Lahat ng Kabanata ng Respawned Without the Don: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 7

Bella's sweet little smile almost split when she heard me. Excitement flashed—then she snapped back to fragile and pitiful."Lara, what are you even saying? How could I compare to you? How could I take Marco—or his wife's place—from you?"I caught the switch and kept my voice steady. "Dad's dumped a fortune turning you into a socialite. Sounds perfect, right? You marry into the Grimaldi Family, play Donna. And relax—you didn't steal Marco. I'm just done with him."Her mask finally cracked. "That's insane! Girls would kill to marry into the Grimaldi Family! Do you even get how exceptional Marco is? And you're 'done' with him?"I took a slow sip of tea. "If he's that amazing, he's all yours. You've always liked hand-me-downs anyway.""Fine. I'll talk to Dad right now. Don't come crying when you regret this." She ripped the contract from my hand.I smiled. The anger was obvious. The glee under it? Even louder. "Relax. I won't."I already paid the price for marrying Marco once.Whe

"Lara, quit provoking Marco. Come on, I'll help you pick a gown."Bella slapped a hand over my mouth and dragged me upstairs.Door shut. I pulled free. "No one's here. Drop the act."The sweet mask vanished. "I was doing you a favor. Letting you keep some dignity in front of Marco."You have no clue. Yesterday, when Dad said I could take your place, Marco's parents were thrilled. Said I'm thoughtful. Gentle. Unlike you—rude, embarrassing. Not fit to be a Don's wife."I lifted a brow. "Oh yeah? Then why not tell him the bride's been swapped? Scared he'll call it off once he knows?"Her face went stiff. "Don't be ridiculous. If he knew, he'd be relieved it's me. I just want to surprise him on the wedding day. So keep your mouth shut.""Relax. I'm not interested in sabotaging your marriage."This life, I'm choosing myself.***Marco still made me go to the ball.In front of everyone, he took Bella's hand and led her to the floor. Right before he walked off, he shot me a look. "

His face drained white. A beat later, he grabbed his phone."Bring the car up. One minute. From the lot."He moved to leave.Bella stepped in front of him. "Marco, this is our wedding. If you go, what about me?"He looked at her like she was nobody."Move."Bella bit her lip and wouldn't budge.Her voice cracked. "Lara handed you to me before. I thought she meant it. Now I get it—she did this on purpose. She wanted to wreck my big day!"Vittorio stepped in, grabbing Marco's arm. "I already sent people to check. It's handled. Finish the wedding with Bella first."His parents backed him up. "There are too many guests. You can't just walk out."Marco looked at them, ice-cold. For the first time, he saw it—how fake they were.Lara was fighting for her life.And they cared about a ceremony.The driver pulled up and got out. Bella lunged at him, clawing, biting, trying to chase him off.All that polished grace? Gone.She looked wild. Unhinged.Marco stared at her tear-streake

After a month in the dark, something finally shifted in Marco's face.He grabbed the photo, fingers shaking. "It's her. It's really her."He wiped his schedule clean and booked the first flight out. Overnight to Italvia.On the plane, he held Lara's picture to his chest, like if he let go, she'd vanish again.The shot was from an airport.In it, she wore a sun hat, a woven straw bag over her shoulder.She looked lighter. Brighter.Ten times more alive than she ever did at his side.***Lara's POVI've been living it up in Florenze, Italvia—sun, beaches, sailboats. Picked up my camera again. Started painting like I used to.That day, I'd just kissed a cute guy goodbye—slow, lingering—when I walked straight into Marco.Dusk. Low light. Didn't matter. The dark circles under his eyes? The exhaustion? Clear as day.He stared at me. Eyes bloodshot, twisting with pain and rage. His voice came out rough, barely holding. "Lara... you walk out on me just to mess around with cheap gu