After Rebirth She Strikes Back

My husband was Don Enzo De Luca of the Chicago Outfit. His first love, Nina Rossi, had died to save him.

As fate would have it, our wedding day was also the anniversary of Nina's death.

He left me alone at the altar, making me the laughingstock of Chicago.

From then on, we became the most infamous couple in the Chicago underworld, bound by a marriage fueled by hatred.

However, when the Falcone family's assassins cornered me on the street, Enzo took a fatal bullet for me.

As he lay dying in my arms, he whispered, "I've repaid my debt to your mother."

"Alessia... let me go. I don't want to see the hatred in your eyes anymore. That... hurts more than death."

And then, he closed his eyes forever.

My heart shattered. He never looked at me again.

It was only then that I realized how foolish all those years of resentment had been.

Later, after I eliminated the Falcone family for him, I took my own life with a gun.

But when I opened my eyes again, I was twenty years old, back in the year of our engagement.

I refused my father's arranged marriage, choosing instead to open an art gallery in Seattle.

This time, I would stay far away from Enzo and wish him and Nina happiness from a distance.

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1

In this new life, I had sworn off pursuing Enzo De Luca. But the shoulder wound I’d sustained a few weeks ago while escaping a Falcone family attack still throbbed with a dull ache.

The night before our engagement ceremony, the pain was particularly agonizing. I was about to get the first-aid kit when Enzo walked in, the kit already in his hand.

Wordlessly, he unwrapped the bandage on my shoulder, his movements practiced and efficient as he cleaned the wound. The accidental brush of his warm fingertips against my skin sent a jolt through me.

"Alessia, stop putting yourself in danger just to get my attention. You are the Principessa of the Gallo family; you need to learn to protect yourself."

Enzo spoke, his tone as cold as steel.

His words were a bucket of ice water, extinguishing the fragile spark in my chest.

He was always like this, tending to my wounds with practiced precision while pushing me away with the coldest words.

I once thought he was just emotionally clumsy. It wasn't until after Nina's death that I understood the insurmountable distance between us was simply because he didn't love me.

My silence only seemed to anger him more. "Answer me, Alessia Gallo," he bit out. "I'll say this only once. Pull a stunt like this again, and you're on your own. I won't be there to save you."

His voice was laced with the same cold disgust I remembered from my past life.

Tears welled in my eyes, but I nodded. "Fine. I won't get hurt again. And I won't be a bother anymore."

After a brief hesitation, I gently tugged on the corner of Enzo's sleeve, blinking nervously. "Could you... tuck my hair back? Like you used to when we were kids. Just one last time."

Disgust flashed across his face. He frowned, trying to pull his sleeve away.

I took a deep breath and pleaded again. "Please... I swear this is the last time."

He seemed about to refuse again, but I caught his hand.

The sudden heat of my palm against his made him hesitate.

"Alessia," he began, his voice tight. "Don't push your luck. This will only make me resent you more. I've told you before, I only see you as a sister."

I fought back tears, clinging to the warmth of his hand. Then, I nodded, my expression serious. "I know. After today, I won't pester you anymore."

Enzo clearly didn't believe me. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I hope you mean that."

With that, he reached out, a little stiffly, and tucked a stray strand of hair from my forehead behind my ear before leaving my room without a backward glance.

I stared at his departing figure, frozen in place.

His scent still lingered in the air, and I found myself inhaling deeply, trying to hold on to the last trace of him.

Remembering the doubt in his eyes, I gave a bitter smile. This time, I meant it. I wouldn't chase him anymore. I would stay far away, resigned to being nothing more than a ghost from his childhood.

The next day, my father called me to his study to discuss the engagement details. However, the first thing I said was, "Papa, I don't want to marry Enzo anymore. I want to go to Seattle, open a gallery, and expand the family's art business."

"You've wanted to marry Enzo since you were a child. Why the sudden change of heart?" he asked, bewildered.

"I don't love him anymore," I replied. "I just want to focus on my career now. Papa, I truly hope you'll agree."

My father, the Don of the Gallo family, studied me—the daughter he had always doted on—and sighed. "Are you sure? If you back out, your cousin Nina will marry him."

I nodded firmly. "Then let them be together. I wish them well."

Suddenly, a thought struck me. I added, "And, Papa, please don't tell Enzo I'm the one who called it off. I don't want him to think this is just another one of my games. I just want to leave with some dignity."

My father seemed puzzled by my sudden resolve.

Even so, he agreed and had a flight to Seattle booked for me for the following week.

It was a convenient turn of events, as we were planning to expand our legitimate businesses in Seattle and needed someone trustworthy to oversee things.

I was the perfect candidate.