"I need you to smile, darling," Adrian whispers, his fingers digging into Isabella's waist as cameras flash. "Your father's business empire depends on it." The champagne in her glass trembles as Isabella forces herself to play the perfect mafia bride. She hasn't told him about the baby yet. Hasn't mentioned the way his eyes linger on the judge's daughter, Elena. Hasn't revealed that she knows about the poison they've planned for her "tragic accident." But Isabella Romano isn't going down without a fight. "Please," she whispers to Santa Muerte as poison burns through her veins. "Give me a chance to make them pay." Death has a price. Isabella awakens in the body of Valentina Salvatore—wife to Adrian's greatest rival and mother to twin girls who somehow see through her deception. She has 150 days to either claim vengeance or find true love. The clock is ticking, and Nicolas Salvatore, her new "husband," is proving dangerously easy to fall for. "You're not really her, are you?" Nicolas murmurs one night, his fingers tracing her jaw. "My Valentina never looked at me the way you do." But as Isabella navigates the deadly waters of rival crime families, she discovers Valentina had secrets of her own—secrets worth dying for. Now, with her father plotting a takeover, Adrian suspicious of her resurrection, and her borrowed body slowly rejecting her soul, Isabella must choose: the revenge she died for, or the love she never expected to find. In this dangerous game of second chances, some fates are worse than death. And some loves are worth dying for twice.
View MoreMy head spun as I gripped the bathroom sink. Valentina's face stared back at me in the mirror, but her eyes held my desperation."Get out of my body." Her voice came from my mouth. My fingers trembled against the cold porcelain."Your body is dead," I whispered. "I'm trying to protect your family.""They're not yours to protect." The words came harsh, bitter.The mirror cracked. Blood dripped from my knuckles. I hadn't even felt myself punch it."Isabella." Nicolas's voice carried through the door. "Everything okay in there?"My heart hammered. I pressed my bleeding hand against my chest. "Fine. Just dropped something.""Open the door."I yanked paper towels from the dispenser, wrapping them around my hand. "One minute."The door handle rattled. "Now, Isabella."The name hit me like a slap. I froze, staring at the locked door. "What did you call me?"Silence stretched between us, heavy with implications. Then his voice came again, softer. "I know who you are."My legs gave out. I slid
The candles sputtered and danced as Santa Muerte appeared in the smoke. Her towering form of shifting darkness and bone caught my breath and tugged at my heartbeat. "Kneel," the death goddess ordered Nicolas. I pushed myself back against cold stone and watched my husband go down to his knees before the ancient altar. The air reeked of sage and copper. "You bear their mark," Santa Muerte spoke, her words carrying through the room. "The Shadow Walkers live." "What are you talking about?" Nicolas's voice didn't shake, but I saw his fists clench. Santa Muerte leaned toward him, her bony fingers brushing against his chest. The same symbols cut into the walls around the chamber flared to life beneath his skin. "Your blood remembers what your mind has forgotten," she said. Nicolas stared at the glowing patterns. "This is impossible." "Nothing is impossible for those who walk between worlds." Santa Muerte turned her hollow gaze to me. "You should know this better than most, Isabella."
# Chapter 14: Double Edge The crystal wine glass slipped from my fingers. "As I was saying about the Carboni territory—" My voice died as I realized I had no memory of starting that sentence. Don Carboni's weathered face watched me expectantly. The other family heads leaned forward, waiting for words I couldn't remember speaking. My heart hammered against my ribs as I glanced down at the shattered glass, red wine spreading like blood across imported marble. "Forgive me," I murmured, my voice steady despite the tremor in my hands. "Where exactly was I?" Elena's perfectly manicured fingers drummed against the mahogany table. "You were explaining why the Carboni family should cede their dock access to us." Her hazel eyes narrowed. "Unless you've changed your mind?" Five minutes. I'd lost five minutes of a crucial negotiation. The lipstick marks on my remaining wine glass caught my eye – two slightly different shades of red, neither quite matching what I'd applied this morning. "T
"Look at me, child." The voice froze me mid-motion. Santa Muerte's reflection replaced mine in the bathroom mirror, her skeletal face inches from my own. "I'm not afraid of you." My hand shook, dropping the mascara wand into the sink. "You should be." Her bony finger pressed against my chest through the glass. "Your borrowed time runs short." White-hot pain exploded through me. "Stop—" "Watch," she said. "See what happens to those who steal death's gifts." Visions slammed into my mind. Women screaming. Bodies twisting. Valentina's power burning them from withinside. "I don't understand," I panted, holding tight to the sink's edge. "Why show me this now?" "With every channeling of her power, you feed her hunger." The voice of Santa Muerte echoed within my skull. "The original host is growing stronger." "I need these powers." You sound like your voice breaks. "Nicolas, the twins—they're in danger." "Love?" Her sockets seemed to stare into my soul. "Or revenge?" The mirror explo
