Celeste Leblanc, the daughter of the richest man in the city, has ordered a custom-fitted ring worth a billion dollars according to my finger size. She claims that she will marry the person who can wear it perfectly.

In the first time loop, George Braun, the fake heir, secretly enlarges the ring so that he can marry Celeste. She responds by slapping him to the point he's all bruised and battered.

"You're not the one!"

In the second time loop, my adopted brother, Roger Braun, loses 30 pounds in one go so that he can marry Celeste. She responds by pushing him down the stairs.

"You're not the one either!"

In the third time loop, my stepfather, Edgar Braun, grits his teeth and makes up his mind. He slices the flesh off his finger so that he can wear the ring properly.

Celeste chuckles coldly at the sight. She orders her bodyguards to drown Edgar in a bathtub immediately.

In the fourth time loop, everyone is left without a choice. They're so frightened that they deliver me into Celeste's hands.

I put on the ring. It fits my finger perfectly well.

The entire family heaves sighs of relief. But the moment Celeste sees me, she draws out a blade and stabs me to death.

"You're not the one too! Where the hell is my fated husband?"

In the final time loop, when Celeste tells her secretary, Donny Griffin, to bring the ring over, all of us claim that we can't wear the ring at all.

But Donny shoots us a weird look.

"Ms. Leblanc has already made it clear that one of you is the ring's owner."

The four of us stared at the pigeon-egg-sized diamond ring, completely stunned.

All the family members who could go had already gone. Who exactly did Celeste Leblanc want to marry?

Edgar Braun repeatedly asked Donny Griffin for confirmation. "Could there be a mistake? There shouldn't be anyone in our family that Celeste is interested in, right?"

Otherwise, she wouldn't have gotten married four times, practically making a hobby out of collecting dead husbands.

But Donny frowned slightly with displeasure and replied with solemn earnestness, "At Ms. Leblanc's banquet, the four of you occupied an entire table by yourselves.

"She only glanced your way once and said the owner of the ring was among you. So, no, there's no mistake."

With that, he presented the diamond ring and added haughtily, "Why don't the four of you take turns trying it on?"

George Braun, who cared most about his pride, immediately backed off. "I'm allergic to diamond rings. Wearing one would kill me on the spot."

Roger Braun, who valued money as much as his own life, waved his hands in refusal. "I'm so fat. I'd probably snap the ring in half."

Edgar Braun, who had long wanted to find a new wife, managed a smile uglier than a grimace. "My heart still belongs to my late wife. There's no way Celeste is in love with me."

In the end, everyone turned to look at me in unison.

Donny grinned, deepening the wrinkles across his face. "Mr. Bernard, didn't you once cross paths with Ms. Leblanc and fall for her at first sight? This ring must be meant for you."

Fall for her? I was so terrified that my heart almost stopped beating.

However, I had to admit I was indeed moved beyond measure when I heard those words in my previous life.

After all, Celeste and I did share a secret romance, and she even had the ring custom-made to fit my finger.

Thus, when I finally escaped the control of those three at home and successfully married Celeste, I thought my hardships were finally over. After toasting the guests, I entered our bedroom excitedly and eagerly.

But as soon as Celeste saw my face clearly, she angrily grabbed a knife and stabbed me repeatedly.

My face was reflected in her eyes as she glared at me in raging fury. "You're not him! How dare you take his place and marry me?"

I bled out completely in immense agony, and even in death, I couldn't understand one thing.

If Celeste wasn't looking for me, then who on earth was she looking for?

Lost in memories, I stood frozen in place, making no move to take the ring from Donny's hand.

"Since Ms. Leblanc is the only child of the wealthiest family in the country, marrying her does come with immense pressure," Donny said with a smile. "Perhaps you need some time to prepare yourselves, so how about this?

"Ms. Leblanc will visit in person tomorrow. You all have the night to think it over carefully, and I'll leave the ring right here for now."

Donny left the ring behind and turned to leave in his diamond-studded, luxurious stretched limousine.

Yet, as we stared at that blinding diamond, none of us dared to feel the slightest temptation. After all, we were terrified of dying.

