All Chapters of Reborn to Leave Her Behind: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

"Hunter, I'm done."Allison Mann sounded pleased with herself as she turned her computer screen toward me.An email from Briarwood Technical College confirmed they had received her application. Just seeing the school's name made my stomach turn.The terror of those last moments of my previous life came rushing back. I could still remember struggling for air."Uh-huh," I said, turning back to my screen.Allison went still. She clearly hadn't expected that."Why aren't you saying anything?" she asked."It's your future. Do what you want."I clicked the confirmation button and submitted my application."What's that supposed to mean?"Her face darkened. She jumped to her feet and planted both hands on my desk."Hunter, are you jealous? Is that it? Because I'm willing to give up everything to be with Edward? You wouldn't understand. You've never loved anyone enough to take a chance!"She raised her chin and looked down her nose at me.I stared at her youthful face, unable to fe

"After everything we've done for him!" Scott shouted. "What an ungrateful brat!""And to think Allison called him a friend!" Naomi snapped.Our families stopped speaking after that. My parents put our house on the market and pushed ahead with the move.For the first time, I could look forward to a life without Allison in it.Two days before I left for college, my high school classmates got together for a farewell party. I wasn't going to attend, but my parents encouraged me to say goodbye to my classmates, so I agreed.The room was hazy with cigarette smoke and smelled of spilled alcohol. I spotted Allison in the corner as soon as I walked in.She wore heavy makeup that did her no favors and a low-cut dress with thin straps. She sat on Edward's lap while he played a drinking game with a few other guys.Every time he lost, he pulled her in for a kiss, and the others whistled and laughed.Someone noticed me in the doorway and called out."Hey, the genius finally showed up!""Hu

I stepped back before she could take my hands.A security guard noticed the commotion and hurried over. "Everything alright here? Do I need to call the police?""It's fine," I told him. "I know them."I turned back to Naomi. "What's going on?"Scott's eyes were red, and his voice broke as he answered."Allison's pregnant. Edward beat her up, then took off. She's in the hospital. She's lost a lot of blood and needs surgery. We can't afford the bills. Could you lend us some money?"I looked at the two people who once acted as though they were better than everyone else.In my previous life, they threatened to disown Allison unless she changed her college plans. Once she became a doctor, they bragged about her to anyone who would listen.Now, they were asking for help from the person they blamed for ruining her future."How much?" I asked."Six thousand," Naomi said through her tears."What about selling your house? There has to be some way you can come up with six thousand doll

Allison looked even older than she did a few years earlier. Hardship had left deep lines in her face.She wore a cheap factory uniform, and her vital signs were dropping fast.The head of the emergency department stood nearby, sweat beading on his forehead."Dr. Nixon, she's in cardiac arrest!"I put on my surgical gown and gloves, then stepped up to the operating table.The face I once knew so well looked like a stranger's. I felt nothing as I looked down at her. She was my patient, and I had a job to do."Get the defibrillator ready," I said, my voice steady.The surgery took ten hours, but we saved her life.The damage to her spinal cord, however, was permanent. She would never walk again.I pulled off my mask and stepped out of the operating room. Scott and Naomi were waiting outside, looking so much older that I barely recognized them.Naomi approached on unsteady legs. "Doctor... How's my daughter?"She didn't recognize me."She survived the surgery," I told her, "but