Chapter 2: The Bad Boy’s Gravity

Like Natalie, Tyler was a legend at Lincoln High. He’d walk into the cafeteria—swagger in his step, devil-may-care grin—and everyone would feel it. Rumors swirled: his dad was a lawyer, his mom ran off with a band, or maybe neither. Nobody knew, and that only made him more magnetic.

Girls watched him from the corners, giggling behind their hands, while the football team shot daggers his way. Tyler didn’t care—late to class, feet on the desk, daring teachers to challenge him. Detention was a joke; rules were for everyone else.

Just last week, he’d driven Mrs. Baumgartner, our new English teacher, to quit. The office staff joked about keeping resignation forms on hand just for his homeroom.

But Natalie noticed him for other reasons. “I know what people say about Tyler,” she said, her voice soft. “But when those creeps cornered me, he was the only one who stepped in. He’s not like the rumors—he just doesn’t let people in.”

She propped her chin on her hand, cheeks flushed and eyes bright—like she’d just won the lottery. I felt something inside me twist.

Whenever she talked about Tyler, her eyes shone, wild and unguarded—a look she’d never given me. With me, she was safe; with him, she was alive.

I remembered our wedding day in my last life. Natalie’s best friend wept as she hugged me, but Natalie just smiled politely—emotionless, like she was at a business meeting. I only realized later: she never loved me. I was just a footnote in her story, and I’d missed every sign.

When she really loved someone, it was obvious—even when she tried to hide it. Now, I finally saw it. I just wished I’d noticed sooner.