Chapter 1

The VFW hall was buzzing, the air thick with the smell of cheap beer and my dad' s favorite pot roast.

It was my engagement party, but it felt more like a performance.

Ethan, my fiancé, stood on the makeshift stage, his car salesman smile plastered on his face. He held up a sleek, black briefcase.

"To my beautiful Gabrielle," he announced, his voice booming through the old microphone. "For our future. A down payment on our dream house. One hundred thousand dollars, all in cash!"

The crowd of family and friends erupted in applause.

My dad, Mr. Jones, beamed from his seat, looking prouder than I' d seen him in years. He has a bad heart, and moments like this, moments of pure joy, are what I live for.

But my smile was a mask. This was my second chance. I had lived this day before, and I knew the joy was a lie.

Just as Ethan stepped down from the stage, his mother, Mrs. Lester, let out a gasp. She clutched her chest, her face contorting in pain before she collapsed onto the floor.

Panic swept through the room.

Ethan rushed to her side, his face a perfect picture of terror. "Mom! Oh my God, Mom!"

He looked up at me, his eyes wide and pleading. I' m a paramedic, so everyone turned to me.

"Gabrielle, it' s her heart! It' s a massive heart attack! The doctor said she needs an emergency bypass, right now!"

He grabbed my arm, his grip tight. "The surgery... it' s $50,000. We don' t have it. I just spent everything on the down payment, on your ring. Please, Gabrielle. You have the cash. It' s the only way to save her."

His words were a ghost, an echo from a life I' d already lost.

Last time, I believed him. Last time, I handed over the money without a second thought.

This time, I looked him dead in the eye.

"No."

The word hung in the air, cold and sharp.

Ethan stared at me, his perfect mask of worry cracking for a split second. "What?"

I pulled my arm away and took out my phone. I opened my social media app and hit the 'Go Live' button.

"I said no," I repeated, my voice steady as I aimed the camera at his face. "I' m not giving you a dime."

The live stream counter started ticking up. Ten viewers. Fifty. A hundred.

"What are you doing?" Ethan hissed, his panic turning to rage.

"I' m showing everyone what a scam you' re running," I said calmly, making sure the phone captured his mother, still theatrically groaning on the floor. "You and your whole family."

The comment section on the live stream exploded.

"What is she doing? Her future mother-in-law is dying!"

"This is sick. She' s so cold."

Ethan' s father, Mr. Lester, rushed over, his face a mask of desperation. He and Ethan dropped to their knees in front of me.

"Gabrielle, please," Mr. Lester begged, tears welling in his eyes. "I' m begging you. Don' t let my wife die. We' ll pay you back, I swear."

Ethan held up my hand, showing the diamond ring to the camera. "I spent my life savings on this ring, on that down payment for us! And you won' t trust me to save my own mother' s life?"

The audience online was eating it up, calling me heartless, a monster.

I didn' t flinch. I knew the truth.