Chapter 1: Rebirth

I never thought this day would come—the day my life would finally end, and yet, it was the only way out. The cold metal door clanged behind me, and I felt my body collapse against the ice-cold concrete of the cell. Everything had led to this. Betrayal. Suffering. Endless years of watching everything that was meant for me slip through my fingers, until it was too late.

David's words echoed in my mind as I lay there, bruised and broken, cold air biting at my skin. "You ruined everything," he’d said, his voice cold, devoid of the warmth I had once known. "You should have never come back."

How could he say that to me? I, his wife—the woman who had fought to survive, to find my place in a world that never wanted me—had become the enemy. He held Kate in his arms, my fake sister, the woman who had taken everything from me, from the wealth that should have been mine to the love of my parents. Even my husband had chosen her.

Tears stung my eyes, but they were no longer for him. I had shed them long ago. This time, they were for the baby growing inside me—my baby, my only hope, the one thing I could still fight for.

"I’m sorry," I whispered to the child, my voice cracking. "I couldn’t protect you from this. I couldn't protect myself. But I swear, I’ll make it right. I’ll find a way."

The door of the cold, dark cell creaked open, and I could barely muster the strength to lift my head. I heard footsteps approaching, but they felt like a distant memory like everything around me was fading into nothingness. My breath was shallow, and my limbs were growing heavy. The cold was seeping into my very bones, but I didn’t care. It felt like the end.

Until I opened my eyes and saw the sterile white walls of a hospital room.

The sound of a heartbeat monitor was the only thing that filled the silence, a steady rhythm that grounded me in reality. My hands were trembling as I slowly turned my head, expecting to see the harsh, unforgiving world of my past. But there was none of that. No, Kate. No David. No betrayal.

I glanced at the table beside my bed, and my heart nearly stopped when I saw the pregnancy test report. My eyes moved slowly to the date—just one day before my death. The chills that ran down my spine weren’t from the cold, but from the sudden realization that something impossible had happened.

I was reborn.

My mind reeled as I tried to make sense of what had just occurred. Had I died? Was this some kind of cruel joke? Or was I truly given another chance at life?

A surge of emotion flooded me—fear, anger, confusion—and then, beneath it all, a quiet, almost delicate sense of hope. I wasn’t sure what had brought me back, but I wasn’t going to waste this opportunity. Not this time.

I was going to leave everything behind. The toxic family. The betrayal. The horrible marriage. All of it. I would escape it for good. This time, I would ensure that my baby would grow up safe, far from the shadows of my past.

But as I tried to sit up, the door to the room opened, and I froze.

David stood in the doorway, his face ashen, eyes wide, like he had seen a ghost. His suit was impeccable, as always, but there was a tremor in his hands—hands that had once held me, that had once made promises of a future we could build together.

I looked at him, trying to ignore the bitter taste that filled my mouth. “You—what are you doing here?”

His voice cracked as he stepped forward, his eyes welling with tears. “Ashley… I—I’m so sorry. Please, come back to me.”

A surge of anger welled up within me. How could he do this? How could he stand there, after everything? After he had torn my world apart and handed it to her?

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “I’m done with you, David. I’m done with all of this.”

“But—” His voice faltered. “Please, don’t do this. I… I love you.”

I laughed bitterly, a harsh sound that echoed through the room. “You loved me?” I asked, the words tasting like poison. “You loved me when you were holding her in your arms? When you made me feel like I was worthless?”

David flinched, the guilt in his eyes making me feel a twisted sense of satisfaction. But there was no room for that anymore. No more time to waste on the man who had ruined me.

I stood up from the bed, my knees shaky, but my resolve stronger than ever. “I’m not coming back. Not to you. Not to Kate. Not to any of it.”

David’s face crumpled with grief. “Please… please don’t go.”

I shook my head. “It’s over, David. You had your chance.”

I turned, and as I walked toward the door, a sense of finality washed over me. I was leaving behind the life I once knew, the life that had torn me apart. And though it felt terrifying, I also felt a flicker of something I hadn’t felt in years: freedom.

I stepped out of the hospital room, leaving David standing there with that pitiful expression on his face. I didn’t look back. There was no point in reliving the past, no point in letting him see how much he’d broken me. The weight of the decision felt heavy, but it was the only choice I had left.

