My parents made Veronica and me decide with a coin toss. The loser had to marry the heir to the Volkov family—Julian Volkov, the man they called "the Monster."

I won. And then, I tore up the script.

"I'll marry Julian," I declared. "Veronica can have the family business."

In my last life, I'd been besotted with Nico—my father's Underboss. I chose to stay and inherit the business, forcing the political marriage—and the "monster"—onto Veronica.

A fatal mistake.

In just six months, Veronica was dead—executed for betraying the family.

Just before she died, she called Nico and pinned everything on me. She spun a lie: that I had lost the coin toss but went back on my word, forcing her to marry the monster.

Nico shattered. He lost his mind.

It turned out he and Veronica had been in a secret relationship for years.

He dragged me to an abandoned warehouse and ordered his men to have their way with me.

"If it weren't for you, Veronica would still be alive! You'll pay for every ounce of her suffering—twice over!"

I was eight months pregnant at the time.

I begged him to stop, begged him to spare my child.

He ignored my pleas, simply ordering his men to continue. Even as my water broke, he just watched, his eyes cold and vacant.

That night, I died along with my unborn child.

Now, I'm back.

This time, I will rewrite my destiny.

Step one: Marry Julian.

————————

1

When I announced I would marry Julian Volkov in Veronica’s place, my parents shared a look of pure, unadulterated relief.

"Are you certain, Scarlett? There's no going back," my father—Don Russell—said, his voice taut with finality.

The phantom sensation of suffocation still burned in my throat. I nodded. "I'm sure."

They didn't object, just nodded in silent, swift agreement.

A bitter laugh escaped me. Of course.

It was the same scene as my last life. They’d claimed a coin toss was the "fairest" way to decide our fates.

Ridiculous. Had they never noticed that I had intentionally lost to Veronica every single time before?

But for Nico, that one time, I was serious.

When I finally beat her, they panicked, even trying to change the rules to a best-of-three.

It was useless—I won ten rounds in a row. They had no choice but to accept the result.

And now, I had won, yet I chose Julian of my own accord.

My parents couldn't have been more pleased, terrified I would change my mind the next second.

My father made it official. "Then it's settled. Scarlett will marry Julian Volkov. Veronica will inherit the family business."

Just then, a figure burst into the room, sweeping Veronica into a desperate, theatrical embrace.

"Veronica, this time, no one will ever tear us apart."

I froze. This time?

Nico… was he reborn, too?

Relief flashed in his eyes—the look of a man who'd just recovered something precious.

"Sir, Donna Russell," he began, turning to my parents with feigned sincerity. "Scarlett is just trying to back out of the deal. She's the one who doesn't want to marry into the Volkov family. Veronica and I are in love. Please, grant us your blessing."

Then, his gaze, sharp and venomous, locked onto me.

"Give it up, Scarlett. No matter what tricks you pull, I will not marry you."

Watching them cling to each other, I almost laughed out loud.

If you were so in love, why did you agree to marry me in our last life?

Oh, right—for power. So cliché.

My father cleared his throat, his discomfort with the public display palpable.

"Nico, Scarlett has already agreed to marry into the Volkov family. Since you love Veronica, we can begin preparing for your wedding as well."

Nico froze for a heartbeat, then pure ecstasy lit up his face. He swept Veronica off her feet, spinning her around in exhilaration.

"Veronica, we can finally be together!"

Nico grabbed her hand and bolted, no doubt eager to parade their epic romance for all to see.

I watched their retreating backs, my expression cold, then turned to my parents.

How ironic. When I had confessed my feelings for Nico in my last life, they had reacted as if I’d committed a mortal sin.

We were nominally brother and sister, and they’d called our bond a twisted, incestuous scandal. They had called me shameless and disgusting.

But now that Veronica was the one in the spotlight, their affair was suddenly a true romance worthy of a blessing.

Perhaps realizing how obvious his favoritism was, my father coughed dryly.

"Scarlett, don't worry. We will prepare a generous dowry for you, so the Volkovs won't look down on you."

I let out a soft, hollow laugh. "Alright."

I had long since stopped expecting anything from them.

Whatever scraps of affection they deigned to toss my way, I’d take them.

I went to a high-end couture shop to choose a gown, only to run into Nico and Veronica right inside.

They were all smiles, whispering to each other about wedding plans.

In my last life, I too had longed for a real wedding. Nico had refused.

"We're technically siblings," he had said. "A grand wedding will just attract gossip. A small family dinner will suffice."

And now, watching him go to such lengths for Veronica felt like swallowing shards of glass.

I turned to leave, but Veronica's sharp voice stopped me.

"Well, what a coincidence, Scarlett. Here to pick out a dress too? Where's my future brother-in-law?"

She gasped dramatically. "Oh, I forgot. He's 'the Monster,' isn't he? I doubt he can even leave the house."

Nico chuckled softly. "Marrying a monster, are we? Why bother with a dress? You're just a bargaining chip for an alliance. It's a waste of good fabric."

