After I Refused to Trade Beds with My Best Friend, I Was Strangled to Death

When my best friend, Dulcie Quinn, and I went to Westhaven on vacation, my boyfriend, Shane Lewis, got me a lower berth in a soft-sleeper.

Before I boarded, he pointed at the dark circles under his eyes.

“I spent three days trying to snag you a lower berth so you’d be comfortable on the trip.

“So no matter what, don’t give it up to anyone else. Not even Dulcie.”

He looked so serious that I nodded and told him I understood.

Sure enough, as soon as we boarded, Dulcie, who had the berth above mine, asked if we could switch.

Remembering what Shane had told me, I shook my head and said no. I explained it to her too.

I never expected something to go wrong that very night. When she climbed down to use the bathroom, she missed the handrail and fell.

Clutching her stomach, she screamed, “My baby! My baby’s gone!”

I did not even have time to ask when she had gotten pregnant. I rushed her off the train and took her to the nearest hospital.

Late that night, Dulcie’s husband, Wallace Lambert, arrived at the hospital with Shane. By then, she had already undergone a D&C. The moment she saw me, she pointed at me and started cursing me out.

“Do you have any idea how much I sacrificed for that baby?”

Shane blamed me too. “I thought you were just joking when you said you were jealous of Dulcie. I never imagined you’d be cruel enough to do something like this!”

I didn’t even get the chance to say a word before Wallace slammed me against the wall and strangled me to death.

After I died, Dulcie ended up with Shane.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back to three minutes before boarding the train.

Dulcie Quinn bumped my shoulder. “Why are you just standing there?

“Come on. It’s time to board.”

I looked up at the familiar train number and the familiar scene, and a chill swept through my body.

In that instant, I knew.

I had been reborn.

I turned to Dulcie, and my gaze instinctively dropped to her stomach.

If you didn’t look closely, you would never notice the slight curve of her belly.

She was smiling at me like nothing was wrong, her arm linked through mine.

“Come on, Haley,” she said sweetly. “It’s our turn.”

I forced a stiff smile. “Okay.”

As soon as we boarded, Dulcie’s phone rang. She shot me a guilty look, then made an excuse about needing to use the bathroom.

I nodded. “Okay.”

Then I started looking over my berth.

I remembered that the upper berth across from mine belonged to a difficult older woman.

In my previous life, Dulcie had gotten into a fight with her husband, Wallace Lambert, and wanted to get away for a few days to clear her head.

I had immediately taken time off work and decided to go with her so she wouldn’t be alone.

When my boyfriend, Shane Lewis, found out, he offered to help us get the tickets.

I still had an unfinished contract at work, so I left it to him.

What I hadn’t expected was that right before boarding, he would suddenly grab my arm and say, in a dead-serious tone,

“I spent three days trying to get you this lower berth.

“Do you know how much effort that took?”

When I just stared at him in confusion, he pointed at the dark circles under his eyes.

“Haley, I’m serious. I got this ticket for you, for your health.

“If you switch with anyone else, I’m going to be mad.”

At the time, I laughed and tried to reassure him. “I won’t. Besides, who would randomly want to switch berths with me?”

But I never expected that the moment the train started moving, Dulcie would ask.

“Haley, I’m not comfortable in the upper berth. Want to switch?”

Her voice was pitched just right, loud enough for all four people in our compartment to hear.

I felt a little awkward, but remembering Shane’s warning before boarding, I still turned her down softly.

Dulcie pouted. “Fine. You really do everything he says.”

I waved it off and decided to get some sleep.

To make time for this trip with Dulcie, I had worked overtime for an entire week.

I was exhausted and badly sleep-deprived. I desperately needed the rest.

But I never expected the accident.

I was jolted awake by Dulcie’s scream.

When I opened my eyes, she was sitting on the floor, pale as a sheet, clutching her stomach in pain.

“My baby! My baby!”

I was still trying to process what she meant when I suddenly saw the blood spreading beneath her.

I froze in terror. Thankfully, the train was almost at the station by then.

The train staff quickly helped us contact a hospital and call an ambulance.

The moment we got off the train, we were rushed straight to the hospital.

On the way there, no matter how many times I asked, Dulcie refused to say a word.

Late that night, Shane and Wallace arrived at the hospital together.

“Babe, are you okay? What about the baby?”

To my complete shock, Dulcie lifted a hand and pointed straight at me.

“Haley Walker, if you had switched berths with me, none of this would’ve happened!

“Honey, our baby died because of her!”