In the fifth year of my marriage to Don Viktor Santiago, both of his mistresses became pregnant.

He ordered me to ensure their well-being. If anything went wrong, my family would pay the price.

This was my third lifetime, and my third time facing this mission.

In the first life, everyone said he was deeply in love with Vivian Cross. I took Vivian to the hospital for a check-up, and sure enough, she was pregnant. I poured my soul into caring for her until she went into labor, but before I could even prove my worth to Viktor, his Soldati dragged me away. After seven long days of torture, I bled to death.

Before I died, a Soldato told me that the person Viktor truly loved wasn't Vivian at all. Because I had wasted my efforts on the wrong woman, his real love and their child had bled out on the operating table.

In the second life, I learned my lesson and personally tailed him. I saw Viktor place his most prized watch on Luna Hayes's wrist. I acted decisively, assigning a hundred bodyguards to her around the clock and even stooping to serve her personally. But on the day Luna gave birth, Viktor flew into a rage, shot me through the temple, and then gouged out my eyes.

"If you can't even tell who the right person is, then those eyes of yours are useless!"

"My sweetheart and my child are dead. Now you can go to hell and answer for it!"

Recalling the gruesome ways I'd died in my past two lives, I grew dizzy, nearly crushed by a tidal wave of rage and confusion.

If it wasn't Luna, then who could it possibly be?

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1

When I didn't answer, Viktor Santiago's already thin patience finally snapped.

He pulled the custom Beretta from his waistband, expertly loaded it, and slammed it onto the table with a heavy thud.

"Lana, I'm talking to you. If your ears have gone deaf, I don't mind ripping them off and getting you a new pair."

"Don't forget your place. If you lose this last shred of usefulness, your family can go to hell with you."

Rage burned in my gut, but I had no right to let it show.

I could only swallow my anger and feign fragility, hoping to counter his cruelty with weakness.

"Viktor, you're being too harsh. Your mistresses are pregnant, and I'm your wife. Can you blame me for being upset?"

"Look, you've scared me so much my heart has almost stopped…"

I truly couldn't figure out who the woman was, so I had to fish for clues.

I reached for the gun, but before my fingers could even brush the cold steel, he snatched it away.

"Don't play games with me. This is a transaction. Don't tell me you were stupid enough to develop feelings for me?"

"If I didn't need a target to draw the enemy's fire, did you think I would have married you?"

"Save the performance for when we're in public. In this house, you'd better know your place."

My eyes reddened, tears instantly streaming down my face. I took off my coat, about to inch closer to him, when he kicked me squarely in the abdomen.

"Get away from me. The sight of you makes me sick."

"Did you hear what I said? I only give my orders once."

I cursed him under my breath. Seduction was useless on him.

But I couldn't directly ask him who he wanted me to protect, either.

First, although this mansion was guarded by Soldati twenty-four hours a day, there was no guarantee it wasn't bugged by rival families. Viktor was pathologically cautious; he never spoke of important matters at home, refusing to expose a single weakness.

Second, if I asked now, it would be an admission that I hadn't been listening. The consequence of angering him was, again, a death sentence.

I wiped my tears, looked up with red-rimmed eyes, and asked tentatively,

"Alright, I understand. I'll arrange for two nannies and a detail of twenty Soldati to protect Vivian. If she runs into any danger, the detail will handle it, and her daily needs will be seen to."

Viktor was fiddling with a new silencer, not even lifting his head, utterly uninterested.

"Mm."

I was confused. If Vivian wasn't the one, why agree to my arrangements?

The next second, he spoke again. "And then?"

"And then… I'll send four nannies to look after Luna. She appears with you in public more often, so her risk is higher. I'll put fifty Soldati on her detail. Is that acceptable?"

He nodded nonchalantly. "You handle it."

Then he added, "But Vivian has always been frail; she absolutely cannot have any accidents. Resources are limited, so you'd better think carefully about how to allocate them."

"And keep it quiet. No one outside the family finds out."

Hearing these contradictory statements, identical to my last life, I nearly broke down.

He was so obviously favoring Vivian, yet she wasn't the "sweetheart."

Just as I was about to indirectly ask if he had a new lover, his phone rang.

At the sight of the caller ID, the frost on his features thawed into a rare gentleness.

As the call connected, Vivian's delicate voice floated through. "Viktor, am I bothering you? I have some good news to tell you!"

Viktor wore a faint, indulgent smile, but his words were chillingly cold. "I'm busy. We'll talk when I'm done."

Vivian immediately pouted. "How can you refuse me, Viktor? Have you found someone new?"

My ears perked up, though I inwardly scoffed at her naivety.

What man would ever admit to having a new lover?

Predictably, Viktor sidestepped the question.

"Don't overthink it. Having you is enough. Be good."

"I really am busy. I have to go, my men are waiting."

Vivian's own intuition must have been screaming at her, because the sudden chill in his tone made her press on.

"No, you're not at the estate! It's so crowded there, how could it be this quiet?"

"Viktor, you told me you only loved me!"

He took a deep breath, his voice turning to ice.

"Vivian Cross, I'm warning you for the last time. It's not your place to question my affairs!"

"I'm hanging up. If you need something, go through my men. Don't bother me again today."

Without waiting for a reply, he ended the call.

