When my older brother, Ivan Goldsmith, gets drugged, I'm forced to strip down and use my body as an antidote for him.

After I get pregnant, Mom and Dad tell us that we're not blood-related siblings at all. They then ask him to marry me.

Ivan nods in agreement. But on the same day, he gets into a car accident after he goes racing.

I don't mind him having crippled legs. In fact, I insist on becoming his bride.

I thought Ivan would be touched upon hearing my declaration and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.

On our wedding night, our villa goes ablaze. After waking up choking on the thick smoke, the first thing that pops into my mind is to save Ivan from the inferno.

Unexpectedly, I see him smashing a vase right into my head. Before I pass out, I hear his icy voice.

"You, Mom, and Dad have ruined my love life! I've given all of our assets to Vicky just to make amends to her! Since all of you have ruined my life, then you might as well die!"

I was woken by my brother Ivan Goldsmith's labored, uneasy breathing.

Opening my eyes, I saw the familiar room. I couldn't see any wedding decorations or smell any fragrance in the air.

I had been reborn. Shock and joy made my head spin.

"Iris, hand me a glass of water."

Ivan's low, hoarse voice came from the next room, making me flinch.

I glanced at the watch on my wrist, and a thin layer of sweat broke out across my back.

I had been reborn on the very night Ivan had come to deliver the drug.

Thinking of this, I wanted to run and get as far away from Ivan as possible.

But before I could even slip on my shoes, he was already standing at my door.

"Iris, I've already called Vicky. You'll drive to pick her up now."

Even though the drugs had intensified his desire, I still noticed the vigilance and disgust in his eyes.

A sudden thought rose in my mind.

Ivan had been reborn, too.

I nodded hastily, grabbed the car keys, and slipped past him sideways, moving quickly toward the door.

As I stepped out of the villa, I could still feel Ivan's piercing gaze drilling into my back uncomfortably.

The address Ivan had given me was an apartment near his company.

So he and Vicky Wright had been living together this early on? His words about how I had ruined his love life were true.

When Vicky saw my car, she yanked open the passenger door and slid in.

"How's Ivan now?"

She looked anxious. Maybe it was just my imagination, but there seemed to be a glimmer of satisfied excitement in her eyes.

"You'll find out when we get there."

I didn't want to talk to her. It wasn't out of jealousy, but because both my mom and I didn't like her.

Vicky was from a poor family, and my family had sponsored her studies.

At first, my parents liked her. She was diligent, ambitious, and at the top of her class.

She had been the top scorer of the university entrance exam in my city. My parents personally drove her to her new university.

Mom was thrilled because Vicky was a year older and could tutor me through my final year of high school. Vicky took her role seriously, reporting my progress to my dad after every session.

Even when I told her that my studies were fully managed by Mom, she continued reporting to him instead.

I had always sensed a sharp, calculating glint in her eyes, but I thought I was just being sensitive.

This went on until the night a drunk man harassed her. Crying, she called Dad. When he rushed over, she threw herself into his arms, scaring him so badly that he turned pale and raised both of his hands high.

Mom saw this as she arrived after having parked her car nearby.

Vicky explained through tears that she had treated Dad as a father figure and had done what she did out of panic.

Even though my parents comforted Vicky, they never allowed her back in the house again. Dad stopped personally managing her affairs after that.

When she graduated and wanted to study abroad, she came to the house, carrying gifts and pitifully begging my parents for a loan.

Mom was a generous woman, so she had her secretary transfer 500 thousand dollars to Vicky.

Before leaving, Vicky came to say goodbye and ran into Ivan, who had just returned from graduate studies abroad.

The next day, Vicky gave the money back to Mom, saying she had thought it over and decided to stand on her own feet. She would work first and save up enough before going abroad to study.

Vicky stood there in plain clothes with a firm expression on her face. Ivan, who was just about to leave, couldn't help but be impressed by her.

A month later, Vicky joined my family's company and became Ivan's secretary.

I had warned Ivan that Vicky's intentions weren't pure and that she got close to him for a reason.

However, he simply said, "Iris, not everyone lives in a world of romance like you."

But less than a year later, he had allowed Vicky to move into his apartment.

On the highway, I sped recklessly, while Vicky gripped the door handle tightly.

"Iris, you need to think about safety even if you're upset."

Vicky entered the villa. I didn't go inside but stayed in the car, staring blankly into the distance.

I knew better than anyone what was about to happen between Ivan and Vicky.

I wasn't jealous.

In my previous life, my brutal death had dragged my parents to ruin. It had shown me clearly that my love for Ivan was poison to him, like arsenic.

Vicky's words in the car confirmed it once again.

"Iris, he's your brother. Your twisted feelings for him forced him to study abroad. Now that he has me, it's time for you to let him go."

So, it turned out that Ivan had known about my feelings for him for a long time. He went abroad to study in order to avoid me.

