Chapter 1

The military base housing was ablaze. Scarlett, the doctor tending to my husband, and I, were both trapped inside.

I was about to scream for help when I heard Nealon’s voice from outside, sharp and commanding:

"Clara is my family; she’s capable of making sacrifices for the greater good. Focus all efforts on rescuing Scarlett!"

It hit me then. Nealon had been reborn too.

In our last life, I told him I was two months pregnant. He hesitated, then chose to save me, leaving Scarlett to perish in the flames.

He showed no reaction to her death, dedicating himself entirely to our daughter and me.

Until twenty years later, when he deliberately crashed our car, taking both our lives:

"Clara, saving you first was the biggest regret of my life!"

Watching Nealon, eyes red-rimmed, charge into the inferno to save Scarlett, I gently touched my stomach, allowing the flames to engulf me.

"Baby, this life, we don't need a dad."

Scalding, thick smoke choked me, and I crumpled to my knees.

Flames instantly encircled me.

Nealon, just a wall away, spared me only a fleeting glance before turning his back, carrying Scarlett, and leaving without a second thought.

In that moment, I knew for sure: he was reborn, just like me.

To atone for not saving Scarlett last time, he was now choosing to abandon me and our two-month-old daughter in my belly.

"Mr. Dawson! The fire's too fierce, we can't get in!"

Chaotic shouts filtered in from outside.

"Everyone, listen to my command. Retreat immediately."

Nealon's voice was eerily calm:

"The plan to rescue Dr. Scarlett is complete. As for Clara – she understands the necessity of sacrifice."

My heart lurched violently.

In this life, he would rather see me burn to death!

Clinging to sheer willpower, I pushed myself up from the ground. Guided by memories from my past life, I found an emergency exit already consumed by the blaze.

I held my breath, enduring the searing pain in my legs, draped a damp, tattered towel over myself, and with a desperate surge of courage, dashed through.

Even if it was just for my daughter, I couldn't die this time!

I don't know how long I ran before my limbs gave out from the intense pain, and I collapsed.

"Quick, rescue her! Clara is still alive!"

"Water! Get some water!"

Buckets of cold water cascaded over me, slowly bringing back my consciousness and sensation.

"Get her on the stretcher and to the hospital, fast!"

I was hastily lifted onto a stretcher and carried to a waiting vehicle.

But Nealon pushed Scarlett into the car first.

"Dr. Scarlett is injured."

He said, his voice flat:

"Take her to the hospital first. The rest of you wait."

"But Clara's injuries are much more severe! If Dr. Scarlett only twisted her ankle—"

"Are my orders not clear enough?"

Nealon brutally cut him off:

"Don't worry about her. She's not going to die!"

With that, he turned and got into the ambulance with Scarlett, leaving.

Sympathetic glances from the bystanders fell on me.

One kind soul, unable to stand by, offered me a ride in their old pick-up truck to the hospital.

I was unconscious for three days and three nights in the hospital.

Nealon never showed his face once during that time.

It wasn't until the hospital sent more than a dozen payment reminders for my medical bills that I managed to get someone to contact Nealon for payment. Only then, on the fifth day, did he deign to visit me.

Scarlett was with him.

Having been rescued first this time, she had no burn marks, and even her sprained ankle had fully healed.

She carried several boxes of expensive supplements.

And wore a new dress.

I recognized that dress – a high-end item I’d always longed for but couldn't afford, a single piece that could easily eat up half my year's salary.

"The money?"

I managed to croak out.

The smoke had scorched my trachea and esophagus; every breath, every bite of food, was torture.

Nealon's face instantly hardened:

"What? You resent me spending money on Dr. Scarlett's recovery? You had to make a scene to get my attention?"

I weakly gripped the bedsheets.

The pain from my injuries made me let out a suppressed groan.

"Stop faking it. You're not dying."

Nealon sneered.

Scarlett, carrying the supplements, walked up to my bed, a triumphant smile on her face:

"What a shame, these supplements were specifically bought by Nealon for *me*. They're not suitable for you, Clara."

"But I'm moving in right next door to your house soon."

She lifted the corners of her mouth:

"That's Nealon's idea too. It'll be easier for me to take good care of him, and I can keep an eye on you, too."

I snapped my gaze to Nealon.

He placed his hands on Scarlett's shoulders, his eyes filled with doting affection:

"It's settled. We'll pick a good day to move in."

On-base housing was strictly for married personnel.

For Nealon to arrange for single Scarlett to live next door showed just how much effort he'd put in.

He was determined to make up for the regret of losing Scarlett in our previous life.

I gave a bitter laugh:

"Is it to 'take care' of me… or to make it easier for you two to meet and date?"