Eugene's eyes churned with emotion as he looked at me.
"I've agreed."
I stared at him, baffled. "Agreed to what?"
He let out a long breath, as though he'd finally made some monumental decision. His whole body seemed to deflate.
"I've agreed to marry you. We'll do it just like last time. We'll get married, have the baby, and I'll cut all ties with Sylvia."
For a moment, all I could feel was the sheer absurdity of it.
I laughed. "You're out of your mind."
Eugene seized my arm, his grip bruising, his expression savage.
"Isn't this what you wanted? You know damn well the company's finished without that chip. You've been dangling it over my head, running off to cut deals with Stanley Farley. You just wanted me to regret it, didn't you?"
Resentment bled through every word.
"And you went after Sylvia. I told you, in this life I owe her. Nobody touches her! But you had to drag everything into the open, make it a public spectacle!"
"Do you have any idea that my family already shipped her overseas? They sent her to Southeast Asia!"
I let out a cold laugh. "And that's my problem how? She couldn't control herself, came after me, and now she's reaping what she sowed. You both deserve it."
"Let go of me!"
I shoved him hard, but he grabbed me, spun me around, and shoved me into the sauna room. The door slammed shut behind me.
My stomach dropped. I threw myself against the door, pounding on it with both fists.
"Have you lost your mind? There's a live charcoal fire in here! Let me out!"
Eugene stood on the other side, his face cold, his voice carrying a strained, almost reluctant calm.
"I didn't want it to come to this. You forced my hand."
"Rose, all you have to do is agree to give me the chip. Let me transfer the patent to Sylvia. I'll let you out, and I'll marry you. That's the deal."
"In your dreams!" I was shaking with fury. "Why the hell would I hand my chip over to her?"
Eugene's brow furrowed.
"In our past life, she collapsed right beside you and you didn't lift a finger. You let her die. In this life, you got her thrown out of the country. You owe her this."
"Be reasonable, Rose. Just give her the chip and my family won't send her away. She can stay, raise her child, live a quiet life. And I promise I'll never contact her again."
"Isn't that a good deal for you?"
I screamed at him.
"You bastard! Don't even think about it!"
Eugene sighed.
"Stay in there and think it over. Don't worry, the temperature's only around ninety degrees. It'll be uncomfortable, but it won't kill you. Whenever you change your mind, I'll open the door."
Then he turned and walked away.
He'd barely disappeared when another figure stepped into view.
Sylvia.
Her eyes glittered with venom.
"Rose Fox! So what if you're his fiancee? You still lost to me!"
She moved closer, savoring every word.
"You know, aren't you the least bit curious about how that factory fire started? About why Eugene and I were both there that night?"
My heart seized.
"You were using the baby to force a wedding, so Eugene said he wanted one last night of freedom with me before the ceremony. A proper goodbye. We went to the factory for the thrill of it." She tilted her head, a cruel smile curving her lips. "But I got a little too excited and knocked over a drum of machine oil."
"Eugene told me to get out first. But wouldn't you know it, a beam came down and knocked me unconscious."
The blood roared in my ears.
I thought of my past life. How I'd rushed blindly into that inferno to save her. How it had cost me my baby. How it had cost me everything.
And now I knew the truth. They were the ones who had built my suffering, brick by brick.
My vision blurred red with hatred. "Sylvia Swanson! I will make you pay for this!"
Sylvia threw her head back and laughed as she sealed the vent shut and cranked the temperature higher.
"On second thought, why don't you die first? Once you're gone, I can take that chip patent and marry your husband myself!"
With that, she strutted out and slammed the door behind her, grinning from ear to ear.
The temperature kept climbing. The air grew thinner with every breath.
My heart hammered against my ribs so hard I could hear it. My limbs went limp, heavy as melted wax, and I slumped to the floor.
I lost track of time.
Just as everything went black, the sauna door exploded inward, kicked clean off its hinges.
