CHAPTER 2

I gasped, shooting up from the bed, my heart hammering in my chest. Cold sweat clung to my skin, and my breath came in shallow, panicked bursts. I reached for my stomach, the impact of the fall still vivid, still fresh in my mind. But there was no pain. No broken bones.

I was in my bed.

“Good morning, beautiful,” Luca’s voice murmured beside me, and I flinched as his arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer. His warm breath fanned against my neck, but it felt suffocating. My skin crawled, every inch of my body recoiling.

I stiffened, turning my head to glance at him. His blue eyes were soft, filled with the affection I once craved. His golden hair was rough from sleep. It was just a dream, I told myself. Just a nightmare.

But it felt real. Too real. I could still feel the air rushing past me as I fell from the balcony, Luca’s cold words echoing in my mind: "You’re mine. You always will be."

I forced a smile, my heart pounding in my chest as I whispered, “Morning.”

Luca kissed my head, completely oblivious to what was going on inside me. “I’ve got a meeting today, so I’ll be home late. Don’t wait up for me, alright?”

I nodded, swallowing hard as he got out of bed and walked toward the bathroom, whistling softly like absolutely nothing had happened.

I turned to my phone on the nightstand, the screen lighting up as I unlocked it. The date flashed before my eyes, and my stomach lurched from shock.

October 19, 2021.

Three years ago.

My breath caught in my throat, my vision spinning. *This isn’t possible. I stared at the date again, disbelief washing over me. I should be three years into the future, pregnant, and dead at the bottom of our mansion. But I’ve been brought back.

Back when I was still his obedient wife.

My hands trembled, and I gripped the phone tighter, trying to calm my racing thoughts. The nightmare I had just woken from—it hadn’t been a dream. It was a warning. A glimpse of what was to come if I let history repeat itself.

I closed my eyes, Luca’s cruel face flashing before me as he shoved me off the balcony. I won’t let that happen again. Not this time.

I wasn’t the same woman I had been three years ago.

I had been given a second chance.

Luca came out of the bathroom, toweling his hair, completely unaware. “You alright, babe?”

I forced another smile, despising the way he called me so sweetly. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I lied.

"Vivian!" Clarissa’s voice cut through the air, sharp as a knife. "Get down here. Who’s going to cook breakfast?"

On instinct, I got up and quickly dressed.

I made my way downstairs in a heartbeat to see Clarissa already waiting in the kitchen.

"You seem to sleep like a log. Have you forgotten you are my son’s wife?" she snarled.

Diane chose that moment to drop a glass.

"Go and clean it up," Clarissa ordered.

I picked up a broom and bent down to clean up the pieces of glass. I froze as something wet began to drip onto my head. I glanced up to see Diane, grinning smugly. "Oops."

In that moment, something in me snapped. I stood up and slapped Diane straight across the face.

What followed was stunned silence.

Then I heard Luca growl. "Vivian."

He stomped toward me from the stairs, his eyes blazing with anger. He didn’t give me a chance to speak before he hit me across the face so hard that I stumbled and fell.

For a moment, I sat there. I let it all sink in. This was the real Luca. The part of him he kept at bay as long as I followed orders like an obedient fool. But the moment I defended myself...

I got up, raising my chin. "How dare you?" I snapped.

They all stared at me like I had grown a second head.

"What’s gotten into this bitch?" Clarissa asked her son.

I’d had enough. "Get out!"

Clarissa and Diane blinked, the look of astonishment on their faces almost too satisfying. Clarissa’s face morphed, "Who are you to tell me to—"

"This is my fucking house," I reminded her. "It’s my name on the deed, not your son’s."

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

Diane had turned as pale as a ghost. "Luca, do something."

"Yes, Luca, get your whore of a wife under control," James butted in.

Luca’s eyes darkened as he stepped forward, his voice low and chilling. “I always suspected that one day you’d forget your place.”

He didn’t wait for my response. He left and came back with a manila envelope and threw it onto the kitchen counter. I blinked, my pulse racing.

“What’s this?” I asked, already knowing.

“Divorce papers,” he sneered, folding his arms. “If you’re so unhappy with the life you’ve been so graciously given, then sign them. But if you’ve come to your senses, you’ll fall to your knees and beg for my forgiveness. Maybe—just maybe—I’ll let you stay.”

The silence in the kitchen was suffocating. Clarissa had a smug grin on her face, while James stood there, arms crossed, looking proud of his son’s move. They were all waiting for me to break, to crumble under Luca’s threat.

But I was done. This was exactly what I wanted.

I grabbed the pen from the counter without hesitation and signed my name at the bottom of the divorce papers. The sound of the pen scratching against the paper was the only noise in the room, and it was like music to my ears.

Luca’s face twisted with disbelief. Suddenly shock took over his expression. "Are you demented? You actually signed them?"

I shoved the papers back toward him, meeting his stunned gaze with a calmness I didn’t even know I had. “Yes. I’m done, Luca.”

The room exploded into chaos.

They were all speaking at once, but I didn’t hear a thing.

Luca’s reaction was visceral.

“You think this is over?” His voice was venomous. He went upstairs and came back with my luggage. He threw it at me with a force that made me stumble back. “You’ll come crawling back, Vivian. You think you can just leave? You’ll be begging to return.”

I stood tall, my heart steady, gripping the suitcase handle. “No, I won’t.”

Without another word, I turned on my heel and walked toward the door. My body was trembling, but I kept my head high.

“Vivian!” Luca’s voice followed me, furious and disbelieving. “You’ll regret this! You’ll beg to come back. I am giving you a chance to come to your senses."

I didn’t look back.

The door slammed shut behind me, and for the first time in years, I felt free.