I threw myself in front of a speeding truck to save him. For three years, I was a ghost in my own skin—a "vegetable" in a hospital bed. When I finally woke up, he was already at the altar with someone else. Broken and discarded, I ended my life by jumping from a rooftop. But when I opened my eyes again, I was back. I was standing on that street corner, one second before the truck hit. This time, I didn't move an inch to save him. Chapter 1 I spent over a year in grueling physical therapy. Alone. Finally, I could eat by myself, dress myself, and walk without a brace. To most people, these are the mundane basics of life. To me, they were as difficult as reaching for the stars. Even my doctors called it a medical miracle. After all, that accident had left me in a deep coma for three long years. Everyone thought I’d never wake up. They thought if I did, I’d be a hollow shell—paralyzed or brain-damaged. But I didn't just wake up. Through a year of agonizing rehab, I got stronger. Now, if I don’t stand for too long, I look just like anyone else. I endured a level of pain most people can’t imagine. I suffered through countless mental breakdowns. And finally, the day arrived. I couldn't wait any longer. I packed my bags and headed home, planning to surprise Caleb. He didn't even know I was awake. But when I dragged my suitcase into our—his—apartment, my heart stopped. The place was covered in white lace and ivory ribbons. "Save the Date" cards were scattered on the counter. The house had been completely renovated. The floor-to-ceiling cat tree I had designed myself was gone. In its place stood a sleek, pink designer cabinet. My old friends were there, blowing up gold balloons. My former classmates were hanging floral garlands. My Aunt Sarah was meticulously arranging personalized party favors on a velvet-covered bed, her face lit with a celebratory glow. And my boyfriend? He was standing there in a perfectly tailored charcoal suit, looking like a high-end department store mannequin. On the wall hung a massive, new wedding portrait. The girl in the photo was smiling. She looked incredibly sweet. Just then, a server carrying hot tea accidentally bumped into my arm. The scalding water splashed onto me, instantly blooming into a painful red welt. The server gasped. In an instant, every head in the room turned toward me. The air sucked out of the room. I saw shock, a flicker of joy, but mostly... intense, suffocating awkwardness. My aunt dropped the favor she was holding. It rolled across the hardwood floor in the dead silence. Caleb’s pupils shrunk. His face went ghostly pale. "Elara?" he whispered, his voice trembling as if he were seeing a ghost. I forced a smile that felt more like a jagged wound. I didn't know how to answer. My body acted on instinct. I took two steps back, turned, and bolted out the door. It was autumn in the city. The wind was biting, and dead leaves were piled along the sidewalk. As I ran, they crunched under my feet—a brittle, harsh sound. Because of the lingering effects of the coma, I wasn't fast. That short distance cost me every ounce of my strength. Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around my waist from behind, pulling me into a hard chest. Caleb held me, his entire body shaking. "You’re back," he choked out. "Elara, God... I missed you so much." My tears fell onto his expensive suit. I was back. But it felt like everything was gone. Chapter 2 Caleb went to his fiancée's house to break off the engagement. The wedding was scheduled to happen in eighteen hours. My Aunt Sarah sat on the edge of my bed, stroking my hair, her eyes red from crying. "Don't be too hard on Caleb, honey. These four years... he suffered so much." "If it wasn't for that girl, he might not have made it through." I felt a lump in my throat. My eyes drifted to the corsage pinned to her dress. A vibrant red rose with a ribbon that read: Matron of Honor. She quickly covered it with her hand, a look of deep shame crossing her face. "Elara, I didn't mean to betray you. I just..." "I just never thought you’d wake up." Her voice trailed off until it was barely a whisper. I swallowed the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. Just as the tears threatened to spill over, I forced out a sentence. "I just got back. I’m jet-lagged. I need to sleep." I pulled my hand away from hers and crawled under the covers. I pulled the duvet over my head and curled into a ball, shaking. This pain... it was a hundred times worse than the physical therapy. I found myself praying it was a nightmare. Just like the dreams I had in the early days of rehab—dreams where I was still a "vegetable," unable to hold a spoon, drooling, unable to even use the bathroom... Hours passed before the bed dipped. I knew Caleb was back. The silence was deafening. Finally, I sat up to face him. Two buttons were missing from his shirt. His tie was shredded. His face was bruised and bloodied at the corner of his mouth. "Did they hit you?" I asked. "It’s fine. I deserved it." I understood. The invitations were out. The venue was paid for. To bail the night before the wedding—the bride's family wasn't going to let him walk away unscathed. If I hadn't come back, tomorrow they would have stood before God, exchanged rings, and started a life. The thought made me dig my nails into my palms. I asked the question that had been burning a hole in my heart. "Caleb, did you think I was never coming back, too?" He bit his lip, his eyes downcast. After a long pause, he whispered, "Elara, I’m here now. I’m never leaving you again." He didn't answer the question. And that promise—so full of pity—hurt more than the truth. Suddenly, Caleb’s phone buzzed. The lock screen popped up: a photo of him and that girl. The caller ID read—My Princess. He had even set the font to a cute, bubbly script. My Princess... What a sweet name. Once upon a