When I woke the next morning, the space beside me was empty.

Only the faint, cooled scent of cedar remained on the sheets. By our five-year unspoken rule, Luca always left before dawn, as if nothing had happened.

When I washed up and went downstairs, there was a strange woman in the living room.

She wore an ivory suit, blond hair pinned neatly back, with a crocodile handbag beside her and diamonds flashing on her wrist.

Mom Grace waved me over warmly. "Elena, come here. This is Sophia Bellini, your brother's girlfriend."

The word girlfriend still gave my heart a small, sharp pull.

Sophia rose with a sweet, easy smile. "So you're Elena. Luca talks about you all the time. He says you're sweet and so easy to take care of."

I touched her hand briefly, my fingers cold. "Nice to meet you."

Luca was sitting at the other end of the couch. He heard every word and didn't explain. He only glanced at me, as if waiting for me to get jealous, question him, or lose control.

I asked nothing and turned toward the kitchen for water. The glass had just filled when a shadow appeared behind me.

Luca locked an arm around my waist from behind, pinned me against the counter, and lowered his head to kiss me.

I turned away. "Your girlfriend is outside."

He laughed under his breath. "Jealous?"

I said nothing.

He caught my chin and turned my face back. "She isn't my girlfriend. The Bellinis want to reopen talks with the Moretti family about the dock route, and the old man keeps pushing me to get married. I don't have the patience for it, so I asked her to put on a show for a few days."

He brushed his lips over mine. "You know better than anyone who my girlfriend is, don't you?"

Looking into his eyes from so close, I suddenly found it funny. In my last life, I had been fooled again and again by that exact tone. As long as he gave me one explanation, I would make up every excuse for him myself.

This time, I only nodded. "Got it."

A flicker of doubt crossed Luca's eyes. He probably thought I would cry like before, then let him coax me back with a kiss. But I didn't have the strength to play that role anymore.

At breakfast, Sophia was seated beside Luca. She talked about their childhood in Sicily and how Luca still remembered she didn't like her eggs fully cooked.

Luca listened with lazy indifference, but he still moved the runny egg from his plate to hers.

Sophia smiled, her cheeks pink, and pushed a piece of toast she had already bitten back onto his plate. "Then you should try mine, too."

Luca didn't move at once. He looked at me first. I lowered my head and drank my coffee as if I hadn't seen a thing. Only when I reached for a napkin did he pick up the toast and take a slow bite.

I set down my cup. "I'm done."

Uncle Vincent looked up. "Where are you going so early?"

"Downtown. School paperwork."

Sophia immediately smiled. "Perfect. Luca and I are heading out, too. It's raining. Let him give you a ride."

I was about to refuse when Uncle Vincent frowned. "Let Luca drive you. A Moretti daughter doesn't need to hail a cab in the rain."

I had no choice but to grab my bag and head to the garage first. I was going to the British visa center. If Luca found out, he might get suspicious.

Then again, what could he do? The ticket was booked, the school was ready, and someone would meet me in London. He couldn't stop me.

A few minutes later, Luca and Sophia got into the car one after another. Sophia didn't take the passenger seat. Instead, she slid into the back beside me.

The car rolled out of the estate, and rain struck the windows in a dense, gray curtain.

Sophia leaned closer and spoke in a voice only the two of us could hear. "I know you don't like me."

I turned to look at her. Her smile stayed in place, but her eyes cooled. "I also know you and Luca aren't just siblings."

My fingers tightened.

She watched my reaction with satisfaction. "But you two will never end well. You're Grace's daughter. He's the Moretti heir. If your secret gets out, all of Chicago will laugh."

I said nothing.

Sophia took her phone from her bag and set an alarm. Exactly one minute later, it rang.

She answered it, and her voice instantly turned shaky. "What? Lulu is sick? How did she suddenly stop breathing right?"

After hanging up, tears had already gathered in her eyes. She leaned forward toward the front seat. "Luca, the housekeeper says my dog is really sick. I know this is a lot, but she's been with me for ten years. I'm scared. Can you take me home first?"

