Reborn for one more lap with my ex’s mafia uncle

Anastasia’s POV “Please welcome my fiancé, Tatiana Camilla Romano.” My boyfriend, Sergio announced to the room filled with mafia Dons and Queens. Camilla smiled, standing at the top of glossed stairs, clutching his arm with ease. She was wearing a simple black dress that hugged her curves and tiny waist, with pearls dangling around her neck. Something that made both of us so different. She had the body of a supermodel while I can’t go a day without eating a burger and having my stomach ruin the entire outfit. Camilla looked over the crowd until her eyes locked with mine and her grin turned to a sinister smirk. Noticing my gaze, she traced a finger over Sergio’s chin and pulled him in for a kiss. My heart fell to the pit of my stomach and I felt my lunch coming up. “Anastasia?” A soft voice spoke behind me and I went rigid. I took in a long breath when the traitor's hand touched my shoulder, and I shook it off like it was dirt. “Who…How did you find out?” Sergio’s mother, Louisa asked with furrowed brows. “I’m happy to know you were in on this too.” I seethed, making her frown. She was about to speak but the last person I wanted to see stopped her. “Anastasia?” Sergio froze, walking through the crowd with Camilla on his arm. “I wasn’t expecting you to be here.” “What? Were you waiting until after the wedding to invite me?” I snapped, staring at their clasped hands and the ruby ring on Camilla’s ring finger. My chest tightened from the sight and my eyes started to sting. “Look, you don’t need to be bitter about this. It was…unexpected.” He said flatly, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. “You were gone for a while and in the moment, Camilla and I just….clicked.” He snapped his fingers, kissing her lightly on the cheek. “Anastasia, I apologize for the surprise, but you have to understand that being given a second chance at love was something I couldn’t pass up.” Camilla batted her eyes innocently, placing her hand wide on Sergio’s chest like he was her property. Second chance my ass. Her first husband was Sebastian Santoro, Sergio’s older brother and the previous Don. Sadly, he was assassinated almost a month ago. And somehow, it didn’t take her too long to fall in love again. My head was spinning and I couldn’t help the nauseous taste in my mouth either. My heart ached seeing this. Watching this. “But we agreed to get married this fall,” I said under my breath, bile rising in my throat. “Anastasia, look at you.” He scoffed. “It would be more embarrassing having you stand next to me in front of my allies than showing up alone.” I tensed, wrapping my arms around myself. I was wearing a halter-neck top with wide-leg pants, standing out from the crowd like a sore thumb. “I need a woman with strength and resilience. Someone who would stand by my side the same way my mother stood beside my father.” He nodded at the woman I once trusted behind me. I looked at Louisa and she stared at me with sorrow in her eyes. She knew she had already lost my trust and respect for allowing this, and the shame was killing her. “I was only away because you refused to attend the meeting in Toronto, and I had to step in,” I muttered, furious that he even thought to blame any of this on me. “I thought you were just preparing for the gala, but you couldn’t let your brother's body get cold before you swooped in on his….” I was cut short. “SERGIO!” Louisa yelled, but Sergio had his eyes glued on me. My cheek stung and I realized Sergio just slapped me. The room went silent and everyone had their eyes stuck on us. Sergio had a blazing fire in his eyes and his lips were pressed in a thin line. I cradled my cheek with my feet rooted to the ground while he took slow steps towards me. He gripped my arm and held my chin firm so I was staring straight into his dark eyes. The same eyes I looked into when I was sad, happy, or angry. But all I felt now was pure hate. “Don’t .EVER. Try to insinuate that I took my brother's death as an opportunity to steal his wife.” He spat before releasing my chin. His voice was bouncing off the walls at this point. The men looked at me like I was the gum beneath their shoes while the women whispered, laughing. I was a joke. “You deserve someone just like you. I would’ve fired you too but you have the skills we can’t find so easily in any ordinary engineer.” With that said, Sergio walked away with Camilla clinging to his arm, leaving the room in silence. But his absence didn’t stop the guests from staring at me. “Can you give me a chance to explain everything?” Louisa interrupted my thoughts, extending a hand for me but I could only stare blankly at it. “No.” I shook my head with a raised hand. “You had every chance to tell me but didn’t.” She looked at me with a pained smile until I walked out of the room. I made it down the hall before going up the stairs. I wanted privacy, so I snuck into Sebastian’s old office. But when I turned the lights on I shrieked. A handsome man was standing in the room alone. He was wearing black trousers that hugged his long legs paired with a velvet shirt fitted to his muscles. “How did you find here?” The deep baritone voice grunted. I was frozen in place, my voice caught in my throat. “Are you deaf? Answer me when I’m talking to you.” He frowned, making me shiver. I couldn’t find the words to speak. His eyes lingered on my face for a while until they softened. I watched him walk towards me and I automatically tried to step back, but I had my back pressed against the door. He was inches from me before I heard the doorknob twist. “Move.” He ordered, and I did just that before he left the room. My heart was racing. I couldn’t dwell on the strange man for long as I dragged my tired feet to the balcony, and I collapsed. The tears and agony I was holding back fell and I was a sobbing mess. I pulled out my phone and opened the anonymous email sent to me a few days ago. “DON’T LET THEM KNOW, BUT YOU DESERVE TO BE HERE!” Attached to the bottom was an invitation to the engagement party. I cleaned the tears off my cheeks and stood on my feet. “I am Anastasia Cabrera, this shouldn’t wear me down,” I said sternly. I was about to step back but then a heavy object was hit against the back of my head. A world of pain exploded through my skull and I lost my balance. I couldn’t see who it was, because they had on a ski mask with a black hoodie. “Why?” I staggered back, before they shoved me hard enough and I fell over the balcony. The wind blew past me as I fell. My voice was almost nonexistent as I tried to scream but nothing came out. I saw the pool beneath me before my head slammed against the tiles. I was floating on cloud nine before the unbearable pain I felt suddenly went numb and everything went black.