Just like in our previous life, our family stood at the most eye-catching spot in the neighborhood to wait.

Last time, Marissa had purposely chosen this spot because she wanted me to be utterly humiliated in public. Unexpectedly, the total opposite happened instead.

She clearly thought it was her turn to be in the spotlight this time, so she had even put on intricate makeup.

Dad, Mom, and Marissa all wore expectant looks as they waited for Xander to arrive.

At that moment, a bright red sports car came to a halt nearby.

When Marissa saw it, her eyes instantly lit up before she hurried over.

After hesitating briefly, Dad and Mom followed her.

The instant Xander stepped out of his car, he drew everyone's attention. Not only was he incredibly handsome and exuded an air of refined elegance, but his gaze shone with a cool indifference. He was in no way inferior to celebrities or models.

"Darling, you're here!" Marissa stepped closer to Xander, a red blush dusting her cheeks.

Dad and Mom immediately straightened up, their posture stiff and awkward.

"Damn, looks like the Lipton family hit the jackpot this time! How did Marissa find such a handsome and rich boyfriend?"

"I'm so envious! They sure are lucky."

"Marissa has always been the more emotionally intelligent of the two sisters, so is it any surprise that her parents love her more? Now that she's gotten herself such an extraordinary boyfriend, how could Yelena possibly compare?"

Our neighbors were gossiping madly, their tones dripping with envy.

Dad and Mom smiled proudly at their words, just like they had in my previous life.

Meanwhile, Marissa threw me a smug smile, completely missing how Xander frowned when he looked down and saw her.

Subsequently, Xander took Marissa on a date in his sports car, and the crowd could only watch enviously.

Dad and Mom puffed out their chests proudly.

"See that? Our dear Marissa was born to be a princess, unlike some people, who are fated to be poor their whole lives," Dad sneered, glancing at me.

Mom eyed me with disdain as she said, "Since she's going to marry Gordon Zolt eventually, she might as well move out earlier. It'll save us from having to look at this eyesore all day."

They had hardly finished speaking when a muscular man approached us.

"Mr. and Mrs. Lipton, Marissa told me that you plan on having Yelena move in with me, so I've come to take her away."

The man was none other than Gordon Zolt, my supposed fiance. A lecherous gleam flickered in his eyes as he scanned my body.

For a moment, Dad and Mom were confused before quickly calling Marissa, only for her to answer flippantly.

"Dad, Mom, you know she's a jinx. I finally found myself such a wonderful boyfriend. What if her continued presence at home jinxes things and ruins my prospective marriage? Since she's going to marry Gordon anyway, there shouldn't be a problem with her moving in with him early."

Dad and Mom exchanged a glance, finding her logic sound.

"Yelena, hurry up and pack your things so you can go with Gordon."

I simply stared at them with numb indifference, not at all surprised by their decision.

Gordon rubbed his hands in excitement. He was relatively well-off, and his favorite hobby was abusing women. In fact, he had already caused the deaths of two wives.

However, he was cunning, only ever marrying women who weren't favored by their families. That way, even if they ended up dead, all he had to do was pay off the family so they wouldn't sue him.

That was why he had set his sights on me while his previous wife was still hospitalized. After all, it was common knowledge that my parents hated me. Hence, he knew that no one would stand up for me no matter what he did behind closed doors after we were married.

…

Just like that, Gordon brought me back to his home.

The instant the door shut behind us, he dragged an assessing gaze over my body.

"Your looks aren't too bad, but I wonder if your body will be able to handle me."

The only response I gave him was a blank stare.

He swiftly disappeared into his room before coming out with something in his hands.

"Change into these clothes, then get on your knees and lick my feet clean."

With that said, he tossed the item in his hands at me before taking off his shoes and sitting on the couch. Immediately, a disgustingly foul stench permeated the air.

I looked down at the scraps of cloth he called clothing, then shot him a smile.

He quirked a brow in satisfaction. "Seems like you're well aware of your circumstances, unlike all those bitches who start wailing like a family member died when I ask them to do anything. They deserved every beating I gave them for being so annoying."

