Saving Him Before It All Began

The day my husband, Caleb Vale, buries his first love, Layla Shaw, he stands in front of me and throws our wedding ring into the sea.

For the next 12 years, the breakfasts I bring him go straight into the trash, and the scarf I stay up all night knitting is tossed into the fire and burned to ash.

The cruelest moment is when he looks me in the eye and says, "Aurora, if you really want to please me, you might as well go die."

But when a mugger comes at me with a knife, Caleb still steps in front of me without a second's hesitation.

As he lies dying in my arms, he uses the very last of his strength to force out a few broken words. "Go... I hope I never see you again in my next life."

At the funeral, Helena Rogers sobs until she faints. "This is all my fault. I never should've arranged your marriage..."

Everyone around us pities him and resents me. They whisper that I'm a jinx and wonder why I'm not the one who died.

And honestly, I wonder the same thing. Why not me?

After Caleb is lowered into the ground, I climb to the top floor of the building and jump.

As I hover on the edge of death, a cold, mechanical voice echoes in my mind. "Binding complete. Wish detected. The system will now send you back 12 years."

On the day my husband, Caleb Vale, laid his first love, Layla Shaw, to rest, he turned to me and flung our wedding ring into the sea.

For the next 12 years, the breakfasts I brought him were tossed away untouched, and the scarf I painstakingly knitted through the night was thrown into the flames and burned to nothing.

He was the cruelest when he looked me in the eye and said, "Aurora, if you really want me to be happy, you might as well go die."

But when a mugger lunged at me with a knife, Caleb stepped in front of me without a moment's hesitation.

As he lay dying in my arms, he used the last of his strength to force out a few broken words. "Go… I hope I never see you again in my next life."

At the funeral, Helena Rogers sobbed until she fainted. "This is all my fault. I never should've arranged for you two to be married…"

Everyone around us pitied him and resented me. They whispered that misfortune followed me and wondered why fate hadn't taken me instead.

And honestly, I wondered the same thing. Why not me?

When Caleb was finally buried, I went to the top floor of the building and let myself fall.

As I hovered on the edge of death, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in my mind. "Binding complete. Wish detected. The system will now send you back 12 years."

…

"Aurora Wynne, you really are something," Caleb coldly said. He continued, "You used Grandpa's dying wish to force me into marrying you. Did you actually think that would be enough to trap me?"

We stood in the center of the ballroom, Caleb facing me directly, his figure framed by the glow of the chandelier above.

There was a bold, rebellious confidence in his eyes, nothing like the man he would become in 12 years.

This was Caleb at 19.

I really had gone back 12 years, to the time before the wedding, when the invitations were only just being prepared.

"You like Layla and want to marry her, right?" I asked, my eyes glued to his youthful face.

He raised an eyebrow and laughed. "If you already know, then why bother asking? It's not like you'd ever step aside for us anyway."

"Yes, I will," I firmly replied.

My fall from the building had activated the system, dragging me back 12 years and giving me a second chance. It also handed me three wish cards.

Caleb paused for a moment, then let out a disbelieving, angry laugh. "Our wedding date has already been set. And now, you're saying you'll step aside for Layla? How, exactly? Aurora, I'm not interested in playing hard to get with you."

He turned away and plopped into a chair. The contempt in his eyes cut straight through me.

In my previous life, I had loved Caleb for years.

He had risked his life for me three times, and I had naively believed that meant he felt something for me, too. So, I begged his parents to let me marry him.

It was only when Layla died that I realized the woman he'd loved all along wasn't me.

All those years of devotion turned into nothing but suffering for me. If he never loved me, then this time, I would choose a different ending for us.

Before I woke up in this younger body, the system had warned me. "You will be sent back 12 years in time. Within 24 hours, you must complete his three wishes. Once all three are fulfilled, you must leave immediately.

"After that, the two of you will go your separate ways. He won't lose his life at 31 years old because of you, and both of you will eventually find the people meant for you.

"But there will be a price for going back. Think carefully."

As long as Caleb could stay alive, I wasn't afraid of any price. I had already seen his three wishes written in his journal.

"I don't want to marry Aurora. I want to follow my own heart, not my parents' plans. I want to save Layla."

I figured that his first wish was already as good as granted.

Just a few minutes earlier, I had quietly written Layla's name on the wedding invitation and slipped it into his hand.

Caleb looked at me with open disdain and reached to open it.

I pressed my hand over his and offered a faint smile. "Read it tomorrow. You'll be pleasantly surprised."

Caleb gave me a long, unreadable look.