Chapter 1

The night I finally won over the campus heartthrob, a car accident made me wake up in the body of my thirty-two-year-old self.

I lay in a hospital bed, and the usual warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by a coldness that cut right through me.

"Noelle, don't push me. We'll have another baby," he said.

My throat was hoarse, and I couldn't speak. I reached out, wanting to touch him.

But I froze when a voice suddenly called from the doorway.

"Colson, the baby is acting up again. Come deal with him," she pouted.

I instinctively placed my hand on my belly, locking eyes with Colson.

His promise from yesterday still echoed in my mind.

So, his promise for a lifetime together only lasted ten years?

*****

When Harley Lynch saw me, her eyes were full of challenge. She leaned into Colson Zamora's arms and said, "I'm sure our baby will be a boy."

Colson wrapped his arm around her shoulders, smooth and natural, as if he'd done it a thousand times. "If it's a boy, he'll help me protect you."

Looking at them, I couldn't connect them to the people I remembered.

One was the man who promised to take care of me forever yesterday. The other was my best friend, who once said Colson wasn't good enough for me.

Harley tilted her head and said sweetly, "I suddenly really want some pastries from that shop on East Street."

Colson pinched her cheek affectionately. "You little foodie."

Then, as if he had just remembered I was lying there, frail and vulnerable, he added, "Noelle, don't drink iced coffee in the morning. It's bad for your stomach. I'll go get you some of those pastries you used to love."

I stared at him in a daze.

Harley bit her lip hard. "Yeah, Noelle. You just lost your baby, so you really should eat something to get your strength back."

Colson froze, clearly shocked by her words.

I shot him a look. My thirty-two-year-old self might have been lost, but my twenty-two-year-old self would never let anyone treat me like this.

I snapped, "Colson, are you dead or something?

"You're just standing here, letting her say whatever she wants about your dead baby."

Colson glanced at me, guilt clouding his eyes. "Harley's pregnant. She's only emotional.

"She's always reasonable. If you hadn't messed with her, she wouldn't have reacted like this."

Oh, so Harley was always reasonable.

It sounded like I was the crazy one here.

Seeing their backs as they left together, it felt like someone had dunked my heart in freezing water. I could barely breathe.

A doctor entered, asking if I was still feeling any discomfort.

I remembered how, just yesterday, after I confessed to him, Colson held me so gently. Now, he was a stranger. My chest tightened in pain.

"My chest hurts," I whispered.

Colson looked up at me.

His eyes were full of unreadable emotions.

"Ms. Stewart, I'll bring your report over in a bit," the doctor said.

The door closed again.

*****

Almost instantly, Harley's voice cut through the air from behind me. "Noelle, are you really that thirsty? Can't control yourself when a guy's around, huh?

"Figures. You spent ten years giving up everything for Colson, and in the end, you had to let me take your place."

I looked up and met her smug gaze.

For a second, I was stunned.

Then, the sound of the door opening echoed.

Without warning, Harley grabbed my hand, and as the door swung open, she stumbled back.

"Harley!" I called out.

For a moment, I genuinely worried about the baby she was carrying.

I saw her as that girl again, the one who would curl up beside me at night, whispering dreams and hopes.

Harley collapsed into Colson's arms as he entered the room.

She clutched her belly tightly.

"I don't know why Noelle would act like this. Maybe she hates me. Maybe she even hates our baby," Harley whimpered.

Colson still held the breakfast bag in his hand, but his eyes were ice cold as he stared at me.

He said in a deep voice, "For a moment, I actually thought you'd changed.

"But I guess you're only better at faking it now. I haven't even brought up the trouble you caused at Harley's company."

I tried to explain.

But the next second, the plastic bag burst with a loud pop, and all the breakfast spilled onto the floor, scattered everywhere.

I jumped, startled. This was the first time Colson had ever lost his temper with me.

Colson stared at me, his eyes cold. "Noelle, how messed up are you inside?

"Tomorrow morning at nine, I'll see you at the courthouse. Let's get a divorce," he said. Then he turned around and swept Harley into his arms.

"Colson, please, listen to me," I pleaded, trying to get out of bed, but a sharp pain twisted in my belly.

My legs gave way, and I collapsed, falling hard into the scattered breakfast.

Warm, sticky liquid seeped over my skin.

My palm landed on broken plastic shards. The sharp sting made me want to cry, but there were no more tears left in me.

During those four years of college, even though I was the one chasing Colson, he was always the one who tried harder.

Every morning, rain or shine, he brought me breakfast to the dorm building. When my dad kicked me out on Christmas Eve, it was Colson who came looking for me.

As the bell rang out outside the window, he turned to me and said, "Noelle, from now on, my home is your home."

The night I confessed to him, he took my hand and spoke with all the sincerity in his heart.

"Noelle, I'll be by your side for the rest of my life," he vowed.

For the rest of his life? But ten years later, he had already forgotten his promise.

His eyes no longer held any trace of me.