time, that’s what he called me. Noticing my gaze, Caleb quickly hit 'Ignore.' But the person on the other end didn't give up. The phone buzzed again and again. Caleb finally shut the phone off entirely. He looked at me, full of guilt. "I’m sorry. She... she just needs time to process." He paused, then added, "But don't worry. I'll handle it." "How long were you together?" I asked. The question caught him off guard. He gripped his phone tightly. "A year," he rasped. I closed my eyes. A year. While I was hiding the news of my recovery because I was afraid my "broken" self would scare him... While I was falling and bleeding as I re-learned how to walk... while I was biting my tongue raw trying to speak... while I was crying in a bathroom because I couldn't undo my own buttons... While I was pushing through the darkness, thinking only of the day I could be whole for him... He was falling in love with someone else. Chapter 3 Caleb’s promise to stay forever lasted exactly one day. He left in a hurry because Chloe—the girl—had fallen ill. Before he left, he swore he was just going to check on her, make sure she was okay, and then end it for good. One week passed. He didn't come back. Cold and hollow, I began packing up every gift and trinket he had ever given me. I was going to send it all back. I wasn't pathetic. I wasn't going to beg for a man’s love. And I wasn't stupid. If he had really cared, he would have found out I was awake. Nathan, my foster brother, tried to hide the news at my request, but a year is a long time. If Caleb had looked for me, he would have known. I had spent years making excuses for him. He’s busy. Flights are expensive. The distance is too far. He has his parents to care for... I was tired of making excuses. I was done with him. As I was carrying a box out to the mail, his "fiancée" showed up at my door. Chloe was wearing a loose sundress and holding a folder from a women’s health clinic. She saw me staring at the folder. She gently stroked her stomach and smiled. "Caleb and I were hours away from being husband and wife, Elara. You didn't think we were just holding hands this whole year, did you?" Her smug look triggered a memory. I recognized her now. She was the "little sister" from our college days who always hung around him—Chloe. No wonder my aunt was the Matron of Honor. She and Chloe’s father had been high school sweethearts. "Are you trying to guilt him into staying with you?" Chloe asked, tilting her head with a look of fake innocence. She reached into my box and pulled out a soda tab. It was the "promise ring" Caleb gave me in college. He told me one day he’d replace it with a real diamond. Ironically, the real diamond was now on her finger. "Don't be delusional," she whispered. "He knows he’s going to be a father. He’s thrilled." She tossed the soda tab onto the ground like trash and leaned into my ear. "Let me tell you a secret. Caleb and I have had a thing for a long time. Four years ago, the day of your accident? He was actually on his way to break up with you." The blood in my veins turned to ice. I remembered his stuttering that day. I remembered his silence over the last four years. The "heroism" I thought I had displayed... it was all a joke. As I turned to walk away, Chloe intentionally bumped into me. The box in my arms fell, spilling my memories across the pavement. She looked at me with pure triumph. She had won. But as she stepped back, she slipped on a crystal bracelet that had fallen from the box. She lost her balance and tumbled down the porch steps. Blood began to pool under her dress. She screamed, calling me a murderer. Caleb appeared out of nowhere, rushing to her side. He shoved me back so hard I nearly fell. "Elara! How could you be so cruel?" My heart was dead, but I wasn't a doormat. I stepped forward and slapped Caleb across the face. "I’m not the one who’s disgusting here," I spat. Chloe’s family called the police. They wanted me in jail. My aunt looked at me as if I were a stranger, desperate to distance herself from me. My old friends whispered that I was a psycho. But then, the evidence came out. Nathan had installed a Ring camera at my front door. It caught everything—Chloe’s smug face, her confession, and her own clumsy fall. She had tripped on her own greed. The day Caleb came to apologize, I was standing on the edge of the apartment building’s roof. The stars I used to love were blocked out by the city smog. "Elara, I was wrong! I should have trusted you. Please, come down. I’m begging you!" My aunt was there, too. "Elara, I’m so sorry! Don't do anything stupid!" It’s funny. When you decide to leave the world, the world suddenly decides to love you. I stood on the ledge, a leaf ready to drop. Caleb fell to his knees, sobbing, saying he loved me. I was just so tired. Between the rehab and the heartbreak, my mental health had shattered. I needed pills just to close my eyes. I thought Caleb would be my salvation, but he was the one who pushed me into the abyss. I had lost four years of my youth. I had lost my health. I had lost the ability to love. I wasn't ever going to be okay again. I opened my arms, letting the cold wind whip through my hair. As I tipped backward into the air, I looked at Caleb and whispered: "I curse you to never find a single soul who truly loves you." Chapter 4 I didn't expect to wake up. But when I opened my eyes, I was back. Back to the day of the accident, four years ago. A younger Caleb stood before me, looking at his shoes. "Elara, look... I actually..." "You want to break up, right?" The familiar scene played out, and I couldn't help but finish his sentence for him. He snapped his head up, looking at me in total shock. "You’re seeing Chloe. You’ve been cheating on me for at least three months." I took a deep breath, feeling a strange sense of relief. "I agree. We’re done." I said it so casually, as if I