Part 3The Perfect Alibi: A Manufactured Truth

I couldn't explain what I was doing between 3:00 and 5:00 PM. I had no proof I was asleep in my apartment.

Worse, the elevator camera in my building showed "me" leaving at 3:00 PM.

But this time, surrounded by witnesses, I was wheeled into the operating room. All these people were my alibi. I refused to believe things could end the same way.

The surgery finished at 5:20 PM.

As they wheeled me out, my arm in a cast, the heavy weight in my chest finally lifted. I grabbed my phone and called Joey, needing to know if he was okay.

Once, twice, it went straight to voicemail.

A terrible feeling crept into my heart.

In my past life, "I" killed him. This time, I had warned him. I had an airtight alibi. Had I failed to change his fate after all?

On the tenth try, someone finally answered.

I was trembling, my voice shaking as I spoke. “Joey?”

A sigh came from the other end of the line. “Is this Ms. Cassandra Willis? I’m afraid Mr. Collins has been in an accident…”

The phone slipped from my numb fingers and crashed to the floor.

My best friend, Maya, who had just walked in, saw the whole thing. She quickly picked up the phone and rushed to my side, trying to comfort me.

I couldn’t believe it. Joey was still dead.

My mind instantly flashed to the security footage. Was it possible… was "I" still the killer?

As I reeled in shock, Maya started yelling at me.

“Cassandra, are you insane? You could have gotten yourself killed! Do you have a death wish?” she raged. “Everyone else stayed back, but you had to play the hero?”

Her voice snapped me back to the present. I managed a smile that was more like a grimace.

I needed to be there. I needed that alibi. But I couldn't tell her that I had been reborn. All I could do was smile apologetically and promise I’d never do it again.

Hearing her scold me was strangely comforting. She was the first person to come see me. My own parents, who spent their days glued to their phones, were nowhere to be found. Even though the hospital administration had tried to suppress the news about the hostage situation, it had definitely gone viral. There was no way they hadn't seen it.