you?"

"I know that watch wasn't stolen by you. Why would you take the blame for her? Would you would you really give up college for her sake?"

"Even if you want to throw yourself away, I can't just stand here and watch. Don't stop me. I'm going to find proof and clear your name!"

Three:

Seeing how stubbornly I insisted on testifying for him,

Harry was even more certain I hadn't been reborn, and his expression eased.

He shrieked at me to shut up and swung the back of his hand at my face. Because I'd been ready for it, the blow didn't land, but I let the motion carry me down and dropped straight to the ground.

Harry didn't so much as think of helping me up. Under the crowd's disgusted stares, he held up the watch and started proving his own guilt.

"I already told you, I stole the watch. There's even Louisa's birthday engraved inside it."

"And there's a tiny scratch on the band. That's from when I dropped it by accident after I took it, and it hit the ground."

"If I hadn't stolen it, how could I possibly know all these details?"

Louisa took the watch and looked it over carefully.

"He's right. That scratch wasn't there when it was taken."

Then she stopped.

Her face went red, and her voice shook.

"I really never thought a college student would stoop to something this low. It's shameless."

Harry didn't notice anything off about Louisa. He looked at her, self-righteous.

"Now you see. I'm the one who stole it, not Josephine."

Josephine obligingly squeezed out two tears.

"Louisa, I know you were upset over losing your things, but being upset doesn't give you the right to falsely accuse me. At the very least, at least you should've given me a chance to explain."

"You called me a thief in front of all these people. How is a girl like me supposed to live that down!"

Hearing it, Harry ached for her, of course.

"I can give you the watch back, and I'll pay you for the damage."

"You accused Josephine just now without knowing the facts, so you have to apologize. Otherwise we'll take this all the way."

Louisa was a kind woman. All she'd meant to do was get her watch back and an apology.

But now the watch was ruined, and somehow she'd become the villain.

She couldn't let it go, and any thought of smoothing it over was gone for good, so she shouted,

"Why isn't the factory security office here yet?"

"I want the director. I'm getting an answer for myself."