"What?" I asked.

Having just woken up, my mind was still a blur.

It wasn't until Delia's voice came again, broken and desperate, that my heart plummeted.

"Amy, Asher… he's dead. What should I do? Amara, what am I supposed to do?"

After pressing her for details, I learned that Asher had indeed turned back halfway and stayed at home for the rest of the day, just like I'd told him to.

But around midnight, their neighbor, Lizzie Turner, suddenly hemorrhaged during a difficult childbirth and needed to be rushed to the hospital.

Lizzie's husband wasn't at home, leaving only an elderly mother-in-law who had mobility issues. The mother-in-law had limped all the way next door to wake Asher up.

A life was at stake, so he had no choice but to drive Lizzie to the hospital.

But on his way back, the stone bridge at the town entrance suddenly collapsed, crushing both him and his car underneath.

As it was the middle of the night, no one noticed. By the time Delia and their son, Jasper, found him, he had already stopped breathing.

A crushing helplessness washed over me. That bridge had been perfectly fine in my past life, so why now?

Why? Could it be that Dad's warning was actually real?

I didn't have time to dwell on it further. I hurriedly packed and rushed back to town.

When I arrived, Asher's body had already been prepared for the funeral.

Delia knelt in the funeral hall with Jasper, her face deathly pale. She stared blankly at Asher's portrait, her eyes completely lifeless.

In my past life, Dad had warned me three times. The first was about Asher, the second about Jasper, and the third about Billy.

With this thought running through my head, I grabbed Delia's hand tightly, urgency in my voice.

"Delia, Asher is gone, but you still have Jasper. Listen to me—keep a close eye on him. Nothing can happen to him!"

Hearing my words, her deadened eyes slowly focused on me.

"It's you! You got Asher killed, didn't you?" she suddenly screamed as she glared at me.

"He was supposed to gather herbs yesterday, but he suddenly turned around halfway because you told him not to leave the house for three days! If he'd gone out of town yesterday, nothing would've happened to him last night! It's all your fault! It's you! Why don't you go die instead!"

Screaming, she lunged at me, hands clamping around my neck with all her strength. I struggled to pry her hands away, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't loosen her grip.

Just as I was about to run out of breath, Felix shoved her aside and pulled me behind him.

I gasped for air, my throat burning with pain.

Felix stood in front of me, radiating cold anger. He stared at Delia.

"Asher just died, so I know you're upset. But what does this have to do with Amara? Asher was her brother. Why would she want to kill him? Can you use your brain and really think about it?"

Delia froze. The viciousness in her eyes faded into confusion. "Right… Asher is her brother… Why would Amara want to kill her own brother?"

I clutched my chest. As soon as I caught my breath, and without hesitation, I warned her, "Delia, leave Asher's funeral arrangements to me. You take Jasper to your parents' house immediately. Keep a close eye on him. Don't leave him alone. You have to watch him carefully!"

Delia stared at me helplessly, tears streaming down her face.

"Amy, do you know something? What on earth is going on? Before the accident, Asher said you told him not to leave the house, no matter what. Did you predict that something was going to happen to him, and that was why you called him?"

"Amy… is Jasper…" she started, before looking into my tired eyes and nodding.

"Don't worry, Amy. Jasper is Asher's only child. I'll protect him. I'll take him with me right now. As for the rest… I'll leave it to you and Felix!"

After Delia left, Felix and I, with my nerves stretched tight, handled the rest of Asher's funeral arrangements.

Once everything was done and we returned home, it felt as if all the strength in my body had drained away at once. I couldn't even lift a finger.

Right then, Billy ran to me excitedly, holding up a certificate. "Mommy, the teacher said I've improved! I got a certificate!"

I ruffled his hair, but before I could speak, Dad's voice suddenly rang out again.

"Amara, Blackrock Tunnel… Jasper… Save him…"

I bolted upright. Billy was startled by my sudden movement and shrank back into the corner of the couch, staring at me fearfully. But I had no time to reassure him. I grabbed the phone from the table and dialed Delia's number.

The phone rang for a long time before she finally answered.

"Amy, what's wrong?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

Not waiting for her to say more, I blurted out, "Are you nearing the Blackrock Tunnel right now? Quick! Find the nearest rest stop and get out! You're in danger!"

