Dawn Breaks, Crabapples Stay

My husband was a celebrated surgeon, a titan in his field. I was just a housewife.

Ever since I was rejected from the residency program at State General Hospital thirty years ago, even I felt like I wasn't good enough for him.

It wasn't until I was sorting through his belongings after he passed that I found it: an acceptance letter from State General. With my name on it.

In his diary, he wrote that the Croft family had lost their eldest son saving his life. He owed their daughter, Lily, a life debt. Lilys skills as a doctor were mediocre; taking my spot was her only real chance at a decent career. So, he stole my acceptance letter to settle his debt.

I was supposed to be in an operating room, fighting to save lives. Instead, my husband trapped me in our home for three decades.

My heart felt like it was being ground to dust. The world went black.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back. Seven days before the acceptance letter was due to arrive.

Marcus was handing me a glass of milk laced with sleeping pills, a gentle smile on his face.

This time, I didn't drink it.

I stared at him.

The concern in his eyes was so real. He reached out to feel my forehead.

I flinched away. "I'm fine. Just a nightmare."

He paused, then chuckled. "You silly thing. It was just a bad dream."

He set the glass of milk on the table. "Here, drink this. Then I'll go with you to the library. We need to get you ready for the medical licensing exams this fall. You're going to ace them!"

He'd said the exact same thing in my last life.

He wasn't going to help me study. He was going to steal my ID and the copy of my birth certificate from my bag so I couldn't submit my residency paperwork on time.

I picked up the glass. "Marcus," I asked, "do you still have our family's important documents and my ID?"

"Of course," he nodded. "Your parents trust me, so they gave them to me for safekeeping. Why?"

"I'd like them back. I'm a grown woman now, I can't keep relying on you for everything."

Marcus's hand froze. He looked me over, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. Before, I would have let him handle every little thing for me.

"Sarah," he said, his voice laced with hurt. "Don't you trust me anymore?"

"I trust you," I said, looking straight into his eyes. "But I need to learn to be independent."

He studied me for a long moment, then nodded. "Alright. Drink your milk, and I'll get them for you."

He watched me, his gaze fixed on the glass, urging me on.

I brought the cup to my lips, and then my hand "slipped."

Milk cascaded down the front of my shirt.

"Oops, I spilled it," I said flatly.

The smile on his face froze.

"It's nothing," he recovered quickly. "I'll get you a paper towel."

"Don't bother. I'll just go change."

I turned and went to my room, closing the door behind me.

That milk was full of sleeping pills. In my past life, I drank it and slept for two straight days, missing the deadline to submit my physical exam results and background check materials.

I peeled off the damp clothes.

When I came out, Marcus had already cleaned up the mess. He handed me a manila folder. "It's all in here."

I took it and pulled out my birth certificate and ID. Thirty years from now, these same documents would be sitting in a safe in his study, covered in a thick layer of dust.

"Thanks."

I clutched the folder, went back to my room, and locked it in the very bottom of my trunk.

Marcus's voice followed me from the other side of the door. "Sarah, you seem a little different today."

I didn't even turn around. "People change. It's called growing up."

That night, as soon as my parents got home, I put the folder on the table. "Mom, Dad, these belong to us. From now on, we'll keep them ourselves."

My parents exchanged a look but didn't ask any questions. "Alright, honey. You're all grown up now."

It was late, but my eyes were wide open. I couldn't sleep.

I heard a faint rustling from the house next door. It was Marcus, searching for something.

A small, bitter smile touched my lips. I didn't care what he was plotting.

This time, no one was going to touch my future.

The next morning, just after dawn, there was a knock on our door.

Marcus's voice called out, "Sarah, Lily's here."

Lily Croft.

In my last life, she was the one who stole my entire existence.

I pulled the door open.

She stood there, offering a shy, hesitant smile. She had a delicate constitution, always looking frail and sickly. In my past life, Marcus had moved heaven and earth to get her a position at that top-tier teaching hospitala position countless medical students would have killed for. And I became a housewife.

