In my previous life, I fell in love with Dante Ravenna, the Don of the Ravenna family who also happened to be my uncle without any blood relations.

As soon as I found out that Dante was drugged with aphrodisiacs, I didn't hesitate to become his antidote.

One month later, I found out that I was pregnant with his baby. Because of that, the old Don pressured Dante into marrying me.

On the day of our marriage, Dante's first love, Serafina Calvetti, had flown overseas out of heartbreak, only to get kidnapped by one of the Ravennas' rival families. They ended up killing her in cold blood.

Before Serafina died, she had called Dante 199 times for help. But Dante never picked up any of them because of how busy he was with the wedding preparations.

When the damage was done, Dante just stared at the 199 missed calls without saying anything. In fact, my life after marriage was even better and happier than before.

I thought Dante had already let go of Serafina's death. What I didn't expect was that he'd lock me up in the basement on the day I was supposed to give birth.

I ended up suffering from heavy bleeding. With one foot in the grave, I begged Dante to take me to the hospital. Yet, he just stood by and watched as my unborn baby and I died in front of him.

Before I breathed my last, I heard his cold and ruthless voice.

"I would've married Serafina a long time ago if it wasn't for you using every trick in the book just to sleep with me and get pregnant with my baby!"

When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day Dante gets drugged.

In this life, I refuse to serve as Dante's antidote. Instead, I call Serafina on the phone.

"Viviana, call Serafina!"

Hearing that familiar command again, I jolted awake.

I had been reborn.

Without hesitation, I dialed Serafina Calvetti's number. Dante Ravenna's face flushed crimson, his gaze burning with hazy desire as he looked at me.

In my past life, I made the fatal mistake of giving myself to him because of that look. In the end, I died along with my unborn child.

This time, I avoided his lust-filled eyes, clouded by whatever drug was coursing through his system, and left his room quickly.

"Dante, hang in there. Your precious Serafina will be here in ten minutes. I'm leaving!"

The moment I shut the door, I heard him force words through gritted teeth. It sounded like he was calling my name.

I had to run. I refused to die again.

I fled, slammed the door behind me, and stood guard outside. The corridor of the Ravenna estate stretched silent around me, only the glow from the wall sconces pooling on the floor and casting my tense silhouette.

Ten minutes later, Serafina arrived in a rush. She wore an elegant gown and looked exceptionally anxious. The moment she saw me, her eyes sharpened with scrutiny.

When she noticed my clothes were intact, she let out a breath of relief. Before pushing open the door, she commanded me with lingering suspicion. "You can go now."

I turned and hurried upstairs to my room. The Ravenna estate sprawled vast and grand. My room sat on the third floor, far from the main wing.

I used to think it was too far. Now I realized the distance was just right.

It wasn't until the middle of the night that the room downstairs finally fell silent. My taut nerves finally relaxed.

In my past life, I loved Dante too much. I willingly became his antidote, then conceived his child.

Later, he married me under pressure from the old Don. But on our wedding day, Serafina was kidnapped by a rival family and died.

He lost the woman he loved. Then he quietly endured until my due date and imprisoned me in the basement.

That was the place the Ravenna family used to confine traitors. It was cold and damp, and no one ever left it alive.

I begged him through agonizing labor pains, willing to trade my life for our child's.

"Dante, he's your child too!"

But he ignored my pleas and watched as both my child and I died. All to avenge the woman he loved.

This life, I followed his demand and brought Serafina to him as his antidote. I would leave the Ravenna estate, escape him, and survive. I'd live my own life on my own terms.

The next morning, Serafina appeared at the Ravenna family breakfast table. No one was ever late to the family breakfast. It was a rule set by the old Don.

Dante cut a piece of fried egg and took a sip of coffee before casually addressing the family members seated around the table.

"From now on, Serafina is my girlfriend. She'll be the next Madre."

After speaking, he looked at me and pointed his fork in my direction as a warning. "Especially you. Treat her well. Don't cause me trouble."

I nodded obediently. Serafina's lips curved into a smug smile.

I pretended not to notice and stood to leave before finishing my breakfast. But the moment I rose, I heard Serafina's plaintive sobbing.

"Dante, does Viviana not welcome me? I know she's important to you. If she doesn't like me, maybe I should just leave."

As Serafina spoke, tears slipped down her cheeks. She looked utterly pitiful.

Dante's brow furrowed in displeasure. He called out to stop me. "Viviana, sit down and finish your breakfast."

