The Substitute Bride Is Reborn and Loves Her Husband No more

"Dead. I was dead. Where am I? Could this be heaven?" Rose blinked her eyes, sitting up and feeling the place with her hands.

"No, heaven doesn't have couches or pillows."

She examined the whole place, her memories blurry, but then everything started coming back to her clearly.

"God, thank you for giving me a new life. But in this life you have given me, I'm still connected to him." Her shoulders shook with bitterness as she tried to control her tears.

Her sister was a full-fledged werewolf, while she was just an ordinary human.

Her mother was a werewolf, and her father was human.

When she was born, her mother rejected her because she had no wolf. All these years, she lived under her mother's hatred because her mother did not see her as one of her kind.

Her sister Jennifer was the favorite daughter. She was a werewolf, able to shift into her werewolf form easily. Her mother had high hopes for her, believing Jennifer would bring glory to their family.

And it happened that Jennifer became the fiancée of Alpha Rolan, the man who was now her husband.

Fate had its own plans for everyone. On the day Jennifer was to marry Rolan, Jennifer went missing.

There was no one to wed Rolan, and it would have been a disgrace to him as an alpha and caused a huge problem for her family. So, they made her marry Rolan without him knowing he was not marrying his chosen bride but a replacement—herself.

Rolan was nothing but a stranger to her. After the marriage, she began to love him, feeling something for him. But Rolan was cold and indifferent. He paid no attention to her, spending his time in the office and the pack. He only came to her when he was in heat.

Rose never noticed all these details, but it was after her death that everything became clear to her. Rolan resented her for taking the place of his love for three years, which is why he never smiled at her.

Their marriage—she thought she could fix it. But everything wasn't as she imagined when her sister Jennifer came back. She saw the man smile for the first time in many years, something he never did during their marriage.

Rose cried bitterly in her heart. Rolan would never love her. He had always loved her sister, and it would always be her. Jennifer left him at the altar, yet he still cared for her.

"Rolan, I never wanted to marry you. In this new life, before my demise, I must leave you," Rose wiped her tears, thinking about the next decision. Because of Rolan and Jennifer, she died. She died because she stood in the way of their romance.

This time, she would give them the chance to fall in love.

She was reborn, but it was too late—too late after she had already married Rolan and after Jennifer had returned.

Jennifer must be in his office with him at this moment.

In this new life, Rose promised to live peacefully, away from the people who caused her death. But she also vowed to find the bastard who murdered her in her past life. She wanted to take him to the police.

Rose believed fate had its own ugliness because even if she avoided the fate of getting kidnapped by that man, another innocent soul might suffer the calamity.

September 1, 4025—the exact date she was kidnapped. It was today.

Rose wanted to catch the killer today, but she couldn't do it by herself. She was just a weak woman and not a werewolf.

There was only one person to help her with her plans.

Rose decided and took her phone, dialing the number of her best friend.

"Hello, Zara," she called, looking down, waiting for Zara on the phone to speak. She still couldn't control her tears. She was alive and not destroyed by a bomb.

"Rose, are you okay? Why are you crying?"

Zara, over the phone, sounded worried, sensing that Rose was crying.

"Zara, I can't say it on the phone. Please come," Rose wiped her tears, trying to be calm, seriously stated.

"Yes, dear, where should I meet you?" Zara asked, ready to go anywhere Rose might mention.

"At the café," Rose blinked, closing her eyes and said.

"Don't worry, babe. I'm coming for you."

Zara agreeing to meet her at the café was something Rose valued. Having a friend like Zara was a blessing, but she wished she could have called her when her life was in danger.

Rose took her purse and went to the café to meet Zara.

***

It was the same day. The moments were the same. She took the same position she had taken before she got kidnapped.

She remembered that the kidnapper came from behind.

Rose's heart skipped a beat, her knees growing slightly weak, wanting to give up.

Ten seconds left. Twenty seconds went by. She counted the time in her heart, waiting for the kidnapper to arrive.

And then it happened. Her killer had finally come. Rose felt like her heart would leave her chest once more.

She felt a slight sensation on her neck as if someone was about to put something over her mouth.

"We got him, ma'am!" But everything came to an end with the voice of the police officer.

Rose could finally take a deep breath of relief. She turned around, seeing a man pinned down by the police beside her feet.

Her tears, which she had held back, finally fell at this moment. She was now sure that the person who hurt her in her past life could not hurt anyone else.

Zara came rushing to give Rose a hug. From where only Rose could see, Zara used her heels to hit the kidnapper slightly in his crotch. The kidnapper groaned, and the cops didn't know why he was groaning.

"That's it, girl. Everything is over," Zara whispered in her ear, rubbing her hair slightly. Rose had shared everything with her, including her rebirth, and Zara, thanks to being smart, easily digested everything.

"Ma'am, thank you. It is because of your help today that we caught this man. The truth is, he has kidnapped more than 30 people and killed four. Ma'am, we are so grateful. Would you like your deed to be put on the news?"

The police expressed their gratitude and offered, but Rose dismissed them. In her heart, she thought the police said the man killed five. If she hadn't been reborn today, she would have been number six.

"Rose, let's go home," Zara smiled, holding Rose's hands. But Rose suddenly felt drowsy and fainted. Before she could hit the floor, Zara caught her and panicked.

"Wake up, Rose!" she called out.

***

Rose opened her eyes, staring groggily around the place. She felt awful, and worse, she felt pain in her stomach.

Holding her head in pain, she saw Zara sitting beside her, with her hands folded, staring at her very focused.

"Zara, what happened?" Rose hissed, lying on the bed to make herself more comfortable.

Sorry, Zara was about to answer her, but the door suddenly opened with a nurse walking in.

"Ah, ma'am, since you are pregnant, these are the pills that the doctor has prescribed for you," the nurse smiled, staring at Rose.

Rose's face went pale. She couldn't believe what the nurse had said or if she was referring to her.

"Um, nurse, are you talking to me?" Rose blinked, pointing at herself.

"Yes, of course. Is there any other pregnant person in this room?"

The nurse smiled, looking between her and Zara. Rose's mouth went dry again. The nurse simply kept the drugs on the table next to Rose and walked out.

"Zara, is what the nurse said true? Am I pregnant?" She looked at her friend with hopeful eyes, wishing her answer would reverse the situation.

"Rose, you are pregnant. It's as the nurse said," Zara shrugged, folding her arms afterward.

"Then I'm keeping the child," Rose decisively nodded. This was her blood, and she would keep it. She could take care of the child. After all, her life was lonelier than it could ever be.

"You can't keep the child," Zara rubbed her brows, biting her lips.

She saw the way Rose looked at her, like she had seen a horrible person. So, she couldn't help but explain.

"Rose, you said that you have decided to leave Rolan, and I tell you that you can't keep this cub. Werewolf cubs are a hassle—they would kill you before they are born without the presence of their father."

"I have heard you, Zara. But I'm keeping this cub. Maybe this is the purpose of my new life. And if it's going to kill me, then so be it. I have died before; I can die twice," Rose declared without a care in the world, holding her belly and looking at it, almost as if she could see her child through it.

"Girl, you can die twice but not be reborn twice. Don't you understand, Rose? When will you ever learn to live for yourself?" Zara questioned, resisting the urge to be annoyed with Rose.

"I guess never, Zara. Never. I promise the little guy will be the last one I live for in this life."

"You are really stubborn, Rose," Zara sighed, giving up on arguing anymore.

"I have gotten the flight ticket," she said after a while, showing the tickets in her purse.

"Very nice job," Rose praised, trying to be cheerful.