Chapter 2

The train shot down the tracks.

I'd be home in 30 minutes—three hours earlier than in my past life.

Staring out the window, I swore to myself over and over that I would drag Lisa and Ariah back from the brink of hell this time.

Right then, my phone screen lit up.

It was Lisa. "Honey, Aunt Caitlin's back from buying groceries. She's knocking at the door. Should I let her in?"

I snapped upright. The word "yes" was already on the tip of my tongue, but memories of my past life flashed through my mind.

Back then, Lisa met a horrific end, and Caitlin Booth was left unconscious on the floor, bleeding from a severe head wound.

When she woke up in the ICU, she fell to her knees in tears, apologizing and sobbing that she was useless for failing to stop the intruders.

Caitlin was Lisa's aunt. She'd spent her life in the countryside before moving to the city a year ago to work as a nanny. When Lisa got pregnant, Caitlin suggested hiring her after Ariah was born.

Lisa agreed. After all, they were family. So once Ariah arrived, Caitlin quit her job and moved straight in.

She was always hardworking and attentive, taking excellent care of Ariah and looking out for Lisa, too.

I couldn't bring myself to blame her for anything. Even though she was the sole survivor, she'd been critically injured, and she was the one who called the police. In my past life, I had never doubted her for a second.

But things were different now. I'd been reborn.

I had to be careful. I couldn't fully trust anyone.

Just thinking about the torture Lisa endured and three-month-old Ariah turning blue made my blood boil.

I clenched my fists until my knuckles cracked, my fingernails digging deep into my palms.

"Honey? Are you there?"

Lisa's voice pulled me back to reality.

I cut her off sharply, "Don't open it! Wait until I get there. I'm almost home!"

Lisa sounded completely lost. "Is that really okay? She's crying out there."

A flash of ruthless resolve crossed my eyes. "Turn on the door camera and check if anyone else is out there."

The line went quiet for a few seconds before Lisa spoke up, hesitant. "It's just Aunt Caitlin. She's crying, saying her hands are full of bags and asking why I locked her out."

I locked my eyes on the clock in the train car. "Look through the peephole."

Lisa did as she was told.

On the video feed, I watched her lean close to the door.

A second later, her face twisted in terror, and she whirled around, clapping a hand over her mouth.

"What is it?" I almost flew out of my seat.

Lisa gripped her phone, her voice shaking uncontrollably. "Honey, there's someone standing next to Aunt Caitlin. I can only see an arm, but… I think it's a man."