After I spent half a month at home as a completely invisible nobody, Dexter showed up to propose, just as he had promised.

He gave me lavish wedding gifts, along with two thousand dollars. That was double the amount he had given Rosa in my previous life.

The generous sum sent Rosa into a fury.

Mom comforted her, telling her to take everything, including the money, to the Dawsons' house. That finally calmed her down.

She counted the two thousand dollars over and over again, then strutted in front of me with a proud look.

"See? I'll always be Mom's favorite. You'll be stuck with Dexter and live in poverty forever! And when Theo gets rich, don't even think about coming to me for a bite to eat."

Ignoring her provocations, I silently waited for the wedding.

Dexter knew that Dad and Mom favored Rosa and wouldn't prepare a thing for me for the wedding. So, he secretly found a tailor to make me a wedding dress. Knowing that I wanted to go to college, he even handed over all his school notes to me.

As I looked at the meticulously written notes, I felt grateful. Fortunately, Rosa was blinded by her dreams of wealth and had given me a chance to change my life.

Ever since Dexter's proposal, Rosa made it her daily ritual to call him worthless in front of me—not only for cheating on the college entrance exam, but also for being too poor to ever afford a house.

But it had all been her fault.

She believed the villagers' gossip that Dexter would abandon her if he went to college, so she ripped up his notes and hid them in his clothes. That was why he got caught cheating.

Later, when Dexter had another chance to study in the big city, she deliberately sabotaged it, just because the person who delivered the news was a woman.

She obsessively cut him off from everyone else and then blamed him for not being capable enough.

At that thought, I couldn't help but look at her with a hint of pity. To be capable of deceiving oneself this thoroughly was a talent in its own right.

Rosa and I were getting married on the same day.

Unlike my previous life, when I had only taken a thin quilt to the Dawsons' place, Dad and Mom had nearly emptied the house for Rosa.

Her wedding dress was custom-made by the best tailor in town, and it came with every imaginable accessory.

Dad and Mom got her a full set of luxurious furniture, and even her bedding was custom-made just for her.

Since the Dawsons didn't give a wedding gift, Dad and Mom got worried that Rosa might feel slighted. So, not only did they give her the two thousand dollars from Dexter, but they also managed to scrape together an additional thousand dollars for her.

As for me, while they had at least made me take a thin quilt with me in my previous life, this time, they didn't prepare anything at all.

If Dexter hadn't prepared a wedding dress for me, I probably would have been the first bride ever to get married without one.

When Dexter appeared at the door, Rosa couldn't hide her hatred.

Seeing her expression, Mom immediately turned to me. "Hazel, listen up. This marriage is yours only because Rosa gave it up. If she hadn't refused, you wouldn't have gotten this chance. Even after you get married, you'll always be Rosa's maid. You must be at her beck and call.

"I remember your grades in middle school were decent. When you get accepted into college, make sure you deliver the acceptance letter to Rosa, so she can go instead."

When I stayed silent, Mom slapped me without a care about the people around. "Hey! I'm talking to you! Don't pretend to be deaf!"

Rosa cut in, "Mom, today's my big day. Don't ruin it."

The moment she spoke, Mom immediately dropped her earlier display of authority and looked at her precious daughter with a face full of concern. "I'm just teaching her a lesson so she won't forget her place."

Rosa smiled. "Don't worry, Mom. She'll never reach my level. We might as well cut ties now so she won't cling to me like a leech later. Hazel, enjoy your life with that loser who can't even get into college!"

With that, she strode off in her heels toward the Dawsons' house.

Watching Mom fume in rage, I finally made my decision. In the middle of the night, I packed all of my things and slipped away with Dexter under the cover of darkness.

Meanwhile, Rosa's sharp, piercing screams came from the Dawsons' house.