The night before our engagement, Vincent Moretti was called away on a high-stakes smuggling run. He had to leave immediately.

I promised I would wait for him.

But when he returned, I chose another man right in front of him.

Because I knew that in my past life, the moment I held out my hand to accept his proposal was the beginning of the tragedy.

Luna Rossi, the woman he brought back, had me thrown to jackals and tortured to death.

This time, before Vincent could open his mouth to plead for that other woman...

I grabbed a nearby bodyguard and announced I was going to marry him.

But Vincent lost his mind, blocking my escape with his own body.

"You're mine. I won't allow you to marry anyone else."

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1

"Miss, why aren't you saying anything?"

The bodyguard behind me gave me a gentle nudge. It jolted me back to the present.

I looked at Vincent kneeling before me, a sharp glint in my eyes, my heart squeezed by an invisible hand.

My parents were unable to have children of their own, so they adopted seven.

I was the youngest, with six older brothers, the cherished Principessa of the entire Moretti family.

My life had never known the word "failure."

And Vincent, ten years my senior, was the eldest son of the family, more outstanding than anyone else since childhood.

He was also the man I once loved most.

In my past life, the day before we were going to tell our parents about our relationship, he received a mission and hastily said his goodbyes.

Before he left, he got down on one knee and promised me.

"As long as I come back alive, I will marry you."

For the next five years, I waited foolishly, only to receive the news that he was going to marry someone else.

Later, surrounded by the haze of blood, I saw his grief-stricken face.

"Grace, how could you just die like this..."

My arm was touched lightly again, jolting me from the painful memory.

My family stood all around me.

My five brothers stood behind me, their eyes daggers fixed on Vincent.

They looked ready to tear him limb from limb.

I clenched my fists, pretending to know nothing.

"Father, what's wrong?"

Vincent looked up at me, his eyes betraying no emotion.

"Father, I know what I've done is unforgivable, but she and the child in her belly are innocent."

With a thud, his forehead hit the cold floor hard.

As he bowed, I happened to see the girl kneeling beside him.

She was about my age, dressed in a long pink dress, her belly swollen.

With every sob, her pregnant belly trembled.

I felt as if I were seeing myself in my past life, just before death—pounced on by jackals, struggling desperately but unable to escape their sharp claws and fangs.

As the blood drained from my body, it had convulsed just like that.

My parents noticed something was wrong with me and quickly came over to check on me.

It was as if they didn't even see the two people kneeling on the floor.

Vincent's hand, hidden beneath his sleeve, clenched into a fist.

He probably didn't understand why his brothers' marriages were all so freely arranged, while his was so difficult.

Because he didn't know how I had spent those five years at home convincing our parents to approve our marriage.

That's why, when the news came that he had brought another woman back, everyone pitied me so much.

I knew that his five years of absence and betrayal had cost him the authority to command me. In the eyes of the family, he was the one in the wrong, so all he could do was beg.

They even felt sorry for me.

Yet not a single one of them dared to grant Vincent's request before I spoke.

I studied Vincent as he knelt on the floor.

In my past life, I was so consumed by heartbreak that I didn't even get a clear look at him before Luna had me kidnapped.

After five years, he looked worn.

He was like an unsheathed sword, radiating a tense, dangerous energy.

He was missing an arm, and the scar by the corner of his eye was so deep you could see the bone, frightening enough to make a child stop crying.

This man's five years had been no easier than mine.

I walked straight over and personally helped Luna to her feet.

"Luna, don't kneel."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and a flash of excitement crossed Vincent's eyes.

But my next words froze him in place.

"Father, I want to marry him."

I reached back and pulled a bodyguard from behind me.

My parents and brothers were stunned for only a moment before they nodded in agreement.

It was Vincent who had the strongest reaction.

His body jolted, and he nearly fell over.

"What did you say?"

I tilted my head at him. "Did five years on the road cost you your hearing? Looks like our new sister-in-law will have her work cut out for her."

"One more thing—"

I looked at everyone and said slowly, "Five days from now is an auspicious day, perfect for a wedding."

My mother looked at me with pity in her eyes and slowly nodded.

No one knew that five days from now was the day I died in my previous life.

I was very curious to see, now that I've made a different choice...

...who will be the one to die.

I turned and walked out, not allowing any bodyguards to follow.

Hurried footsteps caught up to me in the covered walkway.

"Leo, is something wrong?"

Leo, my second oldest brother, hesitated. "Do you still have feelings for Vincent? Just say the word, Grace. We'll handle this."

I didn't answer. I just walked into the room and found the list of bodyguards.

"How useful are these bodyguards to the family?"

They were bodyguards in name, but in reality, they were all heirs from various powerful families, sent to the Moretti family to learn.

Out in the world, they were all sought-after marriage partners.

Leo said, "With the Moretti family's current status, not a single one of them is of any use to us."

I smiled. "Then I guess the man I chose today only has the advantage of being in good shape."

Before my brother could speak, a deep male voice sounded from the doorway.

