After Stefan Grimaldi's first love died, he hated me for five years.

I did everything I could to please him, but he never softened. The only thing he ever said was, "If you really want to make me happy, go die. Go keep Sienna company in her grave."

It cut deep every time. I told myself it would always be this way, that he would carry that hatred until one of us was gone.

I was wrong.

When assassins came for us, Stefan stepped in front of the bullet without hesitation. He went down in my arms.

With the little breath he had left, he looked up at me and said, "Annie, if there's a next life, I hope I never meet you again."

At his funeral, his father stood over the casket, barely holding himself together.

"Stefan, I was wrong. I never should have forced you to marry Annie. If I had listened to you back then and let you marry Sienna, none of this would have happened," he said.

His mother turned on me, tears streaming, her eyes filled with blame. "This is all your fault. Every time, Stefan ended up in danger because of you. What have you ever given him besides disaster?"

I kept my head down and said nothing. They were not the only ones with regrets. I regretted marrying Stefan too.

On the night of the full moon, I climbed to the top of the church tower and jumped.

I woke five years in the past.

This time, I was done.

I opened my eyes to find Stefan Grimaldi standing in front of me. He wore a sharply cut black suit, his face carelessly handsome. "Annie Romano, you really are something. You got my parents to starve themselves just to force me into marrying you. What, you think a wedding ring will make me fall in love with you? Keep dreaming."

His manner and the way he spoke were nothing like the Stefan I would come to know five years later. This was Stefan at 20.

I crushed the ache rising in my chest and let myself look at him, just for a moment. I could not help it.

After a pause, I forced a smile, though it cost me. "You don't want to marry me because the person you actually want is Sienna Morelli. Am I right?"

Stefan let out a cold, humorless sound. "Sienna is the only person I have ever loved. What, are you giving up?"

"Yes," I said.

I meant it.

My parents had died in a gang war. Stefan's grandfather, Salvatore Grimaldi, the head of the Grimaldi family, had taken me in and kept me safe. In exchange, he signed an agreement with me.

What the Grimaldi family owed me would be repaid through marriage. But the same agreement could be used in reverse. It could buy anyone their freedom.

Stefan went still for half a second. Then something between anger and disbelief crossed his face, and he let out a short, incredulous laugh. "You used that agreement to back me into a corner. My father pressured me into this. The invitations have already gone out, and now you stand here and tell me you're willing to walk away?"

He stared at me. "Annie, are you serious right now? I don't know what game you're playing. Take the agreement to my grandfather yourself. I'll wait here."

He turned and leaned against one of the stone pillars lining the corridor.

The contempt in his eyes landed like a blow. Something raw and stubborn twisted in my chest, and I came dangerously close to tears.

I had loved Stefan for a very long time. He had also saved my life three times, throwing himself into danger each time without hesitation. I told myself that meant something, that maybe, underneath everything, he felt what I felt. That was why I had accepted the arrangement. That was why I had married him.

Only after his first love died did I finally understand. Stefan's heart had always belonged to someone else. Nothing I did would ever change that.

In my previous life, I prayed to God more times than I could count, begging for a way to give Stefan back what he had lost. Eventually, my prayers were answered. At the cost of my own life, I bought Stefan a second chance.

Before the regression, a priest warned me, "Within one day of returning, you must fulfill his three regrets. Once you have done that, leave immediately. There is a price for this, Ms. Romano. Make sure you have thought it through."

I let out a hollow smile in resignation. What did the price matter? As long as I could settle what I owed Stefan, nothing else did.

…

I went to see Salvatore and used the agreement to give Stefan and Sienna what they had never been allowed to have: the freedom to love each other.

I knew Stefan's three regrets. We had spent years in the same orbit, and I had read his private journal. He had written them down himself: Regret marrying Annie. Regret not fighting the family's decision. Regret failing to save Sienna.

The first was now settled. I walked out of Salvatore's study with the signed termination agreement in hand and returned to where Stefan was waiting.

He watched me approach with open disdain and reached for the document.

I placed my hand over his. "There's no rush. Read it tomorrow."

He gave me a flat look. "How childish. What's this, a new trick? Or did the thought of marrying me finally make you lose your mind?"

