Benjamin paused, a flicker of something complex flashing in his eyes.

“Don’t ever drug me again,” he said quietly.

I suddenly laughed.

So that’s what he believed all along—that I was the one who drugged him that night.

No wonder he hated me for thirty years in our past life.

From beginning to end, he saw me as a ruthless woman who’d stop at nothing to possess him.

“Alright,” I said calmly. “I wish you both happiness.”

A trace of surprise flickered in Benjamin’s eyes. He clearly hadn’t expected me to agree so easily.

But what he didn’t know was—Mom and Dad had left me a way out.

Brother, if you truly go through with marrying someone else... You’ll be left with nothing.

The ones who loved me most were always our parents.

So, I would wait quietly—until their wedding.

To atone, Benjamin ordered me to personally take care of Laica’s daily needs.

He called it “repentance.”

“Darlene, from today on, you’ll cook for Laica, wash her clothes, and care for everything she needs.”

He stood in the living room, looking down at me like a judge delivering a sentence.

“You’ll keep doing it until your venomous heart is scrubbed clean.”

I didn’t resist, and just simply nodded. “Alright.”

My obedience seemed to catch him off guard. But his surprise quickly gave way to cold indifference.

Laica sat on the sofa, gently caressing her still-flat belly. She gave me a soft smile.

“Darlene, I’ll be troubling you from now on.”

So it begins, I thought.

She claimed to be suffering from morning sickness—and insisted that I stand beside her, holding the basin while she dry-heaved.

The stench was overpowering. Acidic vomit splashed on my hands, burning my skin.

She leaned weakly against the couch, a strange light glimmering in her eyes.

“Oh no... sorry for dirtying you, Darlene.”

Unfazed, I wiped my hand without expression.

When she claimed her feet were swollen, I massaged them without complaint.

Each session lasted over an hour, until my fingers went numb.

I endured it all.

But she seemed disappointed by my composure.

She didn’t just make things difficult when Benjamin wasn’t home—she upped the act when he was around.

One day, I handed her a bowl of herbal medicine for the baby.

However, she suddenly fell.

No—she pretended to fall.

The scalding tonic splashed across my hands, instantly raising angry blisters.

The pain was excruciating. My grip loosened, and the porcelain bowl crashed to the floor, shattering.

“Laica!”

Benjamin rushed over like a madman, scooping her into his arms as if she had been shot.

She had only twisted her ankle. But his gaze burned with fury as he turned on me.

“You just can’t stand her, can you?! She walks a little carefully and you still manage to hurt her?!”

I stared at my red, blistered hands—raw and stinging.

He didn’t even spare me a glance.

“Benj...” Laica clung to him weakly. “Don’t blame Darlene. It was my own carelessness.”

“Stop defending her!” Benjamin’s voice was laced with venom. “She did it on purpose!”

My hands throbbed in agony, but I remained calm, feeling numb inside.

I had already known this would be the outcome.

“She must be cursed,” Laica said suddenly, her gaze falling on the ruby pendant around my neck. “I’ve heard it’s bad luck to see red when you’re pregnant.”

Benjamin looked at me coldly and spat, “Take that necklace off.”

That necklace... he gave it to me on my 16th birthday.

It used to be the most precious thing I owned.

I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could, he stepped forward and grabbed it.

The delicate silver chain dug into my neck, searing my skin.

With a snap, the chain broke.

Without even glancing at it, he tossed the ruby pendant into the crackling fireplace beside us.

The flames devoured the ruby pendant in an instant.

So this was the truth—everything I once treasured meant nothing to him.

To Benjamin, it was no different from garbage.

What a cruel irony.

“We’re going to the bridal boutique later. You’re coming too,” Benjamin said coldly from the staircase, one arm wrapped around Laica.

On the way there, Laica suddenly clutched her belly and whimpered, “I’m hungry.”

“I really want noodles from that old shop in the west district. I’ve heard it’s amazing.” She clung to Benjamin’s arm sweetly. “But we still have the dress fitting...”

He immediately understood her unspoken request and turned to me. “You go get it.”

Laica smiled. “Make sure it’s hot and fresh out of the pot, okay? Thanks, Darlene.”

I frowned, glancing out the car window at the pouring rain.

On seeing my hesitation, Benjamin’s gaze turned frosty. “What, you can’t even do something this simple?”

I shook my head silently.

Without another word, he shoved me out of the car.

It was almost impossible to hail a cab in the storm. I stood in the downpour for half an hour before I finally got a ride.

By the time I arrived at the noodle shop, I was soaked to the bone.

“I’m really sorry,” the shop assistant said. “We just sold out. It'll take about an hour to prepare a new batch.”

I waited.

I didn’t want another pointless argument over something so trivial.

An hour later, I walked back into the storm, carrying the steaming hot noodles.

The rain had only gotten heavier. Even though I shielded the container with my coat, water still seeped in.

I was freezing—my lips had turned purple, and I couldn’t stop shivering.

When I finally stumbled into the bridal boutique, drenched and disheveled, Benjamin and Laica were waiting in the lounge.

