When enemies came seeking revenge, my brother was off with his first love, chasing a golden sunrise over the mountains.

I didn't beg him to save us. Instead, I dragged my sister-in-law to safety, dodging killers.

In my last life, my brother rushed home, but his first love got caught in an avalanche.

Before she passed, she texted him, accusing me and my sister-in-law of humiliating her with money and threatening her to leave him.

The fateful trip was her final wish.

Her death crushed me with guilt, but my brother dismissed it, holding a perfunctory funeral for her before moving on.

I thought he had recommitted to his family, but while my sister-in-law recovered from childbirth, he slipped poison into our meal.

"How do I have such a vile sister like you?" he spat. "And you... I only married you for family interests. You two killed the love of my life!"

He set the house on fire, burning us alive. Even his newborn son wasn't spared.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on that fateful day.

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...

The alarm's shriek tore through the night, like a jagged blade slicing my sleep.

I bolted upright, sweat drenching my pajamas.

The memory of flames devouring my flesh still seared my mind. Barefoot, I stumbled out of my room and collided with my sister-in-law, Hannah Watson, who was also woken by the alarm.

"What's going on? Did someone break in?" she stammered, her face pale.

It was worse than that.

"Safe room, now!" I grabbed her arm, pulling her toward the basement.

She froze. "No, my baby is upstairs in the nursery. I have to get him."

Only then did I remember the one-month-old Aldo Watson. He had been woken up by the alarm, and his cries echoed from the second floor.

Hannah trembled. "We've got security guards, right? They must be coming to check the noise. I need to get Aldo."

Despair hit me because my brother, Cole Watson, had taken every guard with him to escort his first love, Marie Banks, to watch a sunrise in the mountains.

Even the servants had been dismissed, leaving us utterly alone.

Footsteps thundered downstairs. I yanked Hannah into the bathroom and hid in the bathtub behind the curtain.

"Stay calm," I whispered. "The nursery has a steel door with a code lock. They can't get in easily. We need to stay safe first."

Hannah nodded and fumbled with her phone, pulling up the security feed. The grainy image showed the nursery door was being battered, and Aldo's cries grew louder.

Hannah's face crumpled, her maternal instinct warring with fear. But we couldn't call for help, with the intruders right above us. Any noise would give us away.

Aware of it, Hannah trembled as she texted Cole. [Come home! Vicky and I are in danger. Intruders are in the house.]

Like in my last life, Cole made a video call.

Hannah pressed the Answer button but quickly hung up, remembering my warning. She texted, [Can't talk. Hurry! They'll find us soon.]

Cole, realizing the gravity of the situation, asked where we were. Hannah told him everything.

His response came: [Stay put in the bathroom. I'm on my way with help.]

Hannah sagged with relief, but dread coiled tighter in my gut.

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This was all too familiar, almost eerily identical to what happened in my past life.

Cole would return, only for Marie to die in an avalanche. Hannah and I survived the incident, but he killed us later.

I tried to figure out how to tell Cole what was coming, but the curtain was suddenly ripped open.

The intruders found us. One of them sneered, "Think you could hide here?"

Hannah screamed, but the man silenced her with a brutal kick to her forehead, knocking her out.

"Dang it! I hate women screaming," he hissed, grabbing my hair and pressing a knife to my throat.

Fear clawed at me, but I forced it down. "Stop! Hurt us, and you'll never get Cole's encrypted drive."

He paused, which confirmed my guess. They weren't just here for revenge. They wanted the company's secrets.

I swallowed, noticing a scorpion tattoo on his hand.

"Mike Turner, right? I'll take you to it," I said. "But you need to guarantee our safety. Your brother's death was an accident. We're willing to pay any compensation."

His eyes narrowed. "How do you know my name?"

...

I didn't answer, just edged back from the blade.

In my past life, I learned Mike's brother, a transport worker, died in a chemical explosion at Cole's company. Mike was convinced it was no accident. Cole's shady dealings led to a cover-up murder.

