The day I inherited Grandpa's "Peacemaker," I received a call from myself, ten years in the future.

"Sienna, don't give that gun to Lorenzo."

I obeyed without question. That night, forced to use his faulty Glock, Lorenzo was beaten into a vegetative state during a duel.

Guilt nearly broke me, but my parents nursed me back to health. Or so I thought.

"You idiot," my future self sneered. "It was a lie to get you on the operating table. They want your heart for your brother!"

Finding a transplant agreement in my father's study, I publicly severed ties with the Morettis.

Only later, after Lorenzo died from rejection, did I learn they just needed my rare blood, not my heart.

I wanted to return and atone, but the phone rang again. "Your parents will kill you for honor. Don't go back."

I waited. But instead of assassins, news arrived: the Morettis had been slaughtered by rivals.

I bolted for home, only to be mowed down by a black sedan.

As I died, I couldn't understand why my future self had orchestrated my end.

Then I opened my eyes. I was back at the ceremony.

In my past life, on the day I received the pistol my grandfather left me, I got a call from my future self. I followed her every instruction, and it led to the destruction of my family.

This time, I thought I had made a completely different, safer choice.

"Sienna, listen to me. Lorenzo is going to ask for the gun later. You must not give it to him. He just wants to use it to settle a debt."

That chillingly familiar voice blasted through the phone. A shiver ran down my spine, and the Pinot Noir glass in my hand shattered on the floor.

"Miss Moretti, this Colt 'Peacemaker' was left to you by the old Don. It is a symbol of power."

Watching the family lawyer hand me the heavy, black walnut gun case, I finally knew for sure. I was reborn, sent back to the very day I received that call from my future self.

On the phone, my self from ten years in the future warned me not to agree to Lorenzo's request for the gun.

At first, I didn't believe her. Seeing that her number was identical to mine, I thought it was some kind of prank.

But when she reeled off my most shameful secrets, and even knew the passwords to the family's money laundering accounts, I had no choice but to believe.

She swore that if Lorenzo took my gun, the family would collapse that very night.

So, when Lorenzo called asking for the gun, I refused him flat out.

Enraged, Lorenzo stormed into the underground duel with his old Glock, the one with the worn-out firing pin.

The gun jammed. He was beaten into a vegetative state.

The talk on the street was that if he had been using my new gun, a weapon of its precision and power would never have failed him.

It felt as if I had personally destroyed my brother.

I cried until I passed out and spent three whole days confessing in the church.

But my parents, uncharacteristically, didn't scold me. They simply fed me soup and wiped away my tears.

Just as I thought our family bond had been restored, that phone rang again, its tone sending a chill down my spine.

"It's all an act! I thought they really cared about me back then, too. That's why I didn't suspect the wine they drugged."

"When I woke up, I was strapped to an operating table. They were going to cut out my heart and give it to Lorenzo."

Following her instructions, I found the transplant consent form in my mother's handbag.

Hysterical, I threw my parents out of my safe house. I didn't open the door even when they pounded on it all night in a violent downpour.

Later, Lorenzo died of massive blood loss, and only then did I learn the truth. That day, they had only wanted my blood for an emergency transfusion.

I was overwhelmed with regret. I wanted to go home and beg for their forgiveness on my knees, but the phone rang again.

"Don't you dare go! Don Luciano is out of his mind. He thinks you killed his heir. The moment you show your face, he'll drag you to hell himself for the sake of family honor."

I fell for her lies and backed down again, thinking I'd wait for things to blow over.

That very night, a group of masked assassins broke into the estate and gunned down my parents, who had been waiting in despair.

My world shattered. I threw caution to the wind and sprinted toward the estate, only to be hit by a speeding truck and torn apart.

In the moments before my consciousness faded, the voice on the other end was no longer my own. It was replaced by the vicious, triumphant laughter of a woman.

This time, to hell with the prophecies.

My life, and the life of the Moretti family, would be in my hands and my hands alone.

My thoughts snapped back to the present. Without a second of hesitation, I hung up on the voice that was still rambling in my ear.

I lit a slim cigarette and sent a text to Lorenzo:

"Hey, big bro. The 'Peacemaker' is yours. Take it to the duel tonight and blow their brains out."

Lorenzo must have floored the gas pedal the whole way here.