"Danger?"

Once she caught what I said, she hurriedly turned to the driver. "Quick! There's a rest stop about half a mile ahead. We need to go there!"

I had just breathed a sigh of relief when a hoarse male voice suddenly cut in from the other end.

"You only realized it now? Too late."

And suddenly, the line went dead, leaving only a busy signal.

"Hello? Hello!" I called out.

After the line cut off, I tried calling back, only to hear a mechanical female voice say, "The number you have dialed is not in service. Please try again later."

What could I do?

Panic surged through me as my fingers flailed across the screen. Finally, I managed to call the police and, voice trembling, said, "H-Hello? I want to report a crime. There's a killer at the Blackrock Tunnel. A 29-year-old woman and a four-year-old child are in the killer's car. Please send officers as quickly as possible!"

"Do you have the license plate number? We'll track it immediately."

"N-No… I don't have it. But the car was about half a mile away from the next rest stop about three minutes ago."

After explaining everything clearly to the police, I tried Delia's number again, but the same automated voice answered each time.

"What's wrong, honey?" Felix asked as he handed me a glass of water. "You don't seem to be in the right state of mind since yesterday. You're very on edge. What on earth is going on?"

Hearing his concern, I couldn't hold back anymore and burst into tears.

"I heard Dad's voice…"

Felix stiffened. "It's been over a week since Dad passed. Are you sure you didn't imagine it?"

"No," I cried, shaking my head. "It's real. He just told me that something's going to happen to Jasper. And then sure enough, I can't reach Delia on her phone anymore. What do I do?"

One tragedy after another had occurred this week, and my nerves were frayed to their limit.

"It'll be okay. Everything will definitely be okay. You already called the police, right? They're on their way. They'll be fine."

The words had barely left his lips when my phone rang.

I answered it, and Delia's crazed, unhinged voice came through the line.

"They're all dead," she exclaimed before bursting into deranged laughter. "They're all dead! Dead!"

Then the call was abruptly cut off.

When I tried calling again, the phone had been switched off once more.

…

The next day, Delia—and Jasper's body—was brought back into town.

She had completely lost her mind. She ran through the village laughing maniacally. "They're all dead… Dead! It's good that they're dead… Why wasn't it me?"

Asher was dead. Jasper was dead. Delia had gone completely insane.

I forced myself to finish burying Jasper, then made a call to Delia's family.

After they came and took her home with them, I went home with Felix.

Billy seemed to have grown up overnight. He brought me water and my house slippers, staying unusually quiet and reserved the whole time.

Why, even after being reborn, could I not save my family?

Tears slid silently down my cheeks as I buried my face in my hands, completely breaking down. I didn't know what I could do anymore.

Right then, Billy's voice came from the corner.

"Grandpa, don't cry… I'll give you a hug. Hugs will make you feel better…"

I spun around and found him crouching in the corner, talking to the air and opening his arms wide.

"Don't cry, Grandpa…"

A chill ran down my spine. My eyes widened as I stared fixedly in the direction Billy was looking, and my heart jumped into my throat.

No!

"Billy, come here!" I screamed, lunging forward and grabbing him tightly. "Who are you talking to?"

Because I was so terrified, my voice came out shrill, scaring Billy into tears. "No one… Mommy, I wasn't talking to anyone… Mommy, you're holding me too hard… It hurts…"

Hearing that, I reflexively loosened my grip and hugged him close. "I'm sorry, Billy. Mommy didn't mean to. I was just scared…"

"Scared of losing you again…" I finished silently in my mind.

Billy sobbed in my arms. I kept comforting him until he finally fell asleep, then stared blankly at his sleeping face, dazed.

"Why? Dad, Billy is your grandson. He's my everything… Please, I'm begging you… Spare him, please?" I whispered softly into the air, my mind already on the verge of a breakdown.

As soon as the words left my lips, Dad's blurry figure suddenly appeared in the shadowed corner. He looked at me, his eyes full of grief and sorrow. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but suddenly, the shadows twisted briefly, and he vanished.

I stared at the flickering shadows, and I suddenly understood. So that was how it was!

I immediately called the police again.

"Hello, officer. I want to report my son. I suspect he might be the serial killer!"