Chapter 5: The Man I Should Have Chosen

SERAPHINA POV

The silence in the dining room was deafening.

My father’s face turned an alarming shade of red. “Seraphina Hart, stop right there” my father voice boomed across the room.

“Have you lost your mind? This engagement has been arranged for years. The contracts are nearly finalized. You will not throw away everything this family has built because of some childish whim!”

Ethan stared at me, his charming mask cracking to reveal genuine humiliation. The man who had once planned to discard me like garbage now looked like he’d been slapped in front of his future father-in-law. Good. It was only the beginning.

Selena’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second before a tiny, secret smile tugged at her lips. She quickly hid it behind a concerned expression, but I saw it. In my first life, she would have been celebrating. This time, I would make sure her celebrations turned to ashes.

“I’m not bluffing, Father,” I said calmly, meeting his furious gaze. “The wedding is off.”

The next few days were a whirlwind of arguments, threats, and cold silences. Victor raged. Ethan tried to corner me with flowers and smooth apologies, claiming I was stressed. Selena played the worried sister while secretly watching my every move. But I remained firm. Unshakable. The girl who once begged for their approval was dead.

And now, the night of the engagement banquet had arrived.

The grand ballroom of the Hart mansion glittered under crystal chandeliers. Hundreds of guests — society elites, business tycoons, media representatives — mingled in designer gowns and tailored tuxedos. Cameras flashed discreetly. Whispers followed me everywhere. Everyone knew something was wrong. The bride-to-be had been unusually quiet, almost defiant.

I stood near the entrance in a sleek white gown that felt more like armor than silk, a glass of champagne untouched in my hand. My heart raced, but my face remained composed. This was it. The moment everything changed.

Then he arrived.

Alexander Knight.

The youngest son of the Knight family. Ethan’s uncle. The ruthless CEO of Knight International. The man everyone feared and few dared approach. He entered the ballroom like a shadow cutting through light — tall, imposing, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit that emphasized his broad shoulders. His sharp jaw and piercing eyes scanned the room with cold indifference.

Our eyes met across the crowd.

And suddenly, the memory slammed into me like a freight train. That final moment on the stairs. Blood. Pain. Darkness closing in. His face — desperate and anguished — as he reached for me. The voice shouting my name wasn’t Ethan’s. It had been his.

How had I never noticed before? The subtle protections in my first life. The anonymous help that saved Hart Group from several crises. The way he had always lingered at the edges of events, watching.

He had cared for me. Quietly. From afar. While I wasted years on his unworthy nephew without even knowing it.

Tears pricked at my eyes, but I blinked them away. No more wasting time.

The orchestra played softly. Ethan approached me with a forced smile, offering his arm for the traditional first dance. Victor watched from across the room like a hawk. Selena stood nearby, sipping champagne with barely concealed glee.

I ignored Ethan completely.

Without a word, I walked past him. Past Victor. Past the staring guests. The ballroom fell deathly silent. Even the music seemed to falter. Hundreds of eyes followed me as my heels clicked across the marble floor.

I stopped directly in front of Alexander Knight.

He looked down at me, surprise flickering briefly in those icy depths before his usual mask returned. Up close, he was even more intimidating — eleven years older than me, radiating power and quiet danger.

The entire room held its breath.

“Mr. Knight,” I said, my voice clear and steady, carrying across the stunned silence. “If I refuse to marry your nephew… would you marry me instead?”

Gasps erupted. A woman nearby dropped her fan. Cameras flashed wildly.

Ethan turned ghostly white, his hand still outstretched where I had left him. Selena’s champagne glass slipped from her fingers and shattered on the floor, the sound echoing like breaking glass in a tomb. Victor clutched his chest, looking like he might actually have a heart attack.

Alexander stared at me.

One second.

Two.

Three.

The tension was suffocating. I could feel the weight of every gaze, every whispered rumor that would spread like wildfire through the elite circles by morning.

Then, without hesitation, his deep, resonant voice cut through the chaos.

“Yes.”

The room exploded.

Shouts. Gasps. Someone laughed in disbelief. Reporters surged forward, security barely holding them back. Ethan looked like he’d been punched in the gut. Victor bellowed my name, storming toward us. Selena’s face twisted into something ugly and furious.

But I only had eyes for Alexander.

He extended his hand to me, his expression unreadable to everyone else but carrying something deeper — recognition, relief, a spark of long-hidden fire. When my fingers touched his, a strange warmth spread through me. Safety. For the first time since waking up in the past, I felt truly anchored.

As chaos reigned around us, Alexander leaned down slightly, his voice low enough for only me to hear.

“Are you certain about this, Seraphina?”

I looked up at him, the man who had watched over me when no one else did. The one I should have chosen from the beginning.

“I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.”

The night my second life truly began had arrived.