Chapter 2

Leonard, in our previous life, you said I broke your heart. This time, I'm giving you another shot. Don't blow it.

Forty minutes later, the rescue team finally found them. Vivian was caught by a crooked tree, leaving her with a broken arm and multiple scrapes.

Leonard wasn't nearly as lucky.

He'd fallen much further down than she had. When the rescuers hauled him up, his face was streaked with blood.

His leg was twisted at an unnatural angle, and he was barely conscious. But even then, he kept calling out, "Vivian... save Vivian first."

The tourists nearby overheard and started gossiping.

"Man, this dude's really head over heels," someone said.

"His wife's right there, and he's shouting some other girl's name?" another chimed in.

"Is she his side chick or what?" someone else whispered.

As Vivian was being lifted onto the stretcher, she overheard the gossip. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

She weakly explained, "No, that's not it. Leonard and I grew up together. We're just friends."

Just friends. She'd said the same thing in her previous life, too.

She used to call Leonard on our anniversary, claiming her stomach hurt. She'd sit on our couch in her pajamas, calling me "Susan" in a sugary voice.

In front of everyone, she'd say, "Leonard's always been the sweetest to me. If only he'd met me sooner."

Then she'd turn to me with an innocent look. "Susan, don't take it the wrong way. I swear I don't mean anything by it."

Of course, she never meant anything by it. She just wanted to make sure she always had a place in Leonard's heart.

The ambulance arrived, and the paramedics loaded Leonard in first. I hopped in after them, just as Diane called.

"Are you guys on the mountain yet? Vivian just posted something about an accident. Where's Leonard?" she asked.

My voice trembled. "Mom, Leonard fell trying to save Vivian."

There was a brief silence on the other end. Then Diane's voice came through, sharp and frantic. "What did you say? What happened to my son?"

I choked out, "We don't know yet. He's being taken to the hospital."

Diane snapped immediately. "Seriously? What kind of wife just lets her husband do something so reckless? Why didn't you stop him?"

I lowered my gaze, staring at Leonard, unconscious on the stretcher. I did try to stop him last time, but none of you ever thanked me.

I said softly, "Mom, I did call out to him, but Leonard was dead set on saving Vivian. There was nothing I could do to stop him."

Diane fell silent. That sentence stabbed right into the softest, most selfish corner of her heart.

Did she like Vivian?

Of course she did.

Vivian was sweet, knew how to charm people, and had been hanging around the Cookes since she was little.

Diane always said, "Vivian's even more thoughtful than my own daughter."

But no matter how thoughtful she was, she still wasn't Diane's own child.

Just as the ambulance doors were about to close, Vivian came over, clutching her arm. Her face was streaked with tears.

"Susan, can I come with you? I want to be there for Leonard," she said.

I glanced at her and spoke softly, "Go get your arm checked out first. Leonard's got me here."

She bit her lip. "But he got hurt because of me..."

"All the more reason you need to take care of yourself," I cut her off. "If you don't, Leonard is going to freak out when he wakes up."

It sounded considerate enough, but people were already giving her strange looks.

Someone whispered, "She really wants to ride in the ambulance with him? His wife's standing right there."

"He got hurt saving her. She must be so embarrassed."

"Embarrassed? Please, she was acting all close with him just now."

Vivian went pale. She looked my way, a mix of hurt and panic in her eyes.

I gave her a small nod.

"Vivian, don't worry. Leonard's crazy about you; he'd never blame you," I said. But whether the Cookes would let her off the hook was another matter.

The ambulance sped all the way to the city hospital. Just as Leonard was being wheeled into the ER, Diane and Walter showed up.

Diane rushed over and grabbed my arm. "Where's my son? How is he?" she demanded.

Before I could say a word, she raised her hand to slap me. She used to do this all the time in my previous life.

Because Vivian was hurt, she'd take it out on me. Because Leonard drank, she'd blame me.

Whenever the Cookes lost money, she'd pin it on me too.

But this time, her hand froze in midair.

Right then, a nurse pushed through the doors and shouted, "Who's the family? We need a signature. The patient has multiple broken bones and suspected spinal injuries. It's really bad."

Diane's hand trembled. She forgot all about hitting me and rushed over to sign the papers.

I stood there, watching as the red light over the ER door flickered on. This time, it's your turn to wait outside for the outcome.