Chapter 4

“We have to leave.”

The moment I stepped into the living room, I heard Catherine’s voice.

She was standing by the fireplace, clutching a thick stack of documents. “I’ve contacted some old friends. The Monroe family still has a few remaining assets in Europe. If we sell them off, it’ll be enough for the four of us to start over.”

“No.” I cut her off.

Everyone turned to look at me. Then, they surrounded me with anxious expectation, as if hoping I had brought back some kind of miracle.

“Isabella?” Blair frowned. “You met the Godfather. What did he say?”

“Who exactly is his true love?” Catherine asked urgently.

I sat down on the sofa. My mind was still replaying every detail from the apartment earlier. The sense of discordance was overwhelming. Something didn’t add up. However, I wasn’t certain yet, and until I was, I couldn’t drag them into it.

“He said I’m his true love,” I said, forcing my voice to stay calm.

“If so, why are you hesitating?” Chloe burst out. “Run! You married him in your last life and still died!”

“We can’t run.” I shook my head. “The Costello family’s influence spans all of North America. Where do you think we can go?”

“Canada, Mexico, Europe—anywhere!” Blair screamed, her voice tipping into hysteria. “Anything is better than staying here and waiting for our deathbeds!”

Catherine set the documents aside, her expression heavy. “Isabella, what are you trying to say?”

I took a deep breath and said the decision out loud. Even I thought it sounded insane.

“I’m going to marry him.”

The living room fell silent.

Three seconds later, Blair jumped to her feet. “Are you insane? Has he brainwashed you?”

“Isabella, calm down.” Catherine walked over and tried to grab my hand. “I know you had a past with the Godfather, but you can’t be so reckless anymore.”

On the table lay that expensive diamond signet ring—the symbol of power of the Costello mafia family. Blair wore it and was thrown into the river to drown. Chloe wore it and died in a car crash, her body unrecognizable. Catherine wore it and had her face slashed before being thrown into a dungeon to die.

And me?

Chloe’s voice rang sharply in my ears. “Did you forget how you died the last time? You were covered in blood, stabbed so many times your wedding dress was soaked through!”

Of course, I hadn’t forgotten the agony of the hunting knife piercing my chest, the warmth of blood spreading through white fabric, and the madness burning in his eyes.

“You’re not her.”

Those words had echoed in my mind countless times.

“I have a plan.” I stood up and walked toward the coffee table, toward the ring.

“What plan?” Blair demanded. “At least explain it!”

I didn’t answer. Some things couldn’t be said until I was absolutely sure.

“Isabella!” Catherine’s voice sharpened. “We’re family. Whatever it is, we should discuss it together!”

After my father died, the four of us fought viciously over the inheritance. Catherine tried to drive me out of the house. Blair targeted me at every turn. Chloe schemed behind my back for even the smallest scraps of property. Yet, none of them had truly wanted me dead. On the contrary, the one I had loved did.

That slow, terrifying sensation of life draining away had filled me with despair so deep that even the three women who despised me couldn’t bear to look at my corpse. Now, we had a common enemy, and for once, we were standing on the same side.

“You want to know my plan?” I turned to face them. “It’s simple. I need to personally confirm one thing.”

“Confirm what?”

“The truth behind all of this.”

I picked up the diamond signet ring. The cold metal weighed heavily in my palm. The eagle crest on its face glinted under the lights, impossible to tell whether it symbolized salvation or disaster.

“Isabella, please think this through,” Chloe sobbed, tears streaming down her face. “We can escape together. Even if life is hard, it’s better than being stabbed to death!”

“I already said it,” I replied. “We can’t escape.”

I slowly slid the ring onto my ring finger. It fit perfectly, as if it had been custom-made for me.

The moment the cold metal touched my skin, a shiver ran through my body. This ring had once been everything I dreamed of—wealth, power, and love. Now, it felt like a shackle forged from death itself.

Blair tried to speak again, but Catherine stopped her. Catherine stared at me for a long time, complicated emotions flashing through her eyes.

“Are you sure?” she asked. “Do you realize you might be stabbed and sent back in a coffin? Last time, we couldn’t even bring ourselves to look at your body.”

“I’m sure.”

“Are you really the woman he loves?” she asked. “Who treats his true love like that?”

Seeing the fear and worry on their faces, I finally decided to give them something.

“When I met the Godfather last night,” I said, “he touched my right hand. In that moment, I realized who his true love is.”

“This person is indeed one of the four of us,” I continued slowly. “But the truth is… unbelievable.”

“Who is it?” all three of them asked at once.

“The woman the Godfather wants to marry,” I said, “is me.”

They still didn’t believe it, yet there was nothing they could do.

I looked at them and said quietly, firmly, “This is the only way all of us survive.”