Chapter 1

Gabriella's POV

I was reborn to that crucial night when my step-uncle, Kayden Taylor, was drugged with an aphrodisiac.

This time, instead of becoming his remedy, I called his true love, Charlotte Miller.

In my previous life, I had fallen in love with Kayden - who became my uncle only by my mother's second marriage,not by blood.

That fateful night, when someone had slipped him a powerful aphrodisiac at a charity gala, he desperately begged me to call his true love.

Instead, I offered myself as his solution.

One month later, I discovered I was pregnant.

Kayden was pressured into marrying me, but on our wedding day, Grace - who had fled to Europe to escape her heartbreak - was taken by kidnappers who ultimately took her life.

In her final hours, she called Kayden 199 times, pleading for help.

But Kayden, trapped in our wedding ceremony, never saw a single call.

Afterward, he would silently stare at those 199 missed calls, his face haunted by unspoken grief.

The day I went into labor, he locked me in the cellar of our New England estate. When I begged him to take me to the hospital, he watched with a cruel smile as I struggled for breath until darkness claimed me.

His final words echoed in my ears: "If you hadn't trapped me with that pregnancy, I wouldn't have been forced to marry you. I would have seen Grace's calls. You deserved this fate..."

When I opened my eyes, I found myself back on that night when Kayden was drugged at the gala.

When I heard those familiar words again - "Gabriella, get Charlotte on the phone, now!" - I suddenly snapped back to reality: I had been reborn.

Without hesitation, I grabbed my phone and dialed Charlotte Miller.

Kayden Taylor's face was flushed, his eyes glazed and intense when he looked at me. In my previous life, that same look had led me to make the fatal mistake that cost me everything.

This time, I avoided his gaze and quickly left his room.

"Hang in there, Kayden. Charlotte will be here in ten minutes!"

As I closed the door, I heard Kayden muttering my name through gritted teeth. I pretended not to hear, shut the door firmly, and stood guard outside.

Ten minutes later, Charlotte rushed in. She shot me a suspicious look, visibly relieved to see me fully dressed.

Before opening the door, she threw me a glance. "You can go now. We don't need you here."

I immediately headed upstairs to my room. The noises from downstairs didn't die down until well after midnight.

I let out a heavy breath. In my previous life, my love for Kayden had led me to stay with him that night, resulting in my pregnancy. He married me under family pressure, but on our wedding day, Charlotte met a tragic end. After losing his true love, he silently bided his time until my due date, then locked me in the basement.

Despite my desperate pleas to save our baby's life in exchange for mine, he watched coldly as both of us died - all to avenge his beloved Charlotte.

This time, I did as he asked and brought Charlotte to him. Soon, I would leave this place and him behind forever.

The next morning, Charlotte was sitting at the Taylor family breakfast table.

Kayden took a bite of his eggs Benedict before casually announcing: "Charlotte and I are together now. I'm going to marry her. Everyone better treat her right."

He gestured at me with his coffee mug: "Especially you. Be nice to your future aunt. Don't start any drama."

I nodded numbly. Charlotte shot me a smug smile.

Ignoring her, I started to leave before finishing breakfast.

But then came Charlotte's tearful voice: "Kayden, I don't think Gabriella wants me here. I know how special she is to you... maybe I should just go if she doesn't like me."

Charlotte's eyes welled up with tears, playing the perfect victim.

Kayden's face darkened as he snapped at me: "Gabriella, sit down and finish your breakfast."

"I'm done," I said quietly.

His voice turned sharp. "Gabriella, I said sit down! What part of that don't you understand?"

"Where are your manners? Is this how you show respect after all these years?"

Though I wanted no part in their drama this time around, they wouldn't let me walk away.

I turned back with a polite smile: "Kayden, Charlotte, bon appétit without me."

Half an hour later, a knock came at my door.

When I opened it, I met Kayden's stormy glare.

Chapter 2

Gabriella's POV

I instinctively tried to close the door, wanting to avoid any confrontation.

Kayden blocked it with his foot, his eyes narrowing. "Why are you avoiding me?"

He leaned closer, studying my face. "You're upset about Charlotte, aren't you?"

I quickly shook my head. "Not at all. I'm happy for you both. You deserve each other."

Something flickered in his eyes - dissatisfaction, perhaps.

"Really? Or is that sarcasm?" He let out a harsh laugh. "Come on, Gabriella. Don't tell me you're still not over me? That drunken kiss at your 18th birthday party - did you think I didn't know about that?"

"All those love letters you've been hiding away - I've read every single one. You thought you were so subtle, but everyone in this house could see right through you. Your eyes gave you away every time."

"Not confessing was the smartest thing you've ever done. I would have laughed in your face."

"Laughed at how pathetic it was."

He strode past me to my desk, yanking open the bottom drawer. Grabbing a stack of letters, he scattered them across the floor, stepping on them deliberately.

"I've raised you since you were seven, Gabriella. I've been like a father to you, and this is how you repay me? Harboring these sick feelings?"

"You knew Charlotte was the only one for me, yet you still wrote these disgusting letters. You make me sick!"

He leaned in close, whispering: "That's why I came here - I saw how you looked at me yesterday when I was drugged. I know you wanted to 'help' me. Thank God you didn't. I would have been revolted for life. You're not worthy of touching me."

