"Iris, stay and work at the factory. Give up your spot for school to Esther, and I'll marry you," Wendel coldly stated.

Iris agreed to Wendel’s request on the surface, but as soon as she turned around, she wrote a letter to her biological parents who lived far in the south, telling them she was willing to go with them to Nashville.

In her previous life, she had accidentally discovered the whereabouts of her birth parents. Yet, blinded by love for her adoptive brother, Wendel Lancaster, she had chosen to stay with her adoptive family and marry him instead.

For thirty years, Iris remained by his side—until tragedy struck.

Her biological parents passed away unexpectedly. And then, without warning, Wendel and his first love ran off to the south, completely vanishing from her life.

Not only did they betray her, but they also took away her child, leaving her to suffer through a lonely and miserable old age.

Now, given a second chance at life, Iris was determined to return to her real family and sever all ties with Wendel once and for all.

When he learned the truth, Wendel scoffed, "Even if I lost a leg, I could still marry a woman a thousand times better than you. Who do you think you are?"

But within a year, he regretted his decision to the point of madness.

He chased her all the way to Nashville, his eyes red with desperation. "Please, come home with me, Iris."

Iris only smiled. "Home? What home? This is my home."

——

"Iris, stay and work at the factory. Give up your spot for school to Esther, and I'll marry you."

Hearing that familiar sentence again, Iris felt her entire body tremble.

She looked around in shock.

She was standing outside a post office—one that hadn't existed in decades. In her hand was a piece of letter paper.

It suddenly hit her.

This was the summer of 1989.

She was twenty years old.

And today... today was the day she had made the worst decision of her life—giving up her education for Wendel's first love.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down.

Seeing her silent, Wendel grew impatient and snapped at her. "I know you really want to study, but Esther is the daughter of my dad’s fallen comrade. Her father sacrificed his life to protect our Dad. We can’t turn our backs on her. You understand that, don't you?"

A numb, suffocating feeling spread through Iris’ chest, but she only responded softly, “Alright.”

Satisfied, Wendel's voice softened. "Where did you go? Are you coming home for dinner tonight?"

Iris knew he hated the idea of her contacting her birth parents. If he found out she was writing to them, he would never allow it.

So she lied. "I just went to the town market to buy some groceries. I’ll be back soon."

Wendel didn’t suspect a thing and hung up the phone.

Without wasting another second, Iris stepped into the post office and borrowed a pen and a fresh sheet of paper from the front desk.

The original letter she had planned to send contained only polite inquiries about her biological family’s well-being.

But now, she was going to write something entirely different.

[Dad, Mom, I’ve made up my mind. I don’t want to marry Wendel Lancaster. Take me with you—I’m willing to go to Nashville.]

She carefully wrote down her address, ensuring her parents would know where to find her.

Watching the postal worker take the sealed envelope away, she exhaled deeply.

For the first time in two lifetimes, she felt a weight lift off her chest.

By the time she got home, it was dinnertime.

Wendel was in the kitchen, cooking.

Meanwhile, her adoptive mother, Stella, sat on the heated brick bed, chatting with Esther—looking every bit like a warm, happy family.

The moment she stepped inside, Stella's expression shifted. "Have you thought about school yet? Did Wendel ask you to work at the factory instead?"

Before Iris could answer, Esther quickly intervened, looking up at her with wide, innocent eyes—like a frightened little rabbit.

"Sis, don’t listen to Mom. I would never dare take your spot at school!"

Her adoptive mother immediately patted Esther’s hand, reassuringly.

"Nonsense. Your father saved our family’s lives. Helping you go to school is the least we can do."

Watching them, so close, so affectionate—like a real mother and daughter—Iris' lips curled into a cold, mocking smile.

"Didn't Wendel tell you? I already agreed to his request," Iris replied indifferently.

Hearing this, her adoptive mother beamed with delight. "Oh, our Iris is so obedient. How wonderful! You won’t have to suffer through years of schooling, and you get to marry the man you’ve loved for so long. Even though I adopted you, I haven’t treated you badly, have I?"

From as far back as she could remember, Iris had always known she was adopted.

When Wendel was born, he was constantly sick. The village shaman claimed that the only way to ward off misfortune was to adopt a girl to take his place as the family’s scapegoat. And so, the Lancaster family took in Iris.

Back then, many poor families couldn't afford to raise their children, so they simply abandoned them by the roadside, leaving them to starve. With that in mind, Iris had always been grateful to the Lancaster family for taking her in.

That was until she turned eighteen—when she learned the truth.

She hadn’t been abandoned. She had been kidnapped.

Her real parents were wealthy who had never stopped searching for their missing daughter all these years.

Overcome with shock and hope, Iris tried to contact them—only to receive a vicious slap across the face from her adoptive mother.

With a vicious glare, Stella spat, "I raised you all these years, and now you want to run? Look at Esther—why doesn’t she try to run? Did a dog eat your conscience?"

"Look at Esther."

She had heard those words for over a decade.

The year she was brought into the Lancaster family, her adoptive father, Ronald, suffered a near-fatal accident while serving in the army. From then on, her adoptive mother saw her as a bad omen.

But when Esther arrived, it just so happened that Ronald retired from the military and landed a stable job as a store clerk, providing for the whole family.

