Back to Zero: Saving My Doomed Family

I've just gotten back from a business trip when my wife, Lisa Irwin, steps onto the windowsill. She looks at me, tears streaming down her face, and whispers, "I'm so sorry, honey." Then she jumps in front of me. Our three-month-old daughter, Ariah Conner, lies silent in her crib. She's not breathing, and her skin has turned a deep purple. Beside her, our nanny, Aunt Caitlin, lies unconscious with blood pooling from a head wound. The police tell me Lisa was sexually assaulted before she died, and Ariah suffocated. The security cameras were down. There was no sign of forced entry. In a single day, my whole world shatters. Every clue points to a phantom who doesn't exist. I spend five years hunting for answers. Yet even on my deathbed, I never catch the monster who ruined my life. As I close my eyes, one final thought haunts me. If I get another shot, I'll die before I let anything happen to Lisa and Ariah again. When I open my eyes, I'm back to the morning of the tragedy. I walk right out of my meeting and dial Lisa's number. "Don't open the door for anyone. Set up extra cameras around the house, and stay put until I get home!" Chapter 1 I bolted upright. My knees slammed hard against the conference table. I had been reborn. In my past life, I had only been a few minutes late to get home from this exact meeting, just in time to see my wife, Lisa Irwin, jump to her death. But not this time. I had to move fast. My boss, Oliver Garrison, glared at me with a heavy scowl. "Winston Conner, what the hell are you doing? We're in the middle of a meeting!" Every eye in the room turned toward me. I grabbed my phone off the table, my eyes burning as I shouted back, "I'm sorry, Mr. Garrison! There's a massive emergency at home! I have to leave right now!" Without giving anyone a chance to stop me, I barged through the glass doors and bolted down the hall like a man possessed. The wind whipped past my ears. I burst out of the office building. My hands shook violently as I pulled up the app and grabbed a ticket for the earliest train back. There were 20 minutes left until departure. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, praying silently with every breath. Lisa was such a gentle person. She would flush red just speaking up to a stranger. How agonizing must her final moments have been without me there? The mere thought sent a sharp, suffocating pain straight through my chest. I quickly dialed her number. It rang twice before she picked up. "Honey? Why are you calling me now? Aren't you out of town for your meeting?" Lisa's voice sounded totally normal, and I could hear my daughter Ariah Conner's faint cries in the background. The sound of that familiar voice had half the tension draining out of me. Fighting to hide my ragged gasps, I cut straight to the point. "Honey, listen to me carefully. Lock the front door right now. Do not open it for anyone, no matter who knocks!" Lisa paused, clearly confused. "What's going on? Is something wrong?" "Don't ask questions! Just trust me! Lock it up!" I hurriedly cut her off. "And remember those two tiny hidden cameras that we got for free with our main security system?" "Yeah, they're sitting in the drawer. Why?" "Get them out and set them up right now!" I shouted into the phone while sprinting toward the roadside. When we installed the main camera, the merchant had thrown in two thumb-sized pinhole cameras. Back then, I thought the living room camera was plenty and tossed the extras into a drawer to gather dust. Looking back, I had been an absolute fool. If I hadn't been so lazy, I wouldn't have been left totally helpless after the main feed was destroyed in my past life. A wave of bitter regret washed over me. I was such a fool! I never should have kept taking these business trips, leaving Lisa home alone right after she gave birth to Ariah. She had only just recovered from childbirth and was still so weak. How could I leave her to handle everything on her own? Lisa's voice came through the speaker, laced with deep concern. "Honey, you're scaring me. What's going on? Please tell me." I took a sharp breath, trying to sound steady so I wouldn't worry her. "Listen to me, honey. No matter who comes to the door today—delivery guys, building management, or even people we know—do not open it. Keep the door locked, hide those two pinhole cameras, and don't tell a soul." The line went quiet for a second. Realizing I wasn't joking, Lisa held back her questions. "Okay, I got it. Don't worry. I'm grabbing the cameras now, and I'll lock everything down." Tears welled in my eyes at her words. She had always trusted me blindly. Even though my request sounded completely unhinged—even though she was probably terrified and confused—she didn't hesitate for a second. She just believed me. Listening to the faint sounds of the lock clicking and her rummaging for the hidden cameras, I gritted my teeth and swore to myself in my mind, "Last time, I missed my chance to save you. This time, I'll protect you and Ariah, even if it costs me my life!" I hung up, yanked open the door of a waiting cab, and threw myself into the back seat before barking at the