After my rebirth, I didn't wait for my fiancé to save me. I chose to save myself.

I remember my past life: during an ambush by a rival family, my fiancé, Kent, chose to save me—pregnant with his child—and in doing so, allowed his childhood friend, Camilla, to die. From that moment, his love curdled into hate.

I was accused by the Council of being Camilla's murderer, framed, and secretly executed. In the end, they dumped my unborn child and me into the icy waters of Lake Michigan.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of the ambush.

Kent was reborn, too. And this time, he chose Camilla.

But he had no idea that choice would haunt him for the rest of his life.

————————

1

When I opened my eyes, I knew I had been reborn.

I ignored the searing pain, forcing myself to remain calm. As the Cavaleri Syndicate's top enforcer and tactician, I immediately scanned my surroundings.

Soon, I recognized the scene: a pool of my own blood in an abandoned railyard on the South Side of Chicago.

I was back on the day Camilla and I were ambushed.

Camilla, Kent's childhood friend, had told me she’d discovered a secret weapons cache belonging to a rival family. She claimed that to protect Kent’s position and the family's interests, she had to see it for herself. But the location was deep in hostile territory, and she needed a guide.

At the time, I was two months pregnant and should have been on desk duty, far from any fieldwork. However, Kent insisted that I go with her.

The area was dangerous, especially at night. Rusted steel and unknown perils lurked in every shadow.

I protested, telling him I didn't want to take the risk.

He refused me coldly.

"You're barely showing. A quick field trip is nothing you can't handle. Just go."

I had no choice. In the end, I nodded.

After we entered the abandoned railyard, I never saw any weapons cache.

Instead, the moment I looked away, Camilla vanished.

Then, she deliberately triggered a hidden alarm.

The area erupted with gunfire from the rival family. Worse, they had sent their top assassin.

As the Don's fiancée, I couldn't just abandon one of our own. I began to search for her.

I hadn't gone far before a spray of bullets slammed into me, and I collapsed behind a pile of scrap metal.

From behind the surrounding cover, a cold, familiar laugh echoed.

It was Camilla.

The moment her voice cut through the hail of gunfire, I knew. I had been betrayed.

Camilla stood high on a stack of containers, smirking down at me.

"The Don's fiancée? God, you're naive, Alessia. Let me spell it out for you: there is no weapons cache. I set you up. I led you here so our rivals could do my dirty work. Once you and that bastard in your belly are gone, Kent will finally be all mine."

A cold dread washed over me.

I struggled to crawl away but was pinned down by enemy fire.

As I desperately returned fire, Camilla’s triumphant laughter echoed from above. Her cackling gave away her position, drawing the assassin's attention.

The assassin launched a grenade. It exploded violently against the container beside her, the blast nearly knocking her off the edge.

She clung to the railing, screaming for help in terror. But no one could hear her over the gunfire except me.

By then, I was already heavily wounded.

Covered in blood and completely exhausted, I finally lost consciousness, collapsing in a pool of my own blood.

Luckily, a derelict car blocked the subsequent spray of bullets, saving my life for the moment.

In my past life, when I woke up, I had desperately called Kent on the radio. At the same time, Camilla, unable to hold on, had also sent him a distress call.

Kent chose to save me then, but afterward, he blamed me for everything.

He accused me of deliberately leading Camilla into danger, causing her death. No matter how I explained, he refused to believe me.

So this time, after waking up, I didn't call for backup.

I endured the pain, tightened a belt around my wounded thigh as a makeshift tourniquet, and used my memory of the terrain to find my way back.

This time, I would not ask Kent for help. I never wanted to see his face again.

Even with the memories of my past life, escape was no easy feat.

The gunshot wound was too deep. My makeshift bandage did little to stop the bleeding.

I could feel my life bleeding out onto the cold ground, my strength draining with every drop.

A heavy rain began to fall. The cold water mixed with my blood, blurring my vision.

Too much blood loss. The rain was making me colder by the second. If I got lost out here… my baby wouldn't make it. Neither would I.

Left with no other choice, I took out my encrypted phone and called the family.

"This is Alessia. Ambushed at the South Side railyard. I'm shot, and it's bad. I need backup."

I never expected Kent himself to answer. After hearing my desperate plea, he let out a cold laugh.

"Alessia, drop the act. You're the family's top tactician. You, in danger? Unlikely. I know you're fine, so find a hole to hide in. As for Camilla, you walked her right into a trap. This time, I'm saving her first. We'll settle our score later."

