My husband, Theo, and I died in a mangled wreck on a snowy highway heading home for Christmas.

When we opened our eyes, we were back in the years before we even started dating.

In our past life, we were married for seven years, maintaining a polite but distant facade.

Yet, from beginning to end, he absolutely refused to have a child with me.

It was only later I realized he had always kept his first love, Leah, in his heart.

Reborn, I decided to let him have exactly what he wanted.

By unspoken agreement, we deleted each other's numbers and walked away.

We went down two completely different paths.

Seven years passed in the blink of an eye.

Theo had become an elite FBI Special Agent.

At our high school reunion, he went public with his engagement to Leah.

Seeing me standing there alone, he couldn't resist twisting the knife.

"Evelyn, I know you're still holding out hope, but I've moved on. You don't have to keep clinging to the past."

I didn't even look at him. Instead, I bent down and took a little boy's hand.

"Come on, sweetie. Let's go find Daddy."

All the color drained from Theo's face. His voice actually shook as he demanded, "Damn it, you swore you'd love me forever and only have my kids! What the hell is going on?!"

~~~~~

My first time seeing Theo again was at this St. York High School reunion in Manhattan, seven years after we were reborn.

I had just finished back-to-back, high-intensity surgeries.

Too exhausted to care about dressing up, I walked straight into the brilliantly lit banquet hall wearing a simple medical jacket.

Theo stood at the center of the room, his arm wrapped securely around Leah's waist, soaking up the endless flattery of our former classmates.

"Theo, you're killing it! It's only been a few years, and you're already making a name for yourself in the FBI. You've cracked so many major cases—you're the absolute pride of St. York!"

"No kidding! The higher-ups clearly favor you. Half the city's old money is trying to pull strings just to get in a room with you."

"Hey Theo, a cousin of mine got into a little trouble recently. Think you could do an old friend a favor?"

Someone in the crowd chimed in with a knowing smirk. "So, Theo, rumor has it you and Leah are finally making it official?"

Theo looked down at the woman in his arms, his gaze softening. "That's right. The engagement party is December 20th."

A wave of loud congratulations washed over them.

Another classmate laughed and teased, "Speaking of which, Theo, you and Evelyn were the most talked-about couple in school back in the day!"

"Yeah, that piano piece you wrote just to confess to her—do you two still talk?"

At the mention of my name, the smug smile on Theo's face vanished.

Leah, standing right beside him, seamlessly flashed a flawless, gentle smile and took control of the room.

"Oh, stop it, guys," she chimed in. "Let's not joke around."

"Theo and I are getting engaged. Puppy love never lasts anyway. That chapter is long closed, and Theo moved on from Evelyn ages ago."

The crowd chuckled, quickly pivoting back to praising how perfectly matched they were.

Only I remembered that the piano piece they were talking about was the one Theo had played in front of the whole school to win my heart.

In our past life, it was love at first sight.

He had looked deep into my eyes, his voice brimming with absolute conviction.

"Evelyn, look at me. I love you. Eyes don't lie."

I believed him.

But in the end, it was just another lie.

My expression remained completely blank as I stepped further into the hall.

A sharp-eyed classmate immediately spotted me.

"Evelyn! What took you so long?"

"Why on earth are you wearing that? You couldn't even rent an evening gown?"

"Looks like she just got off a shift. What kind of job has you working this hard? With so many successful people here, why not ask someone to hook you up with an easier gig?"

Several people openly judged my plain, exhausted appearance, their voices dripping with condescension.

I didn't care. Maintaining my basic manners, I offered a faint, polite smile.

The second I stepped into the room, Theo's eyes locked onto me.

"Long time no see," I said.