He stared at the silver-plated Colt revolver gleaming coldly in its case, his eyes filled with a raw, naked greed.

"Sienna, my dear sister, this was grandfather's sidearm." He stroked the ivory grip. "Are you serious? You'd really let me touch this?"

"Brother, you made it. Here, see how it feels." I gave Lorenzo's shoulder a small push and held the gun case out to him.

The moment Lorenzo's hand closed around the grip and he felt its heavy weight, his eyes lit up.

He kept muttering to himself, "A masterpiece. A goddamn masterpiece."

Seeing how he couldn't put it down, and remembering the mangled state he was in during my past life, I pushed the gun into his hands.

"What's the catch, Sienna?" He was a bit stunned.

I smiled brightly. "It's yours, Lorenzo."

"Go and conquer that underground dueling ring. That old Glock of yours, the one that's always jamming, isn't worthy of the future Don of the Moretti family."

Lorenzo looked a little embarrassed, but his hand never stopped stroking the weapon.

"This was your inheritance. It doesn't seem right for you to give it to me."

"We're family. No need to be so formal."

"Besides, a gun like this belongs in the hands of a true warrior, doesn't it?"

Only then did he accept my offer, tucking the legendary revolver into his waistband and leaving in high spirits.

I watched his back disappear into the night and let out a long breath.

The new gun was perfectly maintained, its mechanics flawless. It wouldn't jam this time.

However, fate is a gambler with a sick sense of humor.

Just two hours later, an emergency call from the family's private hospital shattered the silence of the night.

"Is this Miss Sienna? Your brother was just in an accident at the dueling ring. Please come immediately."

"Impossible." The whiskey glass in my hand froze mid-air. "That was grandfather's gun. It's flawless."

"Please come at once. The situation is... extremely critical."

When I arrived at the hospital, my head spun. I didn't understand. Why was Lorenzo still hurt? I had stopped him from using that piece of junk, so how could there be another accident?

"What happened to my brother?" I asked anxiously.

The sharp crack of a slap echoed.

My sister-in-law, Sofia, her hair a mess, heard my voice and charged at me like a madwoman. "It was you! You're the curse that killed him!"

Several bodyguards struggled to pull her away, but she continued to scream hysterically.

"If Lorenzo hadn't taken that legendary pistol, he never would have aimed for a deathmatch of that level! You baited him into a death match!"

"He doesn't have our grandfather's skills as a marksman! He took a superior weapon and got himself killed on the draw! You did this on purpose!"

I stood frozen, a ringing in my ears.

The attending doctor took off his blood-soaked gloves and walked over, his expression grim.

"As the young madam said... the young master was too reliant on the gun's power. He was a half second too slow on the draw, and his opponent put a bullet straight through his heart."

"He was covered in blood, his face unrecognizable. We were only able to identify Lorenzo because of the revolver he was still clutching, the one engraved with the family crest."

"With his old gun, he never would have dared to take that bet. At worst, he would have gotten beaten and thrown out, but he'd still be alive..."

The world spun around me, and I slowly slid down the cold wall to the floor.

I thought that by keeping my brother from using his old, broken gun, I could save him.

But now, because I had insisted he have the best weapon, he had been shot and killed on the spot.

No matter what I chose, Lorenzo was destined to fall in a pool of his own blood in that duel.

Was I too arrogant? Had I personally sent my brother to his death a second time?

A heavy hand rested on my shoulder. Even now, my father maintained the stern authority of the Don.

"This isn't your fault, Sienna. You only wanted the best for him."

My mother pulled me into her arms, comforting me. "Don't cry, baby. The best doctors are all here. Lorenzo is strong, he'll pull through."

I sobbed in my mother's arms, completely broken.

Afraid I would drown in guilt, my parents took care of me day and night, constantly checking on how I was doing.

I felt the warmth of my family, and my mood gradually began to improve.

I suddenly remembered that this was how it was in my last life, too. The phone was about to warn me to be wary of my parents' actions.

I didn't even press the answer button, but the call connected automatically.

"Sienna, I'm heartbroken about Lorenzo's injury too, but this is not your fault."

"Trust me, don't drink that wine. They've drugged it. They're going to strap you to an operating table and cut out your heart for that good-for-nothing brother of yours."

My mother, Elena, walked in, carrying a glass of Bordeaux as red as blood.

