Reborn Under the Moon

Pain. A burning, suffocating pain tore through Katherine’s skull.

Then darkness.

For a moment, there was nothing. No thunder. No gunshot. No Richard. Just darkness.

Then----Tick. Tick. Tick.

A faint sound echoed through the void. Katherine frowned. A clock? Tick. Tick. Tick.

The sound grew louder, sharper. Her breathing quickened as fragments of memory surged back. Richard’s cruel smile. The gun. Her parents’ lifeless faces. The betrayal. The bullet.

Her eyes flew open.

Bright lights blinded her. Voices surrounded her.

“What’s wrong with her?”

“Miss Sutherland, are you alright?” Her assistant’s concerned face swam before her.

“Should we call a doctor?” someone asked.

Katherine’s chest heaved. Her heart slammed violently against her ribs as she sat upright.

Where am I?

She looked around. Crystal chandeliers glimmered overhead. Guests chatted casually at nearby tables. Waiters glided between them, carrying trays of food and champagne. Everything was normal. Too normal.

She looked down at her hands. No blood. No bruises. No injuries. Her body was intact. Her breathing grew uneven.

“I---I died---” Katherine whispered, disbelief choking her. She remembered the gunshot, the cold marble floor, the moonlight streaming through the window, and Richard pulling the trigger.

And yet, somehow, she was alive.

“You--you died? What are you saying?” her assistant asked, eyes wide. Katherine could see the confusion, the disbelief mirrored in her expression.

Katherine swallowed hard. “I---I don’t know how, but I’m alive.”

Her gaze drifted toward a table nearby. There it was, the pocket watch. The same antique watch that the mysterious old woman had pressed into her hand outside the cathedral.

Katherine’s fingers shook as she picked it up. The watch opened by itself, revealing an engraving she had never noticed before: a crescent moon.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

The ticking grew louder, resonating in her chest like a heartbeat. Memories came rushing back, flooding her mind. The wedding. Richard’s betrayal. Her parents’ deaths.

Her own murder.

And then she remembered the woman’s words:

“The suffering you will face will open the door to a new hope. And the moon will guide you.”

Katherine gripped the watch so tightly her knuckles whitened. Her body trembled.

A glance at a television mounted on the wall froze her in place. A news broadcast flickered across the screen:

“The Sutherland Group heiress is expected to announce her engagement tonight to Lieutenant Colonel Richard Gordon.”

Tonight.

The pieces clicked together. This was the night she had been planning to propose to Richard. She had gone back in time. Fate had given her a second chance. Another life. Another opportunity. Another chance to rewrite history.

Her hands shook, anger surging through her. Richard. That monster. This time… she would never let him destroy her family again. Never.

She knew she needed protection. Not just anyone, someone strong, someone who could challenge the man who had plotted her murder and stolen everything she loved.

Her eyes swept the room. And then she saw him.

A tall man was sitting quietly at a nearby table. Broad shoulders. Sharp features. Calm, yet intimidating.

Steve Armstrong. The Phantom. Legendary soldier. Recently returned from a classified mission. Raising a daughter alone. Her eyes flicked to the girl beside him, laughing and chattering as if nothing in the world could touch her.

A daring idea sparked in Katherine’s mind. Richard will come tonight. And when he did, she would take action. She would propose not to him but to someone, anyone who could protect her and her family’s legacy.

She rose abruptly, heels clicking sharply against the floor. Every step felt surreal, yet purposeful. She did not hesitate.

Katherine’s heels clicked sharply against the marble floor as she approached Steve’s table.

His sharp eyes lifted, calm but piercing, while his daughter froze mid-laugh, her curiosity flickering.

“Can I help you?” Steve asked evenly, clearly trying to mask his surprise.

Katherine drew a steadying breath. This was the moment she had waited for. The words left her lips before she could hesitate:

“Marry me.”

The restaurant fell silent. Conversations stopped mid-sentence. Glasses hovered in mid-air. All eyes turned toward them.

Steve blinked. “Excuse me?”

Katherine’s hands trembled slightly, but determination burned in her gaze. From the pocket watch in her hand, she drew another treasure: the Sutherland family heirloom ring. The one her parents had entrusted to her was the symbol of her family’s legacy. She held it out to Steve.

“This is the Sutherland ring,” she said firmly, voice low but unwavering. “I want you to have it. Marry me.”

Steve blinked, utterly still. “Excuse me?”

Katherine held his gaze. “I know it’s sudden. I don’t have time to explain. Please… just say yes.”

Steve’s eyes narrowed. She was desperate, yes, but elegant, composed, radiant. Surely dozens of men would line up to claim her hand. Yet she chose him. Why?

“Do you understand what you’re asking?” Steve’s voice was calm, controlled.

“And do you even know who I am?” Katherine shot back, her tone unwavering.

Steve studied her silently. The girl beside him whispered something, caught mid-laugh, but Katherine barely noticed. He was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, but even like this, he radiated strength, confidence, and masculine charm. In that moment, he seemed far more commanding than Richard ever had.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “I want you to marry me. Will you?”

The young girl gasped, eyes wide. “Mom!” she whispered, clutching Katherine’s hand.

“Dad! Say yes!” the girl added, bouncing slightly. “I want her to be my mom!”

Steve’s jaw tightened as he studied Katherine. No words came at first.

Then the restaurant doors burst open.

A gust of cold air swept through, carrying authority and menace. Conversations faltered. Glasses clinked nervously.

Richard Gordon. Lieutenant Colonel. The man who had destroyed everything she had ever loved.

His eyes scanned the room. Then they landed on her. Katherine. Standing there, defiant, holding the Sutherland ring, offering it to another man.

A slow, cruel smile spread across his face.

“Katherine, what are you doing?” he said, voice low and dangerous. “Why are you giving that ring to him? I’m supposed to be your fiancé.”

Katherine’s heart slammed, but she did not lower the ring. “This belongs to my family,” she said, steady. “I can give it to anyone I choose.”

Richard’s smile hardened. “No, it should be me. Remember? I am your fiancé. Your husband-to-be.”

Steve rose instantly, placing himself between Katherine and Richard. Every muscle in his body radiated readiness.

Katherine’s grip on Steve’s arm tightened. “Not anymore. I’ve made my choice. I’m marrying him.”

“What?!” Steve and Richard said in unison, stunned.

The tension in the restaurant was electric. Guests whispered nervously. Waiters froze mid-step. Even Steve’s daughter clung tightly to Katherine’s hand.

Richard chuckled, slow and cold. “This is ridiculous. Have I done something to make you act this way, Katherine?”

Steve’s voice cut through the tension, low and commanding. “Do you understand what you’re doing, Miss?”

Richard’s gaze flicked to him, then back to Katherine. “I am the military’s young hero,” he said with menace. “Do you know what happens if you continue to defy me?”

Katherine’s spine straightened. A storm of fear, uncertainty, and anticipation hung over them, but she did not flinch. Not for Richard. Not ever again.

Her second chance had come. This time, she would rewrite her destiny.