Book 1: Chapter 1

Introduction：

Reborn on her wedding day, Lira Voss refuses to repeat her deadly past.Her fiancé Leigh Holt abandons her for his pregnant nightclub mistress mid-ceremony. Instead of begging, Lira trades her groom for his loyal younger brother Callen, steals Leigh’s family inheritance, and becomes the new Holt matriarch.

She sets Leigh up with fierce heiress Sylvia Valerius, sparking a brutal war between his mistress and his official bride. Greed and jealousy destroy Sloane: she loses her son, poisons Leigh, and vanishes forever. Sylvia leaves the infertile Leigh, who loses everything and breaks down.

Lira and Callen seize the empire, awaiting their baby. Every betrayer has gotten their cruel reckoning.

***

During my wedding to arms dealer Leigh Holt, his secret lover Sloane Cherie suddenly went into labor.

Leigh shot to his feet, snatched up his jacket, and turned to leave.

"Lira, something's happened with Sloane. I have to go right now," he said, his voice sharp with worry. His eyes met mine, but there was no guilt there.

The hall fell into a stunned hush, every guest's gaze pinning us like spotlights.

"Leigh," I said, my voice icy but steady, "I don't know who Sloane is, and frankly, I don't care to. But this ceremony isn't just about us; it's about the alliance between the Holt and Voss families. Are you really going to walk out on our wedding for your mistress and risk shattering the bond between our families?"

Leigh froze, clearly unprepared for me to challenge him so openly in front of everyone.

The audience buzzed even more.

"Poor girl... She's finding out at her own wedding that her husband's been cheating..."

"I heard Leigh's mistress is some nightclub girl. She carried Mr. Holt's baby..."

This absurd scene wasn't new to me. In my previous life, I fought tooth and nail to stop Leigh, forcing him to stay and finish the ceremony.

That choice had cost me dearly. Sloane had died in childbirth, her baby with her. They had never seen Leigh before their last breath.

Leigh blamed me for it. After the wedding, he locked me away in the villa, making me a prisoner. When my own time came to give birth, he made the doctors tend to his men first, smirking as I hemorrhaged, bleeding out to death.

Now that I have this chance to live it over, I'd make sure the world knew it was the Holt who betrayed me first.

I'd make Leigh pay for his choices.

"Mr. Holt, it's urgent!" A young woman with heavy makeup burst into the wedding, interrupting our ceremony.

"Ms. Cherie's in labor, and it's not going well. Please, you have to come!"

She collapsed to the floor, sobbing. "Mr. Holt, you have to save her! She's carrying your child!"

My grip tightened on the bouquet. Across from me, Leigh let go of my hand, his face draining of color. "What did you say? Sloane's in critical condition?"

He turned as if to leave, ready to abandon the packed hall of guests.

In my previous life, this was the moment I stopped him, forcing him to stay and complete the vows. That decision earned me his lifelong hatred.

Not this time. I wouldn't hold him back.

I tore off my veil. "Leigh, who is Sloane? Why is this woman saying she's carrying your child?"

Shock and vulnerability painted my face, and I could feel the guests' pitying stares washing over me, just as I had been expected.

Whispers swirled around us. "Poor Ms. Voss. Her wedding's barely begun, and her husband's lover is about to give birth."

"This is supposed to be a union of two great families. The Holt are humiliating the Vosss like this?"

Leigh turned to me, irritation flashing in his eyes. "Lira, Sloane's carrying my child. I can't just let her die. I'll explain everything later." With that, he started to walk away.

"Hold on," I called, stepping forward. "This is our wedding day, Leigh, and you're about to walk out on me—and our guests—for another woman? Do you realize how deeply you're insulting my family?

"If you had someone else, why didn't you tell me before? Why wait until my wedding day to humiliate me?

"I don't have to marry you, you know."

Leigh shook off my hand. "I'm not abandoning you, Lira, but Sloane's life is on the line. How can you expect me to ignore that?"

I forced tears to spill, letting them glisten in the light. "This marriage was sealed by our families long ago. The ceremony's started, and the contracts are signed. If you leave now, this alliance is as good as dead. You'll have to explain to your parents and mine."