Chapter 1

My older sister Seraphina had always been the center of attention in New York's Upper East Side. Everyone worshiped her, protected her.

At the Montgomery charity gala, my father asked we to choose our future husband in front of every powerful family in New York.

Seraphina smiled and generously let me choose first.

But this time, I said no.

In my past life, I truly thought she cared about me.

I followed her suggestion and married Declan Thorne, a man whose immune system had failed after a car crash. He had been confined to a wheelchair for years, and people whispered that he was worthless.

I surrendered my place in the family and became his nurse, his support, the only thing keeping him from complete loneliness. But no matter how hard I tried, I could never reach his heart.

Then, at Seraphina’s gender reveal party, Declan stood up from his wheelchair in front of everyone.

"Brielle,I felt nothing for you. You were just a way for me to get closer to Sera."

The silence lasted only a second before the room turned on me.

Every whisper, every stare, every hidden laugh made me feel like the biggest fool in New York.

That night, I rushed out of the party and drove away before anyone could see me break down.

On the bridge, my hands shook so badly that the car spun out of control and crashed through the railing.

I made ninety-nine calls before the river swallowed the car completely, and every single one went unanswered.

Three days later, they found me trapped beneath the water, already suffocated in the wreckage.

Then I opened my eyes, and I was back at the gala where my father had planned to announce our engagements.

This time, I picked no one.

...

“Why do not you go first, Brielle?” Seraphina put on a sickly sweet smile and played the part of the devoted older sister, just as she had in her last life. “You were always so delicate. You need someone strong behind you.”

She made sure to look around when she said “delicate” so that everyone caught her fake concern. But her eyes gave her away. She kept staring at Matteo Ashford, the heir to the Ashford fortune, with a longing she could not hide. People in high society had whispered for years that the two of them were sneaking around behind everyone’s back.

My father was never going to give Matteo to anyone but her.

In my previous life, I picked Declan Thorne to keep her happy. I thought I was taking the high road. Instead, I walked straight into a nightmare.

I still remembered how it felt at the end of that life. Declan had stood on a stage and told a room full of people that he had never loved me. I had stood in the crowd like a pathetic fool.

After the party ended, Seraphina came up to me with tears in her eyes and spoke in a voice soft as a whisper. “Do not be sad, little sister. He was only upset.”

Her tears caught the light and sparkled like cut glass.

Right then, I finally understood what she really was.

So when my father asked me which man I wanted, I smiled. “Since Sera is being so generous, I will take Matteo.”

“What?” The smile dropped off Seraphina’s face. Her eyes welled up instantly, and her voice shook. “Brielle, you know how I feel about him.”

From his wheelchair, Declan jerked his head up. His fingers dug into the armrests until the skin over his knuckles went white.

Then my father’s hand came across my face so hard that people nearby gasped. Someone started whispering. Someone else stared like they were watching a show.

“Matteo comes from the Ashford family,” my father said, keeping his voice low but making sure each word cut. “Do you honestly think someone like you deserves him? You know he wants your sister, and still you reach for her man. Do you want to destroy this family?”

Blood ran from the corner of my mouth, warm and tasting like metal. But I did not touch my face. I did not move back. I just looked him in the eye and smiled.

“You already made up your mind for everyone. So who exactly is this ‘let me choose’ performance for? The reporters? Or the people you do business with?”

Seraphina blinked fast. She stepped closer, grabbed my father’s arm, and let her voice break at just the right moment. “Brielle, do not speak to Dad that way. He only worries about you. He is scared that no one will ever marry you.”

Her voice carried just enough for the nearby tables to hear. Someone nodded along. Someone let out a sigh. Someone mumbled that the older daughter was so kind and thoughtful.

I watched her put on her little show and did not waste my breath calling her out.

While the rest of us argued, Declan pushed off the armrests and rose from his wheelchair. The whole room went quiet. This was the man who had spent three years in that chair, the man everyone said would never leave it. Now he stood in front of everyone without a single shake in his legs.

“Mr. Montgomery,” he said, sounding as steady as someone who had never been sick a day in his life, “let me make you a business offer. I know your Florida real estate project is sinking. I will cover the loss. All I ask in return is Sera.”

People started murmuring again. Someone let out a sharp breath. Someone else started counting in their head how much money that really was.

I kept my eyes on Declan, unable to believe what I was seeing. The man who had pretended to be broken for so long chose this exact moment to stand up. Not to help me. Not because it was the right thing to do. To take my sister away from me.

He noticed me staring. For a single second, guilt passed through his eyes. Then he looked away, exactly like he had done in the life before. My heart stopped for a beat.

He had come back too. So even after he stood in front of a crowd and humiliated me in my past life, he was ready to do the same thing all over again.

The second my father heard “cover the loss,” his anger dried up. His eyes took on a look I recognized immediately. Greed. Calculation. He had spent years trying to marry his daughters into powerful families. He would never pass up a chance like this. The Thorne family was much stronger than the Ashfords. For them to even want Seraphina was already more than he could have hoped for.

“Fine,” my father said without stopping to think. “If Declan wants Sera that badly, then Brielle, you will marry Matteo.”

Matteo shot to his feet, his chair scraping hard against the floor.

“You think I would ever marry you?” His voice cut through the room, loud enough for everyone to hear. “You are nothing. The only reason anyone even lets you breathe the same air as us is because Sera is too kind to throw you out. Stay in your lane, you pathetic bastard. Do not ever embarrass this family by pretending you belong here.”