Chapter 1

On the day of our wedding, my mother-in-law jumped from the second floor and died instantly.

From that moment on, Anthony Reed hated me.

The security footage showed that his mother had seen me shortly before she jumped.

But I was in the bridal suite, getting my makeup done. I never even saw her.

No matter how much I explained, he refused to believe me.

He locked me in the mansion, tormenting me however he pleased, while parading woman after woman in front of me.

At my breaking point, a fire consumed everything.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back—back on the day of our wedding.

"Quinn, I finally get to marry you. I'm not dreaming, am I?"

A voice filled with excitement sounded next to my ear. The next second, I was pulled into a warm embrace.

The familiar scent made my entire body freeze.

I shoved him away with all my strength, raising my hand to slap him across the face.

"Get your hands off me. You make me sick."

The crisp sound of the slap echoed through the room. Anthony stared at me, stunned.

"Quinn, what's wrong? Why did you hit me?"

My pupils shrank as I looked down at my trembling hand, red from the force of the slap. My gaze swept the room in confusion.

This… was the bridal suite?

Had I been reborn?

Anthony frowned, concern flashing across his face. He reached out to check my forehead.

"Quinn, did you not sleep well last night? Why don't you rest for a bit? The ceremony won't start for a while."

In my last life, it was on this very day that Anthony's mother died.

I could still see him holding her lifeless body, sobbing uncontrollably. When he watched the security footage, he completely lost his mind.

The wedding I had once looked forward to became the start of my personal hell.

Taking a deep breath, I suppressed the fear rising in my chest and grabbed Anthony's hand tightly.

"Anthony, listen to me. There are a lot of people here today, and things could get chaotic. Please, keep an eye on your mom. Don't let her out of your sight, okay?"

He frowned, confused by my serious tone, but eventually nodded.

"Don't worry, Quinn. I'll make sure she's fine. You've been working so hard to prepare for this wedding—you must be exhausted. Leave everything else to me and just focus on resting."

As soon as Anthony left, I collapsed into the chair, my legs weak. My mind was a mess.

What if something happened to her again?

I couldn't go through the same nightmare twice.

If only I'd been reborn a few days earlier, maybe I could've stopped this wedding altogether.

But fate had thrown me back to today, forcing me to face it all over again.

I paced back and forth in the room, anxiety eating away at me. It wasn't until the officiant's voice echoed through the venue that I finally exhaled in relief.

In my past life, Anthony's mother had jumped before the wedding began.

It seemed Anthony had taken my words seriously and kept an eye on her, preventing the tragedy.

After the ceremony, I finally let my guard down.

Anthony wrapped me in his arms, gently massaging my shoulders.

"You were so tense, Quinn. See? The wedding wasn't as bad as you thought, was it?"

"From now on, my mom has fully accepted you. We're a family now. Remember, you can always share what's on your mind. I want to know how you feel, no matter what."

I nodded, a weight lifting off my chest.

That night, Anthony brought me a warm glass of milk, as he always did.

Noticing my low spirits, he didn't press me or try to get intimate.

Half-asleep, I was startled awake by the sound of my phone buzzing.

Anthony answered it, frowning slightly. He sighed, leaned down to kiss my forehead, and whispered, "Quinn, something came up at the office. I need to head out for a bit. You rest, okay?"

The door clicked shut behind him, and I drifted back into a deep sleep.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed when I was abruptly yanked awake.

Rubbing my drowsy eyes, I looked up to see Anthony's furious face hovering above me.

"Quinn Taylor," he spat, his voice trembling with anger, "what the hell do you think you're doing?"