His Second Chance Became My Last Goodbye
Fuzzy Melissa · Completed · 6.8k Words
Introduction
Everyone in the families' inner circle adored her and went out of their way to protect her.
She had no idea I'd been given a second chance at life and sent back to the past.
Just as she had in my previous life, she put on a sweet smile and insisted that I choose my future husband first. To everyone watching, she looked thoughtful and generous.
This time, I said no.
Back then I was naive and bought every bit of her performance.
I married the guy she pushed onto me, Dalton Voss. Word went around he'd gotten caught in an ambush and could no longer walk.
I gave up my inheritance rights and devoted myself to caring for him.
I became his crutch, the person he relied on whenever he felt lonely. No matter how much care and warmth I poured into him, his heart stayed completely cold.
The truth came out at Melody's baby shower.
A hitman from a rival clan lifted his gun and aimed straight for her pregnant belly. The man who supposedly hadn't stood for years jumped right to his feet.
He shoved me in front of the gun. Seven shots struck my abdomen, leaving me unable to have children.
As I collapsed, he pulled Melody against his chest and took the final shot meant for her.
That was when everything clicked for me.
He was never paralyzed. His family never cast him aside.
He had faked the disability because Melody loved another man, and he didn't want to be trapped in a marriage with me.
"I'm sorry, Zara," he told me. "I lied to you. But I could not let Melody lose the baby she carries. I will pay you back in our next life."
When my eyes opened again, I was right back on the day our father told my sister and me to choose our marriage partners.
This time, I chose no one.
Chapter 1
I grew up living entirely in the shadow of my older sister, Melody.
Everyone in the families' inner circle adored her and went out of their way to protect her.
She had no idea I'd been given a second chance at life and sent back to the past.
Just as she had in my previous life, she put on a sweet smile and insisted that I choose my future husband first. To everyone watching, she looked thoughtful and generous.
This time, I said no.
Back then I was naive and bought every bit of her performance.
I married the guy she pushed onto me, Dalton Voss. Word went around he'd gotten caught in an ambush and could no longer walk.
I gave up my inheritance rights and devoted myself to caring for him.
I became his crutch, the person he relied on whenever he felt lonely. No matter how much care and warmth I poured into him, his heart stayed completely cold.
The truth came out at Melody's baby shower.
A hitman from a rival clan lifted his gun and aimed straight for her pregnant belly. The man who supposedly hadn't stood for years jumped right to his feet.
He shoved me in front of the gun. Seven shots struck my abdomen, leaving me unable to have children.
As I collapsed, he pulled Melody against his chest and took the final shot meant for her.
That was when everything clicked for me.
He was never paralyzed. His family never cast him aside.
He had faked the disability because Melody loved another man, and he didn't want to be trapped in a marriage with me.
"I'm sorry, Zara," he told me. "I lied to you. But I could not let Melody lose the baby she carries. I will pay you back in our next life."
When my eyes opened again, I was right back on the day our father told my sister and me to choose our marriage partners.
This time, I chose no one.
"You should go first, Zara. You're the delicate one. You need a powerful family to protect you," Melody said in the same sweet tone she had used in my previous life, playing the caring older sister for everyone watching.
But her eyes gave her away. They stayed fixed on Jett Mercer, heir to the Mercer family, and the longing in them was impossible to miss.
Rumors had circulated in underworld circles for years that Melody and Jett were secretly involved.
Dad would surely reserve Jett as a match for her.
In my previous life, I stepped aside to keep Melody happy and chose Dalton Voss, who was supposedly confined to a wheelchair.
I thought I was doing the right thing. Instead, I walked straight into a living hell.
I could still relive my final moments.
I remembered collapsing to the floor after the shots, barely able to move.
Dalton's medical team burst into the room. They never even glanced my way.
Every single one rushed over to Melody, who only had tiny scratches.
She huddled in Dalton's arms, trembling. "Dalton, it hurts... this is my fault. I shouldn't have shaken off the guards just to get under Zara's skin..."
The family elders couldn't stop praising her. They called her such a kind‑hearted girl for not blaming her sister even while hurt.
