Chapter 1

After traveling back in time, I cut Cary Fox out of my life for good.

He got into Lumora Military Academy? Sweet, I swapped my application to University of Eldridge Police Department.

Gotta keep a whole lotta miles between us—outta sight, outta mind.

Christmas Eve, he came knocking? I hit the road for a spontaneous trip.

Calls? Ignored. Texts? Left on read.

When he transferred to my city, I requested a transfer out.

Didn't even catch a glimpse of him.

In my last go-round, I was crazy about him for thirty years. Thirty years of him giving me the cold shoulder.

By my forties, cancer struck.

As I lay dying alone in a hospital bed, Cary was busy prepping his new home to marry Holly.

The two boys I raised with everything I had? They were too wrapped up in their dad's wedding plans to give a damn.

And me? I was all alone, lying in a hospital bed, just waiting for the end.

That kind of wasted life? I was done with it.

*****

After hitting "submit" on my college apps, I felt like I could finally breathe.

No more Cary drama. Done and dusted.

Here was the kicker: nobody knew I was a time traveler.

The Common App Early Decision deadline's looming—tomorrow at noon.

I was paranoid the Wi-Fi would crash and burn.

That was why I pulled an all-nighter tweaking my college picks.

In my previous life, I was obsessed with Cary. Chased him my whole life, resented him just as long.

It got me nothing but a heart full of regrets when I kicked the bucket.

This time, I was steering clear of him.

Like, different-planet-level clear.

July 13th was my eighteenth birthday, and I got plans.

I was gonna look Cary dead in the eyes and say, "Hey, I'm not marrying you. You're free, dude."

And I only had fifteen days left.

I'd just stepped out of the internet café when my phone pinged with a text from Cary.

It read: [Hanging with the guys, gonna be late. Cover for me? Thx.]

I fired back a lazy [Yup.]

Cary and I? We were tight—grew up together, practically family.

His dad and my dad were war buddies, and his mom, Simona, was my mom's BFF and coworker.

I crashed at their place for three years, calling Simona by her first name like she was my own mom.

Honestly, she spoiled me more than she did Cary.

I was crushing hard on Cary, but he only had eyes for Holly.

My plan was to shove those feelings deep down and just be his "little sis" forever.

But then, at our senior year grad party, Cary dragged me to a bar.

I got plastered, and while I was in the bathroom, two sleazeballs cornered me.

If Cary hadn't noticed I was MIA and come looking, I don't even wanna think about what could've gone down.

That night messed me up bad. I felt like I'd been stomped on, humiliated. I almost didn't make it through—came this close to checking out for good.

Simona flipped out, said Cary should've had my back, and basically strong-armed him into agreeing to an engagement.

He felt so guilty, he said we'd make it official once college acceptances rolled in.

Holly? Oh, she was not having it. Threw a total fit when she heard about the engagement.

Cary was bending over backward to smooth things over with her.

In my old life, that boy was crazy about Holly.

He'd toss his principles, his future, hell, even his soul, just to keep her happy.

The harder I tried to hold onto him, the more I lost. My pride, my sanity, everything.

And the more I lost, the more I lashed out.

I tried every trick in the book to go against them, just to drag them down with me.

By the end, even Simona, who was like a second mom, wouldn't speak to me.

My two boys—kids I poured my heart into raising—they turned on me too.

I overheard them one day. "Mom's so miserable, she'd be better off gone. Then Dad and Holly could finally be together. Thirty years is a long-ass time."

This time around, I was not playing the bad guy who wrecks their fairy-tale romance.

I was done with those ungrateful kids too.

I was letting them go, and I was letting me go.

Switching up my college apps was my first move to break free from Cary. I picked schools in totally different cities—ones he'd never even consider. Early Decision, locked and loaded.

This was me, finally living for myself.

Chapter 2

Before I got zapped back in time, I'd ditched my dream of attending University of Eldridge Police Department just to stay close to Cary.

I tagged along to Lumora Military Academy, his obsession.

Let me tell you, that place was hardcore—way tougher than any cop training.

The drills were endless, and I was wiped out, body and mind. Pure misery.

