This time, the Veronatri arrived sooner than in my past life.

What had to be faced cannot be escaped.

But outside the door wasn’t Madre as I expected, but Gilbert’s sister, Lytton.

Without a word, she raised her hand and slapped me first:

“Julian, you ungrateful! My brother pitied you and took you in, and this is how you repay him?”

I swallowed the blood in my mouth and asked her with a bewildered expression:

“Sister, aren’t you misunderstanding me?”

Before Gilbert and I had that one-night stand, he was extremely good to me.

So good that Lytton was jealous of Gilbert’s kindness towards me, and she was particularly annoyed with me.

At this moment, Lytton had a look as if she had seen something horrible, her face full of curiosity.

That’s right, ever since I realized I liked Gilbert, I stopped calling him brother, and I certainly wouldn’t call Lytton sister.

Snapping back to reality, she forcefully threw a paparazzi photo of me falling on the ground, profile view, at my face:

“But calling me sister won’t help!”

“Others might not recognize you in this photo, but I know it’s you.”

“The Veronatris aren’t for you. Even if you call me sister, you’ll never belong here!”

Her words cut through me.

Lytton is right, the Veronatri is indeed not something I can aspire to.

My father was a soldato who died saving Gilbert.

Gilbert, who is seven years older than me, took pity on me, and to show his authority, adopted me as my brother after my father’s death.

He took care of me carefully for five years, even more than he cared for his own sister.

This difference made me fall in love with him.

The gap in our status made me hide these feelings extremely well.

If Gilbert hadn’t taken the initiative to possess me, I would have just tried my best to be his good little sister.

I picked up the photo and vehemently denied it:

“Sister, the paparazzi are just making bullshit, are you going to join in?”

In my previous life, because I walked in through the front door with Gilbert, the suggestive marks on my body were photographed very clearly.

Gilbert, who was usually not interested in women, was caught breaking his vow of celibacy.

Madre, who was worried about Gilbert’s marriage, immediately thought of having him marry me.

Unfortunately, Gilbert refused to do so at any cost.

It wasn’t until I found out I was pregnant before starting college that Madre, eager for a grandchild, forcefully pressured Gilbert to marry me.

I was so stupid back then.

In order to marry the man I loved and give birth to what I thought was a child of love, I could easily give up even the Cambridge University I had always dreamed of.

Now, the stolen photos only captured a blurry profile of me.

The biggest suspicious point is just the torn dress.

As long as I don’t admit that Gilbert tore it, who can frame me up?

Lytton looked at my calm expression and became somewhat uncertain:

“Did nothing really happen between you and my brother?”

I shook my head calmly.

“Do you wish something had happened between us?”

Lytton immediately looked angry:

“You’re out of your mind! Why were you and my brother in the same hotel? Why are there so many red marks on my brother’s body? Why is your dress torn?”

Lytton has a little brainpower, but barely enough to get by.

I glanced at Gilbert walking over and shrugged:

“It’s normal to get drunk and sleep in a hotel on my banquet last night, right?”

“Getting into Cambridge and getting so happy that I had a drunken frenzy and cut up my dress is also normal, right?”

“As for why brother also slept in that hotel, you have to ask him!”

“How would I know about his affairs?”

“Besides, there are many mosquitoes in the summer, so it’s not strange to get bitten.”

“Sister, why do you always think about such messy things? You should watch fewer adult videos!”

“Brother, what I said is right?”

Gilbert had his hands in his pockets.

His eyes, like deep pools, brewed with an inscrutable meaning.

“Brother, is what she said true? I don’t think these marks look like mosquito bites?”

Lytton poked at the red marks on Gilbert’s neck, trying to find evidence that I had slept with her brother.

Gilbert pointed to the five-finger marks on my face and asked Lytton:

“Did you hit her?”

Given that Gilbert usually dotes on me, Lytton looked embarrassed:

“I’m just afraid she doesn’t know herself clearly, okay?”

“How dare her to cause you to be hotly discussed and ridiculed!”

“If she really slept with you and ran away, where would the Veronatri’s reputation be? I’m just warning her to be mindful of her status!”

Gilbert said with a cold face, reprimanding:

“Lytton, where has your Veronatri principessa upbringing gone? You are punished by being forbidden from leaving the house for three days!”

Having decided to distance myself from the Veronatri, I no longer need to please Lytton.

Relying on Gilbert’s cooperation to make me clear in this matter, I couldn’t help but sneer at Lytton:

“Sister, do you think brother is someone I can bully?”

“Besides, I don’t have any tools for the affair.”

Unexpectedly, Gilbert touched the bite mark and suddenly spoke:

“Don’t you have any tools?”

His meaningful words made my brow twitch.

It wasn’t me who gave him an aphrodisiac, nor was it me who proactively approached him.

Now that I’m desperately trying to clear our relationship, he’s refusing to cooperate.

“Brother, you’re joking. I wouldn’t dare to bully you even if I had a hundred times the courage!”