I froze.

I never thought such vicious words could come from his mouth.

I slowly turned, ignoring Veronica's triumphant smirk, and fixed my gaze on his eyes.

"So, is that what you've always thought of me?"

For a fleeting moment, guilt flickered in Nico's eyes. He quickly looked away.

His silence was the only answer I needed.

Veronica cut in, her voice dripping with saccharine concern.

"Nico is right. Your fiancé is a monster, so why bother? You're just dressing up for no one."

My expression hardened. "I chose to marry into the Volkov family to make you two happy. Don't forget, I won the coin toss."

Before the words were even out of my mouth, tears welled in Veronica's eyes. "I know you like Nico, but you're the one who wanted to marry into the Volkov family for power. And now you're blaming me?"

The tears streamed down her cheeks, each one catching the light as if perfectly staged.

Nico panicked instantly, rushing to wipe her tears away.

"Apologize to Veronica." His voice was pure ice.

In that moment, I finally saw him clearly. He was the same man, the same demon who had held me down and ordered his men to destroy me.

Ice flooded my veins. I turned to leave, but the sharp crack of a slap sent me stumbling.

"This is to remind you of your place," he roared. "Veronica is your sister. Don't you dare make her cry again."

My cheek burned. I kept my head down, but he grabbed my chin, forcing my face up, and slapped me again, harder this time.

"And this one is to remind you—you don't deserve me."

A twisted satisfaction flashed in Veronica's eyes before she stepped forward, pretending to shield me.

"Nico, Scarlett just likes you too much. Don't blame her. If it makes her feel better, I'm willing to marry into the Volkov family in her place."

At the mention of the Volkov family, Nico's face instantly darkened. He remembered with brutal clarity how Veronica had died in their last life.

A cruel glint flashed in his eyes. He snatched a steak knife from a nearby table setting and viciously slammed it through the back of my hand, pinning it to the mahogany wood.

Searing pain shot up my arm, so intense it stole my breath.

"Scarlett Russell," he hissed. "You will marry into the Volkov family, and you will do it quietly. Otherwise, I'll have those men 'take care' of you again."

With that, he strode out with Veronica, leaving me to collapse onto the floor, staring at my mangled, bloody hand.

Nico… I understand now. I won’t love you anymore. Never again.

I returned home in a daze to find my family gathered around the dining table, enjoying top-grade steak.

As I walked in, my parents looked up, their expressions a fumbled mixture of awkwardness and surprise.

"Scarlett, what are you doing back? Weren't you supposed to be at the Volkov estate today?"

I glanced at the plates on the table, my voice cold. "Who told you that?"

No one answered. But the look they exchanged with Veronica screamed the truth.

I stared at the half-eaten steaks, my stomach churning.

"Scarlett, have you eaten? I'll have the kitchen make you something—"

"No, thank you." I forced a smile and turned toward my room.

When I was five, before Veronica was born, my parents gave me a colt for my birthday. I named him Griffin.

After Veronica was born, they all but forgot I existed. But Griffin didn't. He was my constant companion as I grew up.

Because of him, I forbade horse meat in our house. Everyone knew that.

But tonight… I came home too late.

I couldn't bear the thought. I sprinted to the stables.

"Griffin! Griffin!"

I searched every stall—it was empty. No soft whinny, no sign of him.

A deep chill crept up my spine.

I scrambled back downstairs and seized Veronica's arm. "What are you eating?" I demanded.

I stared at her lips, praying she would deny it.

Instead, she burst out laughing. "We're eating your precious Griffin! And you know what? He's delicious."

The shiny sauce glistening at the corner of her mouth made me gag. I let go of her and stumbled back, retching.

But she wasn't finished.

She leaned in with a cold smile, her voice laced with cruelty. "Scarlett, you should have seen it. When that stupid horse was loaded onto the truck for the slaughterhouse, it kept looking toward your room—as if it thought you would come and save it. Pathetic, right? You're getting married anyway, so keeping it around was an eyesore. We did you a favor."

Her laughter was like a knife twisting in my heart.

Something inside me snapped. A white-hot rage flared, and my hand flew across her face in a hard slap.

"Why?" I screamed. "I gave you everything! I chose Julian so you and Nico could be together. Why can't you just leave me alone?"

Veronica clutched her cheek, her head slowly rising. Her eyes blazed with a manic, unhinged hatred. "Why? Because in our last life, you were the one who stayed behind and pushed me to that monster in the Volkov family!"

"I was trapped there, serving that monster like some breeding machine! I was so alone, and you sent me to that hell! All I did was look for some comfort with Nico, and the Volkovs caught me. They buried me alive like an animal!"

"And all the while, you were stealing everything that should have been mine!"

So that was it.

That was why the Volkov family had executed her.

She had betrayed them, had an affair with Nico, and was carrying his child.

No wonder Nico had descended into such madness after her death.