What really got under my skin, though, was watching Cary and Holly make goo-goo eyes at each other right in front of me.

I was green with envy, but I zipped my lip. After all, I was the one crashing their little love fest.

Then, boom—Holly got the boot from the academy.

Cary was dead sure I had something to do with it and gave me the silent treatment from then on.

After we graduated, he dragged his feet on marrying me, despite his promises.

That was, until Holly's wedding invite landed in our mailbox.

She'd run off and married some spoiled rich kid to burn Cary for good.

It crushed him. At our wedding, he was like a shell of himself, just going through the motions.

Once we were hitched, Cary turned into a ghost.

He'd stay away for years, barely stepping foot in our house.

When I'd swing by the base to see him, he'd pick up extra shifts for his buddies rather than crash with me in the barracks.

Simona kept blowing up my phone, asking if I was "expecting" yet.

She even sent me some skimpy lingerie, dropping not-so-subtle hints to heat things up and give her grandkids, stat.

Desperate to win Cary over—and to shut Simona up—I slipped into that lingerie, cheeks burning, and climbed into his bunk in the duty room.

Big mistake. Cary pointed at me and called me trashy.

That was the last straw. I hightailed it home that night, ready to divorce his sorry butt, no matter what.

He came groveling back, all sweet talk and apologies.

He made up for our three-year-late honeymoon night, and wouldn't you know it—I got pregnant.

Twins, no less.

I thought kids would make him step up as a husband and dad.

Nope. Kids could keep me tied down, but only Holly had Cary on a leash.

Even when he found out I nearly died giving birth—thanks to Holly's nasty taunts—he still had her back.

To "make things right," he begged me to forgive her, and—got this—stabbed himself twice to "pay" for her mess.

I was still in the hospital, my babies in incubators, and he didn't even ask about them.

Not once. Didn't even pop in to see them.

The second I got home, Holly sent me a video.

There she was, all over Cary, dancing in a way that'd make my heart race.

Simona caught me glued to my phone when she swung by after her night class.

When she saw what was up, she lost it.

"That jerk!" she snapped. "Dumping his fiancée to mess around with that hussy? I'm gonna whip his hide!

"And Holly? That shameless tramp! Cary's engaged, and she's still grinding on him? I'm storming over to her parents' place tomorrow and giving them an earful!"

Holly's dad was the school security guard, her mom a janitor.

Simona, the school director, usually cut them some slack.

But when she found out Cary was sneaking around with Holly, all bets were off.

Simona was all about "marrying up," and Holly's folks? They didn't make the grade.

She always hoped Cary would end up with me.

Because my dad was a major, my uncle ran a top-tier high school, and my cousin was a big-deal official.

To Simona, I was Cary's ticket to the big leagues.

To split up the lovebirds, Simona nitpicked Holly's parents every chance she got.

She just wanted Holly to know her place and keep her distance from Cary.

But Holly and her folks clung to Cary like gum on a shoe.

In my previous life, Simona and I teamed up, but we couldn't shake Holly loose.

I burned out, Simona got old and worn down, and Holly? She won.

She married Cary and even got my two awesome boys.

This time, I wasn't gonna block their path.

But I wasn't about to leash Simona either.

If Holly wanted to be Mrs. Cary, she'd have to survive his mom first.

*****

Simona's way of keeping Cary in line was old-school: a feather duster to the backside.

One whack, one red stripe—tough love, for sure.

I figured he'd give me the cold shoulder, thinking I snitched.

But instead, he showed up, looking sheepish.

"Hey, I'm sorry," he said, eyes locked on mine. "It was just a dance with Holly, I swear. Nothing shady. You don't gotta worry—I know who I am, and I ain't stepping out of line."

He sounded like he meant it.

Chapter 3

If I hadn't spotted that hickey on his neck, I might've bought his story. Cary had always been a smooth talker.

Growing up, he'd pull little tricks to mess with my head—making me cry one minute, laugh the next, or throw a full-on tantrum.

Still, I never thought he was a bad guy. He spoiled me silly, always had my back.

After I had my boys, he swore he was done with Holly for good.

I believed him, packed up my two kids, and trekked to the base to surprise him for his birthday.

