I never imagined that the man I had loved with every breath of my being would turn out to be the one who despised me the most. 

Even after I died for him—after I threw myself in front of a bullet meant for him—he still chose another woman to stand in my place. 

And now, I was reborn. Brought back to that moment in my past life—the moment I chose Adrian Vale to be my husband. 

“Adrian,” Mr. Vale said, his voice cool, rehearsed. “You’ve known since the beginning—if you’re to become the head of the Vale family, your wife must come from the girls we’ve raised for that purpose. She is not just your partner. She is your shield. Your final line of defense. Someone who will die for you, if it comes to that. That’s why we handpicked girls your age, trained them from the ground up.” 

He paused, then added, “Now that it’s your time to inherit the Vale, you must choose between these two.” 

These two—meaning Elara Quinn and me. 

We had started as twenty. One by one, the rest had been eliminated—some for lack of beauty, others for failing in strategy or combat. Only Elara and I remained. 

Mrs. Vale smiled, “Selene is the perfect candidate,” she said smoothly. “She’s not only beautiful, but brilliant. And she’s our strongest fighter.” 

“Agreed,” Mr. Vale nodded. 

In my past life, I had stood here certain of my fate. I was the perfect choice. I had the grades, the training, the blood, and—most importantly—I loved Adrian. Everyone could see it. That love made me willing to throw myself in front of danger without hesitation. 

But now, I turned to look at Adrian—and caught something I hadn’t seen before. A flicker of disdain in his eyes. Cold. Warning. As if I was already stepping out of line just by standing here.