I risked my life to save my fiancé, William Schneider, when he fell into the river. He was obliged to marry me because we made physical contact in the water despite the fact that he had intended to end the engagement. I took care of him for thirty years. I even gave him a healthy, smart son. However, William never loved me. He only felt that my saving him back then was a conspiracy to marry him.

William, therefore, made the decision to follow his adored "first love" to the end of his life, choosing to die for her. My son blamed me. He thought his father had suffered all his life because I wouldn't step aside. Out of revenge, he poured my emergency heart medication down the drain and let me die in agony.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day William fell into the river. This time, I didn't save him. Instead, I went to find the son of my father's old war buddy. "You promised my dad you'd take care of me for life. Does that promise still count?"

——

"Someone, quick! Jump in and save William. He's gonna drown! Yeah! He can't swim!"

My mind was foggy like I was dreaming. I didn't even know what was happening. I just felt people pushing me forward until a cold gust of wind snapped me back to reality. I was standing by the river, taking off my winter jacket, about to jump into freezing water to save William. Looking at the roadside banners and everyone's clothing, I quickly realized that I had been reborn, returned to the day thirty years ago when I saved William. In my previous life, to save him, I had jumped into the biting river water and nearly drowned myself before pulling him ashore.

After we got to the bank, the people there started to jeer, saying it was a "beauty saving the hero" scene and that we were hugging in the river, which was scandalous. Because of the rumors and the fact that William and I were already engaged, the Schneiders quickly came to propose marriage.

It was after we married that I learned William didn't like me at all. He had been planning to discuss breaking off the engagement with me in a few days. Even his falling into the water was to fish something out for his beloved Sofia Davis.

When I found out, I cried and yelled. However, I still eventually believed that love could grow with time. I thought if I gave enough, he'd eventually love me back. I took care of his daily life, served his parents and even bore him an intelligent son. However, his suicide was a heavy blow to my head. It turned out that my past thirty years were just a joke in William's eyes. It wasn't until my death that I understood that a heart can be warmed, but an ice cube can never be. Forcing it will only freeze you.

Thinking of this, I buttoned up my thick, cotton-padded jacket again. Just as I was about to leave, I noticed that William, who should have been unconscious, suddenly woke up and swam ashore with very practiced strokes. I couldn't help frowning. In my past life, William didn't know how to swim at this point. He only learned after we got married. Before I could even process what was happening, William had climbed onto the shore. He noticed me staring at him and walked over, shivering but strangely excited. "You thought you could cling to me again, didn't you?" he said, eyes gleaming. "I've trained for years. I can finally save myself."

That's when I realized I wasn't the only one who got reborn. I gave a cold laugh. "Didn't you see? I was about to leave. If you hadn't stopped me, I'd be home by now."

Only then did William notice that my cotton-padded jacket was buttoned correctly up and I had no intention of going into the water at all. He looked a bit embarrassed. That man wanted to argue with me a few more times, but a gust of cold wind blew over, making him shiver uncontrollably. So, out of embarrassment and anger, he said with a sense of entitlement, "Hurry up and take off your cotton-padded jacket! Can't you see I'm freezing to death?"

I let out a cold snort and looked at the crowd gathering around us. "Anyone feeling generous enough to lend William a jacket? He's out here in public, forcing a girl like me to strip down. Honestly, it's embarrassing."

The crowd naturally burst into laughter, each chiming in with comments about William's shamelessness. William scowled for a while before forcing a grin. He had always been the golden boy, a teacher and a college student who had never been made fun of in his life. "I just fell into the water and nearly died, yet my fiancée stood by and did nothing to help. I will never marry such a woman. So, please, everyone, bear witness, I am breaking off my engagement with Josephine Caldwell. From now on, we will go our separate ways in marriage and have nothing to do with each other!"

When the crowd heard this, they began whispering to one another because they felt a little weird. "William fell in the water just now, Josephine. Why didn't you jump in? Aren't you a good swimmer?"

"Yeah, I even saw you starting to take off your jacket like you were about to go in!"

"If my fiancée let me drown, I'd be heartbroken too."

***

I didn't want to start my new life with a bad reputation, so I wasn't flustered at all. Instead, I turned to look at William. "William, what nonsense are you spouting? You wanted me to go into the water to save you? But you clearly know how to swim and you're so good at it. What would be the point of me going in?"

His expression turned a little awkward at that, but he still pushed through with gritted teeth. "Doesn't matter. You saw me fall in and did nothing. I can't marry a woman like that. I have to cancel this engagement."

At first, everyone thought William's talk of breaking off the engagement was just a casual remark. After all, he could swim himself and was perfectly fine now. There was no need to make such a big deal out of it and break off the engagement. So, when he said that, even those who had initially sided with William felt it was inappropriate.

"William, you managed to get ashore yourself; how can you say Josephine didn't try to save you?"

"Could it be that you've wanted to break off the engagement for a long time and are deliberately making a fuss about this?"

