Chapter 2

After the Parkers left, Mom marched over, her face thunderous.

Kyle's words had pissed her off too.

She turned to Dad and snapped, "You're best buds with Kyle's dad all the time, but have you seen how his son treats your own daughter?

"Look at what Kyle just did, right before us. Who knows how he treats Sara when we aren't there?"

Dad's face fell. "Fine. From now on, we're done with the Parker family. We'll never have anything to do with them again."

Dad always doted on me, so I wasn't surprised to hear him say that.

Back then, I was so clueless to have fallen for Kyle. After I was dead, I can only imagine how much pain my parents were in.

From now on, I would put myself and my family first, no matter what. Other people didn't matter.

Still, I couldn't help but be curious about what kind of fate would await Kyle on his mountain trip.

I couldn't wait to watch him fall flat on his face. He deserved every bit of misery that came his way.

Back in my previous life, when I tapped into my prophetic ability, my mind was instantly flooded with the image of Kyle plunging off a cliff—instinctively, I stopped right there.

I was head over heels for Kyle at the time, so I hardly stopped to process before I rushed to spill the grim future I saw, my voice shaky with panic.

Andrea and Brody were terrified. They put a stop to any crazy plans Kyle had about that adventure, even swearing they'd disown him if he went.

Kyle was shaken to his core, and after weighing it all, he backed off and promised to drop the idea.

Back then, Kyle was always talking about his love for the outdoors, claiming he wanted to go off by himself and really soak in the mountains and birdsong and all that natural beauty.

But now, thinking back, it was so clear he was just faking it.

He wasn't heading out on his own—Hallie was going with him.

The spot where it all happened was some unknown mountain; nobody even knew its name.

A thought struck me. Could it be where Hallie's hometown was?

If Kyle was just planning to visit some famous mountain or a well-known scenic spot, packed with tourists and plenty of security around, his parents wouldn't have any reason to worry.

I closed my eyes and began to meditate, focusing all my attention.

After a minute, a scene flashed into my mind.

Kyle was climbing up a steep slope, stretching out for a flower above him.

Suddenly, he lost his footing and fell down the slope.

As I couldn't help but feel a thrill of satisfaction, the scene suddenly shifted.

What I saw next stunned me—Hallie was standing at the bottom of the slope, looking up at Kyle as he tumbled down. She was smiling, totally pleased with herself.

That was when a nasty headache started creeping in, forcing me to yank myself out of meditation.

Every time I glimpsed the future, I'd get a killer headache.

Once the pain finally faded, I replayed the scene in my mind.

Hallie was smiling?

My eyes flashed with suspicion.

There was definitely something more to Kyle's fall.

But honestly, this whole mess had nothing to do with me.

I just wanted to know if that fall would actually kill Kyle.

In my previous life, when I was set to marry Kyle, I kept spacing out, and my heart would pound for no reason.

I figured it was just pre-wedding jitters and didn't think much of it.

But now, looking back, I realized my prophetic power was warning me.

I could predict anyone's future except my own.

If I could've seen my own future, I wouldn't have ended up dying miserably.

It didn't take long before all the mental strain hit me hard, and as sleepiness washed over, I zonked out completely.

*****

The next morning, I was woken up by the loud ringing of my phone.

"Sara, you promised to pick me up at the train station today, remember? Don't you forget!" my cousin Celeste Morgan's voice purred on the other end.

I was dazed for a moment before it finally clicked.

Celeste was coming over to stay with me for the summer.

I stuck my tongue out and replied, "As if I'd forget. I'm already on my way."

After hanging up, I quickly threw on some clothes, grabbed Mom's car keys, and dashed out the door.

When I finally made it to the train station, I glanced at the clock and let out a big sigh of relief. Thank goodness I wasn't late.

Unfortunately, of all people, Kyle and Hallie appeared, heading my way.

Arms full of bags, holding hands, laughing and whispering to each other—they looked just like a pair of lovebirds, completely wrapped up in their own world.

Kyle looked up and saw me. After a quick second of surprise, he flashed a mocking grin. "So that's why you changed your attitude yesterday? Turns out you want to come here to change my mind.

"Well, I've already convinced my parents about the trip, so do everyone a favor and stay the hell away from me. Just seeing your face makes me want to puke."

Before I could get a word in, Hallie chimed in with that soft, sweet voice of hers, "Sara, you don't need to worry. I just invited Kyle to my hometown for some fresh mountain air. With me taking care of him, he'll be absolutely fine."

She was playing the delicate flower, but the smug look in her eyes said it all. She held Kyle's arm tightly, making sure everyone knew he was hers.

Her triumphant smirk was obvious.

As Hallie lifted her chin ever so slightly, the mark on her neck—a hickey—stood out, plain as day.

I cursed myself for being so blind and clueless back then.

At school, everyone thought Kyle and I were a match made in heaven.

However, Kyle and Hallie had been hooking up behind my back all along, and I hadn't no idea at all.

Disgust roiled inside me, but my expression stayed icy. "Looks like you've gotten the wrong idea. I'm just here to pick someone up—running into you two was pure coincidence. So don't flatter yourselves.

"Whatever you two do doesn't concern me."

Hallie pouted, convinced I was lying. "Sara, just so you know—Kyle and I are dating now.

"Even at university, you still won't have a shot with Kyle. We already made plans—I'm skipping university just to stick by Kyle's side, playing the perfect girlfriend, cooking, cleaning, you name it. And as soon as he graduates, we're tying the knot and having children."

Hallie's face was all stars and hearts, but honestly, the whole lovey-dovey act made me want to throw up.

I snorted inwardly. As if Hallie would ever give Kyle the chance to go to university.

But obviously, I wasn't about to say that out loud.

Kyle let out a scornful laugh. "Honestly, Sara, I've always liked Hallie. I never had feelings for you, not even once—"

"Sara!" a voice shouted.

From across the station, Celeste came bouncing toward me, waving enthusiastically, her whole face bright with excitement.

A big smile spread across my face. I didn't even spare Kyle and Hallie a glance. I ran straight to Celeste and wrapped my arms around her.

Kyle watched me dash to Celeste. The realization finally hit him. I really wasn't here because of him after all.

A faint sting of defeat washed over him, making him shift uncomfortably as his pride took a hit.

"Let's go, Kyle," Hallie drawled sweetly. "The train's coming soon." Girls were always sensitive about what men were feeling, and Hallie had sensed what Kyle felt.

Kyle looked at Hallie and instantly forgot about me. He smiled softly at her and nodded.

So far, Kyle was more than satisfied with everything he'd done since getting a second chance at life—especially the sex he'd had with Hallie last night. It left him feeling on top of the world.

In this life, no one was going to come between him and the one he loved.

Not his parents, not anyone else—least of all me.