Sang Ratu

In my last life, my sister Serena Vega ran to Monaco the night before her wedding, and my family shoved me into her dress before dawn.

Damian Lucchese, the young Godfather of New York, had been waiting at the altar for her. The moment he lifted my veil and saw me instead, the warmth in his eyes went cold.

For five years, I was his hidden wife. The underworld knew he was married, but no one knew to whom. My parents blamed me for stealing Serena’s place and still failing to keep his heart.

Then Serena came home.

That Christmas, Damian took her and my parents to his mountain estate. When a blizzard hit, his men rushed everyone onto the helicopter.

No one remembered me.

I died in that frozen house, three months pregnant with Damian’s child.

When I opened my eyes again, Serena had just returned to New York.

This time, I would not beg for love.

Only when I truly walked away, none of them had the right to regret it.

...

"Mrs. Lucchese, congratulations. You're twelve weeks along."

The family doctor slid the report across the desk. He kept his voice low, but he couldn't hide his excitement. "The heartbeat is strong. This child means a great deal to the Lucchese Family."

The nurse had already picked up the encrypted phone to call Damian. I reached over and pressed the receiver down.

"Don't."

The room went still. They didn't understand. The Godfather's wife carrying his heir should have been enough to bring half the Family to its knees. But I knew better than anyone that if Damian found out now, this baby would be dragged into Serena's mess with me. In my last life, I had already let my child die once.

"Seal today's record," I said, folding the report and slipping it into my bag. "No one hears about this except me."

When I left the medical wing, Lucchese Manor was being dressed for a welcome party. White roses lined the halls, guards pinned silver wolf badges to their jackets, and every window in the main house blazed with light.

Serena was back.

The sister who had run from the altar, forced me into her wedding dress, and still somehow remained the daughter everyone loved had finally returned to New York.

I entered the code at the front door. Red flashed on the screen. [Denied.]

I tried again. [Denied.]

In my last life, this had happened too. The day Serena came home, every code in the manor changed: the front door, the wine cellar, the private elevator. Everything was reset to her birthday.

I typed in 0604, Serena’s birthday.

The door opened.

I had barely stepped into the foyer when a leather folder struck my forehead. Blood slid down my brow, but my mother didn't even blink.

"Sign it," she said coldly.

The papers scattered across the marble floor. The first page read: Marital Dissolution Agreement.

My father sat by the fireplace with a cigar between his fingers. "If Serena hadn't had an accident five years ago, what made you think you had any right to marry Damian? She's back now. Give her back the title of Mrs. Lucchese."

Serena stood on the staircase in a white dress, her curls loose and her eyes wet, looking like a flower the whole world existed to protect. "Eve, I didn't come back to steal anything. But if you're willing to let go, I'll always remember what you did for me."

In my last life, I had broken down at those words. I had knelt in front of my parents and asked them why they were doing this to me.

This time, I bent down and picked up the papers.

"Pen."

Everyone in the foyer froze.

My mother's face tightened. "What game are you playing now?"

I took the pen and signed on the last page. Eve Vega.

Five years ago, I had used that name to marry into the Lucchese Family for Serena. Five years later, I would use it to walk out with my own hands.

Serena snatched the agreement from me. Once she checked the signature, she couldn't quite hide her smile.

"How sweet of you, Eve." She pushed the folder back into my arms and lowered her voice so only I could hear. "But you'll get Damian's signature yourself. I don't want to bring it up and look desperate, as if I'm dying to steal your husband. Three days. Get the divorce done, then disappear from this house and from his life."

I looked at her and nodded. "Fine."

I've wanted that for a long time.