The Day I Said No！

The smell of ozone meant a blizzard, and the buzzing of Tyler's call meant the end of my life.

In my last life, I answered, running to save Ethan, the man I loved, from a Rockies storm.

That rescue shattered my leg, my climbing career, and ultimately, my spirit.

Ethan married me out of pity, our life together a silent torment.

Then came the fire, my bad leg trapping me, choking smoke filling my lungs.

My husband, Ethan, and our teenage son pulled his mistress, Brooke, from the flames first.

The last thing I heard was my own son screaming, "You're a cripple! You ruined Dad's life!"

Why did I sacrifice everything for them, only to be betrayed and left to die?

Why did I have to be the broken one, the victim in my own story?

Then I woke up. Here. Today. The day it all went wrong.

This time, when the phone buzzed, I answered, not to save him, but to save myself.