"You'll want to stay close to Nicolas tonight," the guard muttered as I entered the ballroom. "We've spotted three Council members." "Noted." I shifted, feeling the blade against my thigh beneath the burgundy silk. "And Elena?" "Grand staircase. Watching your every move." "Perfect." I scanned the room, keeping my smile fixed. "Just like the spider she is." "Mrs. Salvatore," another guard approached. "Security positions are set." "And the mirrors she's having installed?" "Positioned to reflect magical signatures. She's testing you." "Let her try." I moved forward, every step measured. "Have eyes on—" "Mama!" Twin voices pierced through my concentration. Sofia and Luna ran toward me, their matching platinum curls bouncing. They stopped short, faces scrunching in that peculiar way that meant they were seeing something they shouldn't. "Girls," I said, forcing Valentina's warm smile. "You look beautiful in your— "You're flickering," Luna whispered, reaching for my hand. "Like a ca
The nightmare tore through my consciousness like shattered glass. Blood-soaked walls. Screaming children. Santa Muerte's skeletal form hovering over twin beds. "They're coming," the death saint whispered. I jolted awake, my skin glowing with an eerie blue light. The security monitors flickered and died. "Mommy?" Sofia's voice crackled through the baby monitor. "Luna's crying." Three explosions rocked the compound. The front gates groaned. "Stay in your room!" I grabbed my phone, already running. "Lock the door!" Gunfire erupted below. My hands trembled as death's familiar presence washed over me. Lieutenant Ramirez's voice crackled over the radio. "Main gate breach! Three vehicles!" "Status on the backup generator?" Nicolas demanded. "Non-responsive, sir." I reached the twins' room as heavy boots thundered up the stairs. Luna and Sofia huddled under their princess beds, eyes wide with terror. "Come here, mis amores." I pulled them close as the door splintered. T
The fog came in thick off the canals and wrapped itself around my ankles like ghostly fingers. I stumbled against ancient stone, and Valentina's memories struck me like a blow. "Mama?" Sofia's small hand tightened in mine. "Your eyes look funny." "They're glowing," Luna whispered, pressing closer. The memory consumed me-Valentina racing these same streets, clutching papers that could destroy everything. My heart pounded with an echo of her desperation. "This way." The words came from somewhere deeper than thought. "Stay close." We turned down a narrow alley just as voices carried across the water. My blood went cold at the familiar cadence. "I could have sworn I saw her." Adrian Constantine's voice sliced through the fog. "With the children." I pressed the twins into a shadowed doorway, my body shielding them. Footsteps approached, measured and deliberate. "Valentina?" Adrian's tone was low, deadly familiar. "Out for an evening stroll?" I made myself turn, to face my killer we
The Constantine mansion loomed before me, its marble columns casting long shadows in the setting sun. My hand trembled as I touched the ornate doorframe. "Dear God." The vision hit like a hammer. *1985. Blood drips onto parchment. Five signatures seal a deal written in red.* "Are you alright?" Nicolas materialized beside me. "Fine." I straightened, forcing my hands steady. "Just remembering." His dark eyes studied me with that unnerving intensity. "Interesting choice of words." Inside, the grand conference room buzzed with tension. Five chairs waited around a mahogany table that had seen decades of deals and deaths. I took my seat, noting Elena's white-knuckled grip on her locket. Those twins she kept photos of – did she even realize how much danger they were in? Marcello Vitelli's sneer could've curdled milk. "A woman, representing the Salvatore family?" "Actually," I cut in, reciting from my vision, "Article Three, Section Seven of the 1985 accord specifically states that 'no
Cold sweat soaked my sheets as I jerked awake. The room spun violently, Valentina's memories crashing through my mind like shattered glass. "No, please, not again—" The screech of tires echoed in my ears, phantom rubber burning my nostrils. I stumbled to the bathroom, gripping the marble counter. The mirror betrayed me—Valentina's face flickered over mine, her steel-gray eyes accusatory. "Get out of my head!" My whisper turned to a sob. A child's laughter echoed down the hall. The twins. I forced myself upright, splashing cold water on my face. They needed their mother—whatever version of her I was now. The nursery door creaked open. Elena stood frozen, staring at the twins. Both children pointed at the darkened corner, perfectly still. "Tía Val says hello," they said in perfect unison. Elena's crucifix rattled against her chest as she crossed herself. "I need to make a call—" "No." My voice cracked like a whip. "You don't need to do anything." She fled, phone already in hand.
Isabella's POVMy hands shook as I stared at the pregnancy test. Two pink lines. Clear and undeniable. Tears of joy streamed down my face as I touched the silver Santa Muerte medallion around my neck."*Gracias, Santa Muerte*," I whispered. "Thank you for this miracle.""What miracle would that be, darling?"I froze at Adrian's reflection in the bathroom mirror. He stood in the doorway, holding two champagne flutes, his green eyes calculating even as he smiled."Adrian!" I spun around, clutching the test to my chest. "I thought you were at the office.""And miss celebrating with my beautiful wife?" He stepped closer, offering me a glass. "I had a feeling today was special."My heart raced as I accepted the champagne. Something flickered in his expression – something cold and foreign that made my skin crawl."I have amazing news," I said, forcing my voice steady. "We're going to have a baby."The silence stretched between us like a razor wire."A baby?" His smile didn't reach his eyes....
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