He lowered the knife, but then the nursery's steel door clicked open. A thug walked in, holding a sobbing Aldo.

Mike's sneer returned. He tapped the blade against my cheek. "You think you're in a position to negotiate?"

He sliced the top button off my blouse, his leer sickening. "Maybe we'll have some fun first. Or I could carve up this kid and toss him to the dogs."

Their laughter grated like nails on a chalkboard.

I curled up, terrified, until I caught Hannah stirring. Her eyes flicked to a fire axe propped in the corner.

Taking the hint, I shrugged off my shirt to distract them.

Mike pulled me close, his rancid breath grazing my neck. Just then, Hannah lunged. The axe arced through the air, burying into Mike's back with a sickening crunch.

He howled, and his men froze in shock.

Hannah stepped on his head, pressing the axe to his neck. "Let Vicky and my son go, or I swear I'll drag you to the inferno with me!"

Mike, pale with fear, ordered his men to stand down.

I grabbed Aldo and limped toward the door. Looking back, I saw Hannah's desperate look.

"Take care of Aldo, Vicky," she said. "Tell him I'll always love him."

Tears blurred my vision as I ran, Aldo's cries soaking my bloodied shirt. Outside, the snow fell in heavy sheets, muffling the world.

A dull thud and Hannah's agonized scream chased me into the night.

...

Hannah's last words echoed in my mind, and I burst into tears.

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Hannah, always so gentle and timid, had sacrificed herself to save me.

"Get her!" the thugs roared behind me.

I ran barefoot through the snow, each step like knives, but I didn't dare to slow down.

Holding Aldo, I sprinted for the woods.

The cold wind sliced my face. Memories of my last life flashed back. Hannah and I had escaped from the clutches of these thugs, only for Marie's lies to doom us.

This time, I'd make sure history didn't repeat itself.

To shield Aldo from the cold, I stripped off my jacket and wrapped it around him. My teeth chattered as I pushed through the forest, snow numbing my feet.

After what felt like an eternity, I stumbled onto a mountain road. Headlights pierced the dark, and hope flared in my chest.

But my strength gave out. My frozen legs buckled, and I tumbled down a slope, curling around Aldo to protect him.

My head struck a rock, blood streaming into my eyes. I collapsed in the road's center, barely conscious.

Tires screeched. A car stopped inches from me. The driver leaped out, and I squinted through the pain.

"Patrick?" I croaked.

To my surprise, the one who had almost hit me with the car was Patrick Graham, who had been engaged to me for barely two months.

He helped me up and noticed the baby in my arms.

"What are you thinking? How could you join Hannah in her mess?" he yelled. "And you brought Aldo out in the cold? He is barely a month old. What if something happens to him? How will you explain this to Cole?"

I didn't understand his anger, but I had no time to argue.

Instead, I staggered to his car, clutching Aldo, and slid into the backseat.

Something didn't feel right. The alarm should have alerted the police, but no one had come.

Worrying about Hannah, I grabbed Patrick's phone and called Cole.

"Get back! Hannah's life is at risk. Hurry!" I said urgently.

A chilling laugh answered, "Let her die, then."

...

I froze, thinking I had heard it wrong.

In my last life, Cole had at least come home to save us, even if he later killed us. This coldness was new, and his next words chilled me further.

"If you and Hannah keep up this revenge charade, don't expect me to care about family ties," he warned. "My patience is thin. This is your last chance to apologize. If not, when I come back from watching the sunrise with Marie, I'll deal with her first, then you. Using Aldo as a pawn is low."

I was at a loss when Patrick chimed in, "Listen to him and apologize. Cole told me the alarm never went off, and the staff said everything was fine. Stop lying."

My mind reeled. Hannah's text only mentioned intruders, yet Cole spoke of revenge. If he knew it was enemies seeking revenge, it could only mean one thing. He had been reborn too.

Before I could process this, Patrick grabbed my shoulders. He hissed, "Just say Hannah planned it and you were coerced. Cole will let you off."

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