Thinking about everything my daughter and I experienced in my previous life; I just want to get away from Gilbert as soon as possible.

Lytton’s suspicious gaze shifted back and forth between Gilbert and me:

“Something’s not right with you two!”

Gilbert and I denied it in unison:

“No way!”

A hint of surprise flashed in Gilbert’s eyes, then returned to calmness.

I limped away directly.

But Gilbert grabbed my arm:

“Go to the hospital!”

His tone was full of no refusal.

His sudden touch burned me, and I immediately pulled his hand away.

“Don’t touch me!”

Yet in front of Lytton’s shocked stare, Gilbert lifted me effortlessly into his arms.

I struggled but couldn’t break free, and a slap landed on his face.

Gilbert was slapped, but instead of being angry, he laughed.

It was exactly like the mockery from my previous life after I slept with him.

I kicked, clawed, but it was no use.

He threw me into the car like I weighed nothing.

My heart was racing, not because of his intimate actions towards me, but because I felt like something was slipping out of control.

He clearly knew that the person he had sex with last night was me, but I don’t understand why he, who loathes me so much, still refuses to let me go!

Was he reborn, too?

No.

That would make no sense.

If he remembered everything…why would he touch me?

Regardless of what’s wrong with him, I now avoid him like the plague!

He coldly watched me crawl from the passenger seat to the back seat, exuding a chill I couldn’t understand.

After a long silence, he rolled up the window, slammed on the gas, leaving Lytton behind stamping her feet in anger.

“Gilbert! Stop! I don’t want to go to the hospital!”

He shot me a glare that could cut glass.

I shut up.

Gilbert personally taking me to the hospital, is it to ensure that I don’t get pregnant with his child?

This is fine too.

Gilbert carried me straight into a VIP ward, where two doctors were waiting.

But he spoke to the orthopedic doctor first:

“She sprained her ankle, quickly check if any bones are injured.”

I’m a bit dazed.

Compared to a sprained ankle, dealing with the child is the top priority, right?

The doctor diagnosed my bones and prescribed medicine.

After that, he told the gynecologist to prescribe medicine.

The doctor was a little confused and carefully asked what kind of medicine he wanted.

“Abortion pills!”

“She got pregnant with my child last night.”

The embryo probably hadn’t even implanted yet, and he already wanted it gone.

Like I was filth.

Like our baby was filth.

Just like in my last life.

I smiled bitterly to myself and told the doctor about the emergency contraception.

The somewhat embarrassed Gilbert actually took the medicine from the doctor.

He thoughtfully poured me a glass of warm water.

He watched me take the medicine and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Put away your unrealistic thoughts.”

“I won’t pursue the matter of you using aphrodisiac last night.”

Living this life again, I still asked him unwillingly:

“If I said I didn’t use the aphrodisiac, would you believe me?”

Gilbert’s face, already cold as ice, became even colder:

“Shut up!”

“This matter ends here. If you dare to have ulterior motives again, you’ll bear the consequences!”

I smiled bitterly.

“Fine.”

My obedient answer made Gilbert choke on the rest of his words.

On the way back, he continued to issue strong commands:

“In 12 hours, come to my room to take the medicine. Check again in a month to see if you’re pregnant.”

“Don’t go out until your foot is completely healed. I don’t want any more scandals, especially not with you!”

“Okay.”

Having experienced a bad ending in my previous life, I will never have any illusions about him again.

But he frowned, looking somehow dissatisfied, though I didn’t know why.

On the way back, his phone rang.

Gilbert turned on the speakerphone, and a delicate, sweet voice immediately came through:

“Gilbert, I’m back. See you at the usual place.”

It was his first love, Bessie, who had returned to the country.

Upon hearing this, Gilbert’s face, usually as cold as a millennium of ice, instantly melted, like a lake of spring water thawing.

Gilbert and Bessie chatted sweetly for over ten minutes before Gilbert reluctantly hung up the phone.

I asked him again to pull over so I could get out.

He insisted on dragging me to buy roses and gifts.

“Gilbert, you’re going on a date, I won’t disturb you!”

When we arrived at the shopping mall, I wanted to hail a taxi to leave.

But Gilbert wouldn’t let me go:

“Aren’t you curious who that was? Didn’t you use to following behind me?”

It turned out my bland reaction had aroused his curiosity.

Unfortunately, having seen so much of his differential treatment in my previous life, I’m no longer surprised by his contrasting behavior.

And I have no interest in accompanying him to buy gifts for Bessie.

“Why do I need to be curious? Maybe I grew up..enjoy your date.”

Gilbert’s gaze towards me was inscrutable.

He slammed the taxi door shut, dismissed the driver, and dragged me straight into a jewelry store in the mall.

“Bring out the treasure of the store I asked you to hold back.”

The jewelry store saleswoman, seeing me being dragged into the store, thought I was Gilbert’s girlfriend.

She hastily brought out the pink diamond while praising my beauty, trying to please Gilbert.

