They had planned this long ago. The moment I was found, they would use their final exchange opportunity to frame me for everything.

And my so-called parents? They believed every word. As punishment, they planned to sell me to a blind cripple in the mountains.

For ten years, I endured endless suffering in my sister’s place, believing that once I was rescued, my parents would make it up to me with love. But instead, all I got was a betrayal more cruel than I ever imagined.

That night, I set fire to everything, choosing to die with them.

Clenching my fists, I swore to myself—this time, they would all pay the price.

As I looked out the car window, the familiar scenery of Willow Creek came into view. I let out a quiet breath of relief.

Good. They still chose to sell me to the same place.

In my previous life, I had spent ten long years trapped in this village. I knew its every corner, every hidden path. The family that bought me back then wanted a child bride for their simple-minded son. I had fought, I had tried to escape—only to be chained to a pigsty, starved, and beaten into submission.

But this time, I wouldn't resist. Not yet. I would play along, earn their trust… and then make them regret ever touching me.

After three grueling days and two nights, the car finally rolled to a stop on a deserted road outside Willow Creek.

Sally cooed at me, her voice sickly sweet.

"Lauren, we’re here! Come with Grandma!"

Obediently, I climbed out of the car and followed them. I hadn't cried or thrown a fit for the entire journey. I had eaten whatever they gave me, remained quiet and well-behaved. Now, standing in the darkness of the desolate mountain, I met their eyes with a bright, eager smile.

"Auntie, Grandma, will Lauren have endless candied haws to eat later?"

Rosemary snorted, lowering her voice. "Is this girl an idiot? She’s already here, and she’s still thinking about candied haws."

Sally shook her head. "It doesn’t matter. I heard the buyer’s son is simple-minded too. A fool for a fool—it’ll work out just fine. As long as they can have children, that’s all that matters."

They led me through the village under the cover of night.

Before long, we arrived at Willie’s house—the very same family that had bought me in my past life.

They were already waiting in the yard, grinning ear to ear.

Willie held up a kerosene lamp, its flickering light casting eerie shadows over my face.

"She’s a pretty one," he muttered, pleased.

His wife clutched their ten-year-old son, Simon, beaming as she nudged him forward.

"My dear son, we bought you a little wife. Do you like her?"

Drool dribbled down Simon’s chin as he stared at me blankly. He was nearly my height despite being older, his dull eyes glinting with excitement.

"I like her..." he giggled foolishly.

I giggled too.

A man in his forties, his face blackened from years of work, took a swig from his wine pot and frowned.

"Are you sure she’s normal?" he grumbled. "Don’t try to trick us with some dimwitted girl in the middle of the night."

"Of course she’s normal!" Rosemary hurriedly reassured him. "Look, she even has a certificate of being a Three-Good Student from her school!"

She pulled out a homework book and a neatly stamped certificate from my sister’s schoolbag, thrusting them forward.

Willie and his wife examined the papers, nodding in satisfaction.

"Brother, look at this handwriting! Neat and beautiful! She’ll surely give birth to a smart son for our Conrad Family."

The black-faced man, Erick, still seemed unconvinced, but the elder in his sixties, seated behind them with a pipe in hand, let out a heavy sigh.

"It’s fine," he murmured. "Back then, I promised my older brother I’d take care of you two. Now the second brother’s son has a wife. That just leaves you…"

A wife. A breeding tool. A prisoner.

That was all I had been to them in my last life.

The one who spoke was their uncle, Daryl.

This old man was infertile and had spent his life raising his deceased elder brother’s sons, Erick and Willie.

"Uncle, I’m already over forty," Erick sighed. "I’ve worked these fields all my life, and no woman would want me. Unlike my brother—at least he got to marry our cousin. Me? I’m not that lucky."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. No wonder their son turned out to be a fool.

The next second, I pretended to finally understand what was happening and burst into tears, trembling in fear.

"You said we were going to eat candied haws! Why did you bring me here instead?"

Willie and his wife stiffened, their eyes darting toward the neighbors’ houses. Probably afraid my crying would alert someone, they quickly crouched down to comfort me.

Rosemary and Sally chimed in with forced smiles. "Good girl, don’t cry. If you marry this brother, you’ll have even tastier things than candied haws!"

I sniffled, tilting my head in pretend confusion. "Really?"

Relieved, they nodded eagerly.

I pointed at Simon, who was still drooling, and asked innocently, "But I’m so young. How can I be his wife?"

They laughed as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "All girls grow up to be wives, Lauren. If you stay with him from a young age, you’ll be treated even better in the future!"

"Oh." I pretended to understand and obediently nodded.

They exchanged relieved glances, then turned to Willie and his wife.

"The girl is here. Our car is parked at the village entrance—it’s too noticeable. Better settle the remaining 10,000 dollars quickly."

Willie wasted no time, nudging his wife to fetch the money.

As soon as Rosemary and Sally got their hands on the thick wad of cash, they grinned and began counting under the dim glow of a kerosene lamp.

The light flickered across Erick’s face. His expression shifted.

He turned to Rosemary, his tone suddenly friendly. "Big Sister, have you eaten? You must be tired from the journey. Why not stay for dinner?"