"I may have the title of a bodyguard, but I haven't done much of the actual job. Are you sure you want to marry me?"

Leo's brow furrowed instantly as he looked coldly at the newcomer, Rocco Moretti.

"Who gave you the nerve to follow us?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried the authority of someone in power.

Any other bodyguard would have been on their knees begging for forgiveness by now.

But Rocco remained, leaning lazily against the doorframe.

"The young miss just picked me for a husband. Figured I should introduce myself, so she recognizes me on the wedding night."

He finished, turned to leave, and added one more thing.

"In three days, I'll be waiting for you. All of you. No ghosts of the past."

The implication was that I should completely forget Vincent.

Leo scowled. "Nonsense!"

But I shook my head. "He's... quite good."

In my past life, after I died, someone killed all the jackals and retrieved my bones, piece by piece, from their stomachs.

He held my fragmented limbs and cried like a child.

I couldn't see the man's face, but I smelled the crisp scent of cedar on him.

Today, I smelled that same scent on Rocco.

On the way back to my room, I ran into Vincent.

He sat down beside me and poured me a glass of water, the temperature just right.

I didn't take it. "Congratulations on becoming a father."

Vincent froze.

I glanced at the file in front of me. "Luna Rossi, an orphan—"

Vincent lost his earlier composure and dropped to one knee before me, just as he had when he proposed.

"Grace, I've wronged you, but she's already pregnant. I won't let my child grow up like I did—knowing his father but never calling him Dad."

"So..."

I gently set down my teacup. The soft clink made Vincent's body jolt.

"You were the one who confessed your feelings to me first."

Vincent was silent for a moment, then handed me a black pearl necklace.

"These are your favorite rare black pearls. I finally found eleven identical ones."

He looked at me with deep, affectionate eyes.

But it sent a chill down my spine.

In my last life, he also gave me this necklace, and I ran to show it off to my parents.

After I died, Luna threw my necklace into the river.

My parents jumped in to retrieve it for me and never came back up.

My eyes turned red as I desperately suppressed the churning hatred inside me.

"A string of pearls won't buy my forgiveness."

The chilling cold in my eyes stabbed into his heart like an icicle.

He suddenly presented a dagger with both hands.

"For the rest of my life, my body belongs to her, but my heart will only ever belong to you."

"If tearing out my heart will make you feel better, then do it."

In the end, he was still pleading for that woman.

I held the dagger and traced a circle on his chest, then suddenly smiled.

"Your heart is too filthy. I don't want it."

Vincent eventually left, looking dejected.

His retreating figure seemed to have aged ten years in an instant.

I had just sat down when there was another knock on the door.

Luna entered with several people, carrying armfuls of gifts.

"Grace, these are gifts we bought for you on our way back."

I remained seated, watching her coldly.

"I don't keep trash here."

Luna's smile froze on her face. "I chose each one carefully. Why don't you see if you like them?"

I tilted my chin up, signaling for her to get out.

"You're not qualified to know what I like."

She bit her lip, looking at me with aggrieved, teary eyes.

A truly pitiful sight.

"Your tears are as lustrous as pearls."

Luna cried even harder, but her eyes were fixed on the black pearl necklace on the table.

I picked it up and pushed it into her hand. "You like it? It's yours."

She was stunned, looking at me in disbelief. "For me?"

"He went through hell to get these for you, and you’re just… giving them to me?"

No wonder she was so obsessed with this necklace in her past life, willing to kill me for it.

So Vincent's lost leg was the price he paid for diving into the sea to get me these pearls.

A dense, sour pain spread through my heart.

He once cared so much about my preferences.

And yet he was the one who personally pushed my feelings away.

Luna wiped away her tears and took my hand intimately.

"Grace, once I'm married to your brother, I'll chat with you often. That way I'll know what you like."

She smiled gently, completely forgetting her earlier humiliation.

Her phone screen lit up inadvertently, showing a picture of her and Vincent tangled together in bed.

"Your brother said this one looked good, so—"

"Have you ever seen him like this?"

Her intention to show off and test me was perfectly clear.

Did she really think I'd still be like my old self, caring so much about my feelings for Vincent that I wouldn't dare let anyone know?

I casually scrolled through my photo album. The album from five years ago was full of Vincent.

"These are all pictures of Vincent. Want them? I can send them to you."

Luna nearly ground her teeth to dust.

"You took so many. Does he know?"

Just then, Vincent walked in, and Luna immediately went to tattle on me in a sour tone.

"Vincent, you have no idea, your sister actually..."

Vincent frowned and grabbed her wrist, cutting her off. "Did you steal this?"

Luna looked aggrieved. "Vincent, you're hurting me."

I spoke up at the right moment. "How could the Moretti family let a thief in? Vincent, you shouldn't wrong our sister-in-law."

Luna was on the verge of tears. "Grace gave me the necklace. Vincent, how could you think of me like that..."

Vincent's gaze turned dark in an instant, and he looked at me with a probing expression.

I couldn't be bothered with them and ordered a bodyguard to show them out.