With that, he hung up.

I froze, my mind blank.

In my past life, Kent had chosen me without hesitation. He had never spoken to me with such cruelty.

But now, he said he would save Camilla first.

There was only one explanation. Kent had been reborn, too.

In this life, he chose Camilla.

The roar of a distant engine snapped me back to reality.

I couldn't wait for a rescue that would never come. I had to save myself.

I forced myself forward, the blood from my leg flowing ceaselessly, leaving a dark trail behind me.

The reek of blood drew the scavengers of this lawless place—a pack of feral dogs, snarling and circling.

They closed in, treating me like prey.

Exhausted, I collapsed.

A wave of despair crashed over me. This was it. My child and I were going to die here.

"Alessia! What are you doing here?!" A familiar voice suddenly called out.

I looked up.

Through the curtain of rain, several family soldiers emerged. Relief surged through me.

They were Kent's soldati.

"Thank God! I'm so glad to see you. I'm badly hurt. Please, take me back to the safe house!"

The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances.

"Alessia, the Don ordered us to rescue Camilla. She's hiding on a container, waiting for help."

I was stunned. My voice trembled. "So, you're not going to save me?"

They hesitated.

Just then, one of their phones rang. It was Kent.

"What's the situation? Have you found Camilla? Have you rescued her?"

"Not yet. But we ran into Alessia. She's been shot, too. Should we take her back first?"

Kent's voice was ice. "She's fine. It's a flesh wound, at worst. She's faking it to slow you down. Don't fall for it. Get Camilla now."

"No!"

I shouted at the phone. "Kent, I'm really shot! Please, just have one of them take me back. Just one!"

"Alessia, I know your tricks. Being a man down lowers our chances of getting to Camilla. If you're really that badly hurt, then you can wait until Camilla is safe."

The last of my hope shattered.

I looked helplessly at the soldiers, hoping my position as Kent's fiancée and our shared history would earn me some mercy.

However, their loyalty to the Don was absolute. They abandoned me.

"Alessia, you heard the Don. Everyone knows you're jealous of his bond with Camilla. If you hadn't led her into this mess, none of this would have happened."

"That's right. You went too far this time. Don't interfere with our mission. If the Don finds out, your punishment will only be worse."

Tears filled my eyes.

"Just give me a first-aid kit and a bottle of water. I'll get back on my own."

They left me the kit and some water, then turned and strode away without a backward glance.

I swallowed my tears along with the rain. Gradually, a sliver of strength returned.

Against the faint morning light, I continued my agonizing trek, finally stumbling out of that deathtrap.

However, the moment I reached the entrance to the family safe house, I collapsed.

Under the care of the family doctor, I eventually regained consciousness.

"Thank God, Alessia! You're awake!"

The doctor quickly placed a hand on my belly and said softly, "Don't worry. Your child is fine. Very healthy."

I let out a long sigh of relief. A relieved smile broke through the tears welling in my eyes.

Just then, Kent passed my doorway.

The doctor was about to call out to him, but Kent just pursed his lips and gave a scornful smile.

"Of course. If you're going to put on a show, might as well go all the way. Alessia, feel free to stay in the medical bay as long as you like."

With that, he turned and walked into another room without looking back.

That was where Camilla was being treated.

Yes, she had been rescued safely.

The doctor looked at me with sympathy.

"What is the Don talking about? You were so badly injured. Why won't he even come see you?"

I gave a bitter smile, not knowing how to answer.

That evening, a fully recovered Camilla came to my room.

On her hand was a family ring I recognized instantly. It was the ring I had earned through blood and service, the symbol of the Donna—the Don's wife. And he had given it to her.

Noticing my gaze, Camilla raised her eyebrows smugly.

"Wow, Alessia. You took a bullet and didn't even die. You and that little bastard in your belly sure are lucky."

I replied calmly, "Come to confess?"

"Confess? Fine. I led you into that ambush. I wanted our enemies to take you out. But what proof do you have? Who's going to believe an outsider like you over me? Kent? He's already chosen a side, and it isn't yours."

"Oh, and by the way, how does it feel to be abandoned by the man you love? Does it just break your heart?"

She was trying to get a rise out of me, dangling Kent in my face. Pathetic. She had no idea I'd already written him off a lifetime ago.

Now that I had what I needed, I looked at her coldly. "Please leave."

Suddenly, she raked her nails violently across her own face and shrieked.

"Ah! Alessia! Don't!"

Hearing her cries, Kent burst in.