Chapter 1

Jaxon and I were childhood sweethearts.

At 20, he secretly took me up to the mountains for racing, hiding it from his family.

When the car crash happened, I shielded him. My legs were amputated, while he only got minor scratches on his face.

He knelt before me, crying and promising to take care of me for the rest of his life.

But in the year I turned 25, outside our new home, I overheard him telling my half-sister:

"I stopped loving her long ago. If she hadn't saved me, I wouldn't have married her. Looking at her stumps makes me sick."

Heartbroken and devastated, I died on the operating table. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on that fateful night of his race.

————

On the chilly evening in the mist-shrouded mountains, the cold was bone-piercing. I stared blankly at Jaxon as he fastened his seatbelt in the driver's seat. After securing it, he noticed my frozen state and gently caressed my face.

"Prudence, don't be afraid. I'll protect you," he said.

Before I could react to stop him, the car had already shot forward at high speed. The fear I had experienced in my past life hit me like a tidal wave. My teeth clenched my lip until it turned white, and I gripped the seatbelt across my chest with both hands.

In my previous life, it was this very illegal race that, just minutes later, led to Jaxon's fatal error. As we were about to crash into the cliff face, I had unfastened my seatbelt and thrown myself in front of him to shield him. My leg was severed below the knee, while he emerged without a scratch.

This time, I only wanted to protect my own legs. Jaxon's safety was no longer my concern.

There was one more bend before the cliff. I adjusted my seat, kept my eyes fixed ahead, and never once loosened my grip on the seatbelt...

When I regained consciousness, I found myself in a hospital. My first instinct was to feel for my legs, and after a moment, I let out a sigh of relief. This time, my legs were still intact.

As soon as I woke up, my dad rushed to my side, fussing over me with concern. You'd never guess from his behavior that he had already cheated on my mom and even had a daughter about my age.

I remember after the car accident in my past life, he confronted Mom, demanding a divorce. Then, without missing a beat, he transferred that half-sister of mine to take my position as the lead dancer.

When I went to him in tears to ask why, he just told me emotionlessly, "It's better to keep things in the family, right? Rather than let some outsider take that spot, it might as well be your sister. It's all the same."

This time, I won't cry.

"Dad, where's Mom?"

"Your mother's next door. Jaxon's awake too, making quite a fuss. We're so relieved you're alright this time. Your mom and I wouldn't know what to do otherwise."

He glanced at the doorway, then leaned in to whisper in my ear.

"Jaxon's leg was amputated. He's disabled now. I'll find a way to call off your engagement to him. You can't marry him like this."

I lowered my head, my lips parting slightly. I pushed back the covers and got out of bed.

"Dad, I want to see Jaxon."

On this day in my past life, I lost my leg protecting him. He knelt before me, crying, swearing he'd take care of me for the rest of our lives. And I believed him.

But later I found out he'd been fooling around with my half-sister, Jade, for two years already.

The moment I pushed open the hospital room door, Jaxon's piercing screams assaulted my ears, painfully loud.

"My leg, it hurts so bad! I want my leg back!"

Beside the hospital bed stood Jaxon's parents, their eyes bloodshot and swollen. They held his hands, trying to comfort him.

I secretly pinched my thigh hard, causing my eyes to well up with tears. I rushed to the bedside.

"Jaxon... how are you feeling? Are you in pain?"

Is it as painful as what I endured in my past life?

Upon seeing me, Jaxon started crying even harder. He grabbed me tightly, burying his face in my shoulder, his tears soaking my clothes.

"Prudence, my leg hurts so much... What am I going to do? I've lost my leg. I can't stand up anymore."

Inwardly, I sneered. He deserved it. The Sterling parents had explicitly forbidden him from racing, yet he snuck out anyway and insisted on dragging me along.

Outwardly, I maintained a deeply concerned expression, gently wiping away his tears.

"It's okay, I'll always be here for you, Jaxon!"

Now let's see if Jade still loves her so-called big brother Jaxon in this pitiful state.