As the clerk was about to try the diamond ring on my hand, Gilbert coldly took the pink diamond:

“She’s not even worthy!”

The atmosphere in the store instantly became extremely awkward.

The clerk was so frightened that her face turned white.

She immediately bowed respectfully to Gilbert, repeatedly apologizing and begging for his forgiveness.

I understood that Gilbert wouldn’t let me leave, and he just wanted to embarrass me. It had nothing to do with anyone else.

But I didn’t care at all, and looking up, I broke the awkwardness:

“Miss, it’s not your fault, it’s okay. He’s my brother, we’re picking out a gift for his girlfriend.”

The atmosphere finally eased, but the chill emanating from Gilbert intensified.

Ignoring my wishes, he dragged me to the airport to pick Bessie up.

Seeing Bessie, I naturally called her ‘sister-in-law,’ which delighted her to no end.

Gilbert stared intently at me:

“What did you call her?”

I said nothing, pretending not to understand that he was already on the verge of anger, and forcefully pushed Bessie into his arms:

“Brother, I’m heading out first!”

Ignoring the gaze from behind, I quickly ran out of the airport.

By the time I got home, footage of them embracing at the terminal was already viral.

Someone pointed out that the girl in the earlier paparazzi shot—the one from last night—looked nothing like Bessie.

Gilbert’s team issued an official statement:

“It was her.”

Three words had set the Veronatri clan ablaze.

That very night, Bessie was warmly invited to the Veronatri to discuss the wedding.

I had intended to hide in my room, but Bessie took the initiative to come upstairs to check on me.

But as soon as the door closed, she dropped her smile and stared disdainfully at my stomach:

“Julian, I know you were the one who slept with Gilbert last night. Since you’re being so sensible, take this pill.”

“I don’t want any accidents happening between Gilbert and me.”

Looking at the pill in her palm, I assumed Gilbert had asked her to deliver it and take a jab at me, to make me give up any thoughts about him.

Seeing that I obediently took the pill without a word.

Bessie went downstairs, satisfied, and told everyone that I wasn’t feeling well and wanted to rest.

Madre tried to come upstairs to check on me several times, but Bessie and Lytton stopped her.

Not long after taking the pill, my abdomen began to ache faintly.

Not wanting to alarm Madre, I endured the pain and forced myself to sleep.

Between sleep and wakefulness, it seemed someone else entered my room and fed me something.

The familiar bitter taste spread on my tongue, and I instantly woke up.

Seeing it was Gilbert, I habitually whined:

“Gilbert, my stomach hurts so much, I want to go to the hospital...”

He gently brushed away the hair on my forehead, which was soaked with cold sweat, and said coldly:

“Didn’t I tell you to go to my room and take the pill? Why didn’t you go?”

“Did you want to keep the abomination in your belly?”

It was then that it dawned on me that he had just fed me two emergency contraception pills.

The doctor specifically instructed that I could take a maximum of two pills.

But counting the ones Bessie gave me, I took a total of four.

“Brother, didn’t you ask Bessie to bring me medicine? I already took it...”

I got up, wanting to induce vomiting, but Gilbert pushed me back onto the bed:

“Julian!”

“I’m getting married soon. As long as you behave and don’t cause trouble, I can let you be my bridesmaid.”

I clenched my jaw—bridesmaid was your “biggest favor”? I didn’t need it.

All I knew was that my abdomen was experiencing waves of excruciating pain, even more painful than childbirth in my previous life.

The next second, a gush of warm blood flowed out from beneath me.

The panic of losing my life instinctively made me grab Gilbert’s hand:

“I don’t want to be a bridesmaid. Please, take me to the hospital...”

He looked at the bright red blood beneath me, and complex emotions welled up in his eyes.

“Julian, the doctor said it’s normal to bleed after taking the medicine. Just get some sleep and you’ll be fine.”

“By dawn, we can go back to how we used to be.”

He thought that an emergency contraceptive pill should be like an abortion, with heavy bleeding.

The more blood that flowed, the more completely that child who shouldn’t exist would disappear...

I saw him visibly relax his back.

He pried my fingers off his one by one, took my phone, locked me in the room, and strode away.

Separated by a door, I felt like I was back in my previous life, when he left me alone in the bridal chamber.

“Gilbert, we can never go back to how we used to be...”

The blood flowing beneath me increased, and the sounds of celebration for Gilbert’s upcoming wedding had moved to another spot.

My instinct for survival only allowed me to reach the old phone in the drawer.

The call connected, and I only managed to say “Help me” before losing consciousness completely.

The next day, Gilbert, in a good mood, instructed the nanny to clean my room.

The nanny, following his instructions, used the key to open my room door, only to find it wide open.

A strong smell of blood assaulted her senses, but I was nowhere to be found.

She screamed, her face turning pale deathly:

“Something bad happened! Miss Julian, something’s happened to her! She... is gone...”

As if realizing something, his face paled for a moment.