Chapter 2

Aurelia’s POV

Callum stared at me for several seconds.

“You want to come with me?” he asked again.

“Yes,” I answered.

His brows furrowed, “Aurelia, this isn’t a charity gala or a business dinner.”

“I know.”

His gaze sharpened, “Then you also know it’s dangerous.”

I swallowed; of course, anything involving the mafia’s business was dangerous.

In my previous life, I had stayed home while Callum left after receiving that phone call.

Thirteen days later, Nolan died. A month later, I was buried alive. If I wanted answers, I couldn’t sit back and watch history repeat itself.

“I’m coming.”

For a moment, I thought he would refuse, but instead, he sighed.

“Fine,” he agreed.

Relief washed through me.

Ten minutes later, we were heading toward the city docks.

Callum sat beside me in the back seat of the armored SUV while several vehicles followed behind us.

His phone kept ringing. Every time he answered, his expression darkened. The atmosphere inside the car grew heavier with each passing minute.

I glanced toward the guards in the front seats. They looked tense. Far more tense than they should have been for a routine meeting.

Something was wrong.

Callum ended another call and immediately dialed someone else.

“No,” his voice was cold, “I’ll handle it personally.”

There was a pause and his jaw tightened.

“Keep everyone in position until I arrive,” he snapped, then ended the call.

I looked at him, “What happened?”

His eyes shifted to mine. For a second, something softened in his expression.

“Nothing you need to worry about, my love,” he said.

Hearing him speak to me so softly when he had killed me in my past life made me feel sick but I managed to force a smile.

The rest of the drive passed in silence.

When we finally arrived at the docks, armed guards were already waiting. Rows of shipping containers stretched toward the water. Several black vehicles were parked nearby.

Callum stepped out first then I followed just as the salty air hit my face.

Immediately, I noticed something strange. Everyone seemed nervous.

The guards weren’t standing casually. They were scanning the area, watching rooftops, checking corners. It was as if they were waiting for something or someone.

A bad feeling settled in my stomach as Callum walked toward one of the warehouses while I stayed close behind him.

“Aurelia,” his voice stopped me.

I looked up.

He reached out and adjusted a strand of hair that had fallen across my face. The simple gesture caught me off guard.

For a brief moment, I saw the man I had loved, not the monster from my memories. Just my husband.

His hand lingered against my cheek.

“You should stay near the car,” he said.

I shook my head, “No, I'm not leaving your side.”

A faint smile touched his lips.

“My stubborn Queen,” he smirked before planting a firm kiss on my lips.

Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. This was the man I remembered loving.

The man who smiled easily. The man who looked at me as if I were his entire world.

“What’s wrong?” he asked me, worry flashing in his eyes.

How could I tell him that he killed me after our son’s death and now I'm here to rewrite history?

“I miss you,” I said instead.

“Once I'm done here I'll take Nolan to his grandparents then we can go for a weekend vacation alright,” he promised.

I nodded just as Callum turned and continued walking, keeping me behind him.

Just then the first gunshot rang out and everything stopped. For half a second, nobody moved, then chaos exploded.

“AMBUSH!” The roar echoed across the docks.

More gunshots followed as one of the guards dropped to the ground. People started shouting, weapons appearing from everywhere.

I froze.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. I didn’t remember any of this, Callum hadn't told me he was ambushed and attacked at work when he returned.

Callum reacted instantly.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me behind a shipping container just as bullets tore through the air.

The deafening sound made me flinch.

“Stay down, I'll be back soon my love,” he said.

Another explosion shook the ground, the force knocking me backward. Smoke filled the air followed by screams and more gunfire.

I could barely hear anything over the ringing in my ears. The guards returned fire as bodies moved through the smoke.

Someone rushed toward us and Callum fired without hesitation. The attacker fell.

“Aurelia!” His voice sounded distant.

The smoke grew thicker. I couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead when another explosion erupted nearby.

The shipping container beside us collapsed and people scattered. The force threw me off balance and I hit the ground hard.

Pain shot through my shoulder.

“Aurelia!” I heard Callum shouting my name.

I tried to stand when suddenly strong hands grabbed me from behind.

A scream tore from my throat and I fought wildly. I kicked, scratched, twisted, yet the stranger tightened his grip.

“LET ME GO!”

The world around me blurred as smoke, fire, gunshots, and screams filled my ears and somewhere in the chaos, I heard Callum again.

“AURELIA!”

I turned toward the sound.

For one brief second, I saw him. He was fighting his way through the smoke trying to reach me when another explosion erupted between us.

The blast swallowed everything then I lost sight of him. A sharp pain exploded at the back of my head as my vision instantly blurred.

The darkness rushed toward me. The last thing I heard was Callum shouting my name then everything went black.