Chapter 1

The first thing I did when I woke up in the past was reinforce the wall around my yard, and stud the top of it with broken glass.

Because in my last life, when the hurricane came, a family from the end of the village had their house torn apart by the wind. They ran to my door and begged me to take them in.

I couldn't bring myself to turn them away, so I did.

I never imagined that the same night, their son would slip into my room and strangle me while I fought him.

That family didn't just take the box of gold jewelry from my safe. After the hurricane passed, they set my house on fire and burned it to the ground.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day before the hurricane hit.

This time, there was no way I was letting them through my door.

1

I stood at the entrance of my family's house out in the countryside and called the construction crew to come do the work.

I had only one demand. Reinforce the wall around my property, and line the top of it with broken glass.

"Miss Dickerson, are you sure you want to start now?"

"The hurricane's almost here. If we start work at a time like this and something goes wrong—"

The contractor's voice came through the line, uneasy.

I cut in fast. "Yes, now. I need it finished before the hurricane arrives."

"Don't worry, the moment it's done, the money goes straight into your account."

"And I'll pay extra on top of that."

I said it quickly into the phone.

The words were barely out before the contractor answered, "Don't worry, Miss Dickerson. We'll get it done right away."

There wasn't much work out in the country these days. Once the contractor heard I was willing to pay more, he didn't hesitate at all and took the job.

Only after I hung up did I finally let out a breath.

Then I turned and headed over to the mayor's house.

If I was going to have work done, I should at least tell him.

When he saw me coming, the mayor said, "Amanda Dickerson, you looking for me?"

"Mayor Abbott, I'm planning to reinforce my house. And I want to renovate the old family place too."

That surprised him. "Amanda, I know that's your family's old house. You're back from the city, and I'm all for you reinforcing it."

"But the hurricane's nearly here. Why not wait until it passes to do the work?"

I shook my head quickly. "It's because the hurricane's coming. You know I've spent all these years in the city. Now that I'm back, I want to be safe."

He listened, thought it over, and gave his consent.

"Amanda, the Henson family lives right behind you. Their house is in bad shape too. Let me go ask if they want to shore theirs up as well."

At that, a chill settled over my face.

In my last life, it was the Henson family's house that collapsed.

They came looking for me, crying out for help in the freezing wind.

My family's house was the best in the village, after all, and it could stand up to the storm.

Last time, I saw the pitiful state of them out in the rain, and I couldn't harden my heart. So I took them in.

I never expected that once they were inside, everything changed.

They didn't just dig through my refrigerator looking for food. They started ordering me around.

The moment I refused them, they turned on me, and strangled me alive.

After I died, my soul drifted in the air, watching them ransack my house.

They took my gold jewelry, then set the place on fire to destroy the evidence.

This life, how could I ever let him have his way?