driver. "To the train station! Step on it!" Chapter 2 The train shot down the tracks. I'd be home in 30 minutes—three hours earlier than in my past life. Staring out the window, I swore to myself over and over that I would drag Lisa and Ariah back from the brink of hell this time. Right then, my phone screen lit up. It was Lisa. "Honey, Aunt Caitlin's back from buying groceries. She's knocking at the door. Should I let her in?" I snapped upright. The word "yes" was already on the tip of my tongue, but memories of my past life flashed through my mind. Back then, Lisa met a horrific end, and Caitlin Booth was left unconscious on the floor, bleeding from a severe head wound. When she woke up in the ICU, she fell to her knees in tears, apologizing and sobbing that she was useless for failing to stop the intruders. Caitlin was Lisa's aunt. She'd spent her life in the countryside before moving to the city a year ago to work as a nanny. When Lisa got pregnant, Caitlin suggested hiring her after Ariah was born. Lisa agreed. After all, they were family. So once Ariah arrived, Caitlin quit her job and moved straight in. She was always hardworking and attentive, taking excellent care of Ariah and looking out for Lisa, too. I couldn't bring myself to blame her for anything. Even though she was the sole survivor, she'd been critically injured, and she was the one who called the police. In my past life, I had never doubted her for a second. But things were different now. I'd been reborn. I had to be careful. I couldn't fully trust anyone. Just thinking about the torture Lisa endured and three-month-old Ariah turning blue made my blood boil. I clenched my fists until my knuckles cracked, my fingernails digging deep into my palms. "Honey? Are you there?" Lisa's voice pulled me back to reality. I cut her off sharply, "Don't open it! Wait until I get there. I'm almost home!" Lisa sounded completely lost. "Is that really okay? She's crying out there." A flash of ruthless resolve crossed my eyes. "Turn on the door camera and check if anyone else is out there." The line went quiet for a few seconds before Lisa spoke up, hesitant. "It's just Aunt Caitlin. She's crying, saying her hands are full of bags and asking why I locked her out." I locked my eyes on the clock in the train car. "Look through the peephole." Lisa did as she was told. On the video feed, I watched her lean close to the door. A second later, her face twisted in terror, and she whirled around, clapping a hand over her mouth. "What is it?" I almost flew out of my seat. Lisa gripped her phone, her voice shaking uncontrollably. "Honey, there's someone standing next to Aunt Caitlin. I can only see an arm, but… I think it's a man." Chapter 3 Could it really be Caitlin? But why? She was Lisa's aunt! My chest constricted violently. A surge of pure panic mixed with blinding rage went straight to my head. The moment I sprinted out of the train station, I threw myself into a cab and tossed several hundred-dollar bills at the driver. "Step on it! Get me to Sunshine Gardens as fast as you can. I'll cover all the traffic fines!" I gripped my phone tight and spoke in a soothing tone. "Honey, listen to me carefully. Don't make a sound. Just wait until I get back." Lisa peeked through the peephole once more and let out a long sigh of relief. "I think it's just our neighbor. He probably came out to see what the noise was about." Hearing that it was just a neighbor eased the tension in my chest slightly. Thank goodness. It looked like I was overthinking things. Even so, I warned her firmly, "No matter what happens out there, do not open that door. I'm almost home." Lisa nodded hard. "I don't know what's going on, but if you're asking me to do this, you must have a reason. Don't worry. I'll wait for you to come home." Seeing her pale face forcing a small smile on the screen made me lose my composure. Tears instantly welled up in my eyes. I would rather die than relive the agonizing heartbreak of my past life. On the ride home, I quickly pulled out my second phone and dialed 911, reporting an attempted home invasion at my address. Even if I ended up getting fined for filing a false report, I had to eliminate every single risk. The second the cab pulled up at the neighborhood entrance, I bolted out like a madman and charged into the elevator. I slammed the button for the 18th floor. The doors slid open, and the first thing I saw was Caitlin sitting outside our apartment, wiping away her tears. A few neighbors had gathered around, pointing at our door and whispering. Noticing me, Caitlin rushed over immediately. "Winston, you're finally back! I don't know what got into Lisa. She's kept me locked out for over half an hour. Is she okay in there?" I gave a brief nod. "I know. I told her not to open the door. Everything's fine now. Let's head inside." Ignoring the neighbors' curious stares, I unlocked the front door and led Caitlin inside. The moment the door opened, Lisa heard the noise and ran out from the bedroom. I couldn't hold back anymore. I rushed forward and pulled her tightly into my arms. She was warm, and she carried that familiar, sweet scent. She was nothing like the cold, lifeless