Chapter 1
Alaric Gilbert was dead.
Before the funeral, his wife Stella Forbes sorted through his belongings and discovered a thick photo album. The cover simply read: “My Beloved.”
Opening it, Stella was shocked to find that the intimate moments captured inside weren’t of her–his wife of twenty years–but of Jenna Somers, a young woman Alaric had taken in years ago.
Stella had always assumed Alaric’s feelings for Jenna were purely paternal. But looking through the album, she saw Jenna laughing, sleeping, crying… each photograph radiating unmistakable romantic devotion.
Beneath a photo of Jenna in a wedding dress, Alaric had written: “Since I cannot marry the one I truly love, I might
as well settle for someone else.”
As the truth of her husband’s hidden feelings sank in, the color drained from Stella’s face. Twenty years of marriage,
and she’d been nothing more than a “settlement.”
The funeral began shortly afterward. People attempted to console her.
“Try to see the silver lining,” one guest whispered. “He’s gone now, but at least you’ve got the inheritance to take care
of yourself…”
“Right,” added another. “Even with that medication disaster his company’s facing, Alaric had plenty of assets. You’ll
be set for life.”
But before their hollow comforts could settle, a lawyer interrupted.
“Mr. Gilbert stipulated in his will that all his assets and property be transferred to Miss Jenna Somers…”
The reading of Alaric’s will left everyone stunned until the doors burst open.
“He left everything to someone else? Then who’s going to pay our medical settlements?”
It was the families affected by the pharmaceutical accident.
When they spotted Stella, they shouted in unison.
“That’s his wife! If we can’t get our money, we’ll take her life instead!”
They rushed toward her, and a knife plunged into Stella’s chest.
As she collapsed, her dying gaze fell upon Alaric’s cold eyes in his black–and–white portrait.
She slowly closed her eyes.
If I could do it all over again, Alaric, I would never marry you.
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Chayeay 1
When Stelle opened her eyes, she found herself be rumpled bedsheets. Before she could process what had happened, a cold when cut through the wit
“I’ve already called my parents. The wedding will be in five days. Happy now?”
Stella looked up to see Alaric–not as the men in his fifties who had died, but in his early thirties, devastatingly
handsome and in his prime
She realized she had been given a second chance, transported back to the eve of their wedding
Their families had arranged their marriage since childhood, but Alaric had never wanted her. He’d delayed the wedding for years, making Stella the laughingstock of New York’s social scene.
Then one night, Alaric had gotten drunk, and they’d ended up sleeping together.
Alaric had always believed she had orchestrated that night, which only deepened his resentment. But his sense of obligation forced him to finally fulfill their engagement
Throughout their marriage, Alaric had treated her with utter coldness, while Stella loved him desperately.
When his company faced financial trouble, she gave him her entire inheritance.
When he complained about her social life, she quit her career to become a housewife.
When he wanted peace and quiet, she learned to move through their home like a ghost
For over a decade, she had walked on eggshells, finally earning occasional smiles from him–though they were rare and fleeting
Stella had always thought he was naturally distant. Now she knew he had given all his love to someone else.
The memories stung like salt in an open wound. Stella forced herself back to the present and looked at the man
before her.
“You don’t need to marry me out of obligation,” she said evenly. “Let’s call off the engagement.”
Given this second chance, she refused to waste her life on someone who would never love her back.
Alaric responded with a cynical laugh. “Playing hard to get again, Stella? That’s getting old.”
Stella froze.
She remembered how, in her youth, she had loved Alaric obsessively. Several times she had threatened to break their engagement when hurt, only to be talked back into it by his parents.
He no longer believed she would actually walk away.
“This time I really mean-” Stella began, but Alaric had already turned and walked out.
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Chapter 1
Just like before, he never bothered to hear her out.
Stella sighed.
Fine. If she wanted to end the engagement, she’d tell his family directly.
But first, she had something more important to do.
She picked up her phone and made a call.
“Professor Lockwood? Can I still apply for the Nebula Initiative?”
Her professor sounded delighted on the other end..
“Absolutely! You’re the researcher they specifically requested. But remember–this is classified at the highest level.”
“Once you go to Stennis Space Center, you can’t return for ten years. No outside contact whatsoever. Are you certain
this is what you want?”
Stella had graduated top of her class in aerospace engineering at MIT. Her graduate research had focused on
technology the country desperately needed.
As soon as she graduated, NASA had offered her a position. It had been her lifelong dream.
But in her previous life, when Alaric finally set a wedding date, she had abandoned that dream after much soul–searching, devoting herself entirely to being Mrs. Gilbert.
This time, she would live for herself.
“I’m certain,” she said without hesitation. “I’m in.”
Her professor was thrilled. “Fantastic! But the project launches soon. We leave in five days, so say your goodbyes
quickly!”
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