were talking about the weather. Caleb panicked. "I wasn't cheating! I don't know who told you that, but I’d never betray you! I just..." His voice dropped. "I just don't think we’re right for each other." Hilarious. He chased me for a year. We were together for four. And only now did he decide we weren't "right." I scoffed. In the distance, the clock tower struck eight. Snow began to fall. The traffic light at the intersection flickered and went out. Everything was exactly like the first time. "Caleb, I was going to give you a chance. If you had just been man enough to admit you liked someone else, I would have respected that." "But you don't even have the courage to admit your own mistakes." I took a step back, looking at him with pity. At twenty, Caleb was handsome and full of life. But inside, he was hollow. It took me two lifetimes to see it. Just then, the screech of tires echoed through the street. Two blinding headlights cut through the snow. A massive truck was careening toward the curb—straight toward me. In my first life, I had lunged forward to push Caleb out of the way. This time, I saw Caleb’s first instinct. He turned and scrambled back, desperate to save himself. But the truck hit a stone pillar, swerved violently, and fishtailed—straight toward Caleb. CRASH. The world went silent. The pristine white snow was suddenly stained a deep, shocking crimson. A single tear escaped my eye. If Caleb had run toward me—like I had run toward him in my first life—the truck would have hit the brick wall behind us. We both would have been fine. But he didn't. The boy I had loved since I was sixteen didn't even look back at me. As they loaded Caleb into the ambulance, I picked up his phone from the snow. A notification popped up. Exactly one minute ago, Chloe had posted a photo of them kissing. The caption: Finally, you’re all mine. The comments were full of "congrats" from Caleb’s friends—the same ones who called me "sister-in-law" yesterday. Only one comment stood out. It was from Nathan, my foster brother: In this day and age, do people really have no shame? The comment was deleted seconds later. My parents died when I was young. My aunt took most of the insurance money. Nathan was the one who raised me. He dropped out of college and worked two jobs just to pay for my tuition. In my first life, he was the one who stayed by my hospital bed for four years. I dialed Nathan’s number. The background was noisy—he was likely at the warehouse where he worked. Nathan wasn't a tech mogul yet. He was just a guy trying to survive. "Nate," I whispered, my voice breaking. "I miss you." Chapter 5 Nathan borrowed a beat-up pickup truck and drove halfway across the state through a blizzard to get to me. The first thing he said was: "Don't cry, Elara. If you still want Caleb, I’ll find a way to make him leave that girl." His eyes were fierce. He looked ready to throw hands with the world for me. My heart warmed. In my first life, he was the first person I saw when I woke up from the coma. He taught me to eat, to speak, to walk. He never cared if I made a mess. He never judged me. The hospital staff used to whisper that I was a burden, that I’d never get married. Nathan had shouted at them, saying if I never married, he’d take care of me forever. He was my true salvation. Why had I been so obsessed with Caleb? At least in this life, I was healthy. "I don't want him anymore," I said, climbing into the truck. "Let's go to his place. I’m moving out." I needed a clean break. We went to the apartment Caleb and I shared. An entire wall was filled with my dance trophies. I remembered how excited I was when we moved in. I had picked out the plants, the rugs, the furniture. I thought this was my "forever" home. Slowly, I packed it all into boxes, erasing every trace of myself. I left the keys with the super. When I finished, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. Cutting my losses early was a lesson that cost me a lifetime to learn. Just then, I got a text from one of Caleb’s friends. Elara, Caleb was in a wreck. They had to amputate his right leg below the knee. He’s at Mercy Hospital... I didn't even finish reading. I blocked the number. Chapter 6 A month passed. I was back at school, excelling in my classes and winning a major scholarship. The campus was buzzing with two stories. First, that Caleb had cheated on me with Chloe. Second, that Caleb was now an amputee. "There’s a third story," my roommate Maya whispered as we sat in the dining hall. Maya knew everything. "Chloe went to see him in the hospital. When she found out about the leg, she almost fainted. As soon as he woke up, she dumped him. She told him she was too young to spend her life with a 'cripple.'" "Talk about karma. They went public and broke up on the same day." Maya looked at me. "Seriously, Elara, you dodged a bullet. That guy would have dragged you down with him." I stared at my shoes. Losing a limb, being dumped by the "love of his life," seeing his future crumble... Now he knew how it felt. A few weeks later, Caleb was discharged. His friends tried to throw a "Welcome Home" party to cheer him up. They actually had the nerve to tag me in the group chat. Elara, Caleb’s been in the hospital for a month and you haven't visited once. You have to show up for the homecoming! They even sent a location pin. Did they forget how they cheered when Chloe posted that picture? I was about to reply when Maya beat me to it. You guys are tagging the wrong person. Elara is the ex-girlfriend he cheated on. She doesn't owe him a damn thing. The chat went silent for a minute. Then someone replied: He’s disabled now. Can't she let the past go? Are you kidding? Maya recorded a voice memo. Caleb only lost a leg. Elara lost her heart! I hugged her. She was the best "internet bodyguard" I could ask for.
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