Daryl, about to scold him for delaying, paused when he noticed Sally’s face illuminated by the lamp. His eyes gleamed with an unsettling light.

I seized the moment.

"Uncle, Grandpa," I piped up, looking at Erick and Daryl. "Do you have wives?"

They shook their heads.

"Perfect!" I clapped my hands, pointing at Rosemary and Sally. "These aunties can be your wives!"

The two women froze, mid-count.

"What nonsense are you saying, little girl?!" Rosemary snapped.

I ducked behind Simon, feigning innocence. "But you just said all women have to marry. Since Lauren can stay and be a wife, why can’t you?"

Erick’s dark face flushed red with excitement. He set down his wine pot, rubbing his hands together.

Daryl, a man who had been single for decades, swallowed hard. One had never found a wife; the other had lost his young bride because of his inability to have children. The temptation was too much.

The realization hit Rosemary and Sally like a slap. Their eyes darted toward each other. In a panic, they reached for their pockets, but before they could grab their phones, Erick and Daryl lunged.

"Brother," Erick said with a grin, "if we keep them, we won’t have to pay that 10,000 dollars."

Willie’s eyes widened at the suggestion, but it only took him a second to agree. "That’s a damn good deal."

Rosemary and Sally’s screams were muffled by the rancid socks stuffed into their mouths. They thrashed violently, but against three farm-hardened men, their struggles were useless.

Willie’s wife fetched hemp rope and tape. Within minutes, the women were bound and gagged, tossed like sacks of grain into the woodshed.

Their van? Driven away under the cover of night—sold in the city for an easy profit.

By dawn, Rosemary and Sally had been dragged back—one claimed by Erick, the other by Daryl.

Seeing the two human traffickers meet such a fate filled me with satisfaction.

Not only had Willie and his wife unknowingly lost the money they spent on buying me as a child bride, but their eldest brother and Uncle had also gained wives—whether they wanted to or not. They showered me with praise, calling me the Conrad Family's lucky star, marveling at my cleverness.

Aside from forbidding me from leaving, they treated me fairly well. I spent my days following Simon, calling him "Brother" and playing with him. The fool adored me. Ever since he learned I was his future wife, he would give me all the chicken legs from the meals his parents prepared to nourish his body.

Later, I discovered that Rosemary and Sally weren’t as fortunate.

Tied up day after day, they became Erick and Daryl’s playthings, their anger and frustration taken out on them. Within half a year, Rosemary was pregnant. The poetic justice of it all only deepened my satisfaction—those vile traffickers were finally experiencing the very suffering they had inflicted on others.

Meanwhile, Simon was truly kind to me. He obeyed my every word and even persuaded Willie and his wife to send me to school with him. He protected me, shielding me from their demands for labor. At first, Willie and his wife resisted, but when Devin cried, threw tantrums, and even went on a hunger strike, they had no choice but to relent.

I was allowed to attend the village school, but only under the alias "Zhang Amber." They told everyone I was an orphan they had taken in out of kindness. The villagers, seeing my obedient and intelligent nature, believed them without question. They even praised the Zhangs for their generosity, saying that good deeds had rewarded them with such a wonderful daughter-in-law.

Over the years, I cared for Simon like a younger brother. Once, when he sprained his ankle in the mountains, I carried him home despite the blisters forming on my own feet. Willie and his wife were convinced that I truly cared for their son.

And in a way, I did.

Simon, despite his foolishness, had a heart purer than anyone I had ever known. Across both of my lives, no one had ever treated me with as much genuine kindness as he did. In my past life, under his protection, I had avoided the complete mental collapse that the abuse could have driven me to.

A decade passed in the blink of an eye.

I had finally grown into adulthood. Simon was now 20. I knew my real family, along with the police, would soon find this place. My sister would soon take my place.

It was time.

On the day of my coming-of-age ceremony, I went to Willie and his wife and asked them to arrange a wedding for me and Simon.

It was time for their family to atone for their sins.

The village came alive with celebration. A large shed was set up at the entrance, and every household pitched in to help. I wore a red wedding dress, while Simon, dressed in a suit, beamed with joy. He held my hand, eyes shining with pure admiration.

“Amber, you’re so beautiful,” he whispered, then hesitated as he noticed my distant expression. “Are you unhappy?”

I forced a smile, gently dabbing the saliva from his chin with a handkerchief. “No, I’m very happy.”

He had treated me well. But his family deserved nothing but ruin.

The village wedding banquet was held in the traditional style—each household sitting together at long tables, making my plan effortless.

As I toasted each guest alongside Simon, I discreetly let the poison, hidden beneath my fingernails, dissolve into the wine glasses of Willie, Erick, and Daryl. It was a common agricultural toxin, one I had learned about in chemistry class. Easily obtained, undetectable, and slow-acting.

At first, they would experience nausea and diarrhea. Within two days, their organs would shut down, and they would die in agony.

They drank with laughter, toasting my supposed good fortune.

Then, the first cramps hit.

One by one, they clutched their stomachs, their smiles twisting into grimaces of pain. The banquet erupted into chaos. The villagers, thinking it was food poisoning, scrambled to call an ambulance.