Chapter 1
When I was 25, my dad's company went bankrupt.
Crushed by the pressure, he jumped to his death.
With nowhere left to go, I ended up as the lover of a mob boss.
That year, the cops launched a full-scale crackdown on the mob, and the boss ended up in handcuffs.
Two years after he died, I died too.
It wasn't some tragic love story. I just wanted a good night's sleep and accidentally took too many sleeping pills.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the year the mob boss turned eighteen.
When I was 25, my dad's company went under.
I remembered the rain outside was pouring so hard that it felt like the whole city was about to drown.
He stood by the office window, glanced back at me one last time, and then jumped.
Eighteen floors, which was more than enough to leave someone beyond recognition.
When those crushing debts were about to bury me, Ethan Cole stepped into my life.
He cleared every last cent I owed, and the catch was, I had to become his lover.
It wasn't the kind of relationship I brag about, but at least I survived.
On my 28th birthday, I saw the headline. Ethan had been sentenced to death.
The city was deep in an anti-mob sweep, and with everything he had done, there was never going to be a way out for him except death.
Two years after he died, I died too.
It wasn't about dying for love. I just wanted to sleep and messed up the number of sleeping pills.
I was desperate for a good night's sleep.
Right before I blacked out, I actually felt relieved.
*****
"Sophia, why are you daydreaming? The teacher just called your name!"
Someone jabbed my elbow, and I jumped up from my seat, my textbook hitting the floor with a loud thud.
The whole classroom erupted in friendly laughter.
"Here," I shouted automatically, glancing around in confusion.
Sunlight poured in through the classroom window, spilling across my macroeconomics textbook lying open on the desk.
All around me were faces I knew and didn't know at the same time. They were my college classmates, all looking impossibly young.
Professor Adams pushed up his glasses and gave me a sharp, disapproving glare from the podium.
"Now that you're awake, answer the question. The case study on page thirty-two."
I flipped open the book automatically, my mind still frozen and not really working.
The feel of the paper under my fingers was so real it almost startled me, and that tiny burn scar on my wrist was still there, which was from that experiment back in junior year.
When class finally wrapped up, I fumbled for my phone with shaking hands. The date on the screen read September twelve, two thousand thirteen.
Did I really come back to life? Did I just travel ten years into the past?
Not a single thing on campus was different from what I remembered. Every blade of grass and every tree was just like in my memories.
I pushed through the crowd like I'd lost my mind, not stopping until I saw the ginkgo tree in front of the library. It hadn't been hit by lightning yet, which could only mean one thing...
The cheers from the basketball court pulled me back to reality. A bunch of guys were playing, sweat glistening in the sun.
As if I was drawn by some invisible force, I walked over, my gaze zeroed in on the figure leaping high above the rest.
Even in this earlier decade of our lives, I knew him the moment I saw him
It was Ethan Cole, only eighteen at the time.
He was dressed in a plain white T-shirt, his short hair bouncing with every move, and his face lit up with a radiant smile, which was something I'd never seen on him before.
He sank a flawless three-pointer, spun around to high-five his teammates, his grin showing off those playful little canines.
This was a side of Ethan I'd never seen before.
In my memories, he was always dark and brooding, his eyes sharp as blades, always scheming. Even his smiles had an edge.
But now, the boy on the court was so bright and sunny that it almost hurt to look at him.
"Watch out!"
There was a shout, and before I could even react, a basketball nailed me right in the forehead.
My vision went dark for a moment as I stumbled back a few steps, nearly losing my balance.
"God, I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" That familiar voice rang out right in front of me.
My eyes met his, and they were so clear and already worried about me.
Ethan was standing right in front of me, breathing a little hard, his messy hair sticking to his sweaty forehead.
He reached out to help but hesitated mid-air. He then nervously wiped his hand on his pants.
"I'm fine," I blurted out as I stepped back without thinking, my throat feeling tight.
Ethan cocked his head, a sudden frown creasing his brow. "Have we met before? The way you're looking at me is... kinda strange."
My heart stuttered for a second.
Did he remember?
"No, we haven't," I replied quickly, turning to leave. But he called after me, stopping me in my tracks.
"Wait. Your forehead's all red," he said as he lifted his cold water bottle and held it gently against my skin.
I hesitated before taking the bottle from him, and our fingers brushed for a split second. The touch sent a quiet spark through me.
Ethan seemed to feel it too. I could tell his eyes suddenly darkened, as if something had shifted between us.
"I'm Ethan Cole, a freshman in economics," he introduced himself.
"Sophia Grant, junior in finance," I replied.
He flashed a bright grin, sunlight flickering on his lashes. "Nice to meet you, Sophia. I owe you a smoothie next time."
I bolted, my heart pounding like crazy.
Once I rounded the corner, I leaned against the wall, gasping for air, and the water bottle in my hand was no longer cold at all.
Ethan Cole... who was my enemy, my savior, and my... love.
But now, he was just a freshman who didn't even know me.
And I? I'd been given a second chance at life.