Darren Valachi and I were childhood sweethearts, bound by an arranged marriage that became our shared torment. He blamed me for the brutal death of his one true love; I blamed him for betraying our past. All that remained of our marriage was hatred.

However, when I was diagnosed with ALS, and everyone expected me to be cast aside by the family, Darren knelt in a torrential downpour outside a church, praying for a miracle.

As I lay dying, he pressed his forehead to mine and prayed that in the next life, we would be strangers. He begged for a clean start that belonged only to them.

It was only then that I finally understood. I never should have used our blood-stained past to chain him to my side.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I finally found Darren after his disappearance.

This time, I chose to let him go, allowing the man I loved to be with his true soulmate.

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1

"Darren's lost his memory. He refuses to come back with us. We've already contacted a top neurosurgeon who says he can help restore it, and quickly."

The same words I’d heard in my past life, spoken on the day I found Darren Valachi after he’d been missing for five years.

Only this time, there was no surge of elation, no desperate urgency in my heart.

I shook my head and ordered my men to stand down.

Then I did two things.

First, I went to the hospital for a full physical.

Second, I took the diagnostic report for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and drove straight to the Valachi family estate to break off our engagement.

Darren's father, Don Marco Valachi, gripped my hand, his eyes red-rimmed as he shook his head. "Alessia, you can't. He loves you. You're the only one he'd ever marry."

I said nothing, simply handing him a photograph.

In the picture, Darren stood outside a rundown bar, his gaze gentle yet possessive as he looked at a woman. That woman was Scarlett Romano.

"Instead of forcing him to marry a dying woman, why not let him be with the one he loves? I don't want to be his burden."

In my last life, Darren vanished during a family feud. I had poured five years and every resource I had into finding him, only to discover he’d been taken in by Scarlett Romano, the youngest daughter of the Romano family. The two had fallen deeply in love.

Against his will, I used every means necessary to force him to remember.

The day his memories returned, Scarlett was brutally murdered by a rival family in an act of revenge. From that moment on, a bloody chasm lay between Darren and me.

Our marriage that followed was cold and desolate.

Yet, when I was diagnosed with ALS, Darren remained by my side for seven years, feeding and bathing me himself. He took me to every famed doctor and visited every church to pray for me, begging for a miracle.

But I knew his devotion stemmed from duty and a blood debt, not love.

Holding back tears, my voice rasped, "Darren and I are over."

This time, I would not make the same mistake.

After leaving the Valachi estate, I went to find Scarlett.

The moment she saw me, she panicked, shoving Darren into a back room.

She turned to face me, her voice trembling. "I swear, I never meant to hide him!"

I met her gaze calmly. "You and I both know that's not true."

Realizing denial was useless, Scarlett pressed her lips together, her expression shifting from guilt to defiance.

"I know he's always loved you! Only you! If he gets his memory back, he'll drop everything and run straight back to you!"

"But I fell for him the moment I saw him! I've loved him for years, and he never once looked my way. Now… I finally have my chance."

"I just wanted him to stay with me for a few more days. Just a few more days, that's all!"

Her voice finally cracked, tears welling in her eyes.

I stood there quietly, listening. My gaze, however, drifted past her to Darren.

He was staring straight at me, muscles coiled, his eyes dark and stormy—a caged beast ready to break free.

This man, who once followed me everywhere, was now Scarlett's guard dog. If I showed the slightest malice, he would pounce and tear me to shreds.

A dull ache bloomed in my chest. All I knew was that I couldn't be selfish enough to chain him to my side again.

"There's no need to be afraid," I told Scarlett, forcing a smile. "I'm here to take you both back to the Valachi estate."

Scarlett was stunned, her eyes wide. "Both of us?"

"That's right." I nodded. "You're the one he loves. He would never come with me if I left you behind."

"Go pack your things. You're both coming with me."

My voice remained calm, even. "His father knows about you. He's agreed to let you be together."

Scarlett let out a long sigh of relief, her face beaming. She grabbed Darren's hand, smiling wider than I’d ever seen, and hurried off to pack.

Only then did Darren seem to realize I had no intention of harming Scarlett. The tension in his shoulders eased, and he pursed his lips.

"Sorry," he said softly. "I thought you were going to do something to her."

