Chapter 1

My husband, Hank Green, wanted to sell the home we built together to pay for his first love, Julie Thomas's, hospital bills.

When I refused, Julie left behind a suicide note and vanished without a trace.

Hank blamed me for not helping her and lured me up the mountain, planning to kill me.

He told me, "Someone as cold and selfish as you doesn't deserve to live."

After I died, Hank sold our home, took every penny I left behind, and set off chasing after his so-called true love.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the very day Hank asked me to sell our house.

"Yvonne, let's sell our house and save Julie," Hank pleaded, his voice full of desperation.

He was down on his knees at my feet, his eyes filled with sorrow as he begged me.

Hearing those words, I felt a wave of confusion wash over me, then it suddenly dawned on me: I'd been given a second chance at life.

My memories flashed back to my previous life. The woman Hank would sell our home for, his childhood sweetheart and first love, was Julie.

When they were young, they were head over heels for each other, their bond deep and unbreakable.

But Julie's family was a mess; her dad was a gambler, and her mom was having an affair.

When Hank's parents found out about their relationship, they threatened to end their own lives if Hank didn't break up with Julie.

Later, Julie's dad racked up a huge gambling debt and fled with his entire family, disappearing overnight.

From that day on, Julie vanished from Hank's life.

She became the girl Hank never got over, the one who got away.

Ten years later, they finally crossed paths again.

It was just after Hank and I had tied the knot.

Hank and I had been together for two years and married for less than three months. Our love was still fresh and strong.

Hank was always attentive and considerate. When I lost my appetite, he thought I might be pregnant and took me to the hospital to get checked out.

But when I walked out of the doctor's office, Hank had vanished.

I kept calling him, but he never answered.

I went home alone, and that night, Hank came back looking like he'd lost his soul.

He told me he'd run into Julie in the hospital lobby. She was seriously ill.

He couldn't bear to see her struggling on the bus, so he drove her home himself.

After that, Hank was a wreck. He spent every night wide awake, haunted and restless.

He told me Julie was dying of liver cancer, and if she didn't get a transplant soon, she was running out of time.

But Julie was flat broke, with no way to pay for the surgery. All she could do was wait for death, lost in despair.

Hank kept lamenting how cruel fate was, saying he owed Julie for not fighting for her all those years ago.

With tears streaming down his face, Hank pleaded with me to sell our home and use everything we had to save Julie.

I did feel bad for Julie, but I was the one who paid 80% of the down payment on our home.

I sold the old place my parents left me so we could have this new home together.

From the layout to the tiniest things like the dining chairs and coffee sets, every single thing was chosen by me, down to the smallest detail.

In this house, Hank once looked at me with so much emotion and said, "You're not alone anymore. This place is your haven, and I'll be here, holding your hand, no matter what life throws at us."

All those moments still played so clearly in my mind; I couldn't bear to let this place go.

On top of that, Hank was ready to sell the house at a fire-sale price to get the cash fast.

After paying off the interest from the last two years, selling at his price would mean we'd be out 100 grand.

I refused him flat out. I said, "No way. I'm not selling this house, and I'm definitely not letting it go for peanuts."

I told Hank that maybe Julie could try asking for help online.

These days, there were tons of sites where people raised money for medical bills.

But Hank said Julie's dad was drowning in gambling debts, so neither of them could risk going public.

If they did, even if they somehow got the cash together, the loan sharks would swoop in and take it all.

Hank kept nagging and pleading, doing everything he could to convince me to sell our home.

He promised that if I helped save Julie this time, he'd be my loyal servant for the rest of his life.

But I stood my ground. No matter how much he tried to play on my emotions or talk sense into me, I refused to give in.

Hank totally lost it. He pointed his finger right at me and yelled, "Yvonne Davis, I can't believe how cold and heartless you are.

"So what if we lose 100 grand? The house isn't worth shit compared to Julie's life.

"If you won't sell the house, then I want a divorce.

"I put 60 thousand into this house, too! Pay me back today. We'll file for divorce first thing tomorrow.

"I'll sell my kidney, sell my blood. Whatever it takes, I'm saving Julie."

I didn't want this to ruin our marriage, so in the end, I gave Hank the 30 thousand I'd been saving for our future kids.

That finally calmed him down, and he grabbed the bank card and rushed straight to the hospital.

Watching him hurry off, my heart ached. I swallowed the words I wanted to say.

I never would've thought that even after giving Julie 30 thousand for her treatment, refusing to sell our home would end up costing me my life.