Being Loved for the First Time

Having laid down her life as a sacrificial savior across ninety-nine separate rebirths, Anastasia Enderblanc awakens to her hundredth existence steeped in nothing but exhausted disillusionment. She knows the cycle by heart: born into privilege, only to be feared and loathed for the very power that makes her invaluable. As the youngest scion of House Enderblanc, she braces for the familiar sting of rejection, expecting a family that views her as a monster in need of control rather than a daughter deserving of care. To her profound confusion, however, this lifetime defies every expectation. Her new kin greet her not with cold dread, but with unguarded tenderness—an affection so genuine it leaves her utterly disarmed. Yet Anastasia cannot trust the warmth she feels. The ghosts of a hundred betrayals whisper that no love comes without a price, and she finds herself perpetually bracing for the inevitable blow, waiting for the mask of kindness to shatter. With every embrace, she questions whether this is a long-overdue reprieve or simply the most elaborate trap she has ever faced. As she wavers between the solace of acceptance and the paralysis of her own hard-won cynicism, Anastasia must decide: can she surrender to the love she has never known, or will her fear of disappointment ultimately destroy the one chance she has at happiness?