In my first life, I married Connor Walls, the golden heir to the Barrett Corporation, believing my father's sacrifice had earned me a fairytale. Instead, it bought me a gilded cage and a brutal death. He left me to bleed out on the cold marble floor of our mansion while he entertained a guest one floor below. He was a predator disguised as a prince, a man whose public smile charmed the world while his touch left bruises no one could see. For years, he tormented me, painting me as the villain while my own cousin, Jana, clung to his side, reinforcing every lie. The world adored him. They saw a perfect couple, a powerful alliance. No one saw the monster I lived with. No one knew the truth behind my "accidents." Until I died, I was trapped. But then, I was reborn and opened my eyes again. I was back at the Choosing Ceremony, the day I was supposed to bind myself to him forever. This time, I remembered every agonizing detail. And this time, his ruthless, outcast brother Brannon was also an option.
In my first life, I married Connor Walls, the golden heir to the Barrett Corporation, believing my father's sacrifice had earned me a fairytale.
Instead, it bought me a gilded cage and a brutal death. He left me to bleed out on the cold marble floor of our mansion while he entertained a guest one floor below.
He was a predator disguised as a prince, a man whose public smile charmed the world while his touch left bruises no one could see.
For years, he tormented me, painting me as the villain while my own cousin, Jana, clung to his side, reinforcing every lie.
The world adored him. They saw a perfect couple, a powerful alliance. No one saw the monster I lived with. No one knew the truth behind my "accidents."
Until I died, I was trapped.
But then, I was reborn and opened my eyes again.
I was back at the Choosing Ceremony, the day I was supposed to bind myself to him forever.
This time, I remembered every agonizing detail.
And this time, his ruthless, outcast brother Brannon was also an option.
Chapter 1
Abby Talley POV:
The last time I stood before Howard Barrett, he offered me a choice that led to my death. This time, I knew better.
In my previous life, I chose Connor Walls. The charismatic, publicly adored younger son of the Barrett Corporation' s CEO. The man with a smile that could charm the press and a touch that left bruises in places no one could see. I had loved him with the foolish, all-consuming devotion of a girl who believed her father's sacrifice had earned her a fairytale. Instead, it bought me a gilded cage, years of torment, and an unceremonious end on the cold marble floor of our mansion, bleeding out while he entertained a guest downstairs.
Now, reborn with every agonizing memory seared into my soul, I was back. Back in the gleaming, sterile training facility of the Barrett Corporation headquarters, the air thick with the smell of sanitized rubber mats and ambition. And he was here.
Connor Walls, looking every bit the golden heir, was sparring with one of the company' s top security trainers. He moved with a lazy grace, sweat plastering his dark hair to his forehead. He was beautiful, a predator disguised as a prince, and the sight of him made the phantom pains of my past life ache in my bones.
He feinted left, then right, but his arrogance made him sloppy. The trainer easily disarmed him, sending the practice weapon clattering across the floor. It slid to a stop just inches from my feet.
The room fell quiet, all eyes on the scene.
"Abby," Connor called out, not even bothering to look at me, his voice laced with the casual command I knew so well. "Pick that up for me."
The Abby of the past would have scurried to obey, eager for a crumb of his approval. My hands clenched at my sides. That Abby was dead.
I didn't move. I simply met his gaze in the reflection of the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"Pick it up yourself, Connor."
A collective gasp rippled through the onlookers. Whispers erupted like static. Connor' s head snapped towards me, his charming smile faltering for the first time. The mask was slipping. I could see the flicker of cold fury in his eyes, the same look he' d had just before he...
"What did you say?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.
Before I could answer, a small figure darted forward. "I' ll get it, Connor!"
Jana Brady, my cousin, knelt down, her face a mask of sweet concern. My parents had taken her in after her own had passed, and she had repaid their kindness by clinging to Connor like a limpet, both in this life and the last. She winced dramatically as she bent, pointing to a small, fresh scrape on her knee.
She retrieved the weapon and hurried to his side, handing it to him with a worshipful gaze. "You were amazing, Connor. You almost had him."
Connor' s attention shifted to her instantly. His rage evaporated, replaced by a performance of tender concern. "Jana, you' re hurt. Did you do this during the drills?"
"It' s nothing," she demurred, batting her eyelashes. "I just wanted to help."
He shot a venomous glare in my direction. "See, Abby? That' s what a decent person does. They help. They don' t just stand there with a sour look on their face."
He was painting me as the villain, as he always did. The crowd murmured in agreement.
"Don' t forget where you came from, Abby," he sneered, his voice dropping so only I could hear. "Your father' s legacy bought you a seat at the table, but it doesn' t mean you belong here. A little gratitude would go a long way."
The mention of my father, the man who died saving this very company from ruin, was a low blow. In my past life, those words would have shattered me. Now, they were just noise.
I gave him a calm, placid smile. "Speaking of my father' s legacy, I can' t be late. Howard is expecting me."
The name of his father, the CEO, hung in the air like a bomb.
"Mr. Barrett?" one of the onlookers whispered, shocked. "Why would the CEO be meeting with her?"
I let the silence stretch, enjoying the confusion on Connor' s face. "He' s personally overseeing my Choosing Ceremony," I said, my voice clear and steady. "He felt it was the least he could do, given the circumstances."
The room exploded with hushed excitement. A ceremony personally hosted by Howard Barrett was unheard of. It signified an honor of the highest degree. The sycophants who had been glaring at me moments before now looked at Connor with envy.
"Congratulations, Connor!" someone called out. "Securing the Talley alliance, and with the CEO' s personal blessing! You' re a shoo-in for the succession now."
Connor' s chest puffed out, his arrogance returning full force. He believed, as everyone did, that I was his for the taking. The debt owed to my father would be paid by my hand in marriage, binding my family' s significant shares to the Walls heir. To him.
He smirked at me, a possessive gleam in his eyes. "Don' t think this changes anything, Abby. You' re still mine. Be a good girl, and I' ll make sure your life is comfortable."
He leaned in closer, his breath hot against my ear. "You wouldn' t want to make the same mistake twice. It ends badly for you."
My blood ran cold. The words were a threat, but the phrasing... it was too specific. A cold dread, sharp and familiar, coiled in my gut.
He straightened up, taking Jana' s arm. "Come on, let' s get that knee looked at."
He walked away without a backward glance, leaving me standing in a sea of whispers and hostile stares.
A bitter laugh escaped my lips, so quiet no one else could hear it.
They all thought he was the prize. They thought I was a foolish girl playing hard to get, destined to become Mrs. Connor Walls.
They had no idea.
I would never belong to Connor Walls again. Not in this lifetime.
His last words echoed in my mind, a chilling premonition.
How could he possibly know what happened in our last life?
Other books by Gavin
More