Chapter 1

The long table, the candlelight—everything was exactly as I remembered. It was the same dinner where I'd taken those bullets for Conrad.

In my previous life, when an assassin sent by Conrad's enemies aimed a gun at him, I threw myself in front of him without a second thought.

When I woke up, I learned I could never have children.

After that came the wedding, and Alice leaving for Antarctica.

And Conrad in the fire, saying, "In the next life, don't take a bullet for me..."

After 20 years of loving him and ten years of marriage, those were the last words he left me with.

That was my previous life, but remembering it still made my chest ache so badly I could barely breathe.

When I saw the man ready his gun, I still lunged forward on instinct.

But Conrad moved first. He shoved me aside with one hand and flipped the table with the other. The bullet grazed his arm. Guards rushed out of the shadows and tackled the assassin.

Screams filled the hall.

I lay on the floor, stunned. Conrad seemed to have known the assassin would be there that night.

Conrad turned to me. His eyes fell on my bleeding knee, and pity flickered across his face. Then, as if he'd remembered something, his expression turned cold.

His face blank, he said, "Vera, from now on, stay away from me."

Only then did I realize he'd been reborn too...

I lowered my eyes and said softly, "Okay."

Fine by me. That was what I wanted too.

Conrad didn't look at me again. He just told Graham, the butler behind him, "Have a doctor see to her wound."

Then he walked out without breaking stride.

I looked down at my bloody knee, a dull ache spreading through my chest.

Even with a second chance, I couldn't stop loving him. But my previous life had taught me one thing: we would never be happy together.

So no matter how much it hurt, this time I'd keep my distance and let them be together.

In the middle of the night, I heard familiar footsteps outside my door. Conrad. Whenever I'd been hurt before, he'd stayed by my bed until I fell asleep.

This time, he stood outside for a long time without coming in.

When I was ten, enemies attacked my family. My parents shielded me so I could escape.

When Conrad heard what had happened and came for me, I was too scared to speak. He held me and murmured to me, over and over.

"Vera, don't be scared. Uncle Conrad's here. As long as I'm around, no one can hurt you."

The Kincaid family had been close to mine for generations. He was only nine years older than me, but he was already its head.

I would never forget the promise he made me during the darkest time of my life. "Vera, from now on, I'm your family."

He took me home and looked after me himself. When I ran a fever in the middle of the night, he carried me to the hospital and stayed until dawn.

When I had nightmares and couldn't sleep, he told me stories until I drifted off.

When kids at school called me "the little mute," he and his men made those kids and their families pay.

That year, he turned down every social obligation and drove me to school and back every single day.

Everyone said I was the person Conrad cared about most. The more attention he gave me, the more I depended on him. He became the only warmth in my life, and I began to feel something for him that I knew I shouldn't...

On my 18th birthday, I worked up the courage to hug him and confess my feelings. "I like you, Uncle Conrad. I want to stay by your side for the rest of my life."

Before I could finish, Conrad went rigid in my arms. He pulled me off him and stared at me in disbelief. "Vera, I'm your guardian. I raised you.

"We can't."

He frowned, his eyes dark, as if he were struggling to hold something back. Then he turned and hurried away.

I stood frozen and watched him go until he was out of sight. My mind went blank. I felt completely lost.

From that day on, Conrad never held my hand again or let me into his room. That was also when the women started showing up at his side, one after another.

Watching him get cozy with those women was torture. It hurt so much I could barely breathe.

I tried to talk to Conrad, but he shut me out. Soon he was staying out all night, leaving me to wait for him alone each evening.

It wasn't until I went on a hunger strike that he finally agreed to see me.

No matter how much I cried and begged for answers, Conrad said nothing. His expression was hard to read, as though he had so much he wanted to say. I could tell he had feelings for me. He just didn't dare admit it.

Back then, I thought that if I just stayed by his side, someday he'd accept his own feelings.

Until Alice showed up and changed everything.