Chapter 2 –The Woman Who Live

I could still perceive the phantom scent of blood even when the air is filled with the thick scent of roses and that of expensive perfume.My blood. The warehouse, the cold steel against my skin, the sharp sting of betrayal which still clung to me, an echo of the life I had lost. But when I looked into the mirror, it wasn't the broken woman I had become staring back at me. It was her.

The Isabella De Luca who hadn't yet been shattered. The one Rafael and Matteo hadn't destroyed.

I dragged my fingers across the smooth skin of my wrist. No rope burns. No bruises. My body was still whole, untouched by the pain I knew was coming. But my mind? My mind was something else entirely.

I had died.

I had felt the bullet tear through my chest. I had tasted my own blood as it filled my mouth. I had watched the man I loved turn his back on me and walk away as I faded into nothingness.

And yet, here I was.

A second chance.

To me,it looks as if fate had made a mistake, and I wasn't going to waste it.

I jolted back from my thoughts immediately I had a knock at the door.

"Isabella?" Alessia's voice, soft and familiar, called from the hallway.

I turned sharply, my chest tightening. Alessia Romano—my best friend. The woman who had died beside me in my past life.

The door creaked open, and a brown eyes warm with concern peaked in,"Why are you awake so early? Did you have a nightmare?"

A nightmare.

I almost laughed.

If only she knew.

I forced my lips into a small, reassuring smile. "Something like that."

She step inside frowning her face while closing the door behind her. "You look... different."

I stiffened. "Different?"

Alessia tilted her head, studying me. "I don't know if it is just me but you look,Sharper. More awake. Like you're really seeing things for the first time."

She wasn't wrong.

Before, I had been blind. Trusting. Weak.

Never again.

I was about to respond when the door swung open again.

And my blood turned to ice.

Matteo Russo.

The man who had once kissed my lips, whispered promises in the dark—before watching me die without lifting a finger.

He looked the same. Still tall, still effortlessly charming with his devil-may-care smirk. Still cruel, even when he pretended not to be.

His dark eyes met mine, flickering with amusement. "You're awake."

I forced myself to hold his gaze, my heartbeat steady. I had spent years loving this man, believing in him. And in the end, I had been nothing more than a pawn in his game.

I wouldn't make that mistake again.

"Of course, I'm awake," I murmured, tilting my head in mock innocence. "Or do you think I'd sleep forever?"

His lips twitched. "You seemed exhausted last night."

Last night.

What had happened before I woke up in this time?

Had I still been that same naïve girl? Had I already started down the path that led to my destruction?

I needed information. Quickly.

"Well," I said smoothly, "I feel perfectly fine now."

Matteo studied me, something unreadable flashing in his gaze. I forced myself to remain still. To pretend.

Because this was the game now.

I had spent my past life playing it wrong—loving the wrong man, trusting the wrong people.

This time, I would play.

But I would play to win.

"Good," Matteo finally said, his smirk returning. "Get dressed. We have dinner with your father tonight."

My father.

Don Vincenzo De Luca.

I had almost forgotten. He was still alive in this timeline. The father I had fought so hard for. The man who had failed to protect me in the end.

I nodded. "Of course."

Matteo lingered for a second longer, his eyes searching mine. "You really do seem different."

I smiled, slow and deliberate. "Do I?"

He didn't reply. He just stand looking at me softly before he turned and walk away.

As soon as the door closed behind him, I exhaled a deep breath.

Alessia, who had been silent the entire time, let out a low whistle. "That was… tense."

Tense?

If only she knew that I had just looked into the eyes of the man who had let me die.

But I only smiled, shaking my head. "Just Matteo being Matteo."

Alessia scoffed. "He's been all over you for weeks now. It's honestly a little nauseating."

Weeks?

So in this timeline, I was still engaged to him.

Interesting.

I filed that information away.

I needed to remember everything.

Every conversation. Every betrayal. Every moment that had led to my death.

Because this time?

I wasn't going to die.

I was going to make them pay.

---

Hours Later – De Luca Estate

The dining room of my family's estate was as extravagant as I remembered—gold-trimmed walls, crystal chandeliers, long mahogany tables set for a feast. But despite the luxury, the air was poisoned.

Because I knew what these people were capable of.

I had watched them betray me.

I had felt their bullets in my skin.

My father sat at the head of the table, his presence dominating the room. Don Vincenzo De Luca wasn't just a man—he was a force. And in my past life, I had fought tooth and nail to earn his respect.

But had it mattered in the end?

No.

He had let me fall.

I was sitting across from him again now, forcing myself to pretend that everything was normal.

Lorenzo, my stepbrother, lounged in his seat, watching me with a lazy smirk. My executioner.

"Isabella," he drawled, "you seem… livelier than usual."

I smiled, the picture of innocence. "Do I?"

He chuckled, but his eyes gleamed with something sharper. Suspicion.

Matteo sat beside me,while resting his arm casually over the back of my chair, playing the role of the doting fiancé.

I wanted to slit his throat.

Instead, I placed my hand over his, feigning affection. "Matteo's been taking such good care of me," I said sweetly.

His fingers tensed beneath mine for just a second.

Ah.

He didn't expect that.

Good.

Don Vincenzo cleared his throat, silencing the murmurs around the table. His sharp gaze landed on me. "There would be a meeting in the gala.

I barely stopped myself from flinching.

I forced my lips into a neutral smile. "Of course, Papà."

Lorenzo chuckled.

I lifted my wine glass while taking a slow sip. My heart was pounding furiously but I refused to show it.

To Be Continued…