Chapter 1
My childhood sweetheart fell in love with an orphan girl from the welfare home and insisted on breaking off our engagement.
I tried to reason with him. "You're in the middle of a fierce battle for the inheritance. Why not wait until it's settled before making any decisions?"
But then, the orphan girl died in an accident while trying to save him.
After he finally secured his position as the heir, his first move was to crush my family's business until it went bankrupt.
My parents sold everything we had, only to fall ill and die in a shabby, run-down house.
As for me? He locked me in the basement and tortured me to death.
"This is all what you owed Bella," he said.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the engagement party—the night our families announced our marriage alliance.
Facing his demand to call off the engagement, I smiled and said, "I will be your sister-in-law."
*****
I died in that freezing basement.
Dylan couldn't wait to tear me apart.
He locked me underground, torturing me day after day.
The endless darkness wore down both my mind and body.
By the end, I hadn't eaten in three days. There wasn't a single patch of unbroken skin left on me. I couldn't even lift my head.
I knew I was dying, but I still choked out one last question. "Why are you doing this to me?"
I couldn't understand. Our families had been close for generations.
Even when the Woods hit rock bottom, isolated and desperate, my father never once considered cutting ties.
Instead, he gave everything to help them recover, preserving their status and wealth.
Five years later, Dylan was named the Wood family heir.
But he crushed the Gonzalez family into bankruptcy, leaving us with nothing but ruin.
"Dylan," I rasped, forcing my eyes up to glare at him, "why?"
He looked down at me, his voice icy and detached. "This is what you owe Bella."
Bella?
The name was so distant that it took me a long moment to place it.
Of course. Five years later, he still held a grudge over how I'd stood in his way.
He'd never let go. He blamed me and my entire family for Bella's death.
I shut my eyes, refusing to look at him any longer.
Charles, you absolute fool.
A cold laugh echoed in my mind as my eyelids grew heavier. Then, darkness.
Even as my soul lingered, I heard Dylan's indifferent voice.
"To die without suffering—what a mercy for you."
When I opened my eyes again, I was met with the dazzling chandeliers of the grand hall and the murmur of a lively crowd.
I'd gone back to the day the Woods and Gonzalezes announced our families' alliance.
God had pitied me, refusing to let my death go unanswered. I was given a second chance.
This time, I'd see just how unshakable his so-called love really was.
"Caroline, are you feeling unwell?" My younger sister Anna held my arm, whispering.
"How could she not be?" A mocking voice came from behind us.
"I heard the Wood family's youngest son, Dylan, was kicked out of the house yesterday for insisting on calling off the engagement with the Gonzalez family. He stood outside for a day. It poured rain yesterday."
Anna immediately turned to argue, but I stopped her.
This wasn't just about breaking off the engagement with me.
Earlier this year, Dylan had been ambushed by a rival family who hired assassins to kill him.
At the last second, an orphan girl threw herself in front of him, saving his life, but she lost her legs.
She lived in a nearby orphanage, gentle by nature and stunningly beautiful.
Dylan was so moved that he vowed to take full responsibility for her.
Once he confirmed his safety, he immediately contacted the Wood family and brought her back with him.
He'd been arguing with Miles, his father, for three or four days now.
He claimed that during his time with the orphan girl, he had finally understood what love truly was, so he wanted to marry her.
"Caroline, don't listen to all that gossip. You and Dylan were promised to each other before you were even born. You grew up together. Your bond is..."
I reached out and patted Anna's hand, shaking my head to stop her.
"Let's not talk about that now. Where's the food? I feel like I'm starving to death."
The gnawing hunger from my previous life seemed to linger in my bones.
I hurried straight to the buffet, sat down, and started eating while sorting through the tangled memories of my past and present lives.
No wonder they said thinking burned calories.
Just as I was lost in thought, murmurs began rippling through the crowd.
I looked up. Dylan, dressed in a tailored suit, was pushing Bella in her wheelchair toward me.
She wore a pure white dress.
Wherever they passed, whispers followed, along with the eager anticipation of spectators waiting for a scene.