My best friend married my brother. She was incredibly modest and never chased after fame or fortune, and everyone admired her for this.

When she married my brother, I helped her request 188 thousand dollars from my brother and parents as a wedding gift, but she insisted that since we were family, money shouldn't come between us and refused the money.

When they bought a house, I asked for her to get her name on the property deed, but she said she didn't contribute financially and wasn't necessary.

During her confinement after childbirth, I asked my parents to hire a nanny for her, but she understood how hard they worked for their money and said it wasn't worth the expense.

My brother went out to fool around every night and never came home. When I tried to confront him, she stood in his defense, saying her postnatal appearance was to blame, not him.

Despite my efforts to support her, she became the beloved good woman, while I was seen as a traitor.

Eventually, my brother's pregnant mistress came to our door. She blamed me for meddling in their family affairs, saying my interference made my brother resent her, leading him to seek solace elsewhere.

During an argument, she pushed me down the stairs.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day she first came to meet our family.

1

"Lilian, you see, we are not very wealthy. Since you will be part of our family, we can keep the wedding gift symbolic, right? Don't worry. Once you marry my son, I'll treat you like my own daughter."

My mother's voice brought me back to reality. I was stunned. What was going on? Wasn't I dead?

I pinched myself hard, and the sharp pain made me realize that I had been reborn. I was back to the day Lilian came to meet our family.

"Mrs. Winslow, I'm not too familiar with these things. Whatever you think is best." Lilian's soft voice pulled me back to the present.

Seeing Lilian's response, my mother, Genevieve, immediately beamed joyfully and said, "Then I'll make the decision. How about we set the money at 8,800 dollars?"

As soon as Genevieve finished speaking, I saw a flash of surprise and reluctance on Lilian's face.

Lilian seemed to want to protest but thought better of it and silently lowered her head. She then turned to me with a pitiful look that I knew all too well.

In my previous life, that look prompted me to stand up to my mother for her and raise the money to 188 thousand dollars.

But then, in front of everyone, Lilian said, "The money doesn't matter. I love Ethan for who he is, not for his money. Besides, weddings are expensive. Mr. and Mrs. Winslow, why don't we just skip the gift and use the money for the wedding?"

I vividly remember how my parents were overjoyed when she said that. They praised her for being sensible and understanding, insisting they would never treat her unfairly, and ended up giving her the 188 thousand dollars as a wedding gift.

The truth was, our family wasn't poor. One hundred and eighty-eight thousand dollars was easily affordable, but my mother had always been shrewd and frugal. She worried that once the money went into Lilian's pocket, we'd never see it again.

Lilian always knew how to manipulate me. Every time she gave me that pitiful look, I couldn't help but stand up for her and get her what she wanted.

But this time, I didn't want to be the one taking the hit anymore. So, I pretended not to notice and turned my head away.

When Lilian saw that I didn't respond for a long time, she looked a little flustered.

Genevieve, growing impatient without the answer she wanted, snapped, "What? Are you not satisfied with the money I suggested? It seems you don't love my son that much, after all! Let me tell you, don't get too greedy. If you're not willing, plenty of girls are eager to marry my son!"

Lilian grew anxious at Genevieve's words. After all, Ethan was tall and handsome and earned a good salary. He was one of the best prospects among the men she knew. She hurriedly explained, "No, Mrs. Winslow. What you said is right. Gigi, don't you agree?"

Perhaps because Lilian saw that I didn't give her the response she wanted, she suddenly cued me.

Seeing the hopeful look in Lilian's eyes, I smiled, "I've never been married, so I'm not sure about the money. But I think 8,800 dollars is sufficient."

A flicker of disappointment crossed Lilian's face at my words while my mother looked at me with approval.

Ethan smiled and patted Lilian's head, affectionately saying, "Don't worry, Lilian. I'll be good to you for the rest of my life."

Seeing there was no room for negotiation, Lilian could only nod in feigned understanding.

After seeing Lilian off, my mother patted my shoulder and cheerfully said, "Good job today, girl. Finally, you're on the same page as me. When Lilian asked you, I thought you'd speak up for her again!"

My father looked at me approvingly and added, "I also thought you, silly girl, would embarrass your mom in front of everyone again."

Look at that. My reputation as Lilian's mouthpiece was firmly established at home. I sighed and said, "I used to be foolish, always wanting to stand up for her. But now I realize that being the first to stick out never ends well."

My parents were very pleased with my epiphany and praised me for finally growing up. Little did they know that this so-called growing up came at the cost of my life.

I remembered how, in my previous life, after I had stood up to my mother for Lilian, my mother had been sarcastic with me for weeks, and my father had been deeply disappointed.

Yet they had praised Lilian for suggesting forgoing the money, boasting to everyone about what a good wife their son had gotten.

I angrily confronted Lilian then, asking why she had undermined me. She explained, "I was afraid your parents and Ethan would think I was after money. Besides, we've been friends for so many years. You're so good, so your family must be good too. They will surely treat me well, and as long as they do, the money doesn't matter."

I had called her foolish at the time, thinking she should value something more reliable than people's goodwill. After all, human hearts changed, but money stayed loyal. Yet, why had her expression changed today if she didn't care about money?

Thinking back, it wasn't she who was foolish but me. The incidents where she betrayed me were countless. Since she claimed to be so modest and never chased after fame or fortune, I would let her be just that this time.