Chapter 3

When I woke up, I found myself back in the hospital, where I first met Raphael. Seeing him pretending to be pitiful, I rolled my eyes.

This time, I'm getting my $500,000. Forget revenge – I just want the money.

Just as before, Raphael claimed he had amnesia and was head over heels for me. His chiseled face seemed to scream "$500,000."

I brought him home again. Everything proceeded just as it had in my past life. We got together, and I was even more attentive to him this time around. He was tired? I massaged his shoulders. Hungry? I cooked for him. Needed money? I transferred it to him.

Even if he wanted to sleep with me? No problem.

My longtime best friend, Maia, berated me for being blinded by love. Our neighbor wished his wife treated him as well as I treated Raphael.

Our relationship blossomed, and Raphael even started cooking and caring for me. He'd often bring me lunch at work, making my coworkers envious of my attentive boyfriend.

Ha – attentive? More like a dog.

With Raphael freeloading off me and me focusing on making money, my career soared, and I got three promotions. But those small sums meant nothing. I wanted my $500,000.

My phone buzzed. It was Maia's hundred and first message telling me to break up with Raphael.

"Keira, you need to dump that freeloader, or we're done. Remember our dreams of getting rich?"

In my past life, I refused because I loved Raphael. This time, I refused again but for the sake of riches.

"Maia, I love Raphael, but it won't interfere with our dreams. Get ready to pack up and get your passport. We're flying high soon."

I sent the message just as I heard a sound outside. Raphael was back. Quickly, I put my phone down and pretended to be asleep.

He slipped into bed, wrapped his arm around my waist, and fell asleep. As he slept soundly, I lay awake, too excited about the "write any amount" to sleep.

Finally, my days of serving him were coming to an end. I was ready to sing songs of freedom.