Chapter 1

The glass walkway suddenly broke, and Vivian Lane fell. My husband, Leonard Cooke, leaned halfway out, trying to grab her. In my previous life, I had grabbed his backpack.

At that height, there was nothing to hold onto. If he tried to pull her up, he'd just be pulled down into the abyss with her.

Vivian broke her spine, ending up vegetative. Leonard took all his anger out on me.

He locked me in a freezer at -4°F. He gritted his teeth outside the door. "You ruined her. You should die with her."

I froze solid, turning into an ice statue.

I was back at the moment the glass walkway shattered. Leonard yelled out for Vivian, and I let go of his backpack strap.

I was standing right behind Leonard when I heard the glass walkway crack.

The mountain wind howled, and a canyon hundreds of feet deep dropped away beneath our feet.

The guide had just shouted, "Don't push!" when a sharp crack split the glass up ahead.

The next second, Vivian's foot found nothing. She plunged downward. She screamed and grabbed the broken edge, half her body dangling over the abyss. Her face was as white as a sheet.

Leonard lunged forward almost on instinct. He pressed himself against the edge, reaching out. "Vivian!" he shouted.

In my previous life, it was this exact moment. I had gripped his backpack strap for dear life, crying and begging him not to go.

Because I saw everything clearly. The glass had splintered right up to the steel frame, and the railing beside it was loose.

If Leonard moved even an inch closer, he wouldn't save Vivian. He'd only get dragged down with her.

I used every ounce of strength I had to pull him back.

Vivian plummeted. She got lucky, though. A tree branch halfway down broke her fall, keeping her alive. But her spine was shattered. She ended up in a coma, trapped in her own body.

From that day on, Leonard hated me to the core. "If you hadn't stopped me, I could've saved her," he said.

Diane Cooke slapped me and said, "Vivian is such a good girl. Why did something like this have to happen to her?"

Walter Cooke, his face stony, made me wait outside Vivian's hospital room. He told me I owed her a life.

I explained myself a million times. I told them the walkway was about to give way, and that if Leonard rushed over, he'd die too.

Nobody ever listened.

Later, Vivian's parents showed up and made a huge fuss. The Cookes had to pay them a fortune, and Leonard blamed me for that too.

He started staying out all night, drinking until he could barely stand. He even locked me outside on the balcony to shiver in the cold night air.

The worst was in the freezer at their family restaurant.

He shoved me inside, slammed the door shut, and locked it. I pounded on the door until my palms were raw and bleeding.

He just stood outside, his voice cold as ice. "Susan, you left Vivian trapped in bed for life. Now you'll know what it feels like to be paralyzed."

The freezer temperature was -4°F.

I went from screaming to silence, and from standing to kneeling. Finally, I curled up on the icy floor.

As my consciousness faded, I could still hear Diane outside, her voice muffled by the door. "Leonard, don't make a scene."

Leonard's voice was cold and ruthless. "She's better off dead."

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the glass walkway. The crack was snaking right under my feet.

Vivian was dangling from the edge, sobbing, "Leonard, save me!" Leonard was already dashing toward her.

My fingers brushed against his backpack strap. Just a little more, and I could've dragged him back, the way I did in my previous life.

But this time, I let go. I even took a step back. With tears in my voice, I shouted, "Leonard, it's dangerous. Don't go."

He didn't even look back. His eyes were fixed on Vivian, as if she were the only thing in his world.

"Vivian, grab my hand!" he shouted, and he caught her hand. Vivian clung to him like her last hope, scrambling desperately to pull herself up.

Leonard leaned halfway over the edge, his backpack strap swinging right past my eyes. The tourists nearby started screaming.

"Stop pulling. That side's about to give way," someone shouted.

"Get back here," another voice cried out.

Leonard gritted his teeth and hauled her up with everything he had. Just as Vivian got halfway up, the railing snapped at the base.

Leonard's body lurched forward.

He finally turned to look at me. His eyes were wide with terror and pleading, flickering with disbelief.

It was as if he were asking me why I didn't pull him back.

I stood at the back of the crowd, my tears falling right on cue. "Leonard!" I cried out.

The next second, he and Vivian both fell. Ear-piercing screams echoed through the valley, and all hell broke loose.

Some people dialed 911, others yelled for help, and a few dropped to the ground with jelly legs.

I gripped the railing and slowly crouched down, putting on a show of being terrified. But my hand, hidden inside my sleeve, was steady as a rock.