Chapter 1

I fell in love with a man I should never have touched—my brother-in-law, Lucas Zahn.

The first time he came to our home with my sister, Quincy Stone, they looked like the perfect couple. He smiled at me, held out a peace talisman bracelet, and said it would keep me safe.

I wore it like it was the most precious thing in the world.

When the old injury in my ankle flared up, he would scoop me into his arms and rush me to the hospital without a second thought.

When thugs tried to harass me, he made them scatter with a single look, then spoke to me in a voice so gentle it made my heart tremble.

I told myself I understood—that everything he did was only because I was Quincy’s younger sister.

Even so, I clung to those rare moments when I could be near him.

Until the night Lucas was drugged by an enemy, his life teetering on the edge. If no one acted, he would die.

So, I acted.

On that reckless, desperate night, my sister walked in. The sight struck her like a lightning bolt, and she collapsed, her weak heart seizing on the spot.

What came next was madness.

In a frenzy of rage and panic, Lucas tied me to an operating table. His hands—those hands I once longed to hold—cut open my chest and tore my heart out for her.

I sobbed and begged him to let me live. He shoved my hands away like they were filth.

“When the avalanche hit, Quincy nearly died saving me. I swore I’d treat her well for the rest of my life. That means loving her family, too. I never thought you’d be so shameless.

“If you hadn’t drugged me and forced yourself on me, she wouldn’t have relapsed!

“This is what you owe her!”

So that was what I was to him—cheap and vile.

He never knew that in that avalanche, the one who saved him… was me.

So I died in agony, my love carved out of me—literally.

When my eyes opened again, I found myself back on the night he was drunk.

…

The heat of his breath wrapped around me.

His lips brushed my collarbone, his hand sliding forward to yank down my strap.

I stared at the face I had once loved beyond reason, unable to tell if this was past or present.

Then he murmured in a daze, “Quincy…”

Ice shot through my veins. I shoved him away with every shred of strength I had.

I threw on my clothes with shaking hands, bolted for the door—and ran straight into Quincy.

She froze at the sight of me, then gripped my shoulders so hard I thought she might bruise me.

“Layla, why were you in Lucas’s room? H-how could you seduce my man?”

Her eyes brimmed with tears, her voice trembling with hurt.

I knew that act well. Born with a weak heart, Quincy had perfected the art of cloaking poison in fragility.

At five, she smashed our father’s favorite vase and pinned it on me, leaving me without dinner.

At ten, she promised to buy me a gift, then shoved me into a ditch. I almost drowned.

At twenty, she stole the credit for saving him, then twisted our parents’ love into a weapon—convincing them to threaten their own lives if Lucas refused to marry her.

In the end, the man I loved most cut my heart from my chest, and I died never having been saved.

This time, I wouldn’t make the same mistakes.

I forced a smile, dug my nails into my palm until it hurt, and said evenly, “You’ve misunderstood, Quincy. He needs you right now. You should go in.”

She blinked, startled, but didn’t question me.

Moments later, faint, broken moans drifted out from the bedroom.

I sank against the wall, the memory of that snow-buried mountain and his final betrayal crashing into me like an avalanche.

I bit down hard on my lip, tasting blood, to keep from making a sound.

When the noises faded, I stood and walked away.

Fine, Lucas. In this life, I’d saved you once on that mountain. Only once.

We had nothing to do with each other any more.

I steadied my steps, though my heart ached with every beat, and returned to my room.

Pulling out my phone, I called the head of the nature reserve.

“I’m willing to take a position at the Snow Mountain Wildlife Protection Zone. I’ll spend the rest of my life safeguarding its endangered species.”

“That’s wonderful. We’ve been looking for someone with your knowledge of the terrain. How soon can you start?”

“In three days.”