They never expected me to refuse.

After all, they knew how deeply I loved Yeshua.

But now, hearing my rejection, both Yeshua’s parents looked stunned, as if they couldn’t believe their ears.

“Julianna, didn’t you love Yeshua the most?” Aunt Sylvia asked, her voice full of disbelief.

I gave her a faint smile and said, “Aunt Sylvia, since Yeshua loves Heidi, then I’m choosing to let him go.”

“Julianna, what do you mean by that?”

Yeshua’s face darkened as he looked at me. “You’re saying... you won’t marry me?”

“Didn’t you say you’d only ever marry Heidi? I’m just giving you what you wanted. Or is that not acceptable now?” I met his gaze, calm and composed.

My answer silenced him.

I knew from the start that he wanted to have it both ways—marry Heidi in name and keep me in the shadows as his hidden wife.

If that was the case, why should I play along?

“Julianna, think carefully. I’m willing to marry you, and you’re still not satisfied? Don’t forget—you’re an orphan. If I don’t marry you, who will?”

His words were laced with arrogance and contempt.

I looked him straight in the eye and replied coldly, “You don’t need to concern yourself with that, Mr. Grant.”

What he didn’t know was that women like me, with a fated blessing to bring fortune to their husbands, would never lack suitors.

The only reason I hadn’t married already was because I had stubbornly clung to the idea of becoming his wife—I had turned away many good men for his sake.

And what did I get in return?

Betrayal. From him and his entire family.

“Since the Grant family has made its decision, I’ll take my leave now,” I said, standing up and facing the three of them.

“Julianna, I know you love Yeshua,” Heidi called out behind me. “But can’t you think of what’s best for him?”

“If you really love him, why wouldn’t you marry him?”

I turned and looked at her.

Her eyes sparkled with triumph.

“I don’t love him anymore. He’s yours now,” I said it plainly, without emotion.

Yeshua’s face instantly darkened.

“Julianna, you better think this through!” he snapped.

I smiled. “Don’t worry. My mind has never been clearer. I wish you and my dear cousin a lifetime of happiness together, Yeshua.”

With that, I turned and walked away from the Grant family home.

Behind me, I heard Aunt Sylvia anxiously whispering to her son, “Yeshua, maybe you should just marry Julianna. Let Heidi be your mistress...”

But Yeshua turned to look at Heidi’s tearful face and said firmly, “Don’t worry about Julianna!”

“Don’t you know her by now? She has used that whole ‘prosperous fate’ story to bully Heidi for years. She’s just throwing a tantrum—she’ll come crawling back in a few days, begging me to marry her!”

Hearing his words as I stepped out the door, I let out a cold laugh.

Come back?

Never.

I had my own life now. A new one.

I pulled out my phone and dialed a number.

When the line connected, I didn’t hesitate. “Want to get married?”

...

When we stepped out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, Harold was still laughing.

“Julianna, I can’t believe you actually agreed to marry me!”

He looked at me, grinning from ear to ear.

This man was Harold Sandoval—one of the most notorious playboys in New York's elite circle.

We met years ago at a party.

From the moment we met, Harold began pursuing me.

At that time, everyone knew I was Yeshua’s fiancée.

Even so, Harold didn’t back down—instead, his pursuit grew even more passionate.

He and Yeshua had always been sworn rivals. The moment they saw each other, it was like fire and oil—they were instantly at odds.

I knew Yeshua disliked Harold, and from then on, I began to gradually distance himself from him.

I still remember the day I firmly rejected Harold. He looked heartbroken, his usual unruly smile was gone.

In the end, he turned and walked away.

But before he left, he came to find me again.

“I'll wait,” he told me. “If there ever comes a day when Yeshua no longer loves you, I’ll be the first to come back and marry you.”

At the time, I never believed it was possible between us. After all, I was hopelessly in love with Yeshua.

But I remember it clearly—even in my past life, when I was drowning, sinking beneath the cold river waters, I saw Harold in the distance.

He was rushing toward me in a panic.

Unfortunately... he was still too late to save me.

“Julianna, I have some business to take care of overseas. I’ll be back as soon as it’s done,” he said, turning to look at me with a smile.

Smiling back, I nodded.

I was now married to Harold. From this moment on, I would never belong to anyone else.

As someone born with a fate that could only bring prosperity to one man, I had already given that blessing to him.

As for Yeshua? Let him rot in the mess he created.

After personally seeing Harold off, I returned home.