My heart clenched painfully. Even though I no longer loved him in this life, his cruel words still cut deep.

After warning me to stay away from him and Charlotte, he slammed the door on his way out.

Not wanting to face them anymore, I left to handle my overseas paperwork. I deliberately returned late, around 10 PM.

The moment I entered my room, something felt off. My bed had been disturbed.

Then I saw Charlotte's latest social media post - a selfie of her in bed with the caption: "Nothing like a luxury mattress for the perfect night's sleep! I mentioned having trouble sleeping once, and he immediately replaced my mattress. This is what happens when a man truly loves you! ?"

She'd taken my custom mattress - the $100,000 one Kayden had specially ordered when my back injury flared up earlier this year.

He used to be kind to me too. He knew exactly what it meant to treat a young girl he'd raised with such affection, yet he'd encouraged my feelings. Now he stood on his moral high ground, condemning me for loving him inappropriately.

And now, based on one casual comment from Charlotte, he'd given away my mattress without even telling me.

Kayden appeared in my doorway, his voice casual. "Charlotte's a light sleeper, so I gave her your mattress. Your back's fine now anyway - any mattress will do."

I didn't look up, just mumbled a quiet "Mm-hmm."

His eyes narrowed. "What's with this sudden maturity, Gabriella? You're acting strange. Aren't you usually furious when I'm nice to others? What are you plotting?"

"I'm warning you - if you try anything against Charlotte, you'll regret it."

I finally looked up. "I'm not plotting anything. I just want everyone to leave me alone."

"Isn't this what you always wanted, Kayden? For me to grow up? You should be happy now, shouldn't you?"

He pressed his lips together, his voice dripping with sarcasm: "Oh, so now you're Little Miss Perfect, aren't you? How wonderful."

He stormed out, slamming the door - his typical reaction when angry.

But I had no interest in soothing his temper anymore.

His anger meant nothing to me now. Soon, I would be gone.

Chapter 3

Gabriella's POV

Life became simple after that. Charlotte spent her days flaunting their relationship on social media, while Kayden kept up his cold shoulder act. This time, I refused to play his game of making me chase his approval.

A month later, Charlotte announced her pregnancy.

Kayden was over the moon, eager to share their news with everyone. Wedding preparations quickly took over the Taylor mansion as they fast-tracked their ceremony.

In this life, it was his beloved carrying his child, and I was determined to let them have their happiness.

Once my paperwork cleared, I booked a one-way ticket to Italy - departing the day of their wedding.

Kayden finally confronted me when Charlotte was out. He barged into my room, waving his phone like a weapon.

"So, what's this I hear about you dipping into your trust fund? My lawyer tells me you're planning a little European adventure." He smirked. "Classic. Getting all 'Eat, Pray, Love' because you can't deal with my wedding?"

My heart skipped, but his assumption helped ease my tension.

Seeing my silence, his tone turned icy. "Are you done with this attitude, Gabriella? A whole month of ghosting me - what, were you planning to keep this up forever if I didn't come to you?"

"Ever since Charlotte moved in, you've been acting like we don't exist. She's the woman I love - if you actually cared about me, you'd make an effort with her too, not hide away like some teenager."

"You can't avoid us forever. What's your brilliant plan after we're married? Keep playing this avoidance game?"

I shook my head. "You've got it wrong, Kayden. I see you only as my guardian. Nothing more than gratitude."

He laughed mockingly. "Gratitude? Come on, Gabriella. You're not fooling anyone - least of all yourself."

His eyes landed on my desk, lips curling. "Look at this shrine of every gift I've given you, and you're really going to sit there and tell me you don't have feelings for me?"

He walked over, picking up each item. "Pack these away. I'm marrying Charlotte - time to drop the fantasy. Blood-related or not, it's never happening between us."

"Charlotte's pregnant now. Seeing these might stress her out, and I won't risk anything happening to my wife and baby."

I nodded, casually sweeping everything into a storage box. I'd planned to trash them before leaving anyway.

Kayden's expression darkened at my indifference, grabbing my hand. "Jesus, be careful! You just broke the rabbit charm on this hairpin!"

I glanced at the rabbit hairpin - his first gift after my parents' death, when he, their closest friend, took me in. For years, I'd treated it like a precious jewel, not letting anyone near it.

Now, watching me toss it carelessly into the box seemed to bother him more than me.

"Really? This whole 'I'm totally over it' act? Who do you think you're kidding?" He shook his head. "You're so broken up about my wedding that you're literally fleeing the country, and here you are playing Miss Independent."

"Though maybe some time away isn't the worst idea - Charlotte's in a delicate state. Better you're not here making things weird."

He pulled out his phone, making a transfer. "Here's $100,000. Go find yourself in Europe or whatever. Come back in a month when Charlotte's pregnancy is more stable."

His gaze lingered. "Try not to pine too much while you're gone. You'll need to get used to me being a married man. Otherwise, it's going to be real awkward around here."

He rattled off some travel safety advice like I was still a kid, completely oblivious to the truth.

He didn't know I'd been reborn.

And this time, I was leaving for good.

On Kayden's wedding day, while the Taylor mansion buzzed with preparation, I quietly slipped out the back door with my suitcase.

As my Uber pulled away, I didn't look back.