There was an unspoken rule in high society. When families arranged marriages, the woman chose her partner through an auction.

I had chased Zayn Farrell since I was young. At the auction, I did not hesitate. I bid at the highest tier and chose him.

Not long after our engagement, my parents died in a car accident, and my family fell from power.

I thought Zayn would take the chance and leave me, but he still married me. He doted on me and turned me into the woman everyone in Ravenwood envied.

I believed I had moved his heart, until his first love, Yara Xavier, returned.

The first time I met Yara, she brought her luggage into the Farrell family villa. Soon after, someone threw all her belongings out.

The servants later said I had ordered it. I tried to explain, but Zayn did not believe me. He locked me outside and made me kneel in the rain for the whole night.

The second time, Yara tripped and fell down a steep slope. She said I had pushed her.

Zayn lost his temper and punished me. He made me climb a rough mountain path in high heels. He did not stop until he saw that I was covered in blood. My legs were bruised and swollen.

The third time, I found out the truth by accident. My parents died because Yara found out about my engagement to Zayn and had orchestrated it. Zayn married me to keep me close so he could watch me and make sure Yara would never go to prison.

My world collapsed. On the day I finally got the evidence and went to the police, Zayn drove his car into me and killed me.

When I opened my eyes, I was back at the auction. It was the day I chose my fiance.

When the second marriage candidate was about to be auctioned off, I called for my exclusive unlimited bid.

The auctioneer noticed it and brought the gavel down. At the same time, my parents turned to look at me.

My mother looked confused and a little worried. “What’s going on, sweetheart? Isn’t the Farrell boy you like supposed to be the final lot? Why did you use the unlimited bid now? Did you hear some nonsense about him again?

“Don’t think too much. Your father and I will always stand behind you. What matters most is that you’re happy.”

My nose stung. I held back my tears and shook my head.

“Mom, I don’t like him anymore. It doesn’t matter who I marry.”

It was okay as long as it was not him.

My parents always respected my choices. They did not press me further.

They stayed behind to handle the follow-up at the auction, while I left the private auction room.

The moment I reached a quiet place with no one around, tears of relief burst out of my eyes.

I had cut off the beginning of everything that destroyed my past life. My parents would live. I would not suffer again.

A laugh cut through the moment.

I turned toward the sound. Zayn Farrell stood there. I had not noticed when he arrived. Three or four of his friends stood with him.

The man who laughed met my eyes. He did not hide it. He looked at me with open ridicule.

“Ms. Walker, did you finally win the auction and get engaged to Zayn? Is that why you’re crying from happiness?” asked one of his friends. “Zayn, Ms. Walker has been chasing you since high school. Since she likes you so much, why not say something?”

Zayn had not looked at me even once from the start. He grew impatient because of that remark. His tone was full of disdain.

“Yvonne, I told you a long time ago. Stop embarrassing yourself by chasing me. I’ll only think you’re easy. Besides, I have no interest in you at all.”

Zayn’s humiliating words made my body tremble.

The auction result should not have been spoken, yet it still came out of my mouth. “Zayn, I didn’t choose you.”

The results of these auction marriages were kept strictly confidential. Still, someone like Zayn, whose family ranked second in wealth and status, could find out easily with a single question.

Maybe he was too confident. Maybe he believed I would never choose anyone else. So, he never bothered to ask.

His friends did not ask either.

The few who had been about to laugh after Zayn spoke all burst into loud laughter at my words.

“Hahaha… She says she didn’t choose Zayn! Do you believe that?”

“Who would believe it? Everyone in Ravenwood knows she’s been chasing Zayn with no dignity.”

“Let’s be fair. Even someone like that needs some dignity. Ms. Walker is no exception.”

Each insult cut into my ears. I could not bother to explain anything further.

Whether Zayn loved me or not did not matter. His pride as a man would not allow him to look calm tomorrow at the engagement ceremony, where all the families would appear together.

With that thought, I ignored their voices. I went up to the top-floor suite alone. I took care of my skincare routine, then prepared for tonight’s auction dinner.

When I went downstairs, most of the young men and women taking part in the auction had already arrived.

Besides my fiance, whom I had never met and who was away on a business trip, Zayn was the only one missing. That caused rumors.

“Zayn must know Yvonne’s his fiancee, so he is not coming.”

“If you ask me, Yvonne has no shame. She chased him for so long and still failed. Now she is shameless enough to use an arranged marriage to tie him down.”

I had heard comments like this countless times over the years I chased Zayn. In the past, I would have stepped forward to argue with them. This time, I only felt that they were right.

At that moment, I just wanted to be alone. I did not expect to meet Yara Xavier by the fountain.

At this point in my past life, Yara was still overseas. Could she have also returned to the past and come to this auction?

I got my answer soon after. The moment I stood by the fountain, Yara walked up to me and jumped into the water herself.

Before I could react, someone pushed me aside. I twisted my ankle at the same time. Zayn’s anxious voice followed right after he arrived.

“Yara, are you okay? Did you choke on water?”

Yara did not answer him. After Zayn pulled her out, she said, “I’m fine, Zayn. Don’t blame Ms. Walker. She only lost control and attacked me because she knows I’m your first love.”

She spoke with tears in her eyes. Her last words came out in a trembling voice. Zayn’s expression darkened as soon as he heard it.

