Blood Bank

POV Amy Romano

I died on the night of my tenth wedding anniversary.

My beloved husband, Warren West, plunged a dagger into my heart after he slaughtered my entire family before my eyes.

Shortly before it all happened, while my mind was still intact, we had an argument, and he humiliated me for being inert in bed.

“Amy, you’ve pretended to be sick before to avoid sex. You’re so repulsive that I have to look to other women for what I can’t find in my home.”

He laughed sarcastically as his words pierced me like pins. I had loved him for ten years; I had been faithful to him, a dutiful and loving wife. Now he stood before me confessing his infidelity.

I lunged to strike him, but Warren grabbed my arm and drove the dagger straight into my heart. Blood gushed from me, and my husband watched my ruined condition.

“I gave you a grand wedding, and I’ll spare you the pain of living after losing your entire family. They’re all dead, and I will be the sole heir to your fortune.”

He had planned everything from the start, and his mask crumbled before my eyes. He knew I was about to die and could no longer pose any threat. I clung to the faintest glimmer of hope, refusing to give up.

As blood pooled around me, he shoved me back. Tears flooded my eyes as I finally realized how blind I had been. Warren had never loved or cared for me; he hadn’t even bothered to hide that he married me only for my money. My heart shattered into a million pieces.

With one last breath, I lay on my back and surrendered to my fate. Air slipped slowly from my lungs, my heart weakened, burning with the iron driven into it, until darkness took me.

If I had another chance, I would never walk the same path again; I would never give that man the chance to fool me.

But fate had original plans.

When I regained consciousness, cold air brushed my cheeks, and I looked up at the dark, starry sky moving above me. I touched my chest—it was intact.

Am I not dead? Didn’t my greedy husband drive a dagger into my chest to take my fortune?

I heard a voice to my left and met Sara’s cheerful face—my best friend was driving my car. I remembered that night; we had gone out to celebrate her birthday. Not only that, but I wore a glittering dress and could see the reflection of my youthful face in the rearview mirror. I was twenty-two years old again.

I furrowed my brow and opened my eyes to ask her what was happening. The next second, the car skidded on the wet road, the brakes screamed, and the impact threw me forward.

Still stunned, I didn’t notice when someone opened the car door. A man appeared in front of me—tall, stunningly handsome, with a cocky smile that hid secrets.

I recognized those eyes.

Simon Blackwood.

The womanizing billionaire. Warren had ever failed to defeat.

“Amy Romano,” a smug smile crossed his lips as his fingers brushed my face. “An accident involving Warren’s fiancée.”

Simon’s words echoed in my mind and pulled me back to reality. I stood before Warren’s greatest enemy, and instead of pain, I felt hope ignite in my chest.

Sara gripped my arm, her fingers trembling as she told me she would call for help. I watched her, still feeling unreal about my rebirth. Was life giving me a second chance to set things right?

If so, I would not waste it.

“I’ll take to the hospital myself, Princess Romano,” he said, holding my hand gently as he helped me out of the car. “I can’t leave a pretty woman like you hurt.”

“Amy, don’t go near that man,” Sara’s voice rang out as she stumbled from the car. “We know what a disaster he is with women.”

I knew Simon Blackwood well enough never to forget his advice when he warned me not to marry Warren. I had been so naïve and madly in love with Warren that I ignored him and came to see Simon as my enemy too.

It surprised me to learn he had been right about Warren all along.

“Don’t worry about me, Simon; I’m fine.”

I pressed my lips together and looked at my car’s crumpled front. I ran my fingers over my forehead where blood trickled. Likewise, I remembered how horrid Warren’s betrayal had been—life bleeding out of me little by little as I stared into his cold, empty eyes.

I will not make the same mistake. Now that I knew the truth, I would fix things.

“I want you to come to my wedding, Simon. Your presence will mean a lot,” I said, smiling at him.

His eyes widened and his chin dropped in surprise, as if he thought I’d lost my mind. From the expression on his face, he considered me crazy for issuing the invitation. I watched his bare chest rise and fall and his lips curve into a cunning smile.

“You’re crazy, Amy, inviting him to your wedding?” Sara said in a trembling voice.

Everyone knew how much Sara disliked Warren and opposed my marriage, but I also knew that inviting Simon to that ceremony would be like declaring war on my fiancé. 

“Your friend is right; my presence could cause a scene, but I’ll think about it,” he said, pausing, hands in his pockets. He pulled out a credit card and extended it toward me. “This will cover your car expenses for now. It’s an unlimited card. Spend as you need.”

How generous of him. In another life, I would have refused the payment, but I stepped forward boldly, my feet moving on their own as if pulled by an invisible thread. Holding the card, I pressed my lips to his ear and whispered,

“You won’t regret my invitation, Simon. I’ll abandon Warren at the altar and leave with you.”

His expression changed when our eyes met. His body stiffened, and his amber eyes—once warm—turned cold. Hope swelled in my chest as I walked away, certain I had done the right thing.

He turned his back and left. I stayed uncertain whether Simon would accept my invitation, but now that I knew everything, I resolved not to marry Warren. The man I had seen betraying me naked on his office table with his secretary would never have my love again.

I was reborn, and I would make Warren West pay for all the harm he had done to me.