After leaving my father's study, I was heading toward the Rose Estate when Celeste stopped me.

"Natalia, why can't you just give Darius and me your blessing?"

I opened my mouth to speak but thought better of it. Since I had already decided to cut ties with them, there was no point in saying more. Soon enough, they'd understand.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I tried to walk past Celeste.

Out of nowhere, she grabbed my arm and fell to her knees. "Natalia, even if you kill me, I'll still love Darius!"

Before I could react, Darius charged over and shoved me to the ground.

"Natalia Blackwood!" he roared. "What did you do to Celeste?"

I tried to explain, but when I saw the way he looked at me—like I was his enemy—I fell silent. In his eyes, I was always the difficult one, while sweet, sensible Celeste could do no wrong.

My heart sank. I rubbed my aching leg and turned to leave. However, Darius grabbed my arm. "Natalia, apologize before you walk away!"

"I did nothing wrong! Why should I apologize?" I retorted.

In a flash, his fury boiled over. "I've already agreed to marry you, Natalia. So, why would you hurt her?"

His yelling made my eyes sting with unshed tears. I sniffled, struggling to keep my emotions in check. "I told you, I didn't do anything!"

At the same time, Celeste's eyes grew red-rimmed as she spoke up for me gently. "Darius, don't say that about Nat. She only acted that way because she loves you."

The moment she finished speaking, Darius helped her up. The tenderness in his eyes was something I had never seen before.

A sharp pain struck my chest without warning. Still, I clenched my fists to fight back the tears.

"Listen carefully, Natalia. Even after we get married, I'll never love you!" Darius snapped.

I turned at once, tears streaming down my face. "Fine! Have it your way."

With that said, I limped away. I was glad that I hadn't repeated my past mistakes. Otherwise, we would've been trapped in a marriage full of hate again.

In this life, Darius and I would be nothing more than childhood friends.

…

After that day, I thought I'd never cross paths with Darius again. To my surprise, every morning, the medicine for my leg and a handwritten note from him appeared in my room like clockwork.

Tears pricked at my eyes as I read his notes. I ran my fingers over his handwriting, and my thoughts drifted back to my past life.

After my mother died saving his sister, he stayed by my side like a guardian angel. No matter how absurd my requests were, he'd move heaven and earth to fulfill them.

Even after we were married and came to hate each other, he still tended to me around the clock whenever I was hurt. When assassins came for me, he threw himself in front of a bullet without a second thought.

Darius had only been repaying my mother's kindness, yet I mistook it for love. In the name of love, I clung to him for decades, and in doing so, destroyed his chance to be with the woman he truly loved.

The thought jolted me back to reality. That was when I remembered today was the day Celeste would be disfigured.

Ignoring the pain in my leg, I ran like a madwoman to the place I remembered.

When I reached the old manor, I found Celeste being beaten up by women from the Moretti family. One of them pressed a knife to her face and snarled, "Leave Darius, or I'll cut that pretty face of yours!"

Celeste trembled with fear, unable to utter a single word.

I raised my gun and fired into the air, drawing every eye to me at once.

"What do you think you're doing?" I shouted.

The Moretti women turned on me in fury, snapping at me to stay out of it. Celeste froze in shock, too.

I quickly stepped forward to shield her with my body.

When I saw her face still unscarred, I finally exhaled in relief. I barked, "Find my father! Tell him to come help me. Now!"

Celeste froze for a moment, then ran off, trembling.

…

Meanwhile, I clenched my jaw, steeling myself to face the Morettis alone.

The moment they saw Celeste running, their fury boiled over. One of them raised her gun and fired. The bullet pierced my calf, and pain ripped through me so violently that I dropped to one knee.

Seeing me in agony only made them sneer.

"I've hated you for a long time," a woman spat. "We were going to get rid of Celeste first, then deal with you. But look at that, you came running into our hands."

No sooner had she spoken than another bullet struck my thigh. The pain tore through me, and my grip on the gun faltered.

At that moment, Celeste came running back, clutching a gun. However, it was aimed at my ankle. She pulled the trigger without warning, and I stared at her in bewilderment.

Flustered, she stammered, "I-I didn't mean to shoot you! I was trying to hit them!"

The pain was excruciating. Even so, I stood in front of her.

I never forgot that she was the woman Darius loved most. This time, I had to make sure Celeste lived. Only then would he be spared the pain of losing her.

With a raw, furious cry, I gritted my teeth and fired back at the Moretti women.

The instant they saw the fury in my eyes and remembered how deadly accurate my aim was, they dove behind the pillars in fear.

I had barely caught my breath when a gunshot rang out behind me. Just like that, my weapon was shot clean out of my hand.