I didn't move and replied flatly, "I'm done eating."

Dante's annoyance deepened. "Viviana, sit down! You grew up in my care. Is this the basic courtesy I taught you?"

In this life, I had no intention of entangling myself with them. But neither of them would let me go.

I turned back and smiled politely at him and Serafina. "Dante, Serafina, I'm really done eating. Please take your time. I'll head back to my room now."

Half an hour later, someone knocked on my door. The moment I opened it, I met Dante's dark, brooding eyes.

My instinct screamed at me to shut the door. I wanted nothing to do with him.

Dante blocked it with his hand before I could and frowned at me. "You're avoiding me. Why?"

He leaned closer, studying me carefully. He still wore that cologne I used to love so much.

"You're angry," he said with certainty.

"Is it because of Serafina?"

I shook my head quickly. "I'm not angry. I'm happy you finally found the woman you love."

Something unreadable flickered in his eyes. My answer seemed to disappoint him. "Is that the truth? Or are you just being petty?"

Almost immediately, he scoffed. He clearly didn't believe me. "Viviana, don't tell me you still haven't gotten over me.

"You kissed me at your 18th birthday party when you were drunk. I still have the 99 love letters you snuck into my desk drawer."

My eyes widened. So he knew everything?

"You thought you hid it well, but I taught you how to write. I'd recognize your handwriting anywhere."

He advanced slowly and deliberately. I stepped back instinctively and swallowed hard.

"The way you look at me is so full of infatuation. Everyone in the family knows you're in love with me."

He laughed to himself. "Good thing you never actually confessed. If you had, I would've thrown you out of this house."

He stepped around me and walked to my desk, yanking open the bottom drawer. I lunged forward to stop him, but I was too late.

Dante grabbed the thick stack of letters and scattered them across the floor, then stepped on them with his shoe.

"Viviana, I pulled you out of a shootout when you were seven years old. I raised you. I treated you like family. And you repay me by developing feelings you should never have had for someone who raised you!

"Give it up. Serafina is the only woman I'll ever love. The way you look at me makes me sick!"

I kept my head down, unable to meet his gaze. I couldn't argue. Everything he said was true. I had done all of it in my past life.

He leaned close and whispered in my ear. "Yesterday, after I was drugged, I knew you wanted me at first. Thank God you left when you did, or I would've been disgusted for the rest of my life."

My chest tightened. Even though I'd decided not to love him in this life, hearing those cruel words still hurt.

Dante looked satisfied with my reaction. He warned me again to stay away from him so Serafina wouldn't misunderstand, then slammed the door and left.

The sound of it echoed through the empty hallway. I didn't want to be an eyesore in front of them anymore. Besides, I needed to handle the paperwork for leaving the country.

I packed a few things and left the estate.

That evening, I deliberately waited until almost 10:00 pm to return. By that hour, Dante and Serafina were usually in the main wing's parlor. They wouldn't notice me.

The moment I entered my room, I realized something was wrong. Someone had been in here. My bed looked different.

I checked my phone and saw that Serafina had posted a new photo on social media. It showed her lying on a bed, taking a selfie.

The caption read, "Custom handmade mattresses really are the best! I only mentioned once that I wasn't sleeping well, and he immediately had it replaced for me. The joy of loving someone who loves you back!"

She'd taken the mattress Dante bought for me. After I injured my back during family training, Dante had it custom made with the finest materials to support my spine properly.

He used to be good to me. He knew exactly what it meant to treat a girl he raised like that. He made me fall in love with him.

But then he stood on some moral high ground and condemned me for loving the man who raised me.

Now, because of one casual comment from Serafina, Dante gave away my mattress without even telling me.

Dante appeared at my door when he heard me come in. He sounded indifferent.

"Serafina's a light sleeper, so I gave her your mattress. Your back's healed anyway. Any mattress will do for you now."

I didn't look up and merely hummed in response. Dante's brow furrowed as he stared at me.

"Viviana, why are you suddenly so agreeable? What's gotten into you these past few days? You always hated it when I was good to other people.

"Why aren't you throwing a tantrum now? Are you plotting something?

"I'm warning you, if you dare cause trouble for Serafina, I won't let you off easy!"

"Didn't you always want me to be more mature? You should be happy I'm acting this way now, shouldn't you?"

I slowly raised my head and replied softly, "I don't want to cause trouble for anyone. I just hope no one causes trouble for me either."

Dante pressed his lips together, his gaze boring into me. Dark emotions churned in his eyes. When he spoke, his tone dripped with sarcasm.

