Chapter 1

On that stormy day in my previous life, my husband, Judson Roberts, sheltered his first love, Paloma Adams, under an umbrella, while I collapsed at the hospital door, holding the lifeless body of our unborn baby.

He said, "You brought this on yourself."

But after I traveled back in time, on a day like that one, to my surprise, Judson handed me the umbrella.

Paloma was crying in the rain, saying to him. "You promised you'd always protect me."

Judson replied without turning around, "That was in the previous life."

I froze.

*****

Thunder cracked, and the downpour was so heavy that it felt like the whole world was being swallowed up.

I was kneeling on the cold steps outside the hospital, cradling the lifeless body of my baby as it grew colder in my arms. Rain and blood mixed, trickling down between my legs, soaking me through.

Not far away, Judson was holding a big black umbrella over his crying first love, Paloma.

That umbrella was the one I had put in his briefcase myself that morning.

I watched as he made sure Paloma was completely sheltered under the umbrella, while his own shoulder was left exposed to the rain. His voice was gentle, a softness I'd never heard from him before. "Don't be afraid. I'm here."

Paloma was sobbing her heart out in his arms, tears streaming down her face. "Judson, I thought I'd never see you again. Anna said... She said she'd get someone to ruin my face."

My vision was starting to blur, and the pain in my abdomen felt like it was tearing me apart. I reached out to him with the last of my strength. "Judson, save our baby. Please, save it."

He finally turned to look at me, his eyes cold and full of disgust, like I was some crazy stranger causing trouble. "Anna, you fell down the stairs yourself. Don't pin this on Paloma. She's so kind. No way would she possibly push you."

Without another word, he pulled Paloma into his arms and walked away, never once looking back at me.

"Judson, where are we going?" Paloma asked.

"I'm taking you to the best private hospital. I'll have the top doctor examine you to make sure you don't catch a cold," Judson replied.

Their conversation was like the sharpest blade, each word carving up my heart piece by piece.

My baby never even got a name.

It was slowly losing all warmth in my arms.

Rain flooded my eyes, blurring my world. As my consciousness slipped away, the last thing I saw was that black umbrella vanishing at the edge of the storm.

Then I screamed, sitting straight up in bed. My heart was pounding, cold sweat soaking through my pajamas.

Outside, thunder crashed, and fat raindrops hammered against the window.

It was the same scene, the same storm.

I looked down at my belly. It was still flat, and my hand went to it without thinking.

My baby was still here.

I was still alive.

I'd travelled back in time.

I'd returned to three years ago, when I was two months pregnant, before any of the tragedy had happened.

My phone screen lit up, displaying the date.

Today was the day.

In my previous life, on this very day, Paloma called Judson, claiming she was being hunted by loan sharks, and asked him to meet her at the café right below his office.

Worried sick, I had trailed after him, my belly heavy with pregnancy, only to "accidentally" tumble down the café stairs and lose my baby.

My fingers were clenched so tightly that they turned pale, my nails biting into my skin.

This time around, I wasn't going to make the same mistake.

Right on cue, the phone rang, shattering the silence in the room.

It was Judson.

I took a deep breath and picked up the phone, my voice still hoarse from being jolted awake. "Hello?"

"Anna, it's pouring outside. Don't go out. I've got an important dinner tonight, so I'll be back late." Judson's voice was as cold as always, totally emotionless.

Important dinner, huh?

His so-called important dinner was him rushing off to help out his precious first love.

"Okay, I understand," I replied calmly.

"Bye." He was stingy with his words, like he couldn't wait to hang up.

"Judson," I said suddenly, stopping him before he could hang up.

"What is it now?" he asked impatiently.

I gripped my phone tighter and asked, "If... If both Paloma and I were in danger at the same time, whom would you save first?"

I'd asked him this question before, in my previous life.

He had been silent for a long time before finally saying, "Can you stop being so babyish?"

This time, on the other end, he was silent again.

When I was sure he'd give me the same answer as before, he suddenly spoke up, his voice strangely deep, "I'd save you."

I was stunned.

My chest tightened so much that I could barely breathe.

Did he really say that?

Before I could even respond, he added, "Stay home and wait for me. I'll be back once I've taken care of things."

Then the line went dead.

I sat on the bed, phone still in hand, staring blankly. It felt as if the thunder outside was growing distant, fading into the background.

Why?

Why was his answer completely different from that of the previous life?