Chapter 1

I opened my eyes and found myself sitting in the back seat of a car. I instantly knew that I had been reborn when I was hit with a sudden, violent crash. I had unfortunately been reborn at the wrong moment, though, as the accident had already happened.

Gerald Dawson, my brother-in-law, was struck in the accident, leaving his abdomen badly torn open and his intestines exposed.

I had no time to worry about my pain. I struggled to pull out my phone, called an ambulance, and reported the accident to the police. I then yelled, "You have to hold on, Gerald! You can't fall asleep!"

Harry Dawson, my father-in-law, was behind the wheel while Gerald sat in the front passenger seat. Gerald had the worst injuries and was clutching his stomach, his face drained of color.

I quickly crawled out as the passersby pried open the crushed car door. I paid no mind to my forehead injury and tugged on Gerald. "You have to stay with me, Gerald!"

"S-Save me, Simon…"

Gerald's face was deathly pale, and Harry was injured as well.

I immediately called Gemma Dawson, my wife, and put her on speaker. "We got into an accident, Gemma! Dad and Gerald are both hurt! Get here this instant, Gemma!"

"What are you trying to pull this time, Simon? How could you lie about my family being involved in a car accident? You have to know when to stop, Simon!" Gemma bellowed before hanging up on me.

Harry was furious. He grabbed my phone and called her again, only to find out that she had blocked my number.

I didn't beg her to bring Brian Johnson, her first love, over this time. I just felt bad for Gerald, who had to suffer because his blood type was Rh-negative, which he happened to share with Brian. I took my phone and posted a plea for help online, hoping someone in the city could donate blood to save Gerald.

Harry also called Doreen Smith, my mother-in-law, and asked her to track down Gemma.

It wasn't long before the ambulance brought us to the hospital. I had just gotten off when my phone suddenly went off with a notification from the community group chat. I instantly lost my temper after reading the message.

Gemma tagged me in the group chat, saying, "You're so spiteful that you'd make up a story about my family being in a car accident and desperately needing blood just because you're jealous of another man! How could you be this cruel, Simon?"

Those who were on their way to help started blasting me.

I had no time for explanations, so I took a photo of Gerald on the ambulance stretcher and sent it in the group chat. "I'm not lying! Gerald's abdomen is ripped open! He's losing too much blood!"

Just then, someone tagged me in the group chat. "I'm literally at the hospital right now, Simon. How come I haven't heard anything about this? You're clearly wasting emergency resources over some woman! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Tricia Sutton, Gemma's best friend, was the one who said that. She was always kissing up to Brian, so she jumped at the opportunity to start bad-mouthing me.

I was beside myself with worry. Gerald was rushed into the ER, and before long, a doctor came out. "He has lost a lot of blood and urgently needs a transfusion! We don't have enough blood in our blood bank!"

"I've already put out a call for help online, so please do everything you can to help him!"

I was trembling all over, and Harry was calling everyone he could think of. I even went so far as to record what the doctor said and send it to the group chat. "I'm begging you all—please help us! Gerald really is suffering from severe blood loss!"

I directly tagged Tricia. "If you're really at the hospital, then why don't you come to the ER to see for yourself, Tricia?"

I kept pleading in the group chat. "I'm begging all of you! It's a matter of life and death here!"

Queenie Glover, Gerald's wife, was still abroad and couldn't possibly get back in time.

Doreen arrived soon after, her legs almost giving out when she saw me. "Y-Your forehead…"

It was only then that I noticed the injury on my forehead, which I hadn't bothered to get treated.

I asked, "Where's Gemma, Mom? She's with Brian right now, right? If I remember correctly, Brian has the same Rh-negative blood type as Gerald!"

Doreen's eyes instantly welled up with tears. "She's not picking up my calls!"

Just then, Harry managed to get through to Gemma. He screamed into his phone, yelling, "Gerald is bleeding out, Gemma! Get Brian and hurry over this instant!"

"Are you in on Simon's lie too, Dad? There wasn't even an accident on Serenity Lane! Please stop playing along with him, Dad!"

"You heartless monster!" Harry clutched his chest and staggered backward.

I rushed to support him and yelled into the phone, "I know you hate me, Gemma, but please stop doubting me! Gerald is really in grave danger! I'm begging you, Gemma!"