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?"

Jackson agreed without even thinking. "Of course, it counts."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Good. Then, if you're going to take care of me for the rest of your life, let's get married. Otherwise, if you end up getting married someday, how could you still take care of me?"

Although Jackson hadn't married in my previous life and had always been very good to me, I couldn't be certain that his unmarried status was because of me, nor could I be sure that he would definitely marry me. So, after saying it, I was still a little worried. Luckily, Jackson didn't hesitate at all. He took the medicine from my hand and drank it down in one gulp. "Okay, whatever you say. When shall we get married?"

Naturally, the sooner the better. Who knew what trouble William might stir up next? I said immediately, "Let's get married as soon as possible!"

Jackson stared at me for a while. I could tell he had something he wanted to ask. Still, he eventually said nothing and directly took out his documents from the house. "Alright, let's go now."

***

Just like that, Jackson and I officially got married. Since he didn't have any family around and my relatives were a mess, we didn't bother throwing a wedding banquet. Instead, we focused on something more critical, heading to the factory to complete my onboarding paperwork. After all, if I waited too long and lost the spot, this marriage would've been for nothing.

Halfway through the process, loud voices suddenly erupted outside the office. Not long after, William barged in with Sofia, pushing the door open like they owned the place. He grabbed the factory director's hand and shouted, "Sir! You can't let her join the factory!"

The director was startled. Before he could speak, William walked up to me and almost pointed his finger at my nose. "Josephine, do you have any shame? I've made it very clear that I want to break off our engagement. There's no relationship between us anymore. So, why the hell are you stealing the factory spot meant for my future wife?"

The director stood up. "William, listen to me first … "

William still cut him off, "Sir, I know you think Josephine's family isn't suited for rural work, but that's her issue. She doesn't want to go, that's her choice. But she shouldn't be hogging the factory slot meant for my fiancée. I've done nothing wrong here. I shouldn't have to ruin my life just because someone else doesn't want to work!"

I honestly found it laughable. Doesn't want to work? I took care of him for thirty damn years and now I'm just "someone who doesn't want to work"?

I let out a sigh and was just about to explain when the factory director jumped in first. "William, calm down. Josephine's factory placement has nothing to do with you. She got in because her husband is a special-skilled worker here at the factory. It qualifies her for priority placement. It's all within the rules."

William froze. "Husband? Special-skilled worker? What husband? There's no way she married someone else!"