My husband was Don Enzo De Luca of the Chicago Outfit. His first love, Nina Rossi, had died to save him.

As fate would have it, our wedding day was also the anniversary of Nina's death.

He left me alone at the altar, making me the laughingstock of Chicago.

From then on, we became the most infamous couple in the Chicago underworld, bound by a marriage fueled by hatred.

However, when the Falcone family's assassins cornered me on the street, Enzo took a fatal bullet for me.

As he lay dying in my arms, he whispered, "I've repaid my debt to your mother."

"Alessia... let me go. I don't want to see the hatred in your eyes anymore. That... hurts more than death."

And then, he closed his eyes forever.

My heart shattered. He never looked at me again.

It was only then that I realized how foolish all those years of resentment had been.

Later, after I eliminated the Falcone family for him, I took my own life with a gun.

But when I opened my eyes again, I was twenty years old, back in the year of our engagement.

I refused my father's arranged marriage, choosing instead to open an art gallery in Seattle.

This time, I would stay far away from Enzo and wish him and Nina happiness from a distance.

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1

In this new life, I had sworn off pursuing Enzo De Luca. But the shoulder wound I’d sustained a few weeks ago while escaping a Falcone family attack still throbbed with a dull ache.

The night before our engagement ceremony, the pain was particularly agonizing. I was about to get the first-aid kit when Enzo walked in, the kit already in his hand.

Wordlessly, he unwrapped the bandage on my shoulder, his movements practiced and efficient as he cleaned the wound. The accidental brush of his warm fingertips against my skin sent a jolt through me.

"Alessia, stop putting yourself in danger just to get my attention. You are the Principessa of the Gallo family; you need to learn to protect yourself."

Enzo spoke, his tone as cold as steel.

His words were a bucket of ice water, extinguishing the fragile spark in my chest.

He was always like this, tending to my wounds with practiced precision while pushing me away with the coldest words.

I once thought he was just emotionally clumsy. It wasn't until after Nina's death that I understood the insurmountable distance between us was simply because he didn't love me.

My silence only seemed to anger him more. "Answer me, Alessia Gallo," he bit out. "I'll say this only once. Pull a stunt like this again, and you're on your own. I won't be there to save you."

His voice was laced with the same cold disgust I remembered from my past life.

Tears welled in my eyes, but I nodded. "Fine. I won't get hurt again. And I won't be a bother anymore."

After a brief hesitation, I gently tugged on the corner of Enzo's sleeve, blinking nervously. "Could you... tuck my hair back? Like you used to when we were kids. Just one last time."

Disgust flashed across his face. He frowned, trying to pull his sleeve away.

I took a deep breath and pleaded again. "Please... I swear this is the last time."

He seemed about to refuse again, but I caught his hand.

The sudden heat of my palm against his made him hesitate.

"Alessia," he began, his voice tight. "Don't push your luck. This will only make me resent you more. I've told you before, I only see you as a sister."

I fought back tears, clinging to the warmth of his hand. Then, I nodded, my expression serious. "I know. After today, I won't pester you anymore."

Enzo clearly didn't believe me. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I hope you mean that."

With that, he reached out, a little stiffly, and tucked a stray strand of hair from my forehead behind my ear before leaving my room without a backward glance.

I stared at his departing figure, frozen in place.

His scent still lingered in the air, and I found myself inhaling deeply, trying to hold on to the last trace of him.

Remembering the doubt in his eyes, I gave a bitter smile. This time, I meant it. I wouldn't chase him anymore. I would stay far away, resigned to being nothing more than a ghost from his childhood.

The next day, my father called me to his study to discuss the engagement details. However, the first thing I said was, "Papa, I don't want to marry Enzo anymore. I want to go to Seattle, open a gallery, and expand the family's art business."

"You've wanted to marry Enzo since you were a child. Why the sudden change of heart?" he asked, bewildered.

"I don't love him anymore," I replied. "I just want to focus on my career now. Papa, I truly hope you'll agree."

My father, the Don of the Gallo family, studied me—the daughter he had always doted on—and sighed. "Are you sure? If you back out, your cousin Nina will marry him."

I nodded firmly. "Then let them be together. I wish them well."

Suddenly, a thought struck me. I added, "And, Papa, please don't tell Enzo I'm the one who called it off. I don't want him to think this is just another one of my games. I just want to leave with some dignity."

My father seemed puzzled by my sudden resolve.

Even so, he agreed and had a flight to Seattle booked for me for the following week.

It was a convenient turn of events, as we were planning to expand our legitimate businesses in Seattle and needed someone trustworthy to oversee things.

I was the perfect candidate.

After leaving my father's study, I was heading down the hall when Nina stepped into my path.

"Alessia, why can't you just wish Enzo and me well?"

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Since I had already decided to back out, there was no point in arguing. They would understand soon enough.

I shook myself from my thoughts and moved to walk around her.

She suddenly grabbed my arm, snatched a glass of red wine from a nearby table, and flung it all over her own expensive white dress before letting out a hysterical scream.

Before I could even react, Enzo rushed over, pulling Nina behind him and shielding her with his body.

"Alessia Gallo!" he roared. "What the hell did you do to Nina?"