I didn't take the glass. I pulled out the blood donation consent form I'd found in my father's office and got straight to the point. "You want me to give Lorenzo a blood transfusion, don't you?"

Elena's hand trembled, spilling a few drops of red wine. She looked awkwardly between my father and me.

My father, standing in the shadows, extinguished his cigar. His voice was hoarse. "Sienna, we know you're squeamish about blood. We didn't want to..."

"But the hospital is out of his rare type. You are the only one who shares it. Only your blood can save him."

"I am a Moretti," I cut him off. "If my blood can save the future of the Moretti family, I'll give it."

In my past life, my refusal made Lorenzo miss the best window for a transfusion. This time, all I had to do was cooperate, and Lorenzo would surely be fine.

Ignoring the unreadable expression on my mother's face, I signed my name on the agreement.

My mother looked at me, her face full of emotion. "Our Sienna has grown up. She's so much more sensible now."

This time, I went with my parents to the family's private clinic, fully conscious. When the procedure was over and I woke up again, something felt wrong.

A sharp, tearing pain shot up from deep in my lower back.

I tried to sit up but collapsed back onto the pillow from the agony, cold sweat instantly soaking my hospital gown.

The moment I tried to get out of bed, I was hit with a wave of nausea and dry heaved until I coughed up bile.

I couldn't bring myself to look. My head was spinning.

I didn't understand. It was just a little blood donation, with an anesthetic because I'm squeamish. Why did I feel like my body had been hollowed out?

Before I could figure it out, the door to my room was violently kicked open.

It was Sofia. The moment she entered, she started screaming at me.

"You goddamn half-breed!"

The taste of iron instantly filled my mouth. I struggled to push myself up.

"Are you insane?" Her yelling left me stunned. "Where's Lorenzo? He should be fine..."

"Fine?" Sofia let out a piercing laugh. "Still playing innocent? You did this on purpose!"

She grabbed my collar, forcing me to look her in the eye. "Your filthy blood poisoned the Moretti bloodline! It caused the rejection that killed him!"

"Why would you do this to him? Just because he took your gun? How could you be so vicious?"

An impure bloodline? Me? How was that possible?

"I didn't. How could I do that to my own brother?" I tried to explain to Sofia.

"Still trying to deny it? Then explain how my husband is dead!"

"Sienna, you're the type who needs to see a body to believe someone's dead. I'm taking this for a lab test right now!" Sofia cursed as she ran off with my blood sample.

A short while later, she stormed back toward me and slapped me hard across the face.

"The proof is right here! How are you going to deny it now?"

"Ah!"

I cried out, clutching my stinging cheek, looking in disbelief at the genetic test report Sofia was holding.

The blood I had given Lorenzo did, in fact, test positive for non-pure Moretti genes.

I was shocked into silence.

I was the family's princess, my bloodline considered flawless.

How could there be impurities?

Sofia grew more and more out of control, starting to punch and kick me. "Lorenzo treated you like gold his whole life, and at the critical moment, you do this to him. Now he can't even rest in peace."

A heart-wrenching pain tore through me, her words echoing in my head.

Had I really killed Lorenzo all over again?

I looked toward the doorway. My father and mother were standing there, their faces blank. Neither of them contradicted Sofia.

After a long moment, my father finally spoke. "That's enough, Sofia. Lorenzo is gone. Don't take it out on Sienna. You should go home now."

"I feel dirty even hitting you! You spoiled little princess!"

Finally, after some gentle persuasion from my parents, Sofia shot me a venomous glare and left to handle Lorenzo's funeral arrangements.

"Father, Mother, I'm so sorry..."

"I really didn't mean to kill Lorenzo!"

A thick wave of guilt washed over me, and I was at my breaking point.

"I... I was just trying to save him."

"You said I was his only hope. I don't know why the test said my bloodline was impure!"

I could only offer mechanical apologies.

My mother shook her head and simply held me. "Let's not talk about this, Sienna. Let's go back to the estate to rest."

The phone rang, and my own voice drifted out eerily.

"See? You've killed the family's crown prince."

"That genetic report might be fake, but Don Luciano's killing intent is real."

"He believes you've disgraced the family's honor. They aren't taking you back to the estate to protect you. They're taking you back to face family justice, to let you die with 'dignity' and atone for your sin."