"You'd better mean what you say."

He slammed the door and left without hesitation. Whenever he acted like this, it meant he was truly angry.

What was he angry about this time? I hadn't done anything wrong. Why was he still mad at me?

I didn't want to placate him anymore. Whether he was angry or not no longer mattered to me.

Soon, I would leave this family that had wounded me over and over again.

The days that followed passed simply enough.

Serafina made a point of flaunting her relationship with Dante in front of me every day, eager to stake her claim. Dante was still angry with me, and this time I was determined not to appease him.

Life at the Ravenna estate felt calm on the surface but suffocating underneath. I spent my days secretly handling the paperwork to leave the country, terrified Dante would find out.

A month later, Serafina announced she was pregnant.

Dante excitedly shared the news with the entire Ravenna family. The old Don gave his blessing for their marriage.

Everyone in the family threw themselves into wedding preparations. From the venue to security, everything was arranged according to the highest standards.

In this life, his one true love was the one carrying his child. I decided to let them have their happiness.

The moment my paperwork cleared, I booked a flight to Cecily. The departure date fell on their wedding day.

Dante finally broke first and came looking for me. He waited until Serafina was away from the estate, then came upstairs and pushed open my bedroom door.

He pulled out his phone, opened an email, and held it in front of me.

"You touched the money your parents left you? I had the family lawyer check. You used it as a deposit for going abroad."

My pulse spiked.

The Ravenna family had connections everywhere. Tracking my finances would be child's play for them.

"What, my wedding's got you so upset you need to leave the country to clear your head?"

His next words eased my tension slightly. When I kept my head down and stayed silent, his tone grew colder and a touch helpless.

"Viviana, aren't you tired of this? If I hadn't come to you, were you planning to ignore me for the rest of your life?

"Ever since Serafina moved into the estate, you've been cold to me. But she's the woman I love. If you really loved me, you'd accept her.

"You can run for now, but you can't run forever. Are you planning to keep avoiding me even after Serafina and I get married?"

I shook my head in denial. "You've misunderstood. You raised me, so you're someone I respect. I only feel gratitude toward you."

He laughed as if I'd told the funniest joke he'd ever heard. "Viviana, ask anyone in the Ravenna family if they believe you only feel gratitude for me. Ask yourself if you believe it."

Then he glanced at my desk and smirked. "You've kept every gift I gave you all these years in perfect condition. And you still claim you don't love me?"

He walked over and picked up the items on my desk, examining each one. Then he looked at me seriously.

"Put all of this away. I'm getting married to Serafina, and she's pregnant now. If she sees these things, it might upset her.

"I don't want anything to happen to my precious wife or my precious son! This is your last warning. Give up on whatever feelings you have for me."

I hummed noncommittally and swept everything on the desk into a storage box without hesitation.

I planned to throw it all away before leaving the country anyway. I might as well deal with it now.

Dante's brow furrowed at my indifferent reaction. He stopped me.

"Viviana, can't you be more careful? You knocked the little rabbit off this hairpin!"

I glanced at the rabbit hairpin in his hand. After my parents died in a shootout, Dante, my father's closest friend, took me in. That hairpin was the first gift he ever gave me.

For years, I treasured it. I wouldn't let anyone else touch it. Now I'd just tossed it into a box of junk without a second thought.

"You're clearly so upset about my wedding that you're fleeing the country. But now you're standing here pretending you don't love me anymore?"

Dante couldn't take it anymore. "Stop this, Viviana. No matter how well you pretend not to care, I'm not canceling my wedding to Serafina."

He pulled out his phone and transferred 100 thousand dollars to my account.

"But it's probably good for you to get away and clear your head. Serafina's pregnancy is still fragile. Better if you're not around to upset her."

His gaze held mine. "Take your time abroad. Think about where we stand. I'll be a married man soon. You need to accept that.

"It'd be best if you forgot about me entirely and found yourself a real boyfriend, someone who's actually right for you."

Dante gave me a few more reminders about traveling safely. His tone carried a hint of concern he probably didn't realize was there.

But he didn't know that in this life, I'd been reborn. And this time, I was truly leaving. I would never come back.

On Dante's wedding day, everyone in the Ravenna family rushed around frantically.

Security surrounded the estate until it was airtight. The guests who came to celebrate were all high-ranking members from various mafia families.

While everyone was busy, I grabbed my suitcase and slipped out through the back door. I caught a cab straight to the airport.