But there, in his dorm, I found Holly, her kid, and a room stuffed with women's stuff—lipstick, perfume, the works.

Later, when I was so sick I could barely move, I begged him to swing by the hospital.

He claimed he was laid up with a bum leg.

The truth? He was neck-deep in wedding plans with Holly.

In my old life, he played me like a fiddle.

This time, I wasn't falling for a single word.

As long as I kept my guard up, he'd never pull one over on me again.

I brushed him off with a casual wave. "No need to explain, Cary. Live your life. Holly sent me that video, and Simona just happened to be right there. I didn't narc—she just got caught in her own mess."

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

If Holly hadn't tried to flaunt her thing with Cary to rub it in my face, she wouldn't have gotten served by Simona.

Cary flashed a wry smile. "What do you mean you've got no say? Once you get that acceptance letter, we're getting hitched. After that, I'm all yours—ready to jump when you say so, loyal to the end."

Yeah, sure.

I wasn't getting into Lumora Military Academy, and I definitely wasn't tying the knot with him.

He didn't need to act all noble or butter me up.

"Two weeks, man. Just hold tight," I said.

"Two weeks till what?" he asked, totally clueless.

Oh, wow. He'd even forgotten my birthday.

I nudged him out of my room. "Till you're free to do you. I'll make it happen."

After submitting my applications, it was time to gear up for the military physical.

Cary, stuck under Simona's watchful eye, hadn't snuck off to see Holly again.

But his head was clearly elsewhere. He was glued to his phone, either yakking away or FaceTiming her.

Every time Simona caught him, she'd lay into him—hard.

She'd even hand me the feather duster, grinning, and say, "C'mon, take a swing! Let it out!"

I just rolled my eyes. Like I was gonna waste my time and energy on that nonsense.

"Pass," I said.

Cary thought I was going soft on him and got all sappy.

"I swear," he said. "It's just friend stuff with her. Nothing weird. I know I'm spoken for, and I'm not gonna mess that up."

Spoken for? Please.

Even a marriage license didn't stop him from cozying up to Holly before.

I just gave a vague hum and let it slide.

Between sprints, long jumps, and cranking out sit-ups, I was beat every single day.

Plus, I had to grind through practice questions for the psych eval.

I didn't have the bandwidth to care who he was sweet-talking.

Cary, though, was sweating bullets. He pulled me aside one day, stressing about Holly's interview. "You got any pull to help her out?"

If I wanted to, I could've made some calls.

But why would I stick my neck out for someone I couldn't stand, just to make life harder for my own people?

"Nah," I said, shrugging. "Weren't you always banging on about fairness? Why pull strings for Holly now?"

Chapter 4

Cary wasn't happy with my comeback, but he didn't argue. He just clammed up and stopped talking to me altogether.

I'd gotten used to his icy stares and silent treatment, so it didn't hit me too hard.

Simona figured we were just stressed out and needed a breather. She didn't make a fuss about it.

Instead, she kept herself busy in the kitchen, cooking up all kinds of tasty dishes to lift our spirits.

The morning we left for the military inspection, Cary came back from the garden with a single rose.

Simona's face lit up. "Well, look at that! The boy's finally getting romantic—picking flowers for you!"

I didn't have the heart to tell her the rose wasn't for me.

Holly was the one who had a thing for roses.

The second I saw Holly, she hauled off and smacked me right across the face.

"You're a snake," she hissed. "You stole Cary, and now you got Mrs. Fox to fire my parents!"

Holly's parents got canned?

Guess Simona was seriously ticked off this time.

But what did that have to do with me?

Holly didn't dare go toe-to-toe with her future mother-in-law, so she thought she could take it out on me?

Did she think I was some kind of doormat?

I raised my hand to hit her back, but Cary grabbed my wrist.

"Her folks are out of work, Wanda," he said. "They're having a rough time. Just let it slide, okay? If you're that pissed, take a swing at me instead. I can take a few hits."

I laughed, but it was more out of disbelief than anything.

Her family's struggling, so she gets to slap me around?

What, am I her personal punching bag?

I shot Cary a look. "Who are you to her, huh? You think you can just apologize for her? Take her hits like some kind of hero?"

