Chapter 1

Chloe Miller was the darling of her community, a gifted architect with a future that seemed as bright and meticulously planned as one of her blueprints. Her adoptive parents, celebrated humanitarian aid workers, had instilled in her a deep sense of compassion, but their tragic death in a natural disaster left a void that the community rushed to fill. Their grateful colleagues, powerful and well-connected, arranged three potential engagements for her, a gesture of care that felt more like a gilded cage.

In her first life, the choice had been simple. She picked Liam Hayes, the tech mogul she' d crushed on since childhood. He was charming, ambitious, perfect. Their marriage was a fairy tale that lasted less than a year. It ended with the news of his death in a fiery crash, a tragedy that shattered her. Ten years later, while on a charity mission in a remote village, she saw him. Liam, alive and well, living a simple, picturesque life with her best friend, Sophia Chen. The "death" was a lie, a calculated escape from a life he didn't want, with a wife he never loved. The final, cruel twist came during a real car crash. Liam threw himself in front of her, saving her life. His dying words weren't for her, but for Sophia. "I've always loved her," he gasped, "In a next life, Chloe, choose someone else."

Waking up was a violent jolt. The scent of birthday cake and lilies filled the air. She was twenty-two again. Her adoptive grandfather, his face etched with kind concern, stood before her. On the table between them sat three boxes, each a different color, each holding a symbolic gift representing a fiancé. The blue box for Liam. The green for another suitor. And a stark, black box, unadorned, for Ethan Stone.

The memory of Liam' s betrayal was a raw, open wound. His final words echoed in her mind, not as a plea, but as a command. This time, there would be no mistake. Her hand trembled as it moved past the familiar blue box, the one she had eagerly opened a lifetime ago.

"Chloe, my dear, are you alright? You look pale," her grandfather said, his voice laced with worry.

She looked at him, her vision clearing. "I'm fine, Grandpa. I've just made a decision."

She ignored the blue box completely. She ignored the green one too. Her fingers closed around the black box. It felt cool and solid in her hand. Inside, she knew, was a single, intricately carved raven's feather, a nod to Ethan Stone' s reputation as a rebellious, dark-souled artist. He was her former rival, a man who had challenged her at every turn, whose aloofness she had mistaken for disdain.

"This one," she said, her voice firm. "I choose Ethan Stone."

Her grandfather stared at her, his mouth slightly agape. "Ethan? Chloe, are you sure? He's... unpredictable. Liam has always been so fond of you. Everyone expected…"

"I'm sure," she cut him off, her tone leaving no room for argument. She remembered Ethan differently now. She remembered the fierce loyalty hidden beneath his rebellious exterior, the way he' d silently defended her from bullies in school, the way his gaze would linger when he thought she wasn't looking. He hadn't been a rival, he had been a guardian.

The grand birthday party downstairs was in full swing. Laughter and music drifted up the stairs. She knew she had to face them. As she descended the grand staircase with her grandfather, a hush fell over the crowd. All eyes were on her, waiting for the announcement.

She saw Liam standing near the fireplace, a confident smirk on his handsome face. He held a glass of champagne, looking every bit the man who knew he was about to get everything he wanted. Beside him, Sophia Chen, her best friend, gave her a bright, encouraging smile that now seemed predatory.

Before her grandfather could speak, Liam raised his glass. "To Chloe," he began, his voice smooth and commanding. "But before any announcements are made, I have one of my own. I've made my choice."

A confused murmur rippled through the guests. Liam' s eyes found Sophia' s, and he gave her a look of profound affection. "I cannot accept this engagement. My heart belongs to Sophia."

Chloe froze on the stairs. He remembered. The bastard remembered, and he was trying to beat her to the punch, to frame this as his rejection of her, not the other way around. He was choosing Sophia first, thinking it would spare him the guilt.

Sophia gasped, her hand flying to her chest in a flawless performance of shock and innocence. "Liam, what are you saying? Chloe is my best friend! How could you?"

"I can't live a lie," Liam declared, pulling Sophia closer to him.

Chloe felt a cold fury wash over her. It was happening again, but this time, she wasn't the grieving widow. She was a spectator to her own public humiliation.

She started walking down the stairs, her expression unreadable. "It's a good thing, then," she said, her voice cutting through the tense silence. "Because I never chose you, Liam."

She held up the black box. "I chose Ethan Stone."

Liam' s confident facade crumbled. He stared at her, then at the box, his eyes wide with disbelief. Sophia' s feigned innocence morphed into something ugly. "Chloe! How could you be so cruel?" she cried, tears welling in her eyes. "Liam just confessed his love for me, and you do this to humiliate us? To humiliate him?"

"I made my choice before he said a word," Chloe stated flatly.

"Liar!" Sophia shrieked. She lunged forward, her nails aimed at Chloe's face. "You're just jealous!"

Chloe stepped back, but Sophia was relentless. Liam, reacting instantly, moved to defend Sophia. He pushed Chloe, hard. "Stay away from her!" he yelled.

The push sent her stumbling backward. Her heel caught on the edge of a step, and she tumbled down the remaining stairs, her head hitting the marble floor with a sickening crack. The world went dark, but not before she saw a figure pushing through the crowd, a flash of black leather and furious green eyes. Ethan Stone was there, and he was running towards her.