Chapter 1

A faint, shimmering gold mark pulsed on my inner wrist, hidden beneath the sleeve of my dress. It was a birthright, a curse, a power that let me see glimpses of the future. It was the reason I died.

In my last life, I saw it all. My stepsister, Bethany Vance, with her ill-fitting, gold-accented bracelet always hiding her unblemished skin, fooled everyone. She faked prophetic abilities, a cruel mimicry of my own, and our father ate it up. He adored her, cherished her supposed gift, and saw me as nothing more than a bargaining chip.

Bethany got the prize: Ethan Blackwood, the heir to a tech empire. I was handed off to his younger, estranged brother, Liam Blackwood. I had spent my life sacrificing my prophetic energy to help Liam, to push him up the corporate ladder, believing he was the underdog, believing he could love me.

On our wedding night, I finally took off the bracelet I wore to hide my true mark. The faint gold shimmered in the low light.

Liam' s face twisted with contempt.

"A trick. All of it. Just to get power."

He sneered, his fingers closing around my throat.

"Bethany' s scars from her visions are real. They are purer than this fake mark of yours."

Then, darkness.

Now, I was awake. The same opulent ballroom, the same clinking of champagne glasses, the same day my father would announce our engagements. I was back.

My father, Mr. Hayes, stood on the small stage, his arm wrapped possessively around Bethany. She looked radiant, basking in the attention, the gold bracelet on her wrist catching the light.

"I am overjoyed to announce the engagement of my brilliant daughter, Bethany, to the heir of the Blackwood empire, Ethan Blackwood!"

A polite, yet enthusiastic, applause filled the room.

Bethany preened, her eyes flicking to me for a fraction of a second, a triumphant little smirk on her lips. She was the prophet, the chosen one. I was just the afterthought, the one to be married off to the spare brother, Liam.

My father cleared his throat again. "And I am also pleased to announce the engagement of my other daughter, Ava, to Mr. Liam Blackwood."

The applause was noticeably weaker this time. A few pitying glances were thrown my way. I stood still, my expression a carefully blank mask. I felt the familiar burn of humiliation, the cold sting of being second-best. But this time, it was different. This time, it was fuel.

Just as my father was about to continue, the grand doors of the ballroom burst open.

Liam Blackwood stormed in, his face a thundercloud of fury. He ignored everyone, his eyes locked on my father and a beaming Bethany.

"Mr. Hayes, I reject this arrangement."

A collective gasp swept through the crowd. The music stopped.

My father' s face turned red with anger. "What is the meaning of this, Liam? This has been agreed upon!"

Liam strode forward, not even sparing me a glance. He stopped before the stage, his gaze fixed on Bethany with a disturbing intensity. It was the same look of obsession I' d seen in my previous life, the one I had mistaken for love directed at me.

"I' m not marrying Ava," Liam declared, his voice ringing with arrogance. "I am here for Bethany."

He pulled a document from his jacket pocket and slapped it onto a nearby table. It was a blank equity deed, a powerful failsafe given to him by the Blackwood family elder.

"I will have Bethany. This deed gives me a five percent stake in Blackwood Industries, no questions asked. It' s yours, Mr. Hayes, in exchange for her hand."

My father' s eyes widened, his greed battling his confusion. Bethany looked shocked, then a slow, pleased smile spread across her face. She loved being the center of a fight, the prize to be won.

Liam finally turned to me. His eyes were cold, dismissive.

"You and I are finished," he spat, as if swatting away an annoying fly. He then turned back to Bethany, his expression softening into that same deluded adoration. "Bethany is the one with the true gift. She is the future of both our families. Not her."

He pointed a finger at me, the accusation clear.

I met his gaze, my heart a block of ice. In my past life, I would have been shattered. I would have felt the familiar shame, the pain of his rejection.

But now, all I felt was a cold, simmering rage.

I walked over to him, my steps measured and calm. He watched me approach, a smirk playing on his lips, expecting tears or a pathetic plea.

I stopped right in front of him.

"Liam," I said, my voice low and steady. "You think you know what you want. But you are a fool."

His smirk vanished, replaced by a flicker of surprise and anger.

"What did you say to me?"

"I said you' re a fool," I repeated, not backing down. "You' re throwing away a diamond for a piece of glass, and you' re too blind to see it."

I saw the fury in his eyes, the way his hands clenched into fists. He remembered this. He remembered the last time I had defied him, right before he killed me. The memory was a twisted, fragmented thing in his mind, something he couldn't quite grasp but that filled him with rage.

"You have no idea what you' re talking about," he hissed, his voice a low threat. "Bethany' s abilities are proven. What do you have? Nothing."

I let a small, cold smile touch my lips.

"I have the truth," I said softly.

I turned my back on him, leaving him fuming, and walked away. This time, I wouldn' t beg for his affection. I wouldn' t sacrifice myself for his ambition.

This time, I would destroy him. And I would take everything he ever wanted for myself.