Honestly, it did make me happy. I got to see him again.

I smiled. "Stefan, whether it's looks or talent, you're the finest person I have ever known. Getting to marry you would be the luckiest thing in this entire world."

Stefan made a short, dismissive sound and turned away. "Let's go home."

…

We hit traffic on the way back. Through the window, I caught fragments of a conversation from the sidewalk.

"Today's Valentine's Day. They say if you make a wish at the church, Cupid will bless you and keep you with the one you love for the rest of your life."

A quiet, bitter sound slipped out before I could stop it.

In my previous life, I had heard almost those exact words and begged Stefan to take me to the church so we could make a wish together.

He had not even tried to hide his contempt. "Annie, I don't like you. That is not something anyone can fix. And only an idiot would believe something like that. Don't drag me into your stupidity."

The memory made me shudder.

I turned away from the window and told myself not to hope this time.

Then Stefan spoke, almost offhand. "What, do you want to go?"

A beat of silence ensued.

"I don't have anything on today. I can take you to the church. But once we're married, I'll be busy. Don't come up with things like this to bother me," he warned.

I looked at him, unsure I had heard him right. Then I thought about it, and it made sense. It was exactly like him. He had always been that way. He was cold on the surface, but he would give in if I held my ground long enough. In the end, he always did.

Maybe that was just who he was: decent, in spite of himself.

There was no other way to explain it. He did not love me. He had never loved me. And yet he had saved my life four times.

The first time, assassins came for me. He stepped in front of me and took a bullet through the arm. After that, he could never lift a heavy weapon again.

The second time, I ran a fever that would not break. Someone told him that if a person stood in the freezing wind and prayed, there would be a chance it might turn. He actually did it. He stood outside in a thin shirt through a full day and night of bitter cold and nearly died.

The third time, someone set fire to the estate. Everyone else got out. Stefan went back in for me.

The fourth time, assassins found us again. He stepped in front of the bullet meant for me and died in my arms.

He had been good to me, just not out of love.

I knew all of that. I had lived it once already. Going to the church and making a wish would not give us a future that was never meant to exist.

Even so, I could not stop the warmth that spread through me anyway.

"Okay," I said.

We were halfway there when Stefan's phone started ringing.

Sienna's thin, weak voice came through. "Stefan, my stomach hurts…"

She had not even finished the sentence before Stefan told the driver to pull over. He turned to me. "Sienna is sick. She needs me. I have to go. I'll be at the church tonight. On time. I promise."

I looked down and nodded.

He seemed surprised. "You used to hate it whenever I dropped everything to run to Sienna. What changed?"

I started to answer, but he continued, "I don't know what you're trying this time, but we are engaged. That means Sienna is no threat to you. Don't do anything stupid."

Then he told me to get out of the car.

I stood on the pavement and watched it disappear. A bottomless bitterness settled over me.

I had never wanted to hurt Sienna.

Stefan's impression of me came from a single moment years ago. I had turned a corner and found Sienna in the corridor with the Don of a rival family. They had been kissing as if no one else existed. I had gone straight to Stefan and told him what I had seen. I had even tried to persuade him not to be with her.

He did not believe me. He thought I was trying to smear her name.

After she died, he drowned in grief for years. If I could relive that moment, I would turn around and walk away, letting them have each other. Anything would have been better than what followed.

I flagged down a cab and went to the embassy alone to sort out a visa.

…

By the time I returned to the estate, dinner was already on the table.

I leaned in to check the dishes. Every one of them was something I liked.

Stefan's mother, Elena Rossi, spotted me from across the room. "Annie's back! Come eat, come eat."

His father, Marco Grimaldi, came downstairs, took one look at the empty space behind me, and grunted, "That useless boy. Who knows where he wandered off to. He's about to have a family and still has no sense."

Their warmth touched something tender. After my parents died in the gang war, I was completely alone. Stefan's parents stepped in and filled that absence without fanfare. For years, I followed their lead without question.

Not this time.

"Marco, I don't want to marry Stefan anymore," I said.

The table fell silent.

"I'm leaving for Rodona tomorrow. The visa is already done. I won't be here to look after you, so please take care of yourselves."

