After Aaron's rebirth, Keeley changed. She was no longer the cheerful, devoted girl who followed him. Most people fell into two categories: those who wanted something from him and those who feared him. She had been the exception, but that changed.

He refused to let happiness slip away again.

"Run, girl, if you can but I won't let you, because you belong to me, no matter what"

Keeley Hale stood firm, tears welling in her eyes.

"What are you staring at? Leave," Aaron said flatly, pulling out his phone and scrolling.

Cold. Emotionless. Cruel.

Her husband of eight years seemed utterly disinterested, appalling her. He had just casually announced his girlfriend's pregnancy and his plans for divorce, as if commenting on the weather.

"Not until you tell me the truth," Keeley said, her fists clenched. "Did she have anything to do with my father's death? Are you covering for her?" She wasn't sure if her trembling was from suppressed tears or rage.

Her father—her only remaining family—died in a hit-and-run. The police considered it random, but she didn't believe it. Not after what she'd witnessed. That woman had been plotting to usurp her since high school.

Aaron finally looked up, blankly. "So what if I am? She's worth more than fifty of you."

He'd never been warm, but it wasn't always this bad. Keeley couldn't remember the last time he'd shown her any tenderness.

"I'll expose you," she seethed, tears streaming down her face. "I'll put both of you in prison."

He smiled wickedly. "Money is power, sweetheart. You can't do anything to me."

"Just you watch," Keeley spat, slamming the door. Someone had to believe her. All she needed was a little proof.

She kicked a rock as she walked past scaffolding under construction. New York was always under construction in good weather.

Who could she trust with access to traffic cameras—cameras not in the Hales' or Knightons' control?

She had to think clearly. Rationality was all she had left after her once-beloved husband had shattered her heart.

The scaffolding swayed dangerously, and she scrambled out of the way just before it collapsed. Keeley's heart pounded. Similar accidents had been happening lately. She knew Lacy Knighton was responsible.

If only she hadn't gotten involved with Aaron Hale, hadn't taken what Lacy believed should have been hers. Her father might still be alive; her life would be entirely different.

Escaping the scaffolding, Keeley ran into a back alley used only by delivery trucks—or so she thought. It was thankfully empty.

Unfortunately, her earlier crying had left her head fuzzy. She didn't see the speeding car—a car with lingering traces of blood under its bumper, if anyone looked closely enough.

She glimpsed the driver as she was thrown into the air. She recognized him, but couldn't place him. He didn't stop, screeching away, leaving the smell of burning rubber and Keeley's broken body behind.

As consciousness faded, she vowed to haunt Aaron and Lacy, making them pay for what they'd done to her family.

Keeley awoke in a hospital bed. "I… didn't die?" she asked groggily.

The nurse laughed in surprise. "Were you that worried? It was just a routine appendectomy."

An appendectomy? She'd had hers out at seventeen!

She wanted to ask what was going on but was distracted by a familiar figure rushing in.

"Oh, honeybun, you're awake! I'm so glad," her father said, relieved, catching his breath.

He wore a sweater over a collared shirt, the shirttail perpetually untucked—a habit she used to tease him about.

She must be dreaming. Her father had died over two years ago. It had been so long since anyone called her "honeybun."

Or…was the other reality the dream? A premonition?

Tears filled her eyes as she reached for him. "Daddy!"

He moved to the bedside. "Daddy's here. I know this was scary, but you'll be fine."

"What happened?" Keeley asked, needing to check the consistency of his story with her memory.

"You were on a school field trip. You said your stomach hurt and collapsed, remember? Your teacher called an ambulance. I came as soon as I heard."

Right. A field trip to the Guggenheim Museum for a history class paper on modern art.

She'd collapsed in front of a Picasso. From her angle, the cubist face seemed to mock her as her classmates screamed.

The facts checked out. Was the future she remembered a dream, or had she been reborn over a decade earlier?

Honestly, it didn't matter. Her father was alive. She hadn't met Aaron yet. All she had to do was avoid him.

Keeley hugged her father tightly. Yes. She would stay away from Aaron Hale and Lacy Knighton, no matter what. Keeping a low profile shouldn't be too difficult.

Whatever had happened, she'd been given a second chance. She could live her dreams instead of wasting her life on someone who didn't love her.

This was the 21st century! No self-respecting woman chased after a man who didn't value her. Love wasn't necessary for happiness.

Besides, maybe she could find someone better. Anyone would be an improvement over her ex-husband. The final sentence about the website is removed as it is an advertisement and does not contribute to the story.