The Mafia heir, Shelby Giordano, hated me more than anyone. And I was the fiancée his family had chosen for him.
All because I was an ordinary girl, an outsider with no background to speak of.
His heart belonged to his childhood sweetheart, Camilla.
After Camilla died in an accident, his hatred for me curdled into something monstrous, a quiet poison that lasted for a decade.
But when a rival family riddled our car with bullets, he threw himself in front of me.
As he lay dying in my arms, slick with blood, he used his last ounce of strength to shove away my trembling hands.
"Aurora… if only we never had that damned marriage contract…"
At the funeral, Shelby's mother, Donna Isabella of the Giordano family, grabbed my collar, her sobs wracking her body.
"Oh, Shelby, it's all my fault," she choked out, her voice thick with grief. "I should never have forced that outsider on you. If I had just let you be with Camilla, would any of this have happened?"
I didn't answer. Because she was right.
After being thrown out of the funeral, I walked alone to the icy bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan and leaped into the churning water below.
When I opened my eyes again, it was as if the world had rewound. I was waking from a weeks-long coma, ten years in the past, on the very day our engagement was announced.
This time, I would sever all ties with Shelby. I would give them all exactly what they wanted.
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1
I was the destined but despised fiancée of the Mafia heir, Shelby Giordano. He had died for me, and his family had driven me to my own death. But when I opened my eyes again, I wasn't in the icy depths of the lake. I was back. Ten years in the past, on the day it all began.
"An outsider? You're telling me some nobody off the street is my fiancée? What kind of sick joke is this!"
Shelby's roar ripped through the grand ballroom of the Giordano estate.
I froze, my heart hammering against my ribs. I was back, truly back, at the annual family gala from ten years ago—the night my fate was shackled to Shelby's.
"Shelby, this was your father's decision," the family's Consigliere reminded him gently.
"To hell with his decision!" Shelby tore the family crest from his lapel, the pin that symbolized our engagement. "I will not have a wife who can't even handle a goddamn pistol!"
Whispers rippled through the family members around us. Not far away, Camilla stood with a triumphant smirk playing on her lips. She was the picture of nobility and grace, the daughter of the Russian mob's Rostova family and Shelby's one true love.
I drew a shaky breath. This time, I wouldn't make the same mistake.
"I request to dissolve the engagement." My voice, though quiet, was clear and firm, cutting through the whispers and causing a stir.
Shelby’s furious expression froze, a flash of disbelief crossing his deep-set eyes. "What did you say?"
"You heard me, Mr. Giordano." I met his gaze without flinching. "I want to dissolve our engagement. I ask the Capos and the elders to allow you to unite with Miss Camilla, to solidify the alliance with the Russians."
The ballroom erupted into chaos. This was unheard of. A match personally decreed by the Don, being rejected by the fiancée herself?
"Ha!" Shelby let out a derisive snort. "I didn't think you had it in you."
A sharp pain lanced through my chest, but I fought back the tears. I remembered the voice that had echoed in the darkness of my coma. "To change his fate, you must resolve the three greatest regrets of his past life. But every new beginning has its price."
His first regret: being forced into an arranged marriage with me.
I would grant him his wish.
"Dissolving an engagement requires a formal process," an elderly Capo stated, frowning. "It will take three days, at least."
"Then let's not waste any time." Shelby shot me a look of pure ice and turned to leave.
On pure instinct, my hand shot out and snagged the fabric of his expensive suit. "Wait..."
"What now?" he snapped, his impatience a palpable force.
"Before… before we officially end this, could you take me to the stargazing exhibit at the downtown planetarium?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. It was a foolish, sentimental wish, one of my biggest regrets from my past life—a request he had cruelly denied.
Shelby frowned, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. I knew what he was thinking—why was this compliant little mouse who was so eager to end things suddenly making such a strange request?
Unexpectedly, he gave a curt nod. "Tomorrow night. Don't be late."
I stood there, stunned, as he strode away without another word.
"You are a foolish girl," a gentle voice murmured from behind me. It was Father Michael, the family priest.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because your eyes betray you," he said, his own gaze knowing. "You've decided to let him go, but you are still hopelessly in love with him."
I couldn't deny it.
"Don Giordano has already instructed me to prepare the annulment documents for tomorrow," the priest sighed. "They have been looking forward to this day for a long time."
"I know."
He pressed a small, cold key into my palm. "This is for a safe deposit box. What's inside may help you. Think carefully. The ceremony will demand your full focus."
"Thank you." I curled my fingers around the key.
As I walked out of the ballroom, the whispers of family members followed me like shadows.
