Chapter 1

"Ms. Ricci, something has happened to the signore!"

Before the pain of being hacked apart could fade from my mind, the housekeeper, Beatrice Santoro, rushed into my room, her face drained of all color.

I lowered my head. In my mind, all I could see were the faces of my two children, covered in blood, screaming as they clung to me.

"The Don is still at the family gathering," Beatrice said in a hushed voice. "The signore said he feels dizzy and can't catch his breath. He's resting in the east guest room right now… Ms. Ricci, could you go check on him?"

My steps froze. Cold sweat broke out on my palms. I had returned to the very day Matteo Caruso was drugged.

"Call Lucia Gallo over," I said quietly.

Beatrice froze. "What?"

"Stop wasting time. Matteo's been drugged," I said coldly. "If you wait any longer, dizziness will be the least of his problems."

In my previous life, the Consigliere said it wasn't an ordinary aphrodisiac. It was an ancient secret drug passed down through a rival family, known as Heartbane.

Once it took effect, only a woman with a specific blood type and constitution could neutralize it. Otherwise, the man would be left with permanent damage—sterility.

Meanwhile, I was the only one who could act as the antidote in the entire Caruso Estate.

Back then, Matteo stood up for me at school when I was being bullied. After graduation, against my parents' wishes, I hid my identity and willingly stayed with the Caruso family as his personal assistant. It was all so I could be closer to him.

So, when I heard what Beatrice said, I rushed into his room to check on him. However, Heartbane had already clouded his mind. He pinned me down onto the carpet without recognizing who I was.

I conceived that night.

I thought fate was finally bringing me together with the man I loved. I revealed my identity right away, bringing with me a massive fortune my padre had given me. I married into the Caruso family for the baby.

I thought it would be the beginning of love, but it was just the start of Matteo's torment.

He was convinced that night was a trap I had deliberately set. He believed I ruined his relationship with his first love and even drove her to jump to her death.

So, after marriage, he came home drunk every night, and that was if he even came home at all. Even when I was giving birth and hovering on the edge of death, he never once stepped into the hospital.

This time, after being reborn, I vowed to change the tragedy of my previous life.

I closed my eyes briefly and pulled my thoughts back, then turned and headed toward the basement level of the estate. That floor was off-limits to outsiders as it was Don Raffaele Caruso's private domain.

What Matteo didn't know was that he wasn't the only one who was drugged tonight. His father, Raffaele, was too.

I pushed open the heavy wrought iron door at the end of the corridor. Warm, damp air rushed at me.

Raffaele was leaning against the edge of a marble bathtub, his hair soaked and his brow tightly furrowed. His shirt was half unbuttoned, clinging to his rock-hard abs from the steam.

"Don Caruso, you've been poisoned," I said calmly. "I'm the only one who can safely get you through tonight."

He lifted his dangerous gaze to me, his voice hoarse. "Who sent you here?"

There had always been rumors that something was wrong with Raffaele's health. In my previous life, he never had children of his own. Matteo was just his adopted son.

That was why Matteo remained the sole heir until now. But what if, tonight, Raffaele planted his seed? I was unusually fertile, which was how I conceived after a single night in my previous life.

I loosened the tie of my sleepwear and stepped into the water without another word, answering his question with my actions instead of an explanation.

The next second, he rose sharply, water splashing high. His strong arms closed around me, trapping me in place. His low voice brushed against my ear. "I don't care who sent you, but tonight, you're not leaving here."