I walked through the sterile hallway, the sound of my footsteps echoing in the space. Nurses passed by, giving me brief, curious glances, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t here for their approval. I wasn’t here for anyone. I was here for me, for my baby—this new life that had been given to me.

The air felt strange as I stepped outside, the sunlight blinding as it hit my skin. It felt foreign, too bright, like a life I had never known. The world seemed too big, too overwhelming after the small, suffocating space I had lived in for years. My mind was racing. What now? What do I do next?

The thought that I was truly free was liberating and terrifying all at once. I couldn’t go back to the house I had shared with David. That place would forever be a reminder of everything I had lost, of everything Kate had taken from me. The thought of going back to my parents’ house was equally unbearable. They had never cared for me and had always treated me like an outsider. Kate had always been their perfect daughter, their darling. The thought of facing them again, after everything that had happened, made my skin crawl.

So, I did what I had always done. I kept moving.

I had nowhere else to go. But I wasn’t going to fall into the traps of the past. I was stronger now. And I wasn’t going to waste this chance.

I needed a place to stay, a new life, something to call my own. It had to be far from the toxic world I had known.

As I walked through the streets, I felt like an outsider. The sounds of the city surrounded me, but they felt distant and muffled. People passed by, oblivious to the inner turmoil I was going through, and to the new life I was now trying to build.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out to see a message from an unknown number. It read: “You don’t know me, but I know you. I think we should meet.”

I frowned. Who would send me a message like that?

I didn’t recognize the number, but something in me told me this wasn’t a coincidence. It felt like fate like someone was offering me a lifeline, a way out of the mess that had become my life.

I hesitated, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that this message was important.

Without thinking twice, I typed back: “Who is this?”

The response came quickly: “Someone who knows your story. Someone who can help you.”

I wasn’t sure whether to be terrified or intrigued.

Before I could type anything more, my phone buzzed again with another message: “Meet me at The Crimson Room in an hour. Come alone.”

I didn’t know what it meant, but it seemed like my only option.

I wasn’t sure what was waiting for me there. But as I stood on the edge of the city, with nothing but a future I couldn’t yet see, I knew one thing for sure: my life was about to change.

I made my way to the address. The building stood in the middle of an industrial area, dark and imposing, but somehow alluring. It was the kind of place you’d expect a person like me to end up—alone, searching for something.

When I stepped inside, the warm, dimly lit ambiance was a stark contrast to the harsh reality outside. The air smelled of whiskey and cigar smoke, and the buzz of conversation filled the room. My eyes scanned the space, looking for anything—or anyone—that could give me a sense of security.

Then, I saw him.

Ronan Darkwood.

He sat in a private booth at the back of the room, his back against the plush velvet cushions, his presence commanding the attention of everyone around him without so much as a word. His black suit was impeccable, and his dark hair was styled just enough to look effortless. His cold, calculating eyes met mine the moment I entered, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.

He was the man I had been warned about—powerful, dangerous, a mafia dons with a reputation that stretched across the city. He wasn’t the kind of man you crossed. And yet, there was something about him that made it impossible to look away.

My heart beat faster as I walked toward him, my legs trembling beneath me.

“Sit,” he said, his voice low, smooth, and filled with an undeniable authority.

I took a seat across from him, my nerves on edge, but his calm demeanor seemed to put me at ease. For a moment, I almost forgot why I was here, who I was. I was just a woman, sitting across from a man who could change everything.

“I’ve been following your story, Ashley Brown,” he said, his eyes never leaving mine. “You’ve been through hell. And I think it’s time for you to leave it all behind.”

His words sent a jolt of excitement through me, but also fear. Could I trust him? Could I trust anyone after everything that had happened?

“I don’t know what you’re offering,” I said, my voice steady despite the storm inside me. “But I have nothing left.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” he replied. “You have everything now. You just don’t realize it yet.”

I frowned, confused. “What do you mean?”

He smiled, a dark, knowing smile that made my heart race. “I’m offering you a chance. A chance to escape. To leave behind the man who betrayed you, the family that never cared for you. To start over. But there’s a price.”

I swallowed hard. “What kind of price?”

Ronan’s smile widened, and his gaze softened just enough for me to see a flicker of something deeper—something dangerous. “Your loyalty, Ashley. Your trust. And your heart.”

