Chapter 1

The moment the reservoir railing snapped, my husband’s childhood sweetheart plunged straight into the freezing water.

He snatched the safety rope from the rescue post, ready to dive in after her.

In my past life, I wrapped my arms desperately around his waist, begging him not to jump.

Because of that delay, Chloe stayed submerged too long. Severe oxygen deprivation turned her into a vegetative state.

My husband blamed me for everything.

On a stormy night, he dragged me down and locked me in the underground storage unit beneath our auto shop.

Rainwater gushed through the cracks of the door, rising past my knees, my chest, and finally over my head.

The last thing I saw before drowning was the dim ceiling bulb flickering beneath the dark water.

He stood at the top of the stairs, smoking a cigarette, his voice ice-cold: "Only when you drown will Chloe's life be paid in full."

Now, I was reborn at the exact second the railing gave way.

Ethan had already lunged toward the concrete edge.

My fingers brushed against the coiled rope.

This time, I pulled my hand back.

***

When the emergency siren blared, I was standing three steps behind Ethan.

In early spring, the reservoir water was barely above freezing.

A dozen tourists had crowded onto the observation deck. Nobody knew who had loosened the bolts, but Chloe was leaning against the iron railing in her white dress, posing for a photo.

The metal frame gave out, and she flipped backward into the abyss.

Screams exploded around us.

Ethan didn’t hesitate for a single second.

He grabbed the safety line from the nearby wall, looped one end around his waist, and swung his leg over the barrier.

"Chloe! Hang on!"

In my past life, this was the exact moment I lost my mind, hugging him from behind, sobbing, begging him to wait for the rescue team.

Because I could see clearly from above—jagged concrete debris was scattered right beneath the surface. Jumping down wasn’t a rescue; it was suicide.

In the end, Chloe stayed in the freezing depths too long and suffered permanent brain damage.

She became a vegetable.

And Ethan’s entire family pinned the blame squarely on me.

"Why the hell did you hold him back?! He’s a champion swimmer! He would’ve saved her instantly!"

His mother, Evelyn, grabbed my hair and slammed my head against the wall.

Ethan never spoke a kind word to me again.

He spent his days sitting beside Chloe’s hospital bed and his nights drowning himself in whiskey.

I pleaded and explained until my vocal cords were raw, but nobody listened.

Then came that torrential night.

He shoved me into the basement storage, sliding the heavy iron bolt into place from the outside.

Stormwater flooded in through the drainage pipes.

I pounded on the metal door until my fingernails cracked and tore away.

He stood outside on the steps, his voice as calm as if he were discussing the weather.

"Nora, is the water rising fast enough?"

"You should finally understand what it feels like to be trapped like Chloe."

The dark water covered my face.

When I died, my eyes were wide open.

Now, opening my eyes again, I stood on that same breezy observation deck.

Ethan’s hands had already gripped the rope.

Chloe’s desperate shriek echoed from below: "Ethan! Save me!"

His leg was already over the concrete ledge.

The other end of the safety rope lay right beside my sneakers.

According to safety rules, when one person goes over, someone on the deck has to anchor and brace the line. Without an anchor, the rope was nothing more than loose thread.

The toe of my shoe touched the loop.

In my last life, I held on with everything I had.

It cost me my life.

I bent down, kicked the rope away from my feet, and took two steps back.

Then, matching the panic of the crowd around me, I let out a horrified scream.

"Ethan! Don't jump! Wait for the rescue crew!"

He didn't look back.

His eyes were locked entirely on Chloe flailing in the water below.

He dove.

The second he hit the water, I watched his body slam directly into a submerged concrete ledge near the base of the dam.

A sickening thud.

A violent splash exploded into the air.

Even so, adrenaline drove him toward Chloe.

He hooked an arm around her waist and used his other arm to drag her toward a long bamboo pole extended by people on the lower bank.

Chloe was hauled up to safety.

Ethan, however, sank like a stone.

The water fell dead silent for a few seconds.

Someone shouted in panic: "Where's the guy who jumped?!"

I dropped to my knees in the crowd, burying my face in my hands as fake tears hit the pavement.

"Ethan—!"

Nobody noticed that while my voice trembled with despair, my hands were as steady as stone.

Ethan.

In our last life, you said I owed Chloe a life.

In this life, go pay the debt yourself.

***