Chapter 1

Aurora’s POV

Three years ago, I would have burned the world down for Damien Blackwood.

Tonight, I watched another woman celebrate the birth of his son and felt nothing.

I sat in the VIP section of a Blackwood-owned nightclub, one leg crossed over the other as a male dancer performed in front of me.

My best friend, Chloe, sat beside me, staring as though she’d been waiting for me to lose my mind suddenly.

My phone buzzed and Chloe picked it up before I could.

Her eyes widened. “Aurora…”

“What?”

She turned the screen toward me.

It was a photograph from the Blackwood estate.

Damien stood at the entrance of a lavish ballroom in a black tuxedo. His arm was wrapped around a beautiful woman.

The woman looked almost exactly like me. She held a newborn baby in her arms.

Behind them, an enormous screen displayed:

CONGRATULATIONS TO DAMIEN BLACKWOOD ON THE BIRTH OF HIS SON.

Chloe stared at me. “He really did it.”

I took the phone from her and my eyes lingered on Damien, then Bella, my replacement, and the baby.

Nothing stirred inside me.

Chloe watched my face carefully. “They said Damien and Bella were having a celebration tonight.”

“I can see that.”

“They also said you don’t care anymore.”

I handed her phone back. “They’re right.”

Chloe scoffed. “I don’t believe you.”

I raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

“You loved Damien for ten years. You nearly tore the city apart when another woman so much as looked at him.”

“That was before.”

“Aurora, he has a child with your replacement and you’re sitting here watching a male dancer?”

I glanced toward the dancer. “What’s wrong with that?”

Chloe shook her head. “Something is seriously wrong with you. Damien was shot two months ago. A rival group nearly killed him. You didn’t even visit him.”

“He survived,” I said, shrugging.

“That’s not the point,” Chloe sighed.

I laughed and slipped a few bills into the dancer’s waistband then I stood.

“Come on. Let's go.”

Chloe frowned. “Where?”

“To Damien’s celebration.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re going there?”

I picked up my purse. “My husband has welcomed a son. As his wife, I should congratulate him.”

Chloe hurried after me. “Aurora, please don’t tell me you’re planning to kill someone.”

I laughed.

By the time Chloe and I arrived at the Blackwood estate, the celebration was in full swing.

The moment I stepped inside, the ballroom fell silent as every eye turned toward me.

Everyone knew Aurora Blackwood.

The eldest daughter of one of the city’s most powerful mafia families, Damien Blackwood’s wife.

And, before my accident, one of the most notoriously possessive women in the city.

If I was unhappy, everyone knew it. If another woman approached my husband, I made sure she regretted it.

So naturally, nobody knew what to expect when I walked into a celebration for Damien’s child with another woman.

Damien saw me and his expression changed instantly.

“Aurora.”

I smiled. “I know. You found a replacement while I was in the hospital. She got pregnant, and you couldn’t bring yourself to kill an innocent child. I understand, Damien. I’m only here to congratulate you.”

He stared at me like I'd grown a second head. “Aurora, please…”

I laughed. “Relax. I’m not here to cause a scene.”

Before he could answer, Bella approached. She held the baby tightly against her chest.

The moment she saw me, all the color drained from her face.

“Mrs. Blackwood…” She suddenly dropped to her knees. “I’m sorry.”

Bella’s voice trembled. “I never wanted to take your place. I swear. I didn’t know what would happen. You were in a coma, and I… I can't kill an innocent child…”

“Bella, it's alright,” I smiled at her. “You all thought I wouldn't wake up, I understand.”

Chloe stood behind me, watching the exchange nervously.

I looked at the baby in Bella’s arms and tried to reach for him but Bella let out a shriek.

“Don't hurt him, hit me instead!” she cried.

Damien stood protectively before them. “How can you dare hurt an innocent child, Aurora? Hate me if you want but don't hurt my child.”

I slowly lowered my hand. “I wasn’t going to hurt him.”

I reached into my purse and pulled out a thick envelope and a small gold bracelet.

I walked over to Bella and placed them beside the baby.

“For him. May he be healthy.”

Bella stared at the gifts.

Damien looked at me as if he couldn’t understand what he was seeing.

“You’re not angry?”

I smiled. “Bella gave the Blackwood family an heir. That’s something worth celebrating.”

Nobody spoke.

I turned toward the door and I walked away.

The moment we got into the car, Chloe grabbed my arm.

“What the hell was that? You didn’t scream. You didn’t slap Bella. You didn’t even cry.”

She searched my face. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

I gently pulled my arm away. “I’m fine.”

“Aurora, Damien has another woman’s child. The Damien Blackwood you loved for ten years.”

I looked out the window. “The old Aurora loved him. She died in that car accident three years ago.”

Chloe went quiet.

I rested my head against the seat. No one knew that while my body lay unconscious in the hospital, I had lived another life.

I had been married to Damien for thirty years and those were the most miserable years of my life.

I watched him fall in love with Bella and bring her into our home. I even insisted she have an abortion when I found out Bella was pregnant.

She did and she died. Damien changed and accused me of killing her. He used his full mafia power and unleashed it on my family, ruining them and causing my parents to die from a heart attack.

Heartbroken and defeated, I killed myself.

When I opened my eyes, I was back in the real world and only three years had passed.

At first, I thought those thirty years had been a nightmare until I saw Bella and I knew fate had given me another chance.

This time, I wouldn’t fight for Damien. I wouldn’t destroy myself for him and I certainly wouldn’t die for him.

I pulled out my phone.

There was one person I needed to contact.

In the life I had already lived, he had loved me and claimed my body after my death when everyone else had abandoned me.

My fingers hovered over the screen then I typed:

Damien and I are getting divorced in seven days. Do you want to marry me?