His entire world now seemed to revolve around her.

I remembered how he used to flee into my arms whenever Scarlett pestered him, feigning distress. He would insist I publicly declare he was mine.

"Tell them I'm yours. Use your toughest voice."

He'd even scrunch his face into a fierce little grimace for me to copy.

We would always dissolve into helpless laughter, tumbling onto the sofa in a heap.

But that was all gone. Darren was no longer mine.

I forced another smile and brought them back to the Valachi estate.

When it came time for introductions, everyone hesitated.

So, I spoke up. "Hi, Darren. I'm Alessia."

"We grew up together. I've always seen you as my little brother. You even promised to find me a good man, but then you lost your memory, so I'm still single."

Those in the know exchanged uneasy glances, but Darren just laughed.

"Alright, Alessia. Once I get settled, I promise I'll find the best man in the world for you."

That night, the smell of smoke woke me.

I went outside to find a fire blazing in the backyard. The blaze devoured every trace of the life Darren and I had built together.

Childhood photos, my father's old manuscripts, and even the little knight he’d carved for me from a bullet casing when he first confessed his love...

Everything crackled as it turned to ash.

A sharp pain seized my chest, as if something vital was being ripped from me.

Just then, Darren turned and saw me.

"We were all we had back then, so of course we were close."

"But now that Scarlett's here, having these things around would only make her uncomfortable. So I burned them. You don't mind, do you?"

I clenched my fists, fighting to keep my composure, to hide the heartbreak from my face.

"It's fine," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "The things in my room… go ahead and burn them, too."

I gathered Darren's old belongings from my room and tossed them into the fire.

The flames roared, and waves of heat washed over my skin, but I felt as if I were submerged in ice water.

For the next few days, the estate was filled with the sounds of demolition.

The rooftop greenhouse Darren had built for me with his own hands was dismantled, replaced by a lavish cigar bar Scarlett preferred.

The shooting range where we’d spent hours practicing, the place we watched the sunset, was leveled to make way for a dance floor for Scarlett’s parties.

Even the terrace where we’d exchanged our first promises was torn down, replaced with the Italian-style garden Scarlett wanted.

The day the garden was completed, Scarlett cornered me in the hallway.

Her chin held high, she made a show of the bracelet on her wrist.

"Darren found this in the safe," she announced, shaking her wrist. "He said it was obviously meant for the future matriarch of the Valachi family. He put it on me himself."

She waved her hand in my face. "What do you think?" she purred. "Like it?"

It was a family heirloom, passed down for generations, a symbol of the matriarch’s status.

I nodded sincerely. "It's gorgeous. It suits you."

But Scarlett's face instantly darkened. "I don't like it."

"We both know who this was meant for," she spat, her eyes sharp. "You keep saying you don't care about Darren, but your past with him is a time bomb ticking right next to me. I can't relax for a second with you around."

"Then what do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Well..."

Before she could finish, she suddenly cried out and tumbled down the stairs.

A powerful force shoved me from behind. I staggered, falling hard.

A sharp pain shot through my ankle, and my palms scraped against the rough floor, a searing sting spreading up my arms.

Before I could scramble to my feet, Darren shoved me aside, his face a mask of cold fury.

As he cradled Scarlett protectively in his arms, a murderous rage radiated from him.

He frantically checked her for injuries, his voice tight with panic.

"Scarlett! Are you okay? What did she do?"

"Where does it hurt?"

After a moment, she shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks as she gazed up at him. "I'm fine… It's just… I think Alessia pushed me by accident."

"I shouldn't have worn the bracelet. She wouldn't have thrown it off, and now it's gone."

She held out her bare wrist.

"I'm not welcome here," Scarlett said to Darren, her eyes red. "Why don't we just go back to our little apartment? At least no one will hurt me there..."

Her pitiful act was designed to break his heart.

His expression hardened into pure fury.

Clutching my swelling ankle, I stared in disbelief. "It wasn't me—"

But Darren shot me a look so cold it sent a shiver down my spine.

"I didn't push her, and I damn well didn't take the bracelet," I choked out.

"You know exactly what you did," Darren bit out.

He helped Scarlett to her feet and gave a sharp nod to the bodyguards beside him.

"Make her 'find' that bracelet."