Aria gasped.
Air filled her lungs violently.
She sat upright in her bed.
Sweat soaked her silk nightgown.
The room.
Her room.
The Whitmore Mansion.
She stared at the calendar on the wall.
June 3rd.
One year before her death.
Her hands trembled.
She ran to the mirror.
No injuries.
No blood.
Alive.
Her phone buzzed.
Ethan:"Good morning, future Mrs. Vale ❤️"
Her stomach twisted.
He was alive.
Still pretending.
Still acting.
She looked at her reflection.
Last life, she was soft.
Trusting.
In love.
This life—
Her eyes hardened.
She smiled slowly.
"Thank you for the second chance."
Her phone buzzed again.
News notification:
Blackwood Corporation wins international acquisition.
Lucien Blackwood.
Ethan's biggest rival.
The only man Ethan feared.
Aria's fingers tightened around the phone.
Last life, she avoided him.
This life—
She whispered,
"If I want to destroy a wolf… I need a bigger monster."