Chapter 1

891words2026-02-09 09:47

“Elysia, what are you doing? Hurry and speak with the two gentlemen…”
My father’s voice echoed through the private dining hall of the Falcone family estate. I jolted awake from my daze, my head spinning violently. The world tilted before my eyes, as if an electric current had surged straight through my brain.
I had been sent back in time three years ago, to the very day my sister and I were made to choose our husbands.

The sound of the explosion still seemed to ring in my ears, with smoke and fire flashing through my memory. I clenched my palm hard, again and again, trying to confirm whether this was a dream, but pain shot through my hand.
Suppressing the cold sweat rising along my spine, I slowly lifted my head. I was seated at one end of a long dining table. Across from me sat two men—the heirs of the most powerful mafia family in Chicago.
On the left was Caspian Falcone, the mafia family’s underboss. Twenty-eight years old, he was dressed in a black suit, with a prominent scar cutting across his temple. His gaze was as cold as a glacier, and rumors said the number of people he had personally executed was beyond counting.
On the right sat Arnold Falcone, the mafia family’s capo. Gentle and refined, he wore gold-rimmed glasses, and a philosophy book rested in his hand. An Ivy League graduate, he looked more like a university professor than a member of the mafia.
I had truly returned to the night that changed everything.
“You have two choices, Elysia,” Father continued calmly. “You will either marry Caspian or Arnold. Our shipping business needs the protection of the Falcone family.”

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang clearly in my mind.
‘This time, I’ll make sure I choose the perfect husband first.’
I snapped my head toward my sister, Leia. She was gracefully smoothing her skirt, a sweet, flawless smile on her face. However, what I had just heard… Was that her inner voice?
‘In my last life, I married that violent lunatic Caspian and lived in fear every single day. This time, I’ll take the gentle Arnold, and Elysia shall suffer instead.’

Her thoughts continued to pour into my mind, sending a chill down my spine.
So she had been reborn as well, and somehow, I had gained the ability to hear other people’s thoughts.
In my previous life, I married Arnold and lived what everyone believed was a happy, enviable life. He was gentle, attentive, and never raised his hand against me. Wherever I went, he accompanied me, showering me with care and romance.
Meanwhile, after marrying Caspian, Leia often returned home in tears. She said he was cold, ruthless, prone to violence, and that he beat her until she was covered in bruises. In the end, after years without bearing a child and falling out of Caspian’s favor, she was forced to sign the divorce papers.
Later, Caspian was assassinated during a brutal dockside shootout. Arnold rose to become the mafia family’s Don, and my status climbed with him. Watching me live a life others envied, Leia planted a bomb in my car. Only in the moment of the explosion did I finally understand everything.
I snapped back from my memories and looked at Leia.
“I hope to become your wife,” she said suddenly, standing up and walking straight toward Arnold. She extended her hand without hesitation.
Arnold paused briefly, then bowed and pressed a gentlemanly kiss to the back of her hand.
“The honor is mine, Miss Leia. You’re beautiful.”
Father nodded in satisfaction. “Very well. In that case, Elysia will marry Caspian.”
‘This time, you can suffer at the hands of that butcher in my place,’ Leia’s voice rang triumphantly in my head.
I accepted the arrangement calmly. “Alright, Father.”
Once the dinner began, I lifted my wine glass and quietly listened to the thoughts of everyone present.
‘That girl Elysia is so unlucky to be marrying a murderous monster.’
‘Caspian Falcone is the most dangerous man in Chicago. She won’t survive a year.’
‘Poor thing. She has no idea what kind of beast she’s marrying.’
However, when I looked at Arnold, what I heard made my blood run cold.
‘She’s such a beautiful doll. She’ll be easy to control.’
He was gently cutting steak for Leia, yet his thoughts were filled with such chilling possessiveness that it made me freeze.
Arnold was the real snake. In my previous life, his so-called gentleness had been nothing more than a disguise. Behind closed doors, he controlled every word I spoke and every step I took. He was a pathological control freak, yet Leia thought I had married a good man in my past life. Since she wanted that life so badly this time, I was more than happy to give it to her.
Just then, Caspian handed me a glass of whiskey. I instinctively tightened my grip, trying to listen to his thoughts. However, there was nothing. He was the only person in the room whose inner voice I couldn’t hear.
“Here’s to us,” Caspian said, raising his glass, his voice low and deep.
I clinked my glass against his, and in that moment, I made my decision. In this life, I would seize money and power for myself, never depending on anyone again.