All the attention and sympathy went to her. I lay on the cold floor, dying and forgotten.
I had nearly bled out by the time she suddenly 'remembered' I existed and screamed for the doctors.
"Help Zara! What are you all waiting for? Move!"
Her tears glistened under the lights. That was the moment I finally saw through her act.
That's why I laughed when Dad turned and asked who I wanted to marry.
"Since Melody is being so considerate, I will not hold back. I want Jett."
"What?" Melody's pretty smile vanished. Her eyes instantly filled with tears. "Zara, you know full well what Jett and I have together..."
Dalton's head snapped up, shock widening his eyes.
Then Dad slapped me hard across the face. The crack echoed through the room.
"Look at yourself! Jett is the Mercer family heir. Do you truly believe someone like you, an illegitimate daughter, could ever marry him? You know he cares for your sister, and you pick him on purpose. Are you trying to drive Melody over the edge?"
A thin trickle of blood ran from the corner of my mouth. Even so, I couldn't stop smiling.
"Father, if you already made up your minds, why pretend I get a real vote? Are you scared people will call you unfair?"
Melody's eyelashes fluttered. Her tears rolled down perfectly on cue.
"Zara, do not talk like that. Dad loves you too. How can you accuse him so wrongly?"
In the middle of our argument, Dalton braced his hands on the wheelchair's armrests and stood up.
"Don Reyes, I have a business proposition. I know your arms business is in trouble. I'm willing to invest five million dollars to help you through the crisis. I have one condition: you agree to let me marry your eldest daughter."
I glared hard at Dalton. Disbelief burned hot inside my chest.
I never imagined the man who faked being disabled for years would choose this exact moment to stand.
He caught my furious stare. A flicker of guilt crossed his eyes before he looked away fast.
My heart skipped a beat.
He had also gotten a second life.
Even after watching me die in our previous life, he still refused to let Melody belong to another man. He was willing to use his strongest bargaining chip to get her.
The second Dad heard the money offer, all his anger vanished. Greed lit up his eyes.
His whole plan was marrying his daughters off to strengthen family alliances. He would never throw away such a golden chance.
Besides, the Voss family was far more powerful than the Mercers. Dalton's interest in Melody was a stroke of luck for Dad.
"Fine," Dad answered without hesitation. "If Dalton is head‑over‑heels for Melody, then Zara, you will marry Jett."
Jett jumped straight to his feet.
Sneering with clear disgust he spoke. "You think I would marry you, Zara? Come on, look in a mirror. You cannot hold a candle next to Melody. Stop making a fool out of yourself."
Last Chapters
You Might Like 😍
Everybody is Guilty Here
Middlesbrough's underworld is a dangerous game, and Matthew Smith finds himself right in the middle of it. A once-feared gang leader, he is now forced to be a pawn in a deadly cat-and-mouse game. Matthew's only shot at freedom is helping the police bring down Mr. K, the elusive mafia boss of the city. The only problem is that the detective he is forced to work with is the same man who arrested him years ago.
Masahiro Payne is everything Matthew hates: cold, calculating, and relentless. But their only hope for survival is by pretending to be a happy couple, blending in amidst dangerous crime, deceit, and power struggles. The closer they find themselves to taking down Mr. K's empire, the more they are attracted to one another, an affair too potent to turn from.
As their undercover mission spirals into a web of lies and hidden desires, they face a growing threat from all sides. But the greatest risk is the one they can't control-their own feelings. With every touch, every stolen kiss, the line between their fake relationship and real emotions blurs.
In a world of betrayal, trust is a luxury, and falling for each other may be the deadliest mistake of all. Can they survive the deadly mafia games or will their passion be their demise?
GO ON YOUR KNEES, ALPHA.
He was wrong.
Six years ago, Pete Leadsilver had everything an Alpha could want. Power, a respected pack and a future already written for him.
Then he met me.
What began as a game became a mistake I would spend years trying to survive. When I told him I was carrying his child, Pete chose not to believe me. He rejected me, humiliated me, and allowed the people around him to make sure I understood that there was no place for me in his world.
