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."

My words made Mom and Dad soften their stance. I quickly signaled Ivan.

We had a lifelong unspoken agreement.

Whenever Ivan wanted to do something Mom and Dad might oppose, I would first smooth things over with them, then he could speak his mind.

Ivan said, "Mom, Dad, after I marry Vicky, I'll still care for you. Please approve our marriage."

Seeing Ivan beg before them, I pushed even harder.

With no way to oppose Ivan anymore, Mom and Dad finally nodded.

Ivan could marry Vicky as he wished, and the tragedy of my previous life would not repeat itself.

I unclenched my fists and relaxed.

After Mom and Dad went to bed, I returned to my own bedroom.

I opened my diary, ready to write. Suddenly, the door swung open.

I looked up and saw Ivan.

He glanced at my notebook, and his expression darkened immediately.

As I stood, his hand clamped over my neck.

"Iris, are you writing about your filthy thoughts of me again?"

His hand was large and strong, and I struggled to breathe under his firm grasp.

"What are you talking about?" I forced out the words.

Ivan picked up my notebook.

"When you were a teenager, you used a notebook like this to record your feelings for me."

So it seemed that he had read my diary before. I couldn't believe his audacity.

Anger and frustration flared inside me.

I forced his hand away from my throat, snatched the notebook, and hit him with it.

"What are you trying to do? Isn't it enough that I let you be with her? Yes, I used to like you. That was my mistake. I don't like you anymore. What else do you want?"

I rarely got angry with him. He looked stunned.

"You like reading my diary, huh? Then read it! I did write about a guy, but it wasn't you."

After saying that, I pushed him aside and ran out.

…

I was sitting in a cafe with Amelia, who was practically bouncing with excitement. She asked, "You agree to date my brother? Are you really going to be my sister-in-law?"

Her voice shot up several octaves, drawing glances from other customers. I reached over and lightly covered her mouth.

"I ran into him a few days ago. We talked, and things went well."

My cheeks warmed.

Amelia wrung her hands, practically vibrating with excitement.

"Be honest. Last time, my brother confessed to you, and you rejected him. How did you end up getting together now?"

Half a year ago, Marcus Hackett, Amelia's brother, had confessed his love to me. At that time, my heart belonged entirely to Ivan, so I had rejected him.

After being reborn, I corrected that mistake. Meanwhile, Vicky and Ivan flaunted their relationship in my house every day.

Vicky constantly asserted her claim over Ivan.

No matter how many times I stepped back and insisted that I had no interest in Ivan, it did no good.

Left with no choice, I hid from them.

I was frustrated, so I went to a bar and drank a little too much. When the room spun, a man cornered me in the restroom and tried to take advantage of me.

Tears filled my eyes as I struggled against him. Suddenly, Marcus appeared and punched the man to the floor.

When he pulled out a handkerchief to wipe my tears, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Marcus, you really are old-fashioned. You still carry a handkerchief with you, huh?"

He shook the piece of plaid cloth helplessly. "Do you know how expensive this is?"

"It doesn't matter. Tissues are still more convenient."

He nodded, acknowledging the truth, and tossed the expensive handkerchief into the bin.

"Iris' word is law."

Amelia often joked that her brother couldn't hold a candle to mine. Ivan was cold, composed, and imposing, whereas Marcus had the reckless charm of a wayward scion.

But the Hackett family's scion had become famous in the business world. In just over three years of running his company, he had nearly doubled its value.

That handkerchief had brought us closer. On bad days, I would chat with him, and he always managed to make me laugh with his jokes.

After being reborn, my happiest and most relaxed moments were these chats with Marcus.

"Aren't CEOs always too busy? How do you find time to chat with me every day?"

Marcus replied almost instantly. "Because it's you. I don't want you waiting even a second for me, so I've basically been glued to my phone 24 hours a day."

Was this what it felt like to be loved? Ivan had never done this for me.

This time, I wanted to experience such love, so I agreed to give things with Marcus a chance.

I had kept a diary since I was a child. Recently, the guy I had written about in my diary was him.

I didn't know if Ivan had read it. When I returned home, my diary was neatly placed on the table.

Ivan didn't come back for several days, so I took the chance to tell my parents about my relationship with Marcus.

I held their hands, asking them to promise to stay near me in the future.

They nodded as if humoring me. But I didn't care. Their agreement meant they had to stay near me from now on.

That evening, Ivan brought Vicky home for dinner. She wore a high-end outfit that made her look more imposing than before.

At the table, Mom and Dad were not particularly pleased, but there was no awkward confrontation.

After dinner, we gathered in the living room.

"Ivan, Vicky, we won't oppose your marriage, but we need to clarify some things first," Dad said.

Throughout the day, Ivan's occasional looks in my direction made me feel tense.

Vicky sat up straight, her eyes bright as she looked at Dad.

"Ivan is getting married, and Iris has a boyfriend. To avoid future conflicts, I want to make things clear. The Goldsmith family's inheritance will be split evenly between you, no matter who or how you marry."

Before Ivan could respond, Vicky spoke up. "That's unreasonable. Iris is a woman, so she'll marry into another family in the future. That's basically giving the inheritance away to someone else!"

Mom had barely looked at Vicky all evening.

Now, she said, "You're attempting to boss our family around before you're even part of it?"

I looked at Ivan. He looked back at me, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

"Don't tell me that Iris' boyfriend is with her just for the family inheritance."

He pulled Vicky closer and said, "I agree that this split is unreasonable."

Vicky leaned against him. He continued, "Iris was adopted. I don't care if the family covers her expenses. She can marry anyone and stay here if she likes."

Dad's and Mom's expressions darkened, while Dad's shoulder twitched slightly.

"Who told you Iris was adopted? You're the adopted one."