The three men, who had been locked in a fierce rivalry with me all these years, were uncharacteristically united for once. They pulled me into the living room to hold a meeting.

One by one, they tried sliding the ring onto their own fingers, only to confirm in the end that it fit properly on mine alone.

Edgar eyed me suspiciously. "Are you sure Celeste killed you on your wedding night too?"

I rolled my eyes helplessly. "Didn't you all see? I was sent back here, stabbed full of holes."

Roger nodded vigorously. "That was brutal. There wasn't a single patch of unbroken skin left on your body."

George sighed in agreement. "Despite competing with Bernard for a decade, even I felt sorry for him when I saw what happened to him."

The four of us exchanged glances and let out a resigned sigh.

"But if we don't hand someone over tomorrow, won't she just kill all of us?" Edgar asked, breaking down.

The three of them wore expressions of deep distress.

Suddenly, I lifted my head. "But it's not completely hopeless. For example, there should be surveillance footage from that banquet, right? If the man Celeste is looking for isn't among us, maybe we can find her true love through the footage?"

To save our own skins, the four of us wasted no time and immediately took a cab to the hotel where Celeste had hosted her banquet.

Roger, who was most skilled at playing the pitiful underdog, spun a convincingly tragic story. Thanks to that, we managed to secure us permission to view the surveillance footage.

The footage showed us seated at a table in the far corner at the start of the banquet. It was a placement reflecting our diminished status after the death of our matriarch and my mother, Courtney Braun.

"That innermost corner really did have just our table," Edgar said with a frown.

Years of rivalry among the four of us had created such a tense atmosphere that it left no space for anyone else. As a result, that table remained ours alone. In fact, even the Brauns' extended relatives kept their distance.

George looked puzzled. "And there really were just the four of us there."

That was when Celeste made her grand entrance. She strode down the red carpet with an air of confidence, yet she paused as she passed us.

She then turned directly toward our table and flashed an extraordinarily doting smile. Then, she leaned in to whisper something to Donny.

As we watched the smile on her face, we couldn't help but feel an inexplicable sense of dread.

"It looks like her true love really is one of us," I murmured blankly.

The four of us exchanged glances, each seeing fear reflected in the others' eyes.

If it weren't for the fact that we all retained memories of our previous lives, this situation would have been impossible to explain.

Roger shuddered. "If it really is one of us, then why did she kill us so brutally?"

I took a deep breath and suddenly thought of the only possible way out of this.

With unwavering resolve, I looked at them and declared, "I might have to go to Celeste's place. Wait for my news."

Under the admiring and grateful gazes of the three of them, I set off for Celeste's residence.

Little did they know, I was the one who found the situation most baffling so far.

Because Celeste and I were, to this day, still maintaining a secret romance. Not to mention, she was the one who had pursued me.

Following the discreet side entrance we often used for our private meetings, I easily slipped into Celeste's room.

She was stunned for a second when she saw me, but her expression soon returned to normal.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

The gentle woman before me overlapped with the madwoman who had stabbed me to death in my previous life.

Suppressing my fear, I stepped closer and asked, "Am I the one you want to marry?"

Celeste paused, a strange flicker of unease passing through her eyes. "We've been together for so long," she said. "Shouldn't you know me by now? The reason I had Donny deliver the ring to your house was, of course, for my one true love."

I pulled her into my arms with a smile. She settled onto my lap, her posture intimate and familiar.

Even so, I was sharp enough to catch a crucial flaw in her words.

She said she went to my house for her true love, but she still hadn't said that true love was me.

Digging my nails into my palm, I asked with a smile, "Then who is your true love?"

Celeste suddenly fell silent and gave me a once-over. "You should know. Did you really need to ask me that?"

I thought she would avoid the question again. Instead, she continued, "It's you, of course. As long as you want it to be you, it will be. Once we're married tomorrow, all my family's fortune will be yours."

I stared into her eyes and saw nothing but deep affection.

Ever since we started our secret relationship, she had treated me kindly.

I was slow and often bullied by Edgar and the other two. I didn't even hold shares in the family company. Yet, Celeste not only quietly had my back, but she also gave me many things that the Braun family could never hope to possess in this lifetime.