So I disappeared.
I took the secret of my pregnancy with me and built a life far away from the Alpha who had broken me.
Six years later, Pete finds me again. Only this time, he isn't the man with all the power. His pack is dying, his people are running out of time, and I may be the only person capable of saving them.
But I'm no longer the woman Pete remembers. And beside me is a little boy who carries far too much of Pete's face to be a coincidence.
Our reunion should have been about a cure, but instead, it becomes the beginning of a war neither of us saw coming.
Because Pete's greatest danger isn't outside his pack.
It's inside his own family.
Old resentment turns into manipulation. Loyalty becomes betrayal. And the people Pete trusts begin hiding secrets that threaten to destroy everything he's built.
Then someone comes for the people I love.
Suddenly, this is no longer about whether Pete can earn my forgiveness.
It's about whether he can keep me alive.
Whether he can protect the son he never knew existed.
Whether he can uncover the truth before the people closest to him destroy everything he has finally learned to value.
Along the way, we'll lose people we thought would always stand beside us, I'll be forced to confront wounds I've spent six years trying to bury, and the family we're slowly building will be tested in ways neither of us could have imagined.
Because sometimes love isn't the hardest thing to find. Sometimes it's the hardest thing to survive.
Pete once believed power meant never needing anyone and I once believed surviving him meant leaving him behind.
We were both wrong.
Because some bonds refuse to die, some betrayals cut deeper than rejection and some people don't come back into your life to give you a second chance.
They come back to show you exactly what you almost lost.
Pete Leadsilver lost me once.
This time, he'll have to fight to keep the family he never knew he needed.
Cue the Dark
Mating Moon
Luna Rising
They were wrong.
Seren was stolen as a newborn and raised in a pack that treated her as disposable. Beaten and imprisoned, she survives by hiding her strength—until a mating ball brings fate crashing into her life.
With enemies willing to sell lives and a past tied to the throne, Seren must rise…or die.
A dark werewolf romance of power, fate, and vengeance.
Mated To My Nemesis
Agnes Tremaine arrived in Melbourne with a camera but no backstory in this world. She was meant to document one season. She never realized she was already the blueprint — that the connections, the open doors, and the meticulous arrangements were all built specifically for her, tailored and designed to use her.
Ace had a nine-year revenge in the making. A journalist had destroyed his sister's life and left no fingerprints. Now the man's daughter was standing in his garage with a camera, and Ace had been the one to open the door.
His wolf chooses a mate he never wanted and couldn't shake — not in the paddock, not on the track, not even at 200mph where nothing else had ever followed him before.
For the first time in his life, he couldn't have it all.
The CEO Above My Desk
“I know she does.”
“And what if she doesn’t want this kind of protection?”
“She will,” I say, my voice lowering slightly. “Because she needs a man who can give her the world.”
“And if the world burns?”
My hand tightens subtly at Violet’s waist.
“Then I’ll build her a new one,” I reply. “Even if I have to burn the old one down myself.”
I don’t work for Rowan Ashcroft.
I work beneath him.
From my desk, I decide who gets access to the most ruthless CEO in the city, and who never makes it past the lobby. I manage his time, his silence, his enemies. I keep his world running while my own quietly collapses under unpaid bills, a mother locked in rehab, and a brother who vanished without a goodbye.
Rowan Ashcroft is power wrapped in a tailored suit.
Cold. Untouchable. Merciless.
He doesn’t flirt. He doesn’t smile. He doesn’t see people, only usefulness.
And for a long time, I was just useful.
Until he started watching.
A shift in his attention is subtle at first. A pause too long. A look that lingers. Orders that pull me closer instead of pushing me away. The man who stands above my desk begins to control more than my schedule, and I realize too late that being noticed by Rowan Ashcroft is far more dangerous than being ignored.
Because men like him don’t crave affection.
They crave possession.
This was supposed to be a job.
Not a test of my limits.
Not a slow, deliberate descent into his authority.
But if Rowan Ashcroft decides I belong under his desk, then so be it.