I spun around, only to see Darius aiming his gun at me. His face was twisted with rage as he bellowed, "Natalia! How could you send people to hurt Celeste? She loves me! What crime is that?"

I shook my head in agony. "No, Darius. It's not like that…"

But Celeste threw herself into his arms, sobbing. "Darius, please… don't say another word. I'm scared. Take me away from here!"

The sound of her crying tore at his heart.

…

Moments later, Darius fired several shots around me. "The next time you try to hurt Celeste, I'll kill you myself!"

His words struck harder than any bullet could. My whole body shook from the pain before I finally collapsed onto the ground.

The Moretti women had fled the second they saw Darius arrive. Now, I lay alone on the manor lawn, soaked in my own blood.

The sky above was a clear blue. Despite the pain, a peaceful smile touched my lips. I knew I had protected the woman Darius loved.

From this moment on, our past grievances were behind us. He and I were through for good.

…

When I came to, it was already the next day. My father was sitting by my bedside, worry etched across his face. "Nat, are you alright?"

I bit my lip and struggled to sit up. Pale as I was, I nodded.

"You're about to fly to New Verden. Are you sure you're strong enough to go?" he asked.

My gaze was steady as I answered, "I can do it, Dad."

Just then, Darius walked in with a bouquet of my favorite red roses. "Mr. Blackwood, what are you two talking about?"

Remembering what I had told him, my father lied, "Nothing much. I was just asking how she's feeling."

Darius nodded, no longer suspicious. Then, he turned to place the roses in the vase.

My father let out a quiet sigh and gave us a meaningful look before leaving the ward.

As soon as he left, only Darius and I remained in the room. His scent lingered in the air, and I found myself gripping the bedsheet nervously.

Darius turned to me and said helplessly, "Natalia, stop being so childish. I've already agreed to this marriage for our families' sake. As long as you stop picking on Celeste, I'll take you seriously—even if I don't love you."

I froze. I hadn't expected him to still be in the dark. The marriage arrangement had already been switched to Celeste, another woman from the Blackwood family.

Darius continued, "I know I've been busy with Celeste recently, and you got jealous. That was why you were so upset. But after a few more days, I won't see her again."

I listened without saying a word. It finally dawned on me why he had no idea the marriage arrangement had changed.

He'd probably been so focused on taking care of Celeste that he hadn't even attended the family meetings. He cared for her far more than he ever had for me.

I should have known, though. After all, Darius treated me well out of obligation, while his love for Celeste was real.

I shook off my thoughts and smiled wryly. "Actually… you should continue seeing her."

"Natalia, you always say the opposite of what you mean. When will you ever just be honest?" he replied, assuming I was having another childish fit.

Suddenly, his phone rang. A faint smile curved his lips as he stepped aside and called Celeste's name softly.

I curled my fingers, my chest tightening sharply while I listened to Darius speak to her.

When the call ended, he turned to leave. But before walking away, he patted my head helplessly.

"Forget it, and get some rest. Don't cause any more trouble. I'll pick you up in three days to try on your wedding dress."

I didn't respond. Instead, I stared at him blankly, as if trying to memorize every detail of his face.

Seeing me like that made his heart clench.

Darius felt I was different somehow. "Natalia, what's wrong?"

I shook my head, suppressing the bitterness welling inside me. "Nothing. I just thought you'd be happy," I answered with a faint smile.

Darius let out a resigned chuckle. "As long as you don't cause trouble, I suppose I'll be happy."

"You will," I thought.

After watching him leave, I glanced at my plane ticket to New Verden. Only 48 hours remained until I boarded the flight.

…

Three days later, Darius drove to the bridal shop, a hint of excitement stirring in him.

At first, he had expected to feel awkward accompanying me through all those things couples did. But now, he found himself eager to see me in a wedding gown.

Even thoughts of the wedding and life afterward began to creep into his mind. Catching his reflection in the rearview mirror, he realized he was smiling.

Darius paused. He wondered why he was smiling like that. Could it be that he was in love with me?

But he had always seen me as nothing more than a sister.

A strange flutter gripped his chest, mingled with confusion. Without hesitation, he pressed harder on the accelerator.

He needed to see me as soon as possible. Perhaps he would get the answers he was looking for then.

…

When Darius arrived at the bridal shop, the staff told me that the Blackwood family's daughter was already trying on wedding gowns.

He sank into a chair in the lounge and anxiously waited for me.

Five minutes later, a figure in white stepped out of the changing room.

Darius rose instinctively. However, the moment he saw her, his expression shifted. "How is it you? Where's Natalia?"