That was when it clicked for him—we were engaged. As my fiancé, he was supposed to be in my corner. But he still didn't let go of my wrist.

"If it wasn't for that mess, we wouldn't even be engaged," he said. "My mom wouldn't have gone after her parents. Wannie, Holly's already hurting bad. Can't you just give her a break?"

Back in my previous life, when Cary and I were both at Lumora Military Academy, it was always the same old song and dance.

Whenever Holly and I got into it, Cary would pull this guilt trip, nudging me to back off.

He knew how much that mess got under my skin, but he'd bring it up anyway. To shield Holly, he'd twist the knife in my heart like it was nothing, like I didn't feel a thing.

And now, here he was, at it again. But I was done backing down.

I stared him down, peeling his fingers off my wrist one by one.

He freaked out, worried I'd make a scene and get Holly in hot water.

"Wannie, come on," he pleaded, practically whispering. "She didn't mean to hit you. She's just mad."

I sucked in a deep breath and cut him off. "How about I call the cops right now?"

Cary froze. He knew if I made that call, Holly could wave goodbye to her interview.

After a beat, he stepped aside.

I swung at Holly, putting my whole weight into it.

But at the last second, Cary couldn't let her take the hit.

He pushed her out of the way and took the slap himself.

Holly gasped. "Cary! Why'd you do that? She's got no business hitting you! I'm gonna make her pay!"

Cary held her back, his eyes red as he looked at me. "Happy now?"

The way they glared at me, all righteous and wounded, you'd think I was the bad guy here.

Screw it. Just twelve more days, and this whole mess would be done.

I could tough it out till then.

Chapter 5

Cary was totally wrapped up in Holly, stressing she'd flub her interview because her parents got laid off. He didn't even notice I wasn't in their testing group.

It wasn't until the physical exam that it clicked for him.

He cornered me, eyes narrowed. "Did you change your application?"

I wasn't in the mood to chat. I gave a lazy nod, barely looking at him.

Cary got this annoyed vibe. "Why'd you do that?"

I shrugged. "Just realized I'm not cut out for that whole military-style deal. So, I bailed."

He pressed, "Where'd you apply instead?"

I smirked, thinking it might cheer him and Holly up—and keep them off my back.

"University of Eldridge Police Department," I said.

Cary muttered under his breath, "That's, like, a million miles away."

Exactly, dude. Far enough to not mess with your little love fest.

I didn't say that out loud, though. Just brushed past him.

As I headed down the stairs, a hand shoved me from behind.

I grabbed the railing just in time, but my ankle twisted anyway.

Not a huge deal, but it was gonna screw with my test scores.

Holly's voice dripped with venom. "You almost cost me my interview. Let's see how you like flunking this test."

I glanced up at the security camera, biting my tongue.

No time to deal with her nonsense—the test was starting soon.

When the examiner heard about my ankle, they bumped my slot to the end and even got someone to massage it.

Sweet, but it didn't fix everything. First up was the 50-meter sprint. I clocked 15 seconds. Total fail.

The physical test had four parts, and I had to ace the last three to secure my Early Decision spot at Eldridge.

Otherwise, I'd be stuck in the Regular Decision pool, where the competition was brutal.

The examiner shot me a worried look, like he could feel my stress.

Next was the standing long jump. My first try was pretty weak—just four feet, seven inches.

By my third attempt, I barely scraped a passing score.

The 800-meter run and sit-ups? Nailed those, thank God.

The second I left the testing area, I called the cops.

Holly got hauled off, and Cary lost it.

After failing to sweet-talk the police, he came to me, practically begging. "Wannie, can you cut Holly some slack? She didn't mean it."

I raised an eyebrow. "You watch the security footage?"

He knew damn well what it showed.

Holly meant every bit of that shove.

Still, he doubled down, trying to smooth it over.

"She's got some wrong ideas about you. I'll talk her down, I swear. She won't pull this crap again," Cary pleaded.

Holly thought I'd staged some bar incident to break her and Cary up.

That was my private pain, the kind they kept ripping open by bringing it up.

And now, here was Cary bringing it up again.

