Chapter 1Chasing Lost Time

The moment I was reborn, my sister had already been drugged.

"Ash, I'm so hot..."

Her warm breath ghosted over my earlobe. But this time, instead of making the same mistake, I knocked on the door of the man she truly loved.

In my last life, I fell for my adoptive sister. Fueled by alcohol, I gave in to the impulses I had long suppressed. Even though I knew she was calling out another man's name, I carried her into my own bedroom.

The next morning, when we were discovered, she was forced to marry me.

On our wedding day, the love of her life, her "white moonlight," went hiking to clear his head. He fell from a cliff. As he lay dying, he sent her one last text message.

[My dear Luna, let's be together in our next life.]

My sister, Luna, stared at that message in silence for an entire night.

Then, during our honeymoon, she pushed me off the very same cliff.

I clung to the edge, begging her to pull me up, but she just laughed, a wild, terrible sound. She pressed her foot onto my hand, grinding it back and forth into the sharp rock.

Through her maniacal laughter, I finally understood. She blamed me for his death.

And then I woke up, back in the present, watching my sister, flushed and feverish with desire.

* * *

"I'm so hot, Ashton..." she murmured, her voice thick with a desire that wasn't for me. "Hot... help me..."

Under the influence of the aphrodisiac, Luna's consciousness was fading. Her glossy red lips were slightly parted, emitting soft, breathy moans. The feeling of her soft body pressed against my arm was a visceral reminder that I had been given a second chance.

In my last life, emboldened by alcohol, I lost all reason to her whispered pleas. I crossed a forbidden line, and it led to my brutal death at the bottom of a ravine.

But now, reborn, I refused to repeat that mistake.

Ashton, the man she loved, was staying in the guest room on the second floor.

The moment he opened the door, I pushed Luna into his arms.

"My sister's had too much to drink," I said, my voice flat. "She's been calling your name."

I turned and walked away, ignoring the complex look in Ashton's eyes. The sound of his door closing behind me was a profound relief.

Because of one selfish choice, my past life had ended with Luna forced into a loveless marriage with me, and Ashton dead. Luna's heart had filled with a murderous hatred, and she'd changed our honeymoon plans specifically to lead me to that cliff and exact her revenge.

Even now, the visceral terror of that fall lingered in my soul.

This time, I had given them their chance. Surely, the ending would be different now.

The next morning, a servant woke me. As I entered the dining room, my eyes met Luna's. Unlike the dead, hollow look she'd had in our last life, this time her eyes were practically overflowing with joy.

Seeing me, she cleared her throat and lifted her hand from under the table, her fingers intertwined with Ashton's.

"Now that everyone's here, I have an announcement," she declared. "Ashton and I have decided to get married. We'll let you all know the date once it's set."

"I'll take good care of Luna," Ashton said with a slight bow. "Soon, we'll all be family. I hope you'll all be patient with the new guy."

Watching them, a perfectly matched pair, my mind drifted. If this were my past life, what would I be doing right now? Throwing things? Screaming?

My silence seemed to bother Ashton. "Caden isn't saying anything," he teased, a malicious glint in his eye. "Don't you want your sister to get married? Or... do you just hate me?"

I snapped back to reality just in time to see the corner of his mouth twitch into a smirk before it vanished. He immediately turned to Luna, his expression one of wounded innocence.

"Luna, Caden is your brother. I don't want any trouble between you two. If he can't accept this right away, I can leave for a while."

Luna frowned at me, her gaze sharp. "Ashton is going to be your brother-in-law. If I see you giving him that sour face again, don't blame me for being harsh. Do you understand?"

I had no intention of getting between them this time, but they seemed determined to drag me in. My already small appetite vanished completely.

I mumbled that I understood and turned to leave.

Luna slammed her hand on the table. "Get back here and eat. Are you going on a hunger strike just because I said a few words to you? Where did you pick up such a pathetic habit?"

I had already decided to leave this house soon. I didn't want to spend my last days here fighting.

Seeing the anger in her eyes, I sat back down and forced a few bites of food. Then I stood up and smiled. "I'm done, Luna. Ashton. You two enjoy your meal."

I had barely reached my room when the doorknob turned.

Luna walked in, her expression serious.