I stared into Vincent's eyes in shock, my breath coming in short, difficult gasps.

“I didn't do anything. I don't know what you're talking about.”

But in this life, I hadn't interfered with them at all. And right now, weren't they supposed to be holding their child's christening at their private villa?

A chilling smile touched the corner of Vincent's mouth.

“Cut the act. I know you've been reborn.”

“In your last life, you would have rather died than grant me a divorce. Wasn't that just because you couldn't bear to give up your position as the Matriarch of the Romano family? You knew today was our child's christening, so you deliberately used your status as a sponsor to threaten Luna and make her disappear, didn't you?”

I was so shocked I couldn't speak.

Vincent's hand clamped tightly around my neck, stealing the last of my air. I beat frantically at his arm, my chest heaving violently.

“You're mistaken, I had no idea…”

“Stella, my patience is wearing thin.”

Vincent coldly shoved me away and motioned for his bodyguards to tie me up. He lit a cigar, his face an emotionless mask.

“I'll give you five minutes. Tell me where Luna is.”

“Otherwise, don't blame me for destroying the only family you have left.”

My head snapped up, and I glared at him, my eyes bloodshot. “You wouldn't dare!”

My parents died when we were young, leaving only my sister, Diana, and me.

Vincent understood the weaknesses of human nature all too well.

He knew my greatest weakness.

But my sister had already been ruined because of me once; this time, I couldn't let him get his way.

I rushed over and grabbed Vincent's arm tightly, looking up at him and pleading:

“Vincent, for the sake of our eight years of marriage, please believe me this once. Just this once.”

“I didn't touch Luna, and I don't know where she is. Besides, I'm already preparing to divorce you! You can ask my lawyer if you don't believe me!”

I was desperate to prove my innocence, but Vincent's gaze remained fixed on me, cold as ice.

He scoffed.

“Don't think you can stall for time by spouting this nonsense. If you had truly been willing to divorce me quietly, your sister wouldn't have died in front of you in your last life.”

He suddenly reached out and pressed the lit cigar against my collarbone.

A sharp pain shot through me, and I couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.

Vincent's eyes were filled with frost. “Now you know what pain feels like?”

“With Luna gone, the pain I feel is a thousand, ten thousand times worse than this.”

Seeing my skin burn, a flicker of something passed through his eyes before he finally tossed the cigar away.

Then, his voice raspy, he pressed on, “You know what Luna means to me. Tell me, where the hell is she?”

I was utterly desperate, shaking my head frantically. “I really don't know! Instead of wasting time interrogating me here, you should be out there looking for her.”

Vincent was silent for a long moment. “Bring Diana here.”

My breath hitched, and despair consumed me.

Diana had been teaching at a private school. Vincent's men had pulled her right out of class and dragged her here.

Her face was a mask of confusion as she looked at me. “What's going on? Why are you kneeling here?”

I squeezed my eyes shut, then rushed forward to clutch at his pant leg, begging him abjectly.

“I'll do anything. You can have my life, just please, let my sister go.”

Vincent remained unmoved.

Desperate, I snatched the nearby fruit knife and pressed its tip to my neck, the cold steel a breath away from breaking my skin.

“I swear on my life, if I did anything to Luna, may I die on this very spot!”

“Vincent, you promised you would always believe me, no matter what happened, didn't you?”

My voice began to crack, thick with tears.

“I don't want any of it anymore. I don't want to be Mrs. Romano, I don't want this title, and I don't want you…”

Vincent frowned slightly. He seemed to be contemplating the truth of my words.

Just then, the nanny rushed in, holding a wailing baby.

“Boss, where is Miss Luna? The young master won't stop crying for his mother. Miss Luna has never been away from the villa this long. Could something have happened to her?”

The hint of warmth that had begun to soften Vincent's expression instantly vanished, replaced by an icy chill.

He commanded coldly, “Tie Diana up. Take her to the rooftop.”

“Stella,”

He scrutinized me, his voice like ice. “You have one chance to talk. If you refuse, I have no problem making you watch your sister die in front of you all over again.”

Despair washed over me, leaving only a profound exhaustion in its wake.

I thought to myself, if he truly dared to harm Diana, I would drag him down with me. We would jump together and go to hell together.

Just as the bodyguards began to move, one of his men ran over, panting, a phone clutched in his hand.

“Boss, we've found Miss Luna.”

Vincent finally found Luna in a deserted church on the outskirts of town.

The young girl was kneeling before the cross, weeping her heart out.

“Oh God, what do I do? I have sinned. I never wanted to fight Stella for a man, but I still had Vincent's child.”

“God, do You think I'm ungrateful, too? Stella sponsored me for so many years, yet I betrayed her. She must hate my guts. I would be better off dead…”

When she ran out, she had stolen one of Vincent's guns.

She was trying to point the muzzle at herself, but she had no idea how to fire it, fumbling with the weapon endlessly.

Suddenly, Vincent rushed over and snatched it away.

The next second, he pulled her tightly into his embrace.

Bound, I was dragged to the entrance of the church. Even from a distance, I could hear his panicked, ragged breaths.

“It's okay, everything's okay…”

His face was pale with anguish, and he clutched her as if trying to fuse her into his own body.

“Luna, you foolish girl.”