Also, despite being born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she'd still stoop to tie my shoelaces or step into the kitchen to cook for me.

I once believed that I would definitely be the one to marry her. But then again, I had also witnessed firsthand her descent into madness and obsession.

"You're not him! What right do you have to take his place and marry me?" she had screamed as she plunged the knife into my heart. "You're just a Braun heir in name only. You're not even a real successor. What makes you worthy of being with me?

"You were nothing more than a fling to pass the time, and yet you had the audacity to try and replace him and marry me?"

Snapping back to reality, I saw Celeste lean in and place a kiss on my cheek.

I had to summon every ounce of willpower to stop myself from pushing her away, as it was this very gesture that led me to an incredibly wild yet plausible truth.

I looked at her in disbelief. "Your true love is—"

However, Celeste didn't give me a chance to finish my sentence. She covered my mouth, a dangerous glint flashing in her eyes. "Haven't you asked enough questions tonight?"

But then she quickly regained her gentle composure. "Tomorrow is our big day. You should head back and get some proper rest."

A fine, creeping fear welled up inside me. I nodded hurriedly before leaving.

When I returned home, Edgar, George, and Roger—all unable to sleep—rushed toward me the moment they saw me.

"Well? Did you find out who Celeste's true love is?"

I shook my head silently.

Defeat and despair immediately crossed their eyes.

Even Roger, a grown man, began to cry. "I don't want to die. How about we just make a run for it?"

"Run?" Edgar snapped. "With Celeste's power and influence, no matter how far we run, she'd find us and drag us back."

George steeled himself. "There are only four hours until dawn. If we run, we can at least live a few more days. That's better than dying immediately."

But my tone abruptly shifted, turning resolute. "We can't run. The wedding must happen, and I'll be the one to marry her."

George stared at me in disbelief. "I may dislike you, but haven't you forgotten how brutally you died in your previous life?"

Edgar frowned and said, "If you're still love-struck after all that, I'm starting to wonder whether I was too kind to you before."

The pigeon-egg-sized diamond ring, worth a billion dollars, still lay on the table.

If George put in on, his face would be slashed to pieces before he was thrown into the basement, left to die from infection and rot.

If Roger wore it, he'd be pushed down the stairs and left to die in agony with every bone in his body shattered.

If Edgar slipped it on, he'd be drowned in a bathtub, left to bloat into a grotesque form before being dumped back at our house.

And if I were to wear the ring, I'd face the most agonizing death of all.

As punishment for my insolence as her lover, Celeste stabbed me 20 times, every strike carefully avoiding a fatal blow. Blood slowly seeped from my body as my body warmth steadily faded away.

The sensation of life ebbing away brought me immense terror and despair.

It was so severe that even my three long-time rivals couldn't help but feel a pang of pity when they saw my corpse.

The impeccably polished diamond gleamed brilliantly, yet to us four, it shone like a guillotine blade.

Still, I walked over and slipped it on without hesitation.

"I know it's dangerous," I said. "But this is the only way we can all survive."

Roger stared at me with disbelief. "Have you found out something?"

I knew full well that sharing the truth would make tomorrow's plan more likely to succeed, but if my suspicion turned out to be correct, the reality would be far too bizarre and terrifying.

I couldn't drag them all into this, so I shook my head. "I'm sorry, but now's not the time to tell you yet."

"Tell us what you need us to do," George said gravely.

I lowered my gaze. "I need you to attend the wedding as usual and act as if you know nothing."

Edgar scowled. "After the wedding, Celeste will stab you to death, and you want us to act like everything's fine?"

Already fully on my side, the three of them looked at me with deep concern.

I thought back to all the things they had done to me in the past. They were mostly petty squabbles over small amounts of money, none of which had ever truly endangered my life.

Yet, the woman I loved and trusted had brutally tortured me to death on our wedding night.

I took a deep breath and finally decided to tell them the truth.

"When I went to see Celeste earlier, she suddenly leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. That one gesture made me realize who her true love is. He really is among the four of us, and it's someone we absolutely never expected."