My head snapped toward Dante.

The “Bloody Rose” belonged to my mother.

When I fled that night seven years ago, my mother tried desperately to stop me.

She wanted me to stay and protect the Moretti family legacy for my Papa, but I didn't listen.

The lessons of my past life were etched into my soul. Whether the Moretti family survived or perished was no longer my concern.

“I’m an illegitimate daughter. Why should I guard an empty shell?”

We had a terrible fight.

For seven years, we were an ocean apart, without a single phone call.

In this life, my mother died of lung cancer.

She smoked herself to death.

By the time I got the news and returned from Europe, she was already in the morgue.

She left a will, stating that the “Bloody Rose” was to be left to me.

But I arrived too late. Everything of value on her had been stolen.

I had asked Julian to help me find it, but he'd come up with nothing.

Until I saw it on the auction block tonight.

I came here myself without waiting for Julian to get back.

Only when I arrived did I realize it was a Falcone event. It was too late to leave.

I didn’t raise my paddle once during the first half of the auction.

“Got a blank card just to come in for free food and drinks?” Dante’s voice cut in beside me. “Elara, how did you fall so low?”

I glanced at him, annoyed.

In our past life, his hatred was fueled by our forced marriage. But this time, I had willingly stepped aside. The title of Mrs. Falcone was his to give.

I really didn’t understand why this Dante was so fixated on me.

Just then, the “Bloody Rose” was brought onto the stage.

Before I could even raise my paddle, Dante opened with a high bid of one million dollars.

“Bloody Rose” wasn’t a top-tier gem. It was only on the auction block because it once belonged to an Italian princess.

“Elara, are you going to bid or not?” he said. “If you don’t have the money, I can lend you some.”

I had a blank card, which meant I could only raise the bid by a hundred thousand at a time.

Dante played with me, drawing out the torture, waiting for me to break.

“Dante, this necklace belonged to my mother. Please, let me have it.”

Perhaps my pleading tone seemed only to fuel his cruelty.

He ultimately won it for three million dollars.

I knew Dante did it on purpose.

In our past life, we had also battled fiercely at auctions.

He was trying to buy a rosary blessed by an archbishop for Cameron to ensure a safe pregnancy, and I fought him for it.

I drove him crazy that time.

When I flaunted the rosary in front of Cameron, she suddenly miscarried.

“Elara, if anything happens to her and the baby, I swear to God I’ll never let you go, even as a ghost!”

Dante looked like he wanted to tear me to pieces as he carried Cameron away.

After Cameron’s miscarriage, Dante dug up my mother’s grave and scattered her ashes in the pouring rain right in front of me.

Now, the “Bloody Rose” was in Dante’s hands.

All eyes turned to Cameron, since just a few minutes ago Dante had declared he would use it to propose.

I watched Cameron stand up, smoothing her hair and dress.

With a soft scoff, I stood up, ready to leave the hall.

I came for the necklace. Without it, there was no reason to stay.

But I hadn’t taken more than a few steps before Dante grabbed my wrist.

“What?” he purred, a strange excitement in his voice.

“Don’t you want to see me propose to Cameron?”

I shook his hand off.

“Who you propose to has nothing to do with me.”

“I’m leaving because I have to go put my son to bed.”

The light in Dante’s eyes instantly dimmed. He tightened his grip on my arm, his voice filled with disbelief.

“You have a child?”

Cameron stepped forward and took his arm, trying to reason with him.

But Dante pushed her away without even listening.

“Elara!”

“You’re lying to me, right? How can you have a child?”

I had heard a similar line in my past life.

From Cameron.

After Cameron’s miscarriage in our past life, Dante locked me in the house.

He forced me to serve her, making me a slave to atone for the death of their child.

“Let’s get a divorce, Dante.”

“I don’t want to fight anymore.”

That was the first time I had ever surrendered to him.

But he threatened me with my father, who was rotting in jail, and that night, he forced himself on me.

Later, when I became pregnant, Cameron engineered my miscarriage and said:

“Elara, a person like you, how can you have a child?”

Dante also said, “Elara, a life for a life. Now you’re even.”

In that moment, something inside me shattered for good.

The next day, I anonymously reported Dante for embezzling from the family, and I packaged the Falcone’s core secrets and sold them to their mortal enemies.

The Falcone family was thrown into chaos overnight.

And while Dante was under internal investigation, I ran him over with my car.

After ten years of resentment, I couldn't tell if it was love or hate anymore.

Hate had simply become my reason to live.

But after losing my child, I suddenly couldn’t hate anymore.

Before he died, Dante grabbed me and asked, “If we hadn’t been forced to marry, would we have ended up like this?”

“Elara, if there’s a next life, will you love me properly?”

Before he closed his eyes, I told him no.

There would be no next life for us.

But I never expected that while we didn't have a next life, we got a second chance.

In these seven years, I married, had a child, and chose a different life.

Only this reunion with Dante was not part of the plan.

“I’m married. Of course I would have a child.”

Hearing this, Dante went berserk.

He ordered his Soldati to block my way, demanding I bring the child for a paternity test.

I looked at the unfolding farce, a bitter laugh threatening to escape.

So this was it. In this life, I was the obsession he couldn't have, and it was driving him mad.

“Looks like he doesn’t love you anymore, Cameron,” I said lightly.

Cameron’s expression turned hideous.

She bit her lip and shoved me hard. I stumbled back toward the marble steps, but just as I was about to fall, she collapsed first.

“Ah!”

“Blood!”

Someone in the crowd screamed.

I stared at the bright red blood spreading on the floor, my mind going blank.

This scene was identical to the one from my past life. The words echoing in my ears were the same too.

“Elara, if anything happens to her and the baby, I swear to God I’ll never let you go, even as a ghost!”

All the Falcones rushed over. The moment they saw me, they froze.

Dante's parents' furious voices filled the air.

“If anything happens to Cameron’s child, you can get out of the Falcone family too!”

“Who told you to find Elara again? It’s been seven years, and you still haven’t forgotten her?”

“What is it about a woman like that, that you love so much!”

…

Just like last time, Dante’s parents despised me.

Their accusations were endless.

At the hospital, I paid Cameron’s bill.

I contacted Julian’s assistant and had him rush to the hospital to handle things.

By the time Dante thought to look for me, I was long gone.

I didn’t even know what happened after that.

Because for the next three days, I was delirious with a high fever.

Julian finally found out that I had gone to see Dante.

But he didn't say a word about it. He just announced he was throwing a sixth birthday party for our son, Leo.

“We’ve just returned to the country. It’s a good chance to introduce you to the family.”

“It’s time they officially met you.”

Julian tapped my nose and affectionately stroked my head.

Julian and I got married and had our son in Europe, and we never once returned.

Virtually no one even knew he had a wife and child.

Julian smiled and said this was to give me my proper title.

But only I knew he was afraid I would go back to Dante.

The day of the party arrived quickly.

The celebration was held at Julian’s family estate. By the time I arrived, a large crowd had already gathered.

The butler led me upstairs to change into my gown. As I walked through the throngs of people, I immediately spotted Dante and Cameron.

To my surprise, their gift was the “Bloody Rose” necklace.

“Elara, what are you doing here?” Dante demanded.

I bent down, picked up the necklace from the pile of gift boxes, and wrapped it around my wrist.

“The necklace is beautiful. I love it.”

Dante tried to lunge forward and snatch it back, but the butler blocked him.

“That gift is from me to Julian’s family! What right does she have to take it?”