I did not even get the chance to explain before Zayn grabbed the back of my neck and forced my head into the water.

Water filled my nose and mouth. I struggled hard, but I was no match for him.

“I’ve heard people say you’re jealous. I didn’t think you’d dare touch Yara.”

Zayn controlled the timing. He pulled me up when I was at my limit. I tried to explain myself. “She was the one who—”

Before I could finish, he shoved me back into the water over and over again.

“You used your family’s power, which is greater than Yara’s, to choose me at the marriage auction. Now that you got what you wanted, you still want to hurt her! You’re truly vicious.”

After Zayn spoke, he tightened his grip on me. This time, even when I was on the verge of suffocating, he showed no intention of letting go.

It was only when the organizer of tonight’s banquet arrived and stepped in to persuade him that Zayn finally released me.

By then, the place was already crowded with people. Some were there to watch the show, and some looked shocked. I had no time to care about any of them. I clutched my neck and coughed.

When I finally caught my breath, Zayn had already left with Yara in his arms.

Before they disappeared from sight, Yara turned back and gave me a victorious smile.

But I did not feel sadness. What I felt most was fear.

If the organizer had not stepped in, Zayn might really have let me drown in that water.

I returned to the suite on weak legs. After changing my clothes, I only wanted to go home.

That thought changed when I drove to the ground floor and saw Yara waiting for Zayn.

Compared to the fear of nearly drowning, only one thought kept screaming in my mind.

I should run her over and let her feel what my parents felt in that car crash, when they were on the brink of death.

Before I could make a decision, my foot pressed down hard on the gas pedal. At the same time, I purposely switched on the headlights.

Yara reacted quickly. When the light flashed into her eyes for a second, she raised her hand to block it on instinct.

Then, she realized the car was speeding straight toward her. Panic shone in her face.

I watched every change in her expression. A strange rush of satisfaction reached its peak.

I never thought of myself as a good person. I always believed in revenge. But in this life, my parents were still alive, and Zayn was still protecting her. I could not and would not let myself take a life.

I chose the right moment and stepped on the brake. I did not expect another car to suddenly speed up and hit me from the left.

There was a loud crash. My car was thrown five meters away. My head hit the steering wheel from the impact.

After a long moment, I slowly lifted my head. The first thing I saw was Zayn getting out of the car that hit me. He pulled Yara into his arms.

I was not far from them. I heard Zayn’s hoarse voice. “Why didn’t you avoid it? The car was coming at you! Do you know how scared you made me?

“I’m sorry, Yara. I didn’t mean to be harsh. I was just too worried about you.”

Yara bit her lip. Her voice shook. “I know. I was just too scared. Zayn, I thought I’d never see you again in this life.”

She broke into tears. Zayn quickly comforted her.

I stayed in the driver’s seat and watched them act like a loving couple.

I already knew Zayn loved Yara, yet the sight still made my chest feel tight with pain.

My head felt too heavy. It took me a lot of effort to get out of the car.

Yara seemed to have calmed down by then. She stopped crying. The only sound was the car door closing behind me.

Zayn heard the sound and finally remembered I was there. He let go of Yara and walked toward me.

That movement felt familiar. It reminded me of Zayn in my past life.

Before Yara returned, Zayn had treated me well.

When I cut my finger while chopping vegetables, he would drop his work and treat my wound immediately. When he knew I liked fried potato snacks but worried I would get sick from street food, he went to my favorite stall and learned the recipe from the owner. The day I was rear-ended, he rushed over just like this and checked me from head to toe.

What pulled me back to reality was Zayn’s raised hand. A sharp slap landed on my face.

The clean, sudden sound made one truth burn even deeper into my mind. Everything Zayn had ever done for me was never for me. It was always for Yara.

His expression turned dark.

“What now? The lesson just now wasn’t enough? You want to kill Yara?”

“Yara falling into the fountain has nothing to do with me. I’d never act that petty.” I gave a cold laugh as if something had just clicked in my mind. “Yes, I did want to run Yara over just now, just like you wanted to strangle me earlier. But I didn’t die, and Yara didn’t die either.”

Zayn was left speechless for a moment. I added, “If I remember correctly, there are surveillance cameras near the fountain. If you really want the truth, you should check the footage instead of listening to others.”

Zayn hesitated at my words. Yara noticed it as well. Her face turned pale. She pretended to feel unwell and collapsed to the ground.

“Zayn, I don’t feel well. Can you take me to the hospital for a full checkup?”

Zayn snapped back to attention. He looked at me, then turned and lifted Yara up.

After taking a few steps, he paused. His voice carried a faint trace of concern. “Yvonne, using your own life to harm someone else! You’re really foolish.

“I know you’re doing this to marry me. You want my heart. But I’ll tell you now. Even if I can’t refuse this engagement because of the rules, my heart will only ever belong to Yara. If you keep causing trouble, I’ll use other methods to cancel this engagement.”

After that, Zayn quickened his pace and did not stop again.

I turned and looked at the mirror. Blood was slowly running down my forehead.

Zayn did not care about visible injuries. He only panicked over pain that might not even exist.

He still loved Yara. He had never loved me.

But it was fine.

I had a second chance at life. I would never again throw myself at something hopeless just to win a man’s pitying love.