Chapter 2

When I opened my eyes, I was lying in our master bedroom.

The numbness was gone.

I bolted upright and rushed to the mirror.

My neck was whole, untouched, without a single scratch.

"Rachel?"

Jeffrey's voice came from the doorway.

A violent shudder racked my frame.

He was holding a breakfast tray, his eyes full of tender concern.

"Bad dream?"

Setting the tray down, he walked over to check my forehead.

I jerked away instinctively.

His hand froze in midair, his eyes dimming.

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing," I stammered, forcing myself to breathe.

"Just... a nightmare."

"What did you dream about?"

Jeffrey sat on the edge of the bed and took my hand.

"I dreamed you killed me."

I stared directly into his eyes, enunciating every word.

Jeffrey froze for a second, then chuckled softly.

"Silly girl. How could I ever hurt you?"

"You're my wife. You're the person I love most in this world."

He looked so sincere, so utterly devoted.

If this were before, I would have thrown myself into his arms.

Now, the thought made my stomach churn.

"Where is Chloe?" I blurted out.

"Did she come over last night?"

Jeffrey's smile vanished.

His brow furrowed slightly.

"She was on night shift at the hospital. Why would she be here? You're letting your imagination run wild again."

"I heard her voice," I insisted.

"Down in your basement."

"The basement?"

Jeffrey stood up and walked toward the bedroom door.

"Let me go check. Maybe you had sleep paralysis and hallucinated."

He left the room, and I shadowed him immediately.

Jeffrey opened the study door that led toward the cellar stairs. Everything was neat, totally normal.

I walked over to where he had stood in my memory, scanning the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf.

In my dream, the secret entrance to the underground lab was right behind the third bookcase in the study.

I pushed hard against it. It didn't budge.

Jeffrey wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder.

"What is going on with you? Do we need to see a doctor?"

My entire body went rigid.

"Maybe... maybe I'm just exhausted," I lied, forcing myself to relax. "I have class today. I need to get ready."

On the way to campus, my mind was a chaotic blur.

"Rachel!"

A hand clapped down on my shoulder.

I nearly jumped out of my skin.

Spinning around, I saw my classmate, Mia.

"What is up with you? You look like a ghost," she asked, concerned. "I heard about your miscarriage last week. Are you still recovering?"

I stared at her, stunned.

"Miscarriage? Last week?"

"Yeah, last Wednesday." Mia looked at me weirdly. "Professor Vance took time off just to take care of you. We were all so jealous."

I grabbed her wrist.

"What's today's date?"

"April 18th. Why?"

In my memory, yesterday had been April 25th.

I had traveled back in time—a whole week before I was murdered.

I couldn't focus on a single lecture all day.

My mind was consumed by images of those specimen jars and Jeffrey holding that scalpel.

When the dismissal bell rang, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

It was a text from Jeffrey:

Chloe's treating us to dinner tonight to celebrate her promotion to attending physician. Don't forget to come.

I stared at the screen, my fingers turning to ice.

If my memories were real, this dinner was a trap.

If I refused to go, Jeffrey would get suspicious.

After a long hesitation, I typed back: Okay.