His words hung in the air like a heavyweight. Loyalty, trust, and my heart. Three things I had given away before and all of them had been betrayed. Could I hand them over to someone like him?

I searched his eyes, trying to find any sign of deception, but all I saw was cold certainty. Ronan Darkwood wasn’t asking me for something casual—he was offering me a way out, a way to claim power, but at what cost?

“Why me?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

He leaned back in his seat, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the glass of his whiskey tumbler. The dim lighting of the room seemed to accentuate his features—the sharp line of his jaw, the coldness in his eyes that made it clear he was a man who never let anything slip. Yet, when he spoke, there was a dangerous allure to his words.

“Because you’re not weak,” he said slowly. “And I don’t deal with weakness. You’ve been broken, but you’re still standing. That tells me you’ve got the fire to survive. You just need someone to help you fan the flames.”

I looked away for a moment, my mind racing. Fire. Survive. Those words resonated with me more than they should. I had survived so much already, but had I come out unscathed?

David’s words echoed in my mind: "You ruined everything that should have been perfect." His voice, the venom in his tone, as though everything that had happened was my fault. Kate’s cold, elegant dismissal as she told me to disappear. They had both torn me apart, piece by piece until I was nothing more than a shadow of the woman I once was.

And yet, here I was, standing before a man who seemed to see something in me that I couldn’t even see myself.

“Why do you think I need your help?” I asked, my voice tinged with doubt.

Ronan’s lips curled into a small smirk, his eyes narrowing slightly as if he found amusement in my resistance. “Because you’re pregnant, Ashley. You’re carrying the only thing that matters now—the future. And I will protect that future.”

My hand instinctively moved to my stomach, the slight bump barely noticeable yet so significant. My child. The one thing I could never allow anyone to take away from me. I had to protect this life. The weight of that responsibility settled heavily in my chest, more pressing than any decision I had ever made.

But could I trust Ronan? Could I trust anyone?

“I can’t go back to my old life,” I said softly, more to myself than to him. “I can’t go back to David, to Kate, to my family. They don’t care about me. They never did.”

“I know,” he said, his voice softening. “That’s why you’re here. You don’t belong in that world anymore, Ashley. You belong in a world where you’re strong, where you can build a future for yourself and your child. A world where no one can hurt you again.”

His words were like a balm to my wounded soul, but at the same time, I couldn’t shake the fear. The fear of being controlled, of becoming trapped in another cage—only this time, one made of power, wealth, and dangerous promises.

“And what do you want in return?” I asked, my eyes narrowing slightly, trying to gauge his true intentions.

Ronan’s gaze didn’t waver. “Everything comes with a price, Ashley. But I’m not asking for your soul. I’m asking for your loyalty. Your trust. And when the time comes, you’ll give me something worth more than anything else.”

My heart skipped a beat. What was he asking for?

“You want me to be yours,” I said, more to confirm it than to question it.

His gaze softened just a fraction, and for the first time, I saw something flicker in his eyes—a hint of something real. “I want you to choose me. Not because you have to, but because you want to. You’ll come to realize, Ashley, that with me, you’ll never have to live in the shadow of your past. You’ll be free.”

The words hung in the air, heavy and full of promise. Freedom. It was the one thing I had never had, the one thing I wanted more than anything. But could I take this chance? Could I truly let go of everything I had known and trust him?

“I don’t know,” I whispered, the uncertainty in my voice betraying my doubts.

Ronan’s expression hardened once more, his eyes growing cold. “Take your time. But understand this—no one in this world gives you a second chance. I’m giving you one. You walk out that door, and you go back to the life that destroyed you. Or you come with me, and you embrace the power that will protect you and your child. The choice is yours.”

I sat in silence, the weight of his words pressing down on me. Ronan Darkwood, a man who had the power to change everything, was offering me a way out. But at what cost?

I stood up slowly, my heart pounding in my chest. “I need to think.”

He nodded once, his expression unreadable. “Think quickly. The world won’t wait for you.”

As I turned to leave, my thoughts were in turmoil. I had no real choice but to take this leap of faith. The past had already taken so much from me. Could I let it control me anymore?

I stepped into the night, the cool air hitting my skin like a slap of reality. I didn’t know what the future held, but one thing was clear—I was done being a pawn. This time, I was going to play my own game.

And maybe, just maybe, Ronan Darkwood would be the key to my freedom.