If I had known earlier, I never would have undone my shirt buttons in front of him in my previous life when I saw how much he was suffering while giving him water.

Right before Vicky got out of the car, she said something else to me. "You've grown up. It's time for you to find someone suitable for marriage."

She must have been worried that I would interfere with her relationship with Ivan. But I no longer had any lingering feelings for him.

I sat in the car all night. When dawn came, I finally opened the door and went upstairs.

Ivan came down in his pajamas. He asked, "Where were you last night?"

The marks on his neck were definitely Vicky's doing. His voice was hoarse and lazy.

I replied, "I went to see Amelia."

Amelia Hackett was my best friend. Ivan had met her before.

He was still checking up on me. Perhaps he had let go of his past resentment. I quietly hoped we could return to a normal sibling relationship.

"I know you look down on Vicky's family background and think she's poor, but I'm telling you she's the woman I must marry. You should treat her with respect from now on."

When had I ever looked down on her family background? I couldn't hide the questioning look on my face.

"Don't act so arrogant. She put herself at risk to clean up the mess you caused."

I became even more confused.

"What do you mean?"

Ivan's patience was thinning.

"Don't tell me… Were you the one who gave me the drug last night? Vicky is such an innocent young woman. She intended to give herself to me on our wedding night. But you ruined it."

"I didn't."

I spoke loudly, defending myself.

Indeed, I had loved Ivan for many years, but I would never use such dirty tricks.

Ivan said, "I had dinner with Vicky outside and came home after that. I only drank the milk you left by my bed. It couldn't have been anyone else."

In my previous life, I had wondered why Ivan hadn't investigated who had drugged him. I had assumed that he was set up by someone and didn't want to say much about it.

At that moment, I realized that he had thought it was me. It was no wonder he hated me.

He hated me so much that he dragged my parents down with me.

He hated me so much that he could not even allow the six-month-old baby in my belly to come to

this world.

Bitterness filled my chest, and my eyes stung.

"Believe what you like, but I didn't do it. I swear it wasn't me."

At that moment, the door to Ivan's room opened. Vicky appeared, wearing one of Ivan's shirts. She looked like a frightened little rabbit as she asked, "Ivan, is Iris upset with me?"

Ivan watched me with caution. "Iris isn't upset with you. She'll only wish us well."

"Ivan's right, Vicky," I said, a faint smile lifting my lips. "You rescued him when he was at his lowest. I'll speak on your behalf and make sure Mom and Dad approve your marriage."

A flicker of triumph passed across Vicky's face. Ivan's gaze, however, remained doubtful and scrutinizing.

There was nothing for him to doubt.

Ivan would protect Vicky at any cost, even if her intentions were not entirely pure. But I refused to let Mom and Dad bear any risk.

"Don't stress Mr. and Mrs. Goldsmith out. I know I'm not worthy to be Ivan's wife. I just want to stay by his side."

Ivan seemed to like pretentious women like that. It was no wonder he had never been interested in me.

He held her tenderly, but when he wasn't looking, Vicky struck a triumphant pose.

"Iris, my clothes were torn by Ivan. Could I borrow some of yours?" she asked shyly.

Ivan asked me, "Didn't I give you a dress last month? You never wore it. If you don't like it, Vicky can have it."

That had been his birthday gift to me. It wasn't that I didn't like it. Surely he knew that it was so precious to me that I couldn't bear to put it on.

He even wanted back what he had gifted me. I felt a shiver pass through me, but it settled quickly.

Vicky slipped into my dress and twirled around, showing it off. She ignored me while clinging to Ivan and asking him if she looked pretty.

But it didn't bother me. In this life, I only wanted to live peacefully with Mom and Dad.

They had gone on vacation for two weeks.

When they returned, Ivan was already insisting to them that he must marry Vicky.

When I came home, I saw that shards of a broken teacup littered the floor.

Mom's expression was dark as she patted Dad's back to steady him.

Ivan sat across from them, expressionless.

"Mom, Dad!" I rushed into their arms, fighting back tears.

Their expressions softened immediately.

"You're still acting like a child at this age?" Dad remarked, ruffling my hair.

Mom pulled me onto the couch.

"What do you think about Ivan marrying his secretary, Iris?" Dad asked, doting on me.

Ivan looked at me, his expression distant.

I said, "I think it's great. Vicky and Ivan suit each other."

Mom frowned. "Do you really think so?"

"Mom, Ivan is 26 now. He has the right to choose whoever he wants to marry. We should support him."

No matter how much I wanted to stop him from doing so, he wouldn't budge, so what could I do other than support him?

Seeing that my parents still wouldn't relent, I continued, "Whether we like Vicky or not doesn't matter. He likes her, and that's all that matters. After they marry, they can live separately from us. I'll always be with you two."