Weeping, Luna tried to struggle free, but only collapsed more weakly into his arms, a pitifully beautiful sight.

I had already replayed this scene in my mind a million times. But witnessing it firsthand still sent a suffocating pain through my chest.

Luna was an art student I sponsored.

I first noticed her at a gala for art patrons.

The other young artists were all eagerly pitching themselves to potential patrons, each one desperate for sponsorship.

But Luna stood apart, dressed in a white maxi dress, her canvas shoes washed to a faded white. She was like a pure white dove, standing at a distance, not competing or vying for attention, just quietly observing.

She instantly reminded me of my younger self.

And so, I arranged for my foundation to sponsor her tuition and living expenses.

When she couldn't find a job after graduation, I kindly recommended her for a position at my family's company.

If it hadn't been for that initial sponsorship...

Perhaps that night never would have happened—the night Vincent was drugged and stumbled into her bed.

Now that I think about it, perhaps this was all a bitter harvest of my own sowing.

Vincent was coaxing her with a patience I had never seen before, and after a long while, Luna finally calmed down.

She turned her head and saw me, and tears began to stream down her face again.

“I'm sorry, Stella…”

“You don't have to apologize to her.”

Vincent cut her off, staring at me coldly.

“That night wasn't your fault. The fact that you’re carrying my child is a sign from fate.”

“Luna, in my heart, you have long been family. No one can replace you.”

Vincent pulled her into his arms again and kissed her gently.

“Don't ever run off again, or I'll truly go insane.”

In the end, Luna was brought back to the manor by Vincent.

His heart ached for her; with trembling hands, he drew her slender shoulders close, kissing her forehead five or six times on the way back.

Luna, too, was moved by his overwhelming love. Upon returning to the manor, she dropped to her knees before me.

“Stella, I know I've been ungrateful. I know I can never repay what I owe you.”

“But I've truly fallen in love with Vincent. Could you… could you possibly…”

As she spoke, tears began to well in her eyes again.

A bitter smile touched my lips. “Give up the title of Mrs. Romano? Is that it?”

A year had passed since I had last seen her.

She had become fuller than before, with the soft aura of a new mother about her.

But there was also a new hint of melancholy in her eyes.

During the year of her pregnancy and childbirth, Vincent had publicly claimed that he had sent her to Europe for advanced studies. But only I knew that he had hidden her away in his private villa in Italy.

Every late night he spent away from home, he was with her.

I understood that, in the beginning, Vincent was only after the child she was carrying, planning to bring the baby to me to raise as my own.

But people aren't made of stone. Day after day, he found himself moved by this simple, kind-hearted girl, and he truly gave her his heart.

Luna instantly panicked, waving her hands frantically. “That's not what I meant! I know I was being delusional, but Stella, we've already had the baby…”

I looked down with a bitter smile, pulling up the application for my new identity on my phone to show her.

“Rest assured. In seven more days, I will be leaving this country.”

Every word I spoke was deliberate and firm.

“And then, you will be the one and only Mrs. Romano.”

Back in my room, my sister was still waiting anxiously. The moment she saw me, she rushed forward, her eyes filled with worry.

“What on earth happened? I thought you and Vincent were happy together. Who is that woman?”

I shook my head, exhausted. “Come away with me, Diana. Let's leave this place.”

My sister has always understood me.

I explained the whole story to her, from beginning to end, including the part about my rebirth.

Sympathy filled Diana’s eyes. She squeezed my hand tightly. “Alright, we’ll leave together. We’ll make sure that bastard Vincent can never find you again.”

In the days that followed, Luna’s existence was no longer a secret.

She had given birth to the Romano family’s young master, making her the family’s savior..

The family elders, who had once favored me, now sneered:

“They claimed our heir couldn't have children, so how do you explain Luna? It seems to me someone is just a barren placeholder.”

I just pretended not to hear them and walked past in silence.

After all, in just a few more days, I would be leaving this place for good.

“Sign this.”

Vincent handed me a document. In bold letters across the top were the words “Family Trust Fund Share Transfer Agreement.”

I understood. He wanted me to transfer a portion of my shares to Luna.

Seeing my silence, Vincent spoke coldly:

“You occupy the position of Mrs. Romano, and Luna won't fight you for it, but these shares are what she deserves. She secured the family line for the Romanos; she's our heroine. The elders agree.”

I nodded. “Alright.”

When I took the signed documents to Vincent, I placed the divorce papers at the very bottom of the pile.

Just as I'd expected, he signed them without a second glance. I let out a long sigh of relief as he pushed the door open and left.

Vincent's “work” was demanding, yet he was always willing to make plenty of time to spend with Luna and their son.

He would watch sunrises and sunsets with Luna. He would even handcraft a sturdy cradle and sing lullabies to their child.

And yet...

If it weren't for that accident, that happiness should have been mine.

The sight stung my eyes, and I couldn't bear to watch any longer. I turned and walked away.

That day, I had just finalized things with an art team overseas and bought my plane ticket. All that was left was to wait for the final confirmation of my new identity.

But just then, something happened to the child.

I was packing my suitcase when Vincent suddenly burst in, his eyes bloodshot, and kicked it to pieces.

“Finished with your wicked deed, and now you think you can just walk away?”