Nodding at his words, I made my way over to him.

"You're right. Annoying people deserve to be beaten up," I said.

"Damn right—Ah, what are you doing! You actually dared hit me?"

Gordon didn't get to finish speaking before I kicked him in the abdomen.

Letting out a scoff, I began raining punches on him, each blow filled with as much force as I could muster.

His screams were like music to my ears.

Marissa assumed that if I were to marry Gordon in this life, then I would suffer the same abusive fate she had in her past life.

However, little did she know, from the moment I realized our parents didn't love me, I had already begun making preparations.

After learning that they intended to marry me off to an abusive man like Gordon, I started taking self-defence lessons. I spent two hours every day practicing, all to prepare myself for today—to ensure I wasn't the one on the floor screaming in pain.

"Ah! S-Stop hitting me! Please, have mercy! Someone save me!"

Gordon was completely overwhelmed and unable to fight back.

I loomed over him with a cold expression. "And here I wondered just how formidable you were. Turns out, you're nothing but a coward who only knows how to bully women weaker than you."

"Yelena, please stop hitting me! I know I was wrong! I won't dare to bully you again!" he yelled desperately.

I threw another punch, and just as his entire body trembled in fear, I stopped.

"If you ever dare piss me off again, I'll beat you until you learn your lesson. You hear me?"

"Yes, I hear you!" He nodded frantically, his eyes wide with fear.

Taking in how bruised and swollen his face was, I finally turned to leave, satisfied.

…

That night, Marissa purposely called to taunt me, her voice filled with excitement and arrogance.

"Hey, Yelena, have you been beaten up so badly that all you can do now is hide in a corner and cry? You know, I'm marrying Mr. Lorne very soon, and once that happens, you and I will be in completely different worlds. You'll forever be that worthless bitch who can't measure up to even a hair on my head."

I couldn't stop a puff of laughter from escaping before I ended the call.

In truth, our parents didn't like me when I was young, but they didn't actually hate me that much either. It was Marissa who kept sowing the seeds of discord and driving a wedge between us.

She would deliberately break something valuable, then lie to our parents that I had done it. Besides that, she would spread false rumors about me, which resulted in all our relatives and neighbors thinking that I was a problem child. When I received better grades than she did at school, she accused me of plagiarizing, turning me into the target of bullying.

To top it all off, she would often put on this regretful expression while saying to our parents, "Mom, you have no idea how much I prayed it was a younger brother you were pregnant with. Who would've thought it would turn out to be a girl?

"Do you think Yelena is some sort of jinx or curse? Why else would you be unable to get pregnant again after having her?"

Eventually, Dad and Mom began to treat me like I was their enemy. To them, I was their past sins coming back to haunt them, and I was the reason the Lipton name would end with me.

No matter how much I protested, it was pointless. I struggled, I pleaded with them, I lost control. I was their daughter, and I craved their parental love. Even just a smidgen would have been enough.

Yet, many instances over the years slowly made it clear to me—there really were parents who didn't love their child.

Once I accepted that I wasn't loved, I no longer obsessed over the matter, even becoming numb to everything. Strangely enough, the times I was hurt decreased after that as well.

In any case, Marissa thought that her fate would be changed now that she had snagged Xander for herself, that she would be able to grind me beneath her heel.

I bet she never would've expected that he was the gift I had carefully prepared for her in our past lives.

…

I moved out of Gordon's house, and he was too scared to say a thing about it.

As for Marissa, she constantly flaunted Xander's wealth on her social media. Occasionally, she would upload short text posts to gush about how loving they were and how well Xander treated her.

However, whenever anyone asked why Xander never appeared in any of the photos, she would claim that he didn't like it.

I would laugh at her reply, as I doubted that it was the truth.

One day, Mom called me out of the blue, which surprised me. She said that Xander was coming over to the Lipton residence to discuss marriage, so she wanted me there with Gordon.

When Gordon and I arrived at the Lipton residence, Xander was lounging on the couch. His eyes immediately snapped to me when I entered, an inscrutable look in them.