Chapter 1

After I was reborn, my first priority was to cancel our anniversary trip with my husband, Leo.

I was still trying to figure out how to tell him that our booked flight was destined to crash.

Then I overheard him on the phone with Stella, his childhood sweetheart.

"With this second chance,” he said, “I finally see clearly. You're the one. The regret I can't live with."

That night, he came to me.

"Iris, why don't you go ahead tomorrow without me? Something's come up. I've rescheduled my flight."

In that moment, I knew the truth. Leo had been reborn too.

And this time, he had chosen to let me die alone.

Seeing me dazed, he stepped closer and repeated himself.

"What's wrong? Not happy?"

"Silly, I'll rush to meet you the moment I wrap things up here.."

The bitterness in my chest spread to the tip of my tongue. My clenched fingers dug deep into my palms. My body trembled, almost uncontrollably.

My thoughts were a tangled wreck. The words spilled out before I could stop them.

"Then I'll reschedule with you. We can go together after you're done."

But his eyes skittered away, a flash of pure panic. He couldn't meet my gaze.

"You still go first. The change fees are outrageous. It's a waste of money."

"Be good. I'll drive you to the airport tomorrow."

With that, he decided for me. Without waiting for a reply, he muttered something about work and retreated to his study.

Countless questions warred in my mind, rendering me momentarily speechless. I didn't even know where to begin.

After a daze, I pulled out my phone to check our flight tickets. I tried to delude myself, searching for any evidence that the plane crash was just a nightmare, that Leo and I hadn't been reborn at all.

But the stark, familiar flight number glaring from the screen sent a searing pain through my pupils, scorching my very soul. The pilot's final announcement began to echo incessantly in my ears, each word etched into my mind.

"The flight is going down. Passengers, please help one another and stay strong..."

This year was our fifth wedding anniversary.

Before takeoff, I’d been excitedly chatting about our plans. He was distracted, constantly checking his phone. I finally asked, "Are you waiting for someone's message?"

He just said, "No, just checking the time."

It wasn’t until we hit violent turbulence over the Caspian Sea that I was truly terrified. I clung to Leo, sobbing.

He fixed an oxygen mask over my face, helped me into a life vest, and held me steady. Then he held my face, his voice urgent but calm. "Iris! Listen to me..."

"No matter what happens, I'll be with you."

"But... if I'm not here, and you have a chance to survive, you must live on. You have to live a good life."

A love forged in the face of death should be unforgettable. So why, when given a second chance, did his choice change?