The Angel Who Saved Him Twice

My name is Marcus Costello, heir to a New York crime family, and today I was meant to choose my future wife from a lineup of my elite bodyguards, the "Guardian Angels." My mother, the Donna, sat across from me with their photos, but my mind was miles away, trapped in a dim, dusty warehouse by the docks. I remembered the smell of stale water and fear, and the agonizing pain of my own blood. In my first life, I chose Seraphina "Sera" Rossi, my beautiful childhood crush, Angel One. When rivals kidnapped me, I called her, my wife, my top guard, but she dismissed me, too "busy" seeing Leo Maxwell, the man she truly loved. She left me to be tortured for hours before a bullet ended it. The last thing I remembered was a desperate cry: Winter "Winn" Hayes, Angel Ten, found me, fought like a demon, and died trying to shield my already broken body. Her loyalty was a stark contrast to Sera's unforgivable treachery. Now, I was blinking back to reality, realizing I was sent back in time, back before the betrayal, to the moment of choice. A wave of nausea hit me as I saw Sera's arrogant smile on the top photo. I pushed her photo aside, then another, and another, until my hand stopped on the last one, Winter Hayes, Winn. "This one," I said, my voice steady, laying her photo on the table. My mother was surprised, but this time, I wouldn't be a fool. I had a second chance, and this time, I would live.