Survival has a price, and the bills don’t care how I pay them.
My Billionaire Husband's Secret
He was the CEO of the Blackwood Group — a man whose wealth and power eclipsed ninety-nine percent of the world.
He was gentle. Romantic. Attentive. I fell for him fast.
But a year into our marriage, I began to notice something — a pattern.
Lucas's sexual appetite was intense — he wanted me almost every night. Yet every single month, he arranged a solo trip to send me away. I told myself it was his way of spoiling me.
Then a message arrived from someone called Sweet An.
Do you really know your husband?
From that day on, my life filled with shadows.
I suspected my husband of having an affair.
When Lucas and I made love, something felt wrong — his body too large, too much, like something I couldn't explain.
I heard sounds during sex — animal sounds, like something feral had crawled into bed with us.
My best friend Mia said: "There are men sick enough to let dogs fuck their wives."
The family doctor, Daisy, told me: "You could never stay by Lucas's side forever. Your background doesn't make you worthy of being his wife. Do you understand?"
I went looking for whoever had been tearing my marriage apart. I fought to win my husband back.
But the deeper I searched, the larger the secret grew — something far darker hiding beneath this supposed betrayal.
Does Lucas truly love me?
And why, out of everyone in the world, did he choose to marry me?
Fated to the Enemy: The Alpha's Witch Bride
My touch tames his inner beast.
… Until I find another woman’s bite mark on his neck.
As a holy witch, I shouldn't be sneaking out for Zuri—a cursed shape-shifter from a rival clan.
But our forbidden heat is intoxicating.
When his monstrous Primal breaks free, slaughtering everything in its path, even his fiercest warriors cower.
I don't.
I walk straight to the blood-soaked beast, press my body against his, and tame him with a single, desperate embrace.
There’s just one problem: his clan betrothed him to a Shaman’s daughter.
I tell myself it's purely political. I tell myself his heart is mine.
Until tonight.
He sneaks into the woods for me. We share a deep, hungry kiss under the moonlight.
But as I pull back, my blood runs cold.
Right there, on the neck of the man I just risked my soul to save...
Is a fresh, undeniable bite mark.
The Spy Who Left
"I still can't believe she actually did it. Aria Hart, filing for divorce. Who saw that coming?"
"How long do we think it'll take before she comes crawling back?" Another voice joins the conversation.
"Three days," Victoria declares. "Five at most. She has no money, no skills, no family. Where's she going to go?"
When Aria Chen divorced billionaire Leon Hart, New York's elite sneered, betting she'd crawl back within days. She never did.
Three years later, the world is rocked when Dr. Aria Vale, CEO of a revolutionary cybersecurity empire, steps into the spotlight. The mysterious genius who built a billion-dollar company from nothing is none other than Leon's discarded wife, the woman everyone thought was just a pretty ornament.
Now, every powerful man wants the queen Leon threw away a renowned scientist seeking partnership, a financial titan proposing an empire, and an actor offering devotion. Each sees the brilliance Leon ignored.
Then Leon discovers the truth: Aria's sacrifices, her secret double life, and the daughter she's been raising without him. For the first time, the man who once took her for granted must fight for her love. But can he compete with men who valued her from the beginning?
A story of love, betrayal, and power where the king must kneel before the queen who never needed saving.
Tempted By The Enemy
She escapes to Preston Island to attend the wedding without informing him only to collide with Lucas’s hot, fiery and arrogant brother, the twenty-three-year-old, Nicholas Donnelly. Sparks immediately fly between them but Alyssa refuses to acknowledge them fearing her brother's wrath.
The wedding is over and Alyssa tries hard to forget the mysterious Nicholas Donnelly but can he forget her? Can he ignore the attraction he feels for her, feelings that have resurfaced after ten years?
What will Allyssa do when she is stalked by the man who has been invading her dreams since the day she met him? What will she do when she is whisked away to a deserted island by the unpredictable Nicholas Donnelly? Can she tame her heart or surrender to sinful temptations? Read to find out!
Part of the Temptation Series. Can be read as a standalone.