body I had held in my past life. Smiling, Lisa patted my back. "What's wrong? You missed me that much after just a one-day business trip?" I held onto her greedily. My voice was raspy and choked with emotion as I replied, "Yes. I missed you like a whole lifetime had passed." I hurried over to the crib and looked down at Ariah's peaceful, sleeping face. The heavy weight resting on my chest finally lifted. I glanced around to make sure the hidden cameras were intact and that the phone recording was running properly. Only after that did I take a deep breath of relief. Now that I was home and the door was locked, the killer wouldn't stand a chance. Exhausted, I collapsed onto the couch. Lisa leaned against my shoulder, already fast asleep, likely drained from the terror she had just been through. As I looked at her sleeping face, a faint smile of relief broke across my lips. Just as I pushed myself up to get a glass of water, a wave of intense dizziness hit me out of nowhere. The strength drained completely from my legs, sending me crashing heavily back onto the couch. I shook Lisa beside me frantically, but she didn't react at all. Her breathing had grown dangerously faint. My vision began to blur. Through the double vision, I saw Caitlin—once so timid and submissive—holding an empty glass of water, looking down at me with pity. I bit the tip of my tongue hard and glared at her through the haze. "It really was you." Chapter 4 Caitlin rushed over, putting on a fake show of concern to ask how I was doing. I clung to my last thread of consciousness and pulled out my phone. In the blink of an eye, the main camera feed on the monitor app went completely static. I suddenly recalled those two glasses of warm water she had handed Lisa and me right after we walked in. My stomach churned wildly, and I glared at her with pure hatred. "Why… why are you doing this?" Caitlin squeezed out a couple of tears. Her voice dripped with fake remorse as she said, "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." I struggled to dial the police, but she suddenly lunged forward and snatched the phone right out of my hand. "I'm sorry, Winston. I'm really grateful for everything you and Lisa have done for me, but I can't defy him. Besides, the money you guys pay me isn't nearly enough to cover my debts." With that, she took a quick call, tottered over to the entryway, and opened the front door without a second thought. Standing right outside was a burly man with a violent, terrifying face. The moment he stepped inside, he slapped Caitlin hard across the face. "What took you so long?" Caitlin clutched her red cheek, offering a submissive, flattering smile. "I didn't expect Winston to come home early. I just managed to drug him." The man grunted coldly. "Did you unplug the security cameras?" Caitlin nodded frantically. The man strode over and landed a brutal kick right into my stomach. The sharp pain made me double over into a tight ball, bile surging up my throat. "Damn nuisance!" Muttering curses, he pulled on a pair of gloves, yanked a duffel bag out, and began frantically ransacking the living room for valuables. "Rich bastards like you deserve to die. Damn, you've got so much gold. I'm taking every last piece of it." Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. His disgusting eyes locked onto Lisa, who was passed out on the couch. He licked his lips, a sick, predatory lust gleaming in his eyes. "Damn, she's a looker." He walked over, hoisted Lisa over his shoulder, and turned toward the bedroom. My eyes nearly burst from their sockets as a desperate roar tore from my throat. Summoning every ounce of strength left in my body, I reached out and grabbed his pant leg in a death grip. "Let her go!" The man paused, whirled around, and kicked me square in the jaw. He spat a glob of phlegm right onto my face. "Get off me! Your whole damn family is going to join you soon enough." He kicked open the bedroom door and threw Lisa onto the bed. The next second, Ariah's startled cries burst from the nursery. The sharp wailing pierced right through every nerve in my body. The man swore furiously inside the room, "Bastard, shut up! I'll snap your neck first!" My eyes turned blood-red with rage. Ariah's crying was quickly growing weaker and weaker. He was smothering her! Why weren't they here yet? We were running out of time! Gritting my teeth, I crawled on the floor as my fingers dug frantically into the wooden seams. My fingernails snapped down to the roots, leaving a horrifying trail of blood behind me. Using sheer willpower, I dragged myself inch by inch toward the front door. Ariah's cries were fading into nothingness. "Hang in there, Ariah. Wait for me. Just wait for me," I prayed silently. Blood and sweat blurred my vision, and I could feel my life rapidly draining away. Finally, my hand reached the door handle. I nudged the heavy door open with my head and screamed into the empty hallway with the last breath in my lungs. "Help!" The corridor was dead silent. A few seconds later, through my blurry vision, I spotted two pairs of leather shoes. At the sight of them, I finally relaxed. I knew the people I called had finally arrived.