Chapter 1
Suddenly, something went terribly wrong with the cruise ship. A deafening crash echoed through the air as the vessel lurched violently.
I jolted awake and realized that I had been reborn into the day of the disaster.
Waves pounded against the deck, making it impossible to stay upright.
I fumbled around for a life buoy. To my dismay, every single one had been slashed beyond use.
How could this be happening?
Almost immediately, a voice rang out across the deck.
“Kendrick, I’m scared! Please, stay with me!” Laurel Miller cried.
I instinctively lifted my head and saw Kendrick Thorne stumbling toward her along the railing. The moment he reached her, he pulled her into his arms. The two of them then held each other close.
By now, the ship was already splitting apart. It could break completely at any moment.
Relying on memory, Kendrick deployed the lifeboat. He was about to help Laurel aboard when my best friend, Evelyn Porter, stopped him.
“Kendrick Thorne! How could you just leave Roxanne behind at a time like this? She’s two months pregnant!”
For a split second, I thought her words might make him hesitate. But instead, he scowled and shot back, “That’s bullshit! If she were pregnant, I’d know about it.
“I bet you’re just jealous of Laurel and don’t want her to leave. If it weren’t for her, none of you would even be on this cruise, enjoying the view!”
As he spoke, his gaze landed on me, filled with nothing but disdain.
Without saying another word, Kendrick pulled Laurel into the lifeboat and spat, “I’ll come back for her.”
That was exactly what he had said in my past life. But the sea had been merciless.
We had drifted aimlessly for three whole hours before finally reaching shore. By the time Kendrick returned with a rescue team, Laurel was barely holding on.
I wasn’t going to fall for his lies again.
Evelyn watched as Kendrick and Laurel boarded the lifeboat. She let out a string of curses under her breath before rushing to my side.
After that, we crawled toward the edge of the deck, gripping the thick ropes as we inched our way to higher ground. But the raging storm sent a massive wave crashing over us.
In the next second, we were yanked into the sea.
Evelyn and I gripped each other’s hands tightly, terrified that the waves would tear us apart.
By then, the cruise ship had completely broken apart. Even so, we managed to grab onto two large planks of driftwood and cling to them, struggling to stay afloat.
“Kendrick must be out of his mind! Why did he choose to go sightseeing in weather like this? The visibility is terrible! We wouldn’t be fighting for our lives if it weren’t for him!” Evelyn yelled.
She wasn’t wrong. But she didn’t know that this trip had been Laurel’s idea.
Laurel’s family owned an old cruise ship, and Kendrick had taken a few yacht navigation lessons before. So, he made the decision on his own.
He claimed that he didn’t want me to feel jealous so he dragged us all along for this sightseeing trip. None of this would have happened if he hadn’t been so busy flirting with Laurel.
The icy water soaked my legs. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my lower abdomen.
I had been married to Kendrick for two years. I initially planned to tell him about my pregnancy that night.
But now, I knew that I was losing the baby.
“Roxanne, are you okay? You have to hang on! Someone will save us!” Evelyn reassured me as she tightened her grip on my hand.
At the same time, she kicked furiously, trying to paddle closer. Even the ocean’s pull couldn’t slow her down.
She was right. Someone would come for us.
In my past life, Kendrick and I had drifted aimlessly until a tour boat, forced to turn back due to the storm, spotted us and pulled us aboard.
I was certain that it would happen again.
So, I turned to Evelyn. With a steady voice, I urged, “Listen to me. Turn on the flashlight.”
