Chapter 1

"Lydia, you're insane. I'm your brother. I'll never marry you." Victor Rossi knelt before me, his bare upper body striped with whip marks. Blood ran down his skin in thin red trails. "I only love Demira! If you want me to marry you, you might as well kill me now!"

Each word came out raw with rage.

My underboss, Luca Mancini, drove a hard kick into Victor's shoulder, and racked his gun. "I'll put a bullet in your head, then carve up that little fish-village whore and dump her in the sea."

Victor fought like a madman, his eyes bright with tears. "Don't touch her!"

The first time he truly lowered his head to me, he did it for Demira Costa.

"Lydia! You can kill me if you want, but please, don't hurt Demira!"

Even with a gun pressed to his forehead, she was still the only person in his heart. I felt his love for her as clearly as a blade sliding between my ribs. Inch by inch, my heart went cold.

In my previous life, Victor and I had been together for five years before we got engaged. I had been so happy. After loving him in silence for so long, I had assumed I would finally have my ending.

Then, on the eve of our wedding, he was in a car accident. When he woke, he had selective amnesia.

God truly seemed to enjoy making a joke of me. Victor remembered the rules and everyone in the family, as well as that he was my stepbrother, but the only thing he forgot was us. Instead, he clung to the girl he had wanted first, a fishing-village girl named Demira.

He gave up his position as underboss, surrendered every territory and business under his control, and even said he would cut ties with the family, all to break our engagement and marry Demira.

I could not let him go, so I locked him in the basement and had him whipped a hundred times. After every lash, I asked the same question: "Who do you love?"

He knelt in a pool of his own blood, barely conscious, yet still forced the answer through his teeth: "I love… Demira… Even if you kill me… it won't change."

I had loved him for too many years. I could never bring myself to kill him.

Thus, I held his chin, forced back my tears, and hardened my voice. "Victor, I know I won't touch you. But I can kill Demira."

I did not actually want her dead. She had done nothing wrong. I only meant to send her to a remote island and cut off his last hope.

I never expected the convoy to be ambushed by the Vitali family along the way.

By the time Victor arrived, Demira was already dead. Her body lay on the roadside, violated beyond dignity, and the child she had carried died with her.

The medical examiner said she had died in agony.

Victor lost his mind on the spot and charged back to the estate with a knife in his hand, screaming that I would pay for Demira and her child with my life.

He meant to kill me. Nothing about him was restrained. The blade tore into my stomach, and I collapsed into my own blood.

That was the moment I began to hate Victor.

If the elders had not arrived in time, I would have died that day.

After that, we spent 10 years locked in hatred. I always believed we would carry that hatred straight into hell together.

I never imagined he would die protecting me in the end.

The Victor before me began to overlap with the Victor from my final moments. "In the next life, let me go."

My nails dug into my palm until they drew blood. Then I released my hand all at once and let out a quiet laugh.

This time, I would not destroy us.

I looked into his hate-filled eyes, forced down everything churning inside me, and raised my hand. "Release him."

The room fell silent.

"Bring Demira here," I commanded.

Victor went rigid, like a lion with its fur bristling. "What are you going to do? If you touch a single hair on Demira, I swear I will kill you!"

The look on his face was savage, as if he wanted to tear a piece out of me with his bare hands.

A dull ache spread through my chest. I stepped closer, my eyes burning, and spoke softly. "Victor, remember this. This time, I'm the one walking away from you."

He froze, stunned. "What do you mean?"

I did not answer. I turned to the men beside me and said coldly, "Listen well. From today on, when you see Miss Demira, you will address her as my brother's future wife."

"Yes, Donna."

Victor stared at me. "Lydia, you…"

He did not get to finish. They brought Demira in. Her thin clothes were stained with dirt, and her hair hung in tangles around her pale face. She looked fragile, terrified, and painfully young.

She threw herself into his arms and burst into tears. "Victor, I'm so scared! I want to go back to the village!"

Victor pulled her close, heartbroken, and kissed the tears from her face. "Don't be afraid. I'm here."

He stood too quickly, and I stepped back. I watched them cling to each other, and my heart tightened, as if iron wire were cinching it closed.

I had already decided to let them have this life together. But he was still the man I had loved across two lifetimes.

Of course it hurt. The pain coiled tighter with every breath.

After a moment, I exhaled slowly, turned, and walked away without a word. I did not let the tears fall until I could no longer hear their voices.

Luca followed behind me in silence, worry written across his face. "Lydia, Victor has only lost his memory for now. You had five years together. Maybe—"

I wiped my tears dry. My voice did not shake. "I don't love him anymore. Luca, it's time you learned to stand on your own. The family will be yours to run from here on.

"Matteo of the Alessandro family in Billston has proposed to me 99 times. Maybe it's time I gave him an answer.

"Send word. The wedding will be in ten days."

Ten days later, Victor and I would never see each other again.