I shut him down cold. "Your promises don't mean squat. You can't control her, and you're too soft to call her out."

Cary's face burned red—partly from Holly's recklessness, partly from me not giving an inch.

But he couldn't let her go.

"Can't you really just—" he tried again.

I cut him off. "Nope. She messed up, she pays the price. I'm not forgiving her."

In my old life, I was too spineless, always letting Holly walk all over me.

Not this time. She was gonna learn her lesson.

I turned to head back to my room, but Cary grabbed my arm, his voice low and desperate. "What if I cash in ten years of being there for you?

"All the times I had your back—does that buy me this one favor?"

Cary had been like a big brother for a decade.

He stuck up for me, took the fall for my screw-ups, even threw punches and cussed people out for me.

Things got real tough after Mom passed, but Cary was there.

Without him, I'd have been a total mess, no way I could've even dreamed of applying to University of Eldridge Police Department.

Chapter 6

All Cary's kindness made it hard for the old me—my old-life self—to let go. I kept hoping he'd come back to me.

I didn't have parents to lean on or siblings to hang with. It was just Cary.

Back then, I didn't get it: when a guy's heart was set on someone else, his childhood buddy didn't stand a chance.

This time, I was done. Whatever we had, I'd paid my dues.

"Alright, you said it. We're even now," I told him, my voice sharp.

Cary looked spooked, like he wanted to keep talking, but I was over it.

I brushed him off and slammed the door.

He couldn't get me to open up, so he sent a text: [Wannie, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you again.]

Classic Cary. He knew he'd messed up, but he still chose Holly.

I shot back: [Sorry doesn't cut it. You're just doing what feels right to you.]

Whatever. I was done caring.

Six more days of this drama, and I'd be out. I could handle it.

Holly, though? She didn't know when to quit. After she got out, she didn't lay low—she came at me harder, talking trash.

She texted me: [You're just a freeloader at the Foxes'! Acting all tough? You think calling the cops scares me? Don't you know Cary's dad is a big-deal officer with all kinds of connections?

[Stop hanging onto Cary like some clingy ex. You think you can keep him tied down? Once we're at Lumora Military Academy, we're gone for a whole year. Good luck seeing him then. Even Mrs. Fox can't drag him back to you.

[Cary doesn't even like you. You think guilting him will make him fall for you? He's not proposing, and he's definitely not marrying you. Get over it.]

I was busy picking out a dress for my coming-of-age party and didn't want to waste energy on her nonsense.

But her cocky, clueless vibe pissed me off, so I decided to school her.

I shot back: [Cary never told you? My dad's a major, same as his. My uncle's the principal, and my cousin's a big-shot official. If I wanted to bury you, Cary couldn't do a damn thing to stop me.

[You think Cary's connections got you off the hook? Wrong. He begged me to let you slide, swore it wouldn't happen again. I gave the okay to let you walk. If I hadn't, you wouldn't just miss Lumora—you wouldn't get into any school that checks your record. Got it?]

Holly wasn't having it.

[You're so full of crap! Where's your dad been all through high school? When did the principal ever hook you up? And what's a 'big-shot official' supposed to mean? You're just a pathetic orphan mooching off the Foxes.]

That "orphan" dig cut deep.

Sure, I had a solid family name, people who'd back me up if I needed it.

But a home? Nah.

My dad was a workaholic, always MIA.

Last time I saw him was at Mom's funeral, three years back.

My uncle and cousin were busy with their own lives, their own families.

Nobody had time for me.

After Mom died in that car crash, I'd been staying with the Foxes.

For three years, Simona treated me like her own kid, and I saw her as the mom I'd lost.

But after coming back—after reliving how things fell apart with Cary, how Simona turned cold and threw shade—I couldn't connect with her like before.

Every day at their house felt like torture.

Only three more days to go.

The day before my birthday, my cousin's wife Lily called. "Hey, I've been thinking about this a lot, and I gotta tell you something. It's about… you know, the assault. There's new stuff you need to hear."

In my old life, just hearing "assault" would've made me lose it.

I'd have shut her down fast.

But now? I was past that. I wanted to know what had her so worked up at the crack of dawn.

"Alright," I said. "Lay it on me."