Chapter1

When I woke up choking on smoke again, I realized I had been given a second

chance.

The fire had already spread downstairs, and just like in my past life, the single

mother, Emily, was escaping with her son down the same hallway.

The familiar sound of crying reached my ears.

I quickly soaked a towel, ignoring the cries that once tugged at my heart, covered my

mouth and nose, and ran toward the opposite escape route.

This was a completely different path.

Using the light from my phone, I made my way down.

It’s not that I’m heartless, but the cost of being a good person was too high.

In my previous life, when I heard those cries amidst the roaring flames, I instinctively

rushed over, risking my own life to lift the fallen child.

But after Emily picked up her son, Ethan, instead of thanking me, she shoved me

right back into the flames!

In that moment of despair, my husband, James, charged through the fire without a

second thought.

He was like a beacon of hope, lighting up my life!

But he ran straight to them, not even sparing me a glance.

Before I could get up, the collapsing security door pinned my legs.

I watched helplessly as he scooped up Ethan, wrapped his arm around Emily, and

together they fled the inferno!

Before the searing pain overtook me, I clearly heard Ethan call my husband “Daddy.”

Each cry was louder than the last, like a thunderclap exploding in my ears!

My own screams were swallowed by the raging flames.

Until the moment I died, James never once looked back at me.

The excruciating pain of being burned alive, mixed with the stench of charred flesh,

kept haunting my mind.

If I had known earlier that the single mother and her child downstairs were James’s

mistress and their kid,

I never would have been foolish enough to save them!

Let someone else be the fool this time!

I’m curious to see, in this life, without me, who’s going to save them now!

Chapter2

The farther I went, the fainter Ethan’s cries and Emily’s pleas for help became.

My heart pounded in my chest as I pushed through the discomfort in my abdomen.

By the time I burst out of the building and reached the safety of the street, my heart

was ready to leap out of my throat.

I had made it out safely!

The fierce flames, accompanied by thick, billowing smoke, continued to spread

upward.

The crackling sounds and the blaring alarm were enough to send chills down

anyone’s spine.

Neighbors gathered around, asking if I was okay, and I thanked each one of them.

Suddenly, someone shoved through the crowd, grabbing my arm with a rough grip.

I turned my head and saw that it was my husband, James.

His eyes were bloodshot, his face twisted with rage as he demanded,

“Where’s Ethan?”

“Where’s Emily?”

“How did you make it out alone?”

I deliberately feigned shock and fear, as if I were barely holding it together after the

ordeal.

“Ethan? Emily? I didn’t see them!”

James went crazy after hearing this, and questioned me like a madman:

“You didn’t run into them on your way down?”

I shook my head in confusion.

“I didn’t see anyone as I was escaping.”

“How is that possible? How could you not have run into them?”

James’s grip on my arm tightened painfully, forcing me to cry out.

“You’re hurting me!”

“I really didn’t see anyone. I thought I was the last one left in the building!”

“Maybe… maybe they were sleeping too deeply to notice the fire?”

I cautiously suggested, trying to sound helpful.

Sure enough, James reflexively denied it:

“That’s impossible! I just…”

Realizing his mistake, James quickly corrected himself:

“I mean, I just saw that their lights were still on.”

So that was it. The call Emily had hastily hung up before I tried to help her must have

been from James.

I vaguely remembered hearing her say,

“Someone’s coming. I know what to do!”

In my previous life, everything had happened so fast that I didn’t think much of it.

But now I realized that the “someone” she mentioned must have been me!

And “what to do” must have meant pushing me into the fire!

Chapter3

As the fire grew more intense, the cries for help from inside the inferno became too

faint to hear.

James let go of my arm, desperate to rush back into the flames to save them.

But there’s no way I’d let him go.

I let out a soft groan and grabbed his hand.

“Honey, where are you going? My stomach hurts so much.”

James was practically jumping in place with anxiety.

“Babe, there are still people trapped inside! I have to help them!”

I held onto his hand tightly, my voice filled with worry.

“Honey, the fire department is on their way. You’re not trained for this—you’ll just be

throwing your life away!”

The people who had escaped were watching the flames, each more anxious than the

last, but no one dared to run back in.

No one was foolish enough to risk their life for strangers.

But James was different.

He was desperate to save his mistress and their child!

“Babe, every second counts! If I’m too late, someone’s going to die!”

I refused to let go.

“If something happens to you, how will I survive with our baby?”

I clutched my belly, tears streaming down my face.

The neighbors also urged him not to take the risk, saying the fire was too fierce.

I knew James was on the edge of exploding.

As long as Emily and her son didn’t make it out, he wouldn’t give up trying to save

them.

I would let him go, but the longer I delayed, the more likely those two would be

burned alive.

I wanted them to feel what it was like to be burned to death!

Even if they survived, they wouldn’t escape unscathed!

Sure enough, James’s forehead bulged with veins as he yanked his hand away and

slapped me hard across the face.

A male neighbor stepped in, his expression stern as he shielded me.

“Your wife’s only trying to protect you, and you hit her?”

The neighbors were shocked by his sudden outburst, their expressions turning hostile.

James, now emotional and feeling cornered, snapped back:

“What does this have to do with you? Why are you so protective of my wife? Are you

two having an affair?”

A dirty mind sees dirt everywhere.

The male neighbor wasn’t having it and shoved James back.

“Your wife just barely escaped with her life, and you’re not even concerned about

her. You rush in asking about another woman and her kid—could it be they’re your

mistress and son?”

Exposed, James’s face twisted in anger, and he turned on me, shouting furiously:

“Megan, do you have no humanity?”

“Can’t you hear someone screaming for help? What business is it of yours if I try to

save them?”