Stella often praised Esther, saying, "Our Esther is such a blessing to this family. She saved a life and even brought good fortune to us! Unlike some people, but I won’t say more."

Whenever she heard those words, Iris pretended not to hear, enduring them silently.

But now, she didn’t need to endure anymore.

Soon, she would leave this house forever.

For now, though, she didn’t want them to suspect anything.

With a gentle smile, Iris maintained her usual obedient demeanor as she turned to Esther.

"I’ve already made up my mind. I’m not very smart anyway, and I’m not cut out for studying. But Esther is so bright—she’s the perfect choice for school."

Hearing her words, Stella’s joy deepened. She quickly grabbed Esther’s hands in excitement.

"Esther, you must study hard! Having an education will give you a bright future—working in a factory can’t compare to being a scholar!" she exclaimed.

Stella was so elated that she failed to notice Esther’s face turning pale.

"Iris, are you really giving up on school? You’re actually going to work at the factory?" Esther’s voice trembled with disbelief.

Iris nodded. She had long seen through Esther’s thoughts—she wanted everything. She didn’t want to give up her opportunity to study, nor did she want to lose Wendel.

Just then, Wendel stepped out of the kitchen, carrying a plate of food.

"Dinner’s ready!" he called.

At the dinner table, Esther kept her head down, staring at her untouched food.

Noticing her unusual behavior, Wendel furrowed his brows. "Esther, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you eating?"

Tears welled up in Esther’s eyes. She looked up at him, her voice shaking. "Wendel, are you really getting married?"

Wendel stiffened for a moment. Instead of answering directly, he chose to avoid the question altogether.

"Who doesn't get married at a certain age? Don't be foolish—everyone needs to get married, and that includes you, right?"

Esther’s expression darkened.

Suddenly, she shoved her chair back, stood up, and stormed out of the house, leaving her untouched dinner behind.

"Esther! Esther, where are you going?" Stella called after her, but Esther never looked back.

Wendel panicked. He immediately got up to chase after Esther but hesitated for a moment as he passed by Iris.

He sighed and explained, "She's a young woman running out alone. I'm afraid something might happen to her."

Inhaling sharply, Iris chose to say the exact same words she had in her past life. "Do you really not know why she’s upset?"

Wendel frowned and scolded her. "Iris, Esther might be in danger. This isn’t the time for you to be stubborn."

Without waiting for her reply, he bolted out of the courtyard.

Before she knew it, tears welled up in her eyes.

Even after two lifetimes, watching Wendel defend Esther so fiercely still made her heart ache.

So he wasn’t indifferent or unfeeling—he simply never loved her.

Stella was confused. "What’s going on with those two?"

Her adoptive mother might not have understood, but Iris knew all too well. Still, she chose to say nothing.

Quickly regaining her composure, she simply sighed and shook her head.

Stella wasn’t stupid. If things played out like they had in her past life, it would take less than a month before she realized what was going on between Wendel and Esther.

Iris remembered it vividly—when Stella found out, she had actually demanded to not only give up her chance to study, but also to step aside and give up on Wendel.

Blinded by love, she had refused, even to the point of attempting suicide. Only then did Stella finally relent.

But this time, having lived another life, Iris had no intention of fighting for a place in this family. She would put on a good act for now, then disappear the moment her birth parents came for her.

That night, Wendel finally returned, bringing Esther with him.

Her eyes were still red, as if she had suffered some unspeakable grievances.

Gently, Wendel reached out to wipe away her tears, speaking in a soft voice.

"It’s late. You should get some rest."

Esther choked back a sob and clung to his arm. "I don’t want to sleep. I’m afraid that when I wake up in the morning, you won’t want me anymore."

"You don’t have to worry about that," a sudden voice interrupted, startling both of them.

"He won’t leave you. Once summer break is over, he’ll become a teacher in town—he’ll stay right here, in this home, with you," Iris added as she stepped out from the living room, her gaze falling on their tightly clasped hands.

Perhaps out of guilt, Wendel pulled his hand away as if it had been scalded.

He forced an awkward smile. "Iris, why aren’t you asleep?"

She replied calmly, "Oh, I just couldn’t sleep. Esther, you didn’t eat dinner earlier, so Mom asked me to heat up some food for you. It’s in the kitchen."

Esther lowered her head, her eyes still red. "I’m sorry, Iris. I was just feeling a little down today and needed some comfort. I know I was being thoughtless... You and Wendel are getting married, but I still keep clinging to him. You understand, don’t you? I don’t have any family, so I rely on him more than I should. Iris, you don’t mind, do you?"

Iris smiled, but the warmth never reached her eyes. Her mind was racing, her fists clenching involuntarily.

The only emotion she had for the woman before her was hatred.

In her past life, she had been blind—she never realized the secret between them. Not until after she and Wendel were married.

When Stella arranged a marriage prospect for Esther, Wendel panicked. He immediately quit his secure teaching job and eloped with Esther to Nashville.

Iris was left completely in the dark.

Wendel had snuck away in the dead of night, leaving behind only a letter full of lies—tricking Iris into believing he was being sent to Nashville for work.

At that time, she had already been pregnant. Yet he never even returned for the birth of their child.

She had naively believed he only went to Nashville for work, clinging to that illusion to comfort herself. But that fragile belief shattered the moment he returned—he took their two-year-old child away!