He frowned the moment he saw me.

“What took you so long?”

“It’s raining. The roads were jammed,” I replied, my voice trembling as I handed the container to Laica.

She “accidentally” bumped my hand. The box slipped from my grasp.

Boiling soup splashed across the wedding gown beside her—the one she had just tried on and declared her favorite.

“Ah!” Laica screamed. “My dress!”

The pristine white lace was instantly ruined, stained with greasy broth.

“Darlene!”

Benjamin exploded. He kicked the container violently, sending the remaining soup flying—all over my legs.

The scalding liquid soaked through my wet clothes, burning my skin. I gasped in pain.

“You did it on purpose!” he roared, pointing at me, his eyes blazing with fury.

“You just can’t stand to see us happy!”

“I didn’t—”

“Still trying to lie?!”

His words sliced through me like blades.

“Kneel!”

“...What?” I asked in disbelief.

“Kneel! And don’t get up until Laica forgives you!”

All around us, the boutique fell silent. The other customers had stopped what they were doing, whispering behind their hands.

“What’s going on?”

“She looks so pitiful...”

I stood there, soaking wet, every eye in the store landed on me.

In my past life, I would have been mortified with shame.

But now—I just felt tired.

Utterly, deeply tired.

Slowly, I sank to my knees.

The cold marble floor sent a jolt of numbness through my legs.

“Benj...” Laica murmured gently, “Forget it. I’m sure Darlene didn’t mean to.”

“No,” Benjamin said icily. “She needs to understand what she did wrong.”

I knelt in silence, staring at the shattered remains of the container on the ground.

Outside, the rain kept falling.

Just like that rainy night years ago, when I had a high fever—and Benjamin sat by my bedside the entire night, refusing to leave.

Back then, Benjamin used to gently press his palm to my forehead when I was sick, tell me bedtime stories to coax me to sleep, and softly pat my back whenever I woke up crying in the middle of the night.

“Don’t be scared, Darlene. Brother is here.”

“Brother will always protect you.”

That Benjamin—his eyes were once full of warmth and affection for me.

But now, he couldn’t even look at me without disgust.

The rain poured harder. I knelt on the cold floor, feeling my body heat slowly draining away.

I didn’t know how long I stayed there. My vision spun, and everything blurred.

I spent the next three days unconscious in the hospital.

A high fever of 40°C nearly claimed my life.

Benjamin never came. Not even a text. Not a single call.

I closed my eyes.

I knew better than to expect anything. But still, my heart ached a little.

Today was Benjamin’s wedding day.

I dragged my frail body to the Anderson family estate.

When Benjamin saw me, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. “You should be resting at the hospital.”

“I wouldn’t want to miss my brother’s big day,” I replied flatly.

Laica descended the staircase, her eyes gleaming with smug satisfaction the moment she saw me. “Darlene, you don’t look well. Still haven’t recovered?”

“I’m fine,” I said calmly.

“That’s good to hear.”

She walked up to me, then lowered her voice with a smirk.

“Oh, right. Benj said you’d be helping with the guests today. It’ll be easier if you change into the maid’s uniform.”

She pointed to a black outfit draped on the sofa.

I looked at the ill-fitting servant uniform—and suddenly, I smiled.

So, this was it. They didn’t even want to leave me a shred of dignity.

“Alright.”

I picked it up and changed right there in front of them.

Benjamin’s expression shifted—there was something complex in his gaze, a trace of guilt... or was it a relief?

But quickly, he looked away.

The banquet hall was packed with guests. I stood quietly in a corner, dressed as a servant, enduring the whispers and stares.

“Isn’t that the Anderson family’s daughter? Why is she dressed like that?”

“Tsk, how disgraceful!”

I heard every word, but my face stayed blank. My heart felt nothing.

The wedding ceremony began.

“Now, let’s welcome the bride and groom to exchange their rings!” the emcee beamed.

I watched Benjamin and Laica on stage, smiling at each other as if the whole world had vanished around them.

“And now, I pronounce you husband and wife. Groom, you may kiss the bride!”

Just as Benjamin leaned in to kiss her—he grand doors of the banquet hall swung open with a heavy bang.

A middle-aged man in a suit walked in, holding a folder in his hand.

“Apologies for the interruption.”

He stepped up to the stage, his voice carrying effortlessly across the silent hall.

“I’m Attorney Harris, legal counsel to the Helix Consortium. On behalf of the late Mr. and Mrs. Anderson , I have an important announcement.”

A hush fell over the room.

Benjamin’s brows knitted. “What announcement?”

Attorney Harris unfolded the document.

“According to an addendum in the late Mr. Anderson ’s will: If Mr. Benjamin marries anyone other than Miss Darlene, he will automatically forfeit his right to inherit the Helix Consortium.”

“What?!” Benjamin’s voice cracked with disbelief.

“Effective immediately, all shares and assets of the Helix Consortium will be transferred to Miss Darlene.”

Attorney Harris’s voice was calm, emotionless. “Mr. Benjamin, you are no longer the heir of the Anderson family business.”