Luca pulled over and looked out at the rain. I saw his frown. I also saw his brief hesitation. In the end, his eyes landed on me. "Elena, I'll take Sophia to Lincoln Park first. Get out here and take a cab downtown."

Sophia immediately handed me an umbrella, victory shining plainly in her eyes.

I took it and opened the car door. Rain and cold wind rushed in. The umbrella's ribs were loose, and water dripped through two small holes onto my shoulder.

Luca didn't get out. He only watched me through the car window, as if waiting for me to turn back and beg him.

I didn't.

The taillights vanished into the rain. I stood by the curb, holding the broken umbrella, and suddenly let out a soft laugh.

Letting go didn't always mean screaming or sobbing. Sometimes, it was simply seeing that every time he turned away, he had never chosen you.

I walked nearly forty minutes in the rain before I reached the visa center.

My hair was soaked, my skirt clung to my legs, and my documents were nearly ruined. A staff member handed me hot water and asked if I needed to rest.

I shook my head and handed over the documents one by one.

Stamp. Confirm. Sign.

When the last form was taken away, I stared at the small blue stamp and felt my heart go strangely quiet. Now, only one ticket stood between me and the Moretti estate.

The rain still hadn't stopped outside. I couldn't get a cab, so I had to walk back along the street. Rain dripped from my hair into my collar, cold enough to make my teeth chatter.

By the time I returned to the estate, it was already dark.

I didn't go to the dining room or alert anyone. I simply went back to my room and changed out of my wet clothes. But even a hot shower couldn't drive away the chill, and soon I started to burn with fever.

When my mind was at its blurriest, I dreamed too many things. I dreamed of the crash, blinding headlights, and Luca saying in that careless voice that he hadn't decided how to deal with me yet.

When I opened my eyes again, I thought I was still dreaming.

Luca was sitting by the bed, one arm around me and the other holding a bowl of medicine. His shirt sleeves were rolled to his elbows, and rare anxiety sharpened his face. "Be good. Open your mouth."

My throat burned too badly for me to resist. I could only let him feed me spoonful after spoonful.

The medicine was bitter. He lowered a glass to my lips. "Drink some water. Once the fever breaks, you'll feel better." His voice was gentle enough to sound real.

If I hadn't died once, I probably would have wavered again. I closed my eyes and let myself sink back into sleep.

When I woke again, only one wall lamp was on. The fever had broken, but my body still felt weak.

No one sat beside the bed. Only a phone on the nightstand kept vibrating.

It was Luca's private phone.

I shouldn't have looked. But the group chat name popping up on the screen stabbed straight into my eyes.

[North Shore Club]

That was Luca's private chat with his closest men. In my last life, it was in front of those same men that I had heard the joke that destroyed me.

I reached out and picked up the phone. Messages kept appearing.

[Luca, hell of a performance today. Heard Elena had a fever, and you ditched a shipment worth nine figures at the docks, then blew through a dozen red lights to get back to the estate?]

[Be honest. You're not actually into the little sister, are you?]

[Same here. If this is just for fun, who gets that worked up?]

A few seconds later, Luca's reply appeared at the bottom of the screen.

[Into her?]

[I'm just selling the act. The more she believes me, the more Grace hurts when it blows up.]

My breath stopped for a second. Then another message jumped out.

[What about the engagement? Sophia's side is ready. Are you really going to keep Elena in the dark?]

Luca replied fast.

[At my birthday party, I'll announce my engagement to Sophia in front of everyone.]

[As for Elena, it's time she woke up.]

A few short lines crushed the last ridiculous bit of hope inside me.

So his plan for us, his future, his promise that I was the only one, all existed so I would fall harder at his birthday party.

I held the phone until my knuckles slowly turned white. At that moment, the bedroom door opened from the outside.

Luca walked in carrying a glass of hot water. When he saw the phone in my hand, his steps stopped dead. All color drained from his face.

"Elena. What did you see?"