Rebirth: My CEO Husband's Thoughts Are Too Shameless

"Dominic... what have you done?" Clara sobbed as she watched the man she had hated all her life slowly sink to his knees, a bullet lodged deep in his chest.

The untouchable mafia lord.

The ruthless CEO of Sterling Group.

The man everyone feared.

He fell before her like any ordinary man.

"No... no!"

Clara crawled toward him, her hands trembling as she desperately pressed against the wound, trying to stop the blood that continued to seep through her fingers.

Across the warehouse, Alex let out a mocking laugh.

"Tsk, tsk... Dominic Sterling. Even legends bleed. You should’ve known when to give up."

For years, Alex had dreamed of bringing Dominic down.

Ironically, the person who had helped him the most was Clara herself—the woman foolish enough to mistake manipulation for love.

Dominic’s breathing grew weaker.

Yet when he saw the tears streaming down her face, he slowly raised his bloodstained hand and gently wiped them away.

"Don’t cry," he whispered with a faint smile. "Isn’t this... what you wanted?"

His words pierced her heart far deeper than any bullet ever could.

She had blamed him for forcing her into marriage.

She had hated him for separating her from the man she believed she loved.

She had sabotaged his business, betrayed his trust, and turned his life into a living nightmare.

Yet every single time she found herself in danger...

Dominic had come for her.

Without hesitation.

Without asking for anything in return.

Every time...

He had chosen her over himself.

Only now did she finally understand the truth.

Alex had never loved her.

She had merely been a pawn.

The woman he truly loved...

...was her own stepsister, Julian.

"How..." Clara’s voice cracked. "How was I so blind?"

Tears blurred her vision as she clutched Dominic’s hand tightly.

"No... You’re not dying. I won’t let you."

With shaking fingers, she pulled the concealed pistol from beneath her coat and aimed it directly at Alex.

"Drop your weapon."

For the first time, uncertainty flashed across Alex’s face.

Bang!

A searing pain exploded through Clara’s abdomen.

She staggered, lowering her gaze to the blood rapidly soaking her clothes before slowly turning around in disbelief.

Julian stood behind her.

The pistol in her hand was still smoking.

"What a pathetic fool," Julian sneered as she walked over and slipped an arm around Alex’s waist. "Did you really think I’d let you point a gun at the man I love?"

She rested her head against Alex’s shoulder.

The sight shattered the last illusion Clara had clung to.

Every promise Alex had ever made.

Every confession.

Every affectionate touch.

Every "I love you."

All of it...

Had been a lie.

"Ah..."

She collapsed beside Dominic, blood spreading beneath them.

The heavens had never betrayed her.

She had betrayed herself.

Coughing violently, Clara rested her forehead against Dominic’s shoulder as tears mixed with blood.

"If... there is another life..." she whispered through broken breaths, tightening her grip around his hand, "...I won’t waste it chasing the wrong person."

She looked into his fading eyes, her own overflowing with unbearable regret.

"I’ll love you... the way you deserved to be loved."

A final gunshot echoed through the warehouse.

Everything went dark.

"Gasp!"

Clara sucked in a sharp breath, as though her soul had been ripped apart and stitched back together.

When her vision cleared, she found herself standing at the altar.

A bouquet trembled in her hands.

Directly across from her stood Dominic.

Alive.

Uninjured.

Breathing.

Her eyes widened as memories of his lifeless body flashed through her mind.

The blood.

The gunshots.

His final smile.

Without thinking, she took half a step toward him, overwhelming relief flooding her heart.

I’m back... I’ve really come back.

The priest’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Dominic Sterling, do you take Clara Hayes to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Clara never took her eyes off Dominic.

He looked exactly as he had on this day in her previous life.

Calm.

Handsome.

Unreadable.

Please... say yes.

Then, without warning, a voice echoed inside her mind.

(This is your only chance, Clara. Once we get married, you’re mine.)

She froze.

Her eyes darted around the chapel.

Every guest remained seated quietly.

No one had spoken.

Another thought echoed moments later.

(Why is she frowning? Is she planning to run away again?)

Clara’s heartbeat nearly stopped.

That voice...

It belonged to Dominic.

Yet his expression remained perfectly composed.

"I do," he answered aloud.

The mysterious voice disappeared instantly.

Did I... imagine it?

Before she could think further, the priest turned toward her.

"Clara Hayes, do you take Dominic Sterling to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

She looked into Dominic’s eyes.

Every painful memory from her previous life replayed before her.

Every sacrifice he had made.

Every wound she had inflicted upon him.

Every regret she now carried.

This time...

There was no hesitation.

"Yes," she answered firmly.

"I do."

If heaven had truly granted her another chance...

She would spend this lifetime making up for every mistake she had made.

The priest smiled warmly.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Clara instinctively tightened her grip on the bouquet.

Kissing Dominic wasn’t unfamiliar.

They had shared kisses before.

But they had always been cold.

Filled with resentment.

Arguments.

Distance.

She had never truly accepted him.

Dominic stepped closer.

One hand gently cupped the back of her neck before he leaned down and brushed a soft kiss across her lips.

It was gentle.

Tender.

Over almost as soon as it began.

(...I forgot how incredible it feels to kiss my own wife.)

Clara nearly choked.

Before she could process it, another thought drifted into her mind.

(Good thing I stopped. If I keep going, I’ll embarrass her in front of everyone. The truth is... I don’t want to stop kissing her.)

She stared at him in complete disbelief.

The cold, intimidating Dominic Sterling...

The man who could make entire business empires and underground organizations tremble...

Was secretly thinking something so shameless?

Before she could lose her nerve, Clara set the bouquet aside, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and closed the remaining distance between them.

"Then don’t hold back."

Before Dominic could react, she rose onto her toes and kissed him again.

The groom froze.

The priest blinked.

Half the wedding guests stared in stunned silence.

And for the very first time in Dominic Sterling’s life... the man who was always in control completely forgot how to think.