Elena stared at me. "What are you saying, child? We watched you grow up. This is your home. Where do you think you're going? Did Stefan do something to you? Tell me. I'll deal with him myself."

She reached for my hand. "Annie, trust us. We know our son. Stefan loves you. He would not have come back for you again and again if he didn't. And every birthday, without fail, he prepares something special for you. Just give it a little more time. Once you are married, things will settle."

They had said the same in my previous life. They had believed it completely.

The ending had not matched that faith.

I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her. "Elena, it's all right. I respect Stefan, but he does not feel the same way about me. Forcing two people together when one of them does not want it only makes everyone miserable."

I paused, then added carefully, "I also went to see a tarot reader yesterday. She said that if we go through with this marriage, it will end badly for both of us. And afterward, Stefan could die before he turns 26… because of me."

Saying it aloud felt like a blade turning in my chest.

Elena went very still.

"That's nonsense," she said, though her voice wavered. "The cards don't know anything. That won't happen."

"Maybe not," I said. "But maybe they are pointing us toward something we already know. Letting each other go might be the kindest thing we can do. For both of us."

I let the silence sit for a moment.

"Stefan has always known his own mind. A decision like marriage should be his to make." I took out the visa and set it on the table. "Elena, I'm sorry. I know what you have both given me, and I know I am not repaying it as I should. But there is somewhere I need to go. I hope you can let me. I will find a way to give back everything you have given me. I promise."

Marco had remained silent throughout. He let out a long breath, then nodded.

Elena looked at him, then back at me. She left for a few minutes and returned with an envelope.

"We respect your choice," she said quietly. "But remember this. If you grow tired out there, or find yourself in trouble, this will always be your home."

I could not hold myself together after that. I pulled her into a hug and cried until no sound came out.

As long as I stayed out of Stefan's life, the tragedy I had already lived through would not happen again. He was a genuinely good person, and good people deserved long lives. This time, everyone would be all right.

Two of his three regrets were resolved. One remained. I hoped it would go as smoothly.

…

That evening, at the church, couples moved past me in pairs. They stood before the altar and made their wishes under the cross. I could not explain why it moved me, but it did.

"Annie."

I turned at the sound of Stefan's voice.

A slap landed before I saw it coming.

"Annie…" His voice shook. "I thought something had changed in you. I was wrong. You just found a new angle. Why did you go to my parents and tell them Sienna was involved with someone else? Because of you, she just slit her wrists."

My cheek burned where he had struck me.

In my previous life, Sienna slit her wrists on the night of our wedding. Stefan could not find a matching blood type in time. He helplessly stood there and watched her die.

He hated me for it. Even in the moment he took that bullet for me, part of him still wished he had never met me.

But we were not married yet. So why had Sienna's attempt come early?

It did not matter. I had come back to settle Stefan's regrets, and this one had arrived on its own.

I met his gaze. "My blood type matches Sienna's. You want me to donate. That's what this is, right?"

He blinked, just once. Then his voice dropped back into that hard, flat register. "You caused this. Giving your blood is the least you can do. Don't stand there looking like I owe you something."

I smiled and said nothing.

…

Stefan took me to Sienna's house. She lay in bed, her small face drained of color, frighteningly still.

Without a word, he pushed me toward the doctor.

The doctor did not hesitate. He inserted the needle into my arm and ran the test.

The machine beeped.

The doctor looked up, visibly relieved. "It's a match."

Then his expression changed. "However, Sienna has lost a significant amount of blood. Miss Romano would need to donate a large volume to stabilize her. That level of blood loss carries serious risk. There is a chance Miss Romano's body may not be able to handle it."

I looked at Stefan. His eyes remained fixed on Sienna.

I smiled to myself, quiet and restrained. "It's fine. If it saves her, that's enough."

Stefan turned to look at me. A crease formed between his brows.

A moment passed. Then he turned away again. "Consider it a debt. I owe you one."

The needle went in again. I watched my blood move through the line and felt myself growing lighter, emptier, with each passing minute.

My thoughts drifted.

