‎Blood spread across the white fabric of Eva Woods' wedding dress -The sight should have horrified her.

‎Instead, she could only stare as the crimson stain grew larger, beneath her trembling hands, and as pain tore through her abdomen.

‎

‎The grand ballroom glittered around her. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. White roses decorated every table. Music drifted softly through the room.

‎

‎Hours ago, she had believed this would be the happiest night of her life - Now she knew it had been a lie from the very beginning

‎A sharp laugh broke the silence. Eva slowly lifted her head. Serena stood a few feet away, her arms crossed as though she were watching a play.

‎The same Serena she had trusted for years.

‎The same Serena she had defended countless times.

‎The same Serena who was now standing beside Daniel Hart.

‎Her fiancé, her future alpha, or so she has thought

‎

‎"You look surprised," Serena said.

‎Eva's throat tightened. "Why?" she whispered.

‎Daniel's expression remained cold, Emotionless.

‎As if the woman bleeding on the floor meant nothing to him.

‎"Because you made everything too easy," Serena replied. "You trusted us."

‎The words hit harder than the pain.

‎Eva remembered every late night she spent helping Daniel build his influence within the pack.

‎Every business opportunity she had handed to him.

‎Every sacrifice she had made.

‎For him, for them, for a future she thought would exist.

‎"You stole my company." Daniel finally spoke.

‎"It was never your company."Eva stared at him.

‎The man she had loved for three years couldn't even look guilty.

"The shares have already been transferred," he continued. "By tomorrow, everything belongs to Serena and me."

‎

‎A cold numbness spread through Eva's body.

‎Not because she was dying.

‎Because she finally understood.

‎This had been planned.

‎Every promise, every promise, every smile, every touch, all of it.

‎A lie.

‎

‎"You used me." Eva cried in despair

‎Daniel's jaw tightened. ‎"Business requires sacrifice." He said

‎A bitter laugh escaped her lips.

‎That was what her life was worth, a business transaction.

‎

‎Serena stepped closer.

‎"You should feel honoured. Not everyone gets to help build an empire." She spoke up

‎Eva's vision blurred.

‎For a moment, she thought it was because of the blood loss.

‎Then she realised tears had filled her eyes.

‎Not from fear, from humiliation

‎She had given everything to people who had never loved her.

‎

‎Daniel turned away. ‎That hurt most of all. Not the betrayal. Not the knife.

‎The fact that he couldn't even bear to watch her die.

‎As darkness crept into the corners of her vision, Eva clenched her hands.

‎If she had one more chance...

‎One more opportunity...

‎She would destroy them both.

‎The ballroom faded, the voices disappeared.

‎The last thing Eva saw was Daniel walking away without looking back.

‎Then darkness swallowed everything.

‎

‎Eva gasped and sat upright.

‎Air rushed into her lungs.

‎Her heart pounded violently against her ribs.

‎For a moment, she couldn't breathe.

‎The ballroom, the blood, the knife, Daniel and Serena.

‎The memories crashed into her all at once.

‎

‎Instinctively, she pressed both hands against her abdomen.

‎Nothing, no wound, no blood, no pain.

‎Eva froze. Slowly, she looked around.

‎She was sitting on a large bed surrounded by ivory curtains. Sunlight streamed through the windows.

‎Fresh flowers decorated the room.

‎A familiar room, a room she had not seen in years.

‎"No..."

‎Her voice sounded weak.

‎Impossible.

‎A knock sounded on the door.

‎"Miss Woods?"

‎Eva's entire body stiffened.

‎The voice belonged to her assistant, Mia.

‎Mia had resigned from the company months before Eva's death.

‎Yet here she was, alive, outside the door.

‎"Miss Woods?" Mia called again. "The stylists are waiting. The ceremony starts in three hours."

‎Three hours . The words echoed inside Eva's mind.

‎Three hours until the wedding. Three hours until she walked down the aisle. Three hours until she married Daniel Hart.

‎

‎Her breath caught. She turned toward the vanity table.

‎A calendar sat neatly beside a bouquet of white lilies. The date stared back at her.

‎The same date, the same day, the day she died.

‎Her legs felt unsteady.

‎

‎She crossed the room and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

‎Long dark hair, clear skin, bright eyes, untouched by grief.

‎Twenty-seven years old, alive.

‎The reflection seemed unfamiliar.

‎The woman staring back at her had not yet been betrayed.

‎Had not yet lost everything, had not yet died.

‎

‎A trembling laugh escaped her lips, then another.

‎Soon she was laughing so hard that her tears rolled down her cheeks.

‎The sound frightened even her, because it wasn't joy.

‎It was a relief.

‎And rage.

‎A second chance.

‎Somehow, impossibly, fate had given her a second chance.

‎The laughter faded, Silence filled the room.

‎Eva wiped her tears away. Her expression hardened.

‎She remembered every detail. The forged documents.

‎The stolen shares. The lies. The betrayal. The knife.

‎Daniel's cold eyes as he walked away.

‎This time would be different.

‎This time, she knew the truth.

‎A knock interrupted her thoughts.

‎"Miss Woods?" Mia asked carefully. "Should I send the stylists in?"

‎Eva looked toward the elegant wedding gown hanging near the window. ‎In her previous life, she had stared at that dress with excitement.

‎Today, it looked like a trap.

‎"No," she said quietly.

‎Outside, Mia hesitated.

‎"Miss Woods?"

‎Eva's grey eyes narrowed."No wedding dress."

‎The words felt strangely satisfying. For the first time in years, she was making a choice for herself.

‎Not for Daniel. Not for the pack. Not for anyone else.

‎For herself.

‎

‎She picked up her phone from the bedside table. Her fingers moved across the screen. A single name appeared in her contacts. A man whose influence stretched across both the corporate world and the hidden wolf hierarchy.

‎A man, even a powerful Alphas', approached carefully.

‎Zach Forbes.

‎Eva stared at the name for several seconds, ‎Then she smiled.

‎

‎It was not a warm smile. It was the smile of a woman who had already attended her own funeral.

‎Daniel Hart wanted a bride. He would never get one.

‎

‎