"Is there anything else?" he asked me coldly.

Are you kidding me? If I crossed him now, I'd be signing my own death warrant.

I forced a smile, fetching a cigar and lighting it for him.

"No, nothing else. I'll go make the arrangements right away."

The moment Viktor left the mansion, I was in my car, tailing him.

Since he was so cold to Vivian and yet so secretive, he had to be going to see his new lover.

This time, I would not get it wrong.

I tailed him to an upscale bar that had been completely emptied for a private event.

Inside, his Soldati had already secured the entire venue, and a group of men were methodically setting something up.

I hid behind a pillar and overheard Viktor instructing his men:

"Remember, the second I raise my hand, you hit the lights. The moment she says yes, the music starts."

"Did you pick up the ring I sent for? It's her favorite style. I have to give her a surprise before I go abroad."

The Soldato nodded eagerly, his posture deferential. "Don, rest assured, everything has been prepared to your specifications. We're just waiting for her to arrive."

"But Don, you'll be gone for over half a year. What if she misses you…"

Viktor sighed. "I have no choice. The deal over there is set, and I have to go in person."

"Her getting pregnant at a time like this… I can only leave her in Lana's care."

"I promised her that after this one last job, I'll get out of the life for good and give her the peaceful life she deserves."

Relief washed over me so fiercely I nearly burst into tears.

This has to be it.

The person who could make a monster like Viktor decide to "get out of the life" had to be the most important person to him.

As the minutes ticked by, my heart hammered against my ribs.

The moment the midnight bell chimed, a breathtaking woman stepped through the entrance.

The moment their eyes met, they were locked in a passionate embrace.

I was even more thrilled than Viktor himself.

I couldn't resist creeping closer, desperate to see the woman's face.

But my foot knocked over an empty wine glass, sending it clattering to the floor.

Viktor immediately drew his gun and aimed it in my direction.

"Who's there! Get out here!"

A Soldato grabbed me by the collar and hauled me in front of them.

When I lifted my head and saw the face of the person he was proposing to, my world shattered.

How was it still Vivian?

Viktor's expression was thunderous.

"Instead of doing what I told you, you followed me? You got a death wish?"

Vivian, having just accepted the priceless ring, was grinning from ear to ear, in a good enough mood to plead for me.

"Viktor, Mrs. Santiago didn't mean any harm. I think we should just let it go. Maybe there was a misunderstanding."

"Thank you for the surprise. I thought you had forgotten my birthday…"

"The good news I wanted to tell you is—I'm pregnant!"

The thunder on his face cleared, and he gently placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I'll never forget your birthday. You're the most important person to me."

"Thank you for my surprise. I'm very happy."

I squeezed my eyes shut, unable to bear another word.

Muttering an excuse about feeling unwell, I fled.

Back in my car, I realized that tailing him was too risky.

I immediately had someone get their hands on a miniature GPS tracker.

When Viktor wasn't looking, I quietly slipped it into the pocket of the coat he would wear the next day.

He was leaving the country in two days. This was my last chance.

Before Viktor returned, I had already slipped into the guest bedroom and feigned sleep.

In five years of marriage, we had never shared a bed, so he had no reason to be suspicious.

The next day, the tracker’s microphone went live.

"I'm just putting on an act with them. You know who's in my heart, don't you?"

"I promise you, when the child is born, he'll inherit my business, and we'll travel the world together, just like I promised. Okay?"

"Are you still jealous of Vivian? That ring is a fake. I already swapped out the real one. I'll give it to you when we meet tomorrow."

"If she hadn't also gotten pregnant, I'd be worried my enemies would target you. Now it's perfect; I have a ready-made scapegoat."

...

Listening to him coax her so gently, a tone he never used with Vivian.

I shot bolt upright in bed. My gut screamed at me—this was it. I was finally going to get the answer.

Viktor left before breakfast.

I scrambled to follow, my eyes glued to the tracker on my phone as it led me to a safe house in the suburbs.

The moment his car stopped, I put a call in to have a team on standby outside.

I also hired ten of the best nannies for a hefty sum.

Viktor valued her so much, and I had already died twice because of her. This time, there could be no mistakes.

The safe house entrance was too far away; I couldn't see a thing.

I could only hear Viktor's excited yet suppressed voice through the tracker.

"Is the baby okay?"

"Has the detail Lana sent arrived yet?"

"For the six months I'm away, just listen to her if anything comes up. She might not be bright, but she values her life. To stay alive, she'll do anything to protect you."

"Be good. When I get back, I'll divorce her and we can be together for real. Sweetheart, I miss you so much…"

The moment I heard the word "sweetheart," a wave of ecstasy washed away all reason.

I was finally going to live!

I had finally found her!

After they entered the safe house, Viktor's silhouette soon appeared on the second-floor balcony, seemingly on the phone handling business.

I changed into a nanny's uniform and knocked on the door, ready to see the face of Viktor's darling with my own eyes.

More importantly, I had to see the woman who had caused my brutal death twice.

Footsteps soon approached from inside.

"Who is it?"

I replied loudly, "Mrs. Santiago sent me to look after the lady of the house!"

"Alright, one moment."

Soon, the lock turned.

My breath caught, my nails digging fiercely into my palms.