"Hey," I said, stepping aside to let her in.

In the living room, Marcus handed Lily a glass of water with honey stirred into it. His voice was gentle in a way I'd never heard before. "What brings you here so early?"

Lily cradled the glass in both hands, her voice soft and weak. "My parents wanted me to ask about... you know, the hospital position..."

"It's almost settled," Marcus reassured her. "Don't worry. Your clinical scores are a little low, but you'll get in. I promise."

As he spoke, his eyes never left her face.

I knew that look all too well.

In my last life, when he looked at me that way, I thought it was love. Now I knew it was just guilt and a desperate need to compensate.

My mom came out of the kitchen and her face lit up when she saw Lily. "Lily, dear! Have you eaten?"

"I have, Mrs. Jenkins."

"Marcus," my mom said, giving him a pointed look, "give Lily your share of the porridge. She's weak, she needs her strength."

Without a second thought, Marcus handed his bowl to her. "Here, eat up."

Lily shot a quick glance at me. "Oh, I couldn't..."

"It's fine, you have it," Marcus insisted, waving a hand. "I'm not picky."

I watched in silence.

It was always like this. Everyone felt sorry for Lily. Everyone thought I should be the one to give way.

"I'm done," I said, putting down my chopsticks. I went to my room and shut the door.

Outside, I heard my mother's hushed voice. "What's gotten into her?"

Marcus's voice was soft. "She's probably just stressed. Don't worry, I'll go check on her."

He knocked. "Sarah, open up."

I ignored him.

"Don't be mad. I'll make you more porridge later."

Still, I didn't answer.

He stood outside my door for a long time before finally walking away.

I went to the window and saw him leaving with Lily. He tilted his head to speak to her, and she looked down, a soft blush coloring her cheeks. They looked like a real couple. And I was just the third wheel.

Marcus didn't come back all day.

He finally stumbled in at dusk, looking exhausted.

"Where were you?" I asked.

"There was an emergency with Lily's family. Her mom was having heart trouble, so I took them to the hospital."

"I see."

He looked at me. "Are you still mad about this morning?"

"No."

"Lily's not strong, and now her mom is sick..." He sighed. "We should help them out however we can."

He'd said the same thing in my last life. The Croft family used that excuse to chain him to them for a lifetime, and by extension, me too.

"Marcus," I said, looking at him directly. "Are you in love with Lily?"

His body went rigid. "Sarah, what are you talking about?"

"Then why are you better to her than you are to me?" I cut him off. "You give her your food, your attention. The second something happens with her family, you're the first one there. Marcus, you can't fool me."

He fell silent.

After a long moment, he finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "It's not what you think. Our families... we have a long history. My dad told me the Crofts saved his life once."

"Saved his life?"

"Yes. Lily's older brother... he died saving me."

I watched him. There was no lie on his face.

"So, how are you going to repay them?" I asked.

He avoided my gaze. "I'll figure something out."

I laughed coldly to myself.

Your solution is to steal my life and hand it to her?

"Marcus," I said, each word deliberate and clear. "You can't repay a debt with someone else's life."

His face paled. "What are you trying to say?"

"Nothing. I'm tired."

A life debt. What a heavy excuse.

Marcus, you thought you were a hero. In reality, you were just a coward and a thief.

The next day, I went to the county records office.

In a yellowed police file, I found an incident report: [Subject, Nathan Croft, went swimming with Marcus Thorne and others at the reservoir. Subject, having consumed alcohol prior to entering the water, suffered a cramp and drowned.]

The time, place, and people all matched.

The so-called life debt was just a tragic accident. He'd nearly gotten dragged down himself.

I made a copy of the file.

On my way home, I saw Marcus and Lily talking outside his house. Lily's eyes were red; she was crying, and Marcus was frantically trying to console her.

I walked past without a word.

"Sarah!" Marcus called out.

I stopped.

"Where did you go?"

"The county archives."

When Lily saw me, she quickly wiped her tears and took a few steps back. "Sarah, please don't misunderstand..."

"Misunderstand what?" I asked.