I tried to explain, but the look in his eyes—as if I were his mortal enemy—made the words die in my throat.

In his eyes, I would always be the demanding, willful Principessa, while the sweet, fragile Nina would always be the victim.

My heart sank. My shoulder throbbed, a sharp reminder of the recent attack. I turned to leave, but Enzo grabbed my arm, his grip like iron.

"Alessia, apologize!"

"I did nothing wrong! Why should I apologize?" I retorted, yanking my arm free.

In an instant, his anger flared. "I've already agreed to the marriage, Alessia. Why do you still have to hurt her?"

His roar made my eyes sting. I sniffled, fighting to keep my emotions in check. "I told you, I didn't do anything!"

Meanwhile, Nina, her eyes already red-rimmed, grabbed Enzo's arm and buried her face in his chest. Her shoulders trembled as she sobbed softly. "Enzo, don't say that about Alessia. She only does these things because she loves you."

The moment she finished speaking, Enzo wrapped his arm around her trembling shoulders, comforting her gently. The tenderness in his eyes was a look he had never once given me.

A sharp pain lanced through my chest.

Still, I clenched my fists and held back my tears.

"Listen to me, Alessia," Enzo snarled. "Even if we get married, I will never lay a finger on you!"

I spun around, hot tears finally streaming down my cheeks.

"Fine! Have it your way."

With that, I limped away. A part of me was glad I hadn't repeated my past mistakes. Otherwise, we would have been trapped in another loveless, agonizing marriage.

In this life, Enzo and I would be nothing more than a memory.

After that day, I thought I would never cross paths with Enzo again. But to my surprise, a tube of the finest ointment and a note written in his familiar, commanding script arrived at my room every morning.

As I read the notes reminding me to apply the medicine, my eyes burned with unshed tears. I traced his handwriting with my finger, my thoughts drifting back to my past life.

After my mother died saving his sister, he stayed by my side like a guardian angel. No matter how absurd my demands were, he would find a way to satisfy them.

Even after we were married and hated each other, he would still take care of me whenever I was hurt, never leaving my side. When the Falcone family's assassins came for me, he didn't hesitate to take a bullet for me.

Enzo was just repaying the life debt he owed my mother, but I had mistaken it for love. I had pursued him relentlessly my entire life, claiming it was for love, and in doing so, destroyed his one chance at happiness with the woman he truly loved.

The memory snapped me back to the present. Just then, a cold dread washed over me as I realized today was the day Nina had been targeted for revenge by the Falcone family in my past life.

Ignoring the throbbing pain in my shoulder, I sprinted toward an old, family-owned warehouse on the outskirts of the city.

When I arrived, I found Nina being held down by several of Viviana Falcone's thugs. One of them held a red-hot branding iron, engraved with the Falcone family crest, ready to press it into her skin.

I immediately raised my gun and fired a shot into the ceiling, drawing every eye in the room.

"You dare touch her on Gallo territory?" I yelled, my voice echoing in the cavernous space.

Viviana Falcone's henchmen rounded on me, snarling that I should mind my own business. Nina was stunned into silence.

I strode forward, shielding her with my body.

Seeing that her skin was still unharmed, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. I barked at her, "Go find my father! Tell him to bring backup. Now!"

Nina froze for a second, then scrambled to her feet and ran, trembling.

I gritted my teeth, preparing to face the Falcone thugs alone.

Seeing Nina escape, they were enraged. One of them raised his gun and fired.

The bullet tore through my calf, and the searing pain brought me to one knee.

Seeing me stumble, they just sneered.

"I've been waiting for a chance to get my hands on you," one of the women spat. "We were planning on paying you a visit after we were done with Nina. I guess you decided to save us the trip."

As soon as she finished speaking, another bullet slammed into my thigh. The sharp pain ripped through me, and my grip on my gun loosened.

Just then, Nina ran back in, holding a gun. But the barrel was aimed at my ankle. She pulled the trigger without warning.

I stared at her, bewildered, as the bullet struck home.

She stammered frantically, "I—I didn't mean to! I was so nervous, my hand slipped!"

The pain was excruciating. Even so, for Enzo's sake, I gritted my teeth and shielded her with my body.

I could never forget that she was the woman Enzo loved most. This time, I had to ensure her safety. Only then could he be spared the pain of losing her.

I didn't have time to wonder if Nina's hand had truly slipped. I turned, shielding her as we tried to fall back.

But my body convulsed from the immense pain. Suppressing a raw, furious cry, I gritted my teeth and returned fire at the Falcone thugs.

The moment they saw the murderous glint in my eyes, a flicker of fear crossed their faces, and they scrambled for cover behind the pillars.

Before I could catch my breath, a gunshot rang out from behind me. In a flash, my weapon was shot cleanly out of my hand.

I whipped around to see Enzo pointing his gun at me, his face a mask of fury. "Alessia! How could you point a gun at Nina? What did she ever do to you?"

I shook my head in anguish. "No, Enzo. It's not like that..."

But Nina had already thrown herself into his arms, sobbing. "Enzo, I'm so scared... Please, just get me out of here!"

Her cries seemed to tear at his heart.

A moment later, Enzo fired several warning shots at the ground by my feet. "The next time you dare to hurt Nina, I'll bury you with my own two hands!"