After my parents died, all the kids at school sensed my vulnerability and closed in. Stefan was the exception. He stepped in front of them without being asked. Later, he held me and said, "I'm here. Don't be afraid. I'll always protect you."

He meant it. Even when he came to hate me, he kept protecting me. He could not seem to stop himself.

That was how I fell in love with him. That was why I could not let go.

But I knew what I had to do. I could not love him this time. I had to sever whatever bound us, cleanly and completely, before it could grow into something that destroyed us both.

The blood kept flowing, and the room began to tilt.

As I lost consciousness, Stefan's voice surfaced from somewhere in my memory. "Annie, how much better my life would have been if I had never met you."

Tears slipped from the corners of my eyes before I could stop them.

"Stefan… I promise. This time, I'm letting you go," I mumbled.

…

When I opened my eyes again, sunlight filled the room. I lay in a hospital bed, my body hollowed out, too heavy to lift.

It was already 11:00 a.m. I needed to leave.

Voices drifted in from the corridor. Nurses spoke among themselves.

"Did you all go to the church last night? They say it really works."

"I went. My parents went years ago, and they're still completely devoted to each other. I believe it."

I listened and let out a small, crooked smile. I had missed it after all.

The door opened.

Stefan entered carrying a lunch tray. Everything on it was something I liked. He had remembered. I had not expected that.

He stood beside the bed and studied me for a long moment. The edge from last night was gone. "Anything still hurting?"

I shook my head.

"Sienna is out of danger. Thank you."

I nodded.

He held my gaze for a while, then said, "I was out of line yesterday. I said too much."

He paused. "But don't go near Sienna again. She has nothing to do with any of this."

The words settled in my chest like a stone.

"Okay," I said.

Stefan exhaled. "I didn't take you to make your wish last night. I'll make it up to you after the wedding. You've always wanted to go to Rodona, right? We'll go there for our honeymoon."

"You don't have to do that. That was my decision. You don't owe me anything for it," I said.

He turned away, his posture leaving no room for argument. "I already had my assistant start the arrangements. Once you've recovered, we'll go."

I lowered my gaze and said nothing. My eyes drifted to his arm, to the old bullet scar—the one he had gotten the first time he saved my life.

Without thinking, I reached out and touched it. "You were hurt like this because of me. Do you regret it?"

"Don't read into it. I would have done the same for anyone." Stefan's voice remained even.

I nodded. "And the night you stood in the cold to pray for my fever?"

"Same answer."

I fell silent.

So that was how it had always been. I really had imagined everything.

I gathered a smile. "Stefan, thank you. For every time you saved me."

I kept my voice gentle. "I lost my parents when I was young, and all I ever wanted was a place I could call home. I know now that I looked for it in the wrong person. I'm sorry for making things harder for you."

After today, none of this would carry forward. Stefan could have Sienna. He would not have to spend five years in conflict with me. He would not die at 26 for the sake of someone he had never loved.

This time, I would make sure he lived.

Stefan opened his mouth to speak.

Before he could, the doctor appeared in the doorway. "Mr. Grimaldi, Sienna has woken up. She's asking for you."

The change in his expression was immediate. Something lit his eyes, and he was already moving.

He reached the door, stopped, and looked back at me. "Wait here."

"Stefan…"

He turned.

I smiled at him warmly without reservation. "I hope the rest of your life is everything you want it to be."

He frowned. "I'm just going to check on Sienna. I'm not abandoning you. Listen to the doctor and stay in bed. I'll be back later."

Then he was gone.

I waited until his footsteps faded. Then I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed.

The doctor appeared at once. "Miss Romano, you can't—"

"I'll rest properly, I promise." I steadied myself against the mattress. "Please tell Mr. Grimaldi that I've gone to Rodona. Tell him I wish him well."

-

Stefan left Sienna's room and went straight down the corridor.

He pushed open the door to Annie's room and found the bed empty.

He seized the nearest nurse by the arm. "Where is she? She could barely stand. Where did she go?"

The nurse shook her head, unable to offer any answer.

One of his men came running, nearly colliding with him in the doorway, breathing hard. "Boss, there's a problem. Gunfire just broke out at the intersection down the street. Someone who looked like Miss Romano has been shot."