My parents passed away years ago, and I had been living on my own ever since.

Back then, Yeshua’s parents had wanted me to move into their home. After all, they had already accepted me as their future daughter-in-law.

But Yeshua had fiercely opposed the idea, so I never did.

Looking back now, it’s clear why—he was already involved with Heidi.

Thinking about it, I couldn’t help but laugh at my own foolishness.

There were so many signs of Yeshua and Heidi’s affair.

Even when I knew deep down that he didn’t love me, I still clung to the idea of marrying him.

And that blind devotion led me to my death.

I remember the moment I was submerged in the river—how the despair gripped me, how every breath burned in my chest.

But in this life, I would never allow things to reach that point.

As I was lost in thought, my phone buzzed with a text from Harold.

[I’ve just landed. Once I wrap up my business, I’ll come back and give you the grand wedding you deserve.]

I smiled as I replied, telling him to stay safe.

Then I put down the phone and got ready for bed.

What I didn’t expect was that, just as I was about to drift off, Yeshua would suddenly call.

“Julianna, where are you right now?”

His voice was cold and clipped.

“What is it, Yeshua?” I asked, frowning slightly.

“Are you at home? I’m coming over to see you.”

I raised a brow, then responded flatly, “There’s no need. It’s late—I’m already in bed.”

“If you have something to say, just say it. If not, don’t bother me again.”

There was a brief silence, followed by the sound of his heavier breathing.

Then he spoke, his voice was harder now. “Julianna, I’m coming to find you. Come out and meet me.”

I heard the command in his voice and chuckled coldly.

Without another word, I hung up.

I didn’t hesitate—I blocked Yeshua’s number immediately.

There was no reason to keep it anymore. He and I had nothing to do with each other now.

After that, I went straight to bed.

Being woken up in the middle of the night was already aggravating enough.

But just as I was starting to drift off, a loud banging shook me awake.

The knocking was relentless and aggressive.

Still groggy, I got up and checked the surveillance monitor.

There he was—Yeshua, standing at my front door with a face like a thunderstorm, his eyes burning with fury.

My brows drew together in a frown.

And then it hit me.

Today, I registered my marriage with Harold.

Before, my fate had been bound to Yeshua. Over the years, he had smoothly taken over all of the Grant family’s business ventures—and a major part of that success came from our engagement.

Even though we never married, my auspicious fate had been silently supporting him all along.

But now that I had married Harold, that engagement was officially void. And with it, so was the protection my fate offered.

What I hadn’t expected was how fast the consequences would hit.

Clearly, Yeshua had run into trouble—and now, he was coming to me for help.

“Julianna! Open the door right now!” His voice boomed from outside, filled with rage.

I stared at the monitor, then let out a cold laugh.

I didn’t even bother to respond. Instead, I turned away and walked back to my bedroom.

Then, I messaged the building management, reporting that a man was harassing me at my door and requesting that they call the police and remove him immediately.

The response was swift. I watched on the monitor as several security personnel arrived.

Yeshua tried to argue with them at first—until he learned I was the one who called them.

His expression turned livid, but in the end, he had no choice but to leave, fuming with anger.

I thought that would be the end of it. I had made myself perfectly clear—surely, he wouldn’t come back again.

But I was wrong.

The next morning, I woke up early and went for a jog.

I had barely stepped out of the gate of my residential complex when I was suddenly ambushed—dragged into a car by Yeshua and several men.

“Yeshua! What are you doing?!”

I stared at him, panic tightening my chest.

“Julianna, didn’t you want to marry me?” He turned to me with a chilling calm. “Well, we’re going to our wedding. Right now.”

His words stunned me.

“What nonsense are you talking about?! Didn’t you say you’d only ever marry Heidi? What’s this supposed to mean now?”

I was growing frantic.

Yeshua looked at me, his voice was colder than ever. “Julianna, the one I’m marrying today—is you.”

With that, he signaled the driver, and the car sped toward the venue.

That’s when I knew something was seriously wrong.

“Yeshua! I won’t marry you!” I shouted, my voice trembling with fury and fear.

I tried to reach for my phone, desperately wanting to call Harold. But just as I turned it on, Yeshua snatched it from my hands, and right in front of me—he tossed it out the window.

“I’ll get you a new one after the ceremony,” he said coldly, leaving no room for negotiation.

My face went pale.

I struggled with all my might, but the bodyguards held me down firmly, not letting me move an inch.