She was taken aback by my question.

Marcus frowned. "Sarah, Lily's having a hard time. There's trouble at home."

"What does her family's trouble have to do with me? The world doesn't stop just because she's upset."

"Sarah!" Marcus's voice hardened. It was the first time he'd ever used my full name like that. "Why are you being like this?"

"Because I used to be a fool who believed every word you said. Now I'm not. Is that what you can't get used to?"

Marcus's lips moved, but no words came out.

"It's all my fault, Marcus..." Lily's tears started falling again, and she turned and ran.

But she was back the next day. This time she ran straight into our yard and collapsed in front of Marcus, sobbing. She said her dad's business had failed, he was deep in debt, and they were about to lose their house.

Marcus was beside himself with worry. He immediately offered her money.

But he didn't have any money.

He paced back and forth, frantic, and then his eyes landed on my neck.

On the silver locket my grandmother had given me.

"Sarah," he began, his voice dry. "Your locket... could we just... pawn it for now? I swear I'll get it back for you!"

Lily's crying stopped for a second, her eyes darting toward the locket.

"No. It was my grandmother's." I refused without a second thought.

Marcus grew desperate. He stepped toward me. "Sarah, this is an emergency! Please, just think of it as a loan!"

"It's my property!"

"Sarah!" he yelled, and lunged for my neck.

His grip was strong. "Just give it to me! I promise I'll get it back!"

He wasn't even looking at me. His other hand fumbled with the clasp on the chain. The metal bit into my skin, but no matter how much I struggled, I couldn't break free. He ripped the locket from my neck.

A raw, red line was already forming on my skin.

He snatched the locket and, without a single glance at me, turned and pressed it into Lily's hand. "Go, quickly!"

Lily murmured something about how she couldn't possibly accept, but her eyes were shining.

I knew exactly what she was thinking.

She had always been jealous of me. Jealous that my family was better off, that my grades were better, that I was better than her at everything. In her eyes, it was all so unfair. She believed she deserved a piece of everything I had. And she used her family's supposed sacrifice as currency.

When Marcus returned, he couldn't meet my eyes.

I looked down at the angry red mark on my neck. My skin burned, but a deep, chilling cold was spreading through my body.

There were only three days left until the final deadline to submit my residency materials.

I locked myself in my room, checking and re-checking every one of my documents.

Marcus knocked a few times, but I didn't open the door.

On the night of the third day, the lock on my door was forced open.

Marcus burst in, holding a pair of bolt cutters.

"Sarah, give me your ID and birth certificate."

"Are you insane?"

"I'm not insane." His eyes were bloodshot. "Lily said if she can't get into the program at State General, she's going to kill herself."

"What does her life or death have to do with me?"

"Sarah!" He took a step forward and grabbed my wrist. "I can't let her die! I owe her!"

"What you owe her, you pay back with your own life! Don't you dare use mine!"

"There's no time!" he roared. "I promised her I would get her into that department!"

He started tearing my room apart, throwing my medical books and papers everywhere. I tried to stop him, but he shoved me away. My head slammed against the corner of my desk, and blood started to flow immediately.

He saw the blood and froze for a heartbeat.

But only for a heartbeat.

He quickly found the folder I'd hidden at the bottom of my trunk. He pulled out my ID and birth certificate and turned to leave.

I scrambled up from the floor, my leg throbbing, and threw my arms around him from behind, holding on for dear life.

"Marcus, if you walk out that door today, we are over. For good."

His body went stiff.

"I'm sorry, Sarah."

One by one, he pried my fingers from his shirt.

"I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you."

The door slammed shut.

I heard the rattle of a chain as he locked my door from the outside.

"Marcus! Marcus, open the door!" I pounded on the wood, my voice raw.

The only answer was the sound of his footsteps fading away.

I collapsed onto the floor. The blood from my forehead dripped into my eyes, turning my world red.

I didn't cry.

I just pulled the spare cell phone from under my pillow and dialed 911.

"Hello, police? I'm being held against my will. My address is..."