"Besides, Josephine is a girl; she can't go into the water on such a cold day. She'll get sick."

When I heard the comment about getting sick, my nose couldn't help but feel a little sore. In my last life, I did jump into that freezing water to save William. My health never fully recovered after that. My body, once strong, turned weak. Every time I got my period, the pain was unbearable and it even severely impacted my fertility.

I had given so much, yet William always felt that my falling into the water was a setup, that I had deliberately waited for the right moment to save him and that I had used this to force him to marry me. Thinking of all the past events, I immediately nodded. "Fine, the engagement is off. Everyone, please be a witness. It is William who is unwilling to fulfill the marriage agreement and marry me today. It is not that my feelings have changed."

Having said that, I left the riverside without any hesitation. I jogged all the way back home. My mother must have heard about what happened at the riverbank because she was already standing at the door, leaning on her cane with a worried expression.

Seeing her like this, I felt a pang of sadness and couldn't help but call out "Mom" with a choked sob. My mother was blind, so her ears were particularly sharp. She immediately heard that I was crying.

"Josephine, don't cry. Please take me to the Schneiders. I will talk to William properly and make sure the engagement continues."

"No! I don't want to marry William anymore. He doesn't like me at all and I won't be happy marrying him." I helped my mother into the living room and sat her down on a chair.

My mother sighed. "But if you don't marry William, you'll have to go to the countryside! Huff, in the end, it's me who's holding you back."

In my last life, I did marry William and we were miserable. Mom constantly worried about us. Even on her deathbed, she said, "It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have had to marry William."

My mother said that if I didn't marry William, I would have to go to the countryside. Initially, I wasn't supposed to go.

But after my dad passed away, my uncles and relatives took the factory job spot that was meant for me. I had no choice but to give it up and accept being sent down. My mother blamed herself for not protecting me; she thought I was just a burden and she's been heartbroken about it ever since.

William, on the other hand, was a teacher. If I married him, I would enjoy the privilege of not having to go to the countryside. It was precisely because of this that William felt I wasn't marrying him out of love but to avoid rural assignment.

It wasn't that I was afraid or unwilling to go to the countryside, but my mother's health was poor and she was blind. If I left, I reckoned she would be driven to her death by my father's relatives. Thinking of this, I also felt a bit worried.

I was somewhat anxious, torn between my mother and the bitter life I had lived for the past thirty years, which was still vivid in my mind. Just as I was at a loss, I heard coughing and the sound of pouring water outside the door. The moment I saw who it was, my eyes lit up. That's right! There was still him.

***

The visitor was Jackson Wagner, my dad's comrade's son. My father had saved his father on the battlefield and had helped Jackson in various ways after both his parents passed away. When my father died, Jackson knelt before his coffin and kowtowed deeply several times, saying, "Derek, please go in peace. I will take care of Josephine and Meredith for the rest of my life."

At the time, I just thought he was saying it casually, but I never expected him to really start taking care of my mother and me. He even remained unmarried his whole life. In my previous life, if it hadn't been for this sworn brother who was a skilled technician with special status supporting me, I probably would have been kicked out of the house by the successful William long ago.

Jackson was a highly skilled worker. If I married him, I could still stay in the city and get a factory job; there was no need to go to the countryside. Thinking of this, I quickly ran to the courtyard, but Jackson had already filled the water tank and quietly left. I didn't chase after him but turned and went to the pharmacy.

I picked up a few packs of medicine for cough and cold. Just as I was leaving the pharmacy, I bumped right into William. He glanced at the medicine in my hand and let out a cold snort. "Weren't you all bold just now, saying you were calling off the engagement? What's the meaning of buying these medicines for me now?"

It seemed William thought I had bought the medicine for him. I couldn't be bothered with him, so I turned and walked away with the medicine. However, William suddenly reached out and grabbed me. "Don't come to my house for a while. Sofia's there waiting for me and I don't want you causing trouble for her again. I'll take the medicine, but only because it's what you should be doing. If you'd just given me your jacket earlier, I wouldn't have caught this cold in the first place."

I wanted to scream at him, but I knew William too well. The more I said, the more he'd think I was trying to cover something up. So, I just shot him a glare, yanked my arm away and walked off.

***

When I got home, I carefully prepared the medicine and then knocked on Jackson's door. Jackson coughed a few times and came to open the door. "Josephine, why are you here? Is something wrong at home? Wait a moment. I'll grab a jacket and be right there."

I shook my head and handed him the medicine. "I heard you coughing yesterday when you brought us water. You're still young, but you need to take care of yourself. If it turns into something serious, like a lung infection, it'll be too late."

As I said this, my face couldn't help but turn a little red. Jackson was utterly stunned. For a moment, he didn't know whether to take the medicine, say thank you, or invite me in. I didn't hesitate and said directly, "Back when my dad died, you promised you'd take care of me for the rest of my life. Does that promise … still count?"