The awards ceremony was white tie, and Keeley had agonized over what to wear since she would be on live television before a global audience. She finally settled on a seafoam green, floor-length gown with lace sleeves and Swarovski crystals, purchased in a shopping district she loathed. She wore the earrings she had bought for Hale Investments' 100th-anniversary party and the DNA necklace Aaron had given her in high school for good luck.

The families of the laureates and other honored guests sat near the front of the concert hall. The laureates, speakers, and the Swedish royal family were on stage. Keeley couldn't believe she was seated less than a hundred feet from royalty.

As the orchestra stopped playing to allow the royals to enter, everyone finally sat down, and the ceremony began. As the announcer outlined the program, Keeley felt incredibly overwhelmed by the famous people in the room. She felt like a mere lab rat!

Her eyes sought out her family in the audience. They noticed her and offered encouragement—smiles, nods, and subtle thumbs-up.

The prizes were presented after a speech honoring each laureate's work. Keeley was slated to receive the second-to-last of the five prizes. She wasn't sure which she was more nervous about: shaking hands with the King of Sweden or giving a short speech at the later banquet.

She struggled to maintain a neutral expression with all the cameras on her. It would be mortifying if any captured her stress. She smiled and clapped appropriately until it was her turn. Oh, no.

Someone whose name she couldn't pronounce (she didn't know Swedish) began their speech honoring her achievements:

"Doctor Keeley Marie Hale began her research into gene therapy as a cure for cystic fibrosis as a PhD student at New York University, to honor the memory of her late brother, Kaleb Hall. She persisted where many had failed, moving through countless trials with different animals before reaching human trials.

"She was the first to discover how to conduct gene therapy without causing tumors in recipients, opening the door for countless genetic diseases to be treated with gene therapy. Using her method, thousands of people with cystic fibrosis have essentially been cured since her treatment was approved over a year ago. Clinical trials for other ailments, such as sickle cell disease, are already underway, using her research as a basis. For this great achievement, we award her the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine!"

Keeley stood and walked to receive the medal. Thunderous applause echoed in her ears as she made her way to the King of Sweden, who personally presented her with the accompanying diploma.

For a moment, she stood facing the audience as they applauded. It was surreal. Hundreds of people were clapping for her.

Cameras flashed, momentarily blinding her, but once she blinked, she saw her family. Catcalling was unacceptable at such a prestigious event, but they were clapping enthusiastically, with wide grins on their faces.

Violet, Noah, Kaleb, Nathan, Oliver, even Michael and Mandy (though their reactions were more reserved than her children's), and dear Aaron.

Her heart thudded erratically. For a split second, all sights and sounds faded. She saw only him, beaming at her and mouthing, "I love you," when he caught her eye.

None of this would have been possible without him. She wouldn't have secured the funding to continue her research without his help. He had been with her every step of the way, listening to her technical explanations and helping with the kids so she could achieve her dream.

When Keeley started, all she wanted was to help people like her brother live normal, healthy lives. No one should spend their life in and out of the hospital or live in fear of a simple cold.

She had never imagined getting this far. It had seemed like a crazy, impossible dream. But she supposed winning a Nobel Prize wasn't as impossible as reincarnation.

In her first life, Keeley's sole focus had been fulfilling the dream she'd abandoned to be the perfect socialite wife. She'd thought that if she never met Aaron, she could get her PhD and perhaps cure cystic fibrosis after a lifetime of dedicated work as a professor.

What if she had never met Aaron? Her options as a professor would have been far more limited. She probably wouldn't have accomplished a treatment until her sixties, if at all. No one else would have supported such a goal-driven workaholic; even if she had married someone else, it likely would have ended in divorce. Aaron understood her dream and wanted her to achieve it almost as much as she did, after realizing his past mistakes. Only he could support her dedication so fully.

It had taken two lifetimes to stand on that stage, but everything had happened exactly as it should. The pain of her first life only fueled her determination to become a geneticist in her rebirth.

Keeley had more than achieved her dream. She had a beautiful family who adored her. Life couldn't possibly be better.

It was crazy how a single moment could change the course of one's future. Aaron had once said he was initially interested in her because she'd offered him pencil lead without asking during a quiz. Such a simple action set off a chain reaction spanning two lifetimes.

So many people had been affected by her persistence in befriending a taciturn boy who seemed to want nothing to do with her. Some were born; some died early; and many lived longer—all because of the actions of an insignificant high school girl.

The applause subsided as she returned to her seat, but Aaron was still grinning, his eyes swimming with tears of pride, even as the speech honoring the next laureate began. Their eyes remained locked as she sat down.

Keeley was certain her mother, father, and brother were watching from wherever they were. She'd always believed loved ones who passed on could somehow see those on Earth, even though she wasn't particularly religious.

More than once, she'd wondered if her mother or Kaleb had influenced her reincarnation—if they'd seen her first life and wanted everything reset so she could do it right, pleading with whatever force governed their rebirths.

Maybe she could ask them when they met again in the afterlife. And if they asked if she would still reach out to a cold, proud boy who'd never had a real friend, knowing the horrors she would face, Keeley would say yes. Without hesitation.

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