On the day of the wedding, my fiancée stood beside the car door, refusing to get in. “I’m not marrying you today.”

I stood there in shock, unable to move, while her friends burst into laughter. “Game over, sisters. I won.”

“Claire, you’re unbelievable! You actually managed to win this handsome man.”

“Now hand over all your bets and the gift money. Not a single coin less.”

Then, my brother, Matthew Rodriguez, wearing the same suit as mine, stepped out of another wedding car, took my fiancée’s hand and helped her inside.

The car drove off quickly and I tried to chase after it, but my family blocked my way.

My sister, a well-known celebrity, stood before me and said, “Claire truly loves Matthew and she’s marrying him. Today is their wedding day, so don’t cause trouble.”

My mother, the movie queen, took my hand and added, "Joseph, your brother struggles with depression and has even tried to take his own life. Only Claire can keep him calm, so just let it go."

My wealthy father chuckled. "He’s already lived Matthew’s life for eighteen years. Giving up one woman is already a good deal for him."

Then they had me locked up at home to stop me from causing any trouble at the hotel.

I didn’t cry or throw a fit; instead, I barely held back a smile.

——

As soon as the bodyguards escorted me into the villa, a system alert echoed in my mind. "Host, are you sure you want to die and leave this world?"

"Yes."

"Please select your method of death."

"I’ll jump off the building and die right in front of Claire Hernandez and the Rodriguez Family, making them sick to their stomachs."

"Generating method of death... Method of death confirmed. Upon death, the host will be rewarded with one hundred million dollars. This decision cannot be changed once confirmed."

"Confirmed."

That year marked my twenty-first year in this world and the third since Matthew had been found.

I am a time traveler. In this life, I was the fake son of the wealthiest family, while my brother, Matthew, was the true heir who had been mistakenly taken away.

At first, after losing my parents in my past life, I had felt unbelievably lucky to end up here.

Because in this world, I had a father and mother again and a sister who cared for me deeply, showering me with love and attention.

But everything changed on my eighteenth birthday, when my dad brought Matthew home.

The doors and windows of the villa had been locked and a few people were assigned to keep an eye on me. "Joseph, it’s best if you stay home, or things will get ugly."

Samantha Baldwin stood in front of me, holding a baseball bat, her face serious, like an old servant ready to stab me with a needle.

I had barely taken two steps toward the door when the bat struck my leg hard.

Pain shot through me as I dropped to my knees.

"Joseph, your eldest brother clearly ordered me to break your legs if you disobey."

She suddenly cried out, "Joseph refuses to obey and is determined to ruin the wedding. Stop him now!"

Several bodyguards quickly moved toward me, gripping batons in their hands. I stepped back in fear.

"What are you trying to do? I didn’t even try to run! How dare you use force on me?"

"Joseph, do you really think we don’t know what’s going on in your head? You might not have run now, but who knows about later."

"I’d rather break your legs than keep watch over you. As long as I’m here, you won’t ruin Matthew’s wedding!"

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell Mom and Dad?"

"What difference will it make if you tell Sir and his wife? I’ll just say you broke your leg jumping from the second floor, trying to sneak out. They won’t punish me for that!"

"Attack!"

The men charged toward me, swinging their batons. I could already hear the sound of my bones cracking.

My white shirt was soaked with blood and even my black suit had turned dark red, a shocking sight, but they showed no mercy, as if they wouldn’t stop until I was dead.

"If I die here today, the Rodriguez Family won’t let you go!"

"You still think you’re the cherished eldest son of the Rodriguez Family? You’re just a mistake, a bastard who was taken by accident! If Sir and Madam didn’t pity you, they would’ve thrown you out long ago!"

"When Matthew returned, they wanted to send you away. If it weren’t for Cindy begging for you to stay, saying it’s like keeping another dog, do you think you’d still be here in the Rodriguez family?"

"And now you still dream of stealing Matthew’s bride!"

I suddenly laughed. "So you’re not scared I’ll mess up the wedding, you actually want to kill me!"

"It wouldn’t be strange if you fell to your death while trying to escape, right, Joseph?"

I felt scared. I could die, but not this quickly. And this wasn’t the way I had chosen to die. What if I couldn’t return?

I didn’t know where the strength came from, but I pushed the person in front of me, knocking over the eternal lamp my mother had lit for Matthew on the platform.

The lamp fell to the floor and caught the nearby curtains on fire. The villa was soon swallowed by the fire.

"Damn you, little bastard! How dare you start a fire!"

Taking advantage of their panic, I ran out, dragging my injured leg.

The villa area was surrounded by security cameras, so they didn’t dare to chase me.

Wearing a blood-stained suit, I limped to the street, dragging my broken leg as I tried to stop a taxi to get to the hotel.

Maybe because I looked frightening, no driver wanted to pick me up. At last, a kind young man stopped and asked if I needed help. I begged him to take me to the hotel.

The hotel belonged to my father and the staff there knew who I was. So even when the guards and receptionists saw me, none of them dared to stop me.

When I reached the reception hall, Cindy and our parents were there. They were warmly greeting the wedding guests, their faces glowing with happiness. But the moment they saw me, their smiles disappeared.

Many reporters had come to cover this grand wedding and when they saw me suddenly appear, they all rushed forward to take photos.

Cindy walked up to me. "Why are you here?"

"You useless fools! You can’t even watch over one person!"

"Look at yourself! You came here just to ruin things for us, didn’t you?"

"Do you want to be on the front page that badly? Do you want attention that much?"

Mom hurried over, her eyes full of worry. "Joseph, what happened to you? Is that blood on your suit?"

"It’s blood. All mine. I was beaten half to death by Matthew’s men. I barely made it out alive."

Dad raised his hand and slapped me, blood spilling from the corner of my mouth.

"Shameless brat! You just can’t stand your brother, can you?"

Mom grabbed my hand. "Joseph, you said Matthew’s men attacked you?"

Cindy pulled her away. "How could that be? He must have painted himself with paint. He always loves showing off in front of the media!"

She grabbed my wrist and dragged me out. I stumbled a few steps and fell to the floor, my broken leg exposed for everyone to see, leaving the whole crowd in shock.

The bone in my leg had seen through the skin, leaving it visible. I stood before them, dragging my broken leg.

Anyone else with such a wound would have been in unbearable pain and unable to stand.

Luckily, the system showed me mercy and activated my pain resistance, so I didn’t feel a thing.

Mom covered her mouth, crying. "Joseph, how could you be hurt this badly!"

Dad's eyes flashed with pain. "How could you do this to yourself?"

Even Cindy, who had been harsh with me earlier, stood frozen in shock. Claire pushed through the crowd and saw me lying there.

"Joseph?"

I raised my blood-covered face and looked at him. "You came just in time. I have a few questions for you."

Matthew soon appeared, looking composed in his perfectly fitted suit, but his face was covered with tears. "Joseph, today is the most important day of my life. Do you really have to destroy it?"

He trembled as he cried. "Why do you keep targeting me? You’ve already taken everything I had!"

"I only want Claire. Can’t you just let us be together?"

Cindy tried to help me up. "I’ll take you to the hospital."

"Sister!" Matthew’s voice shook as he cried. "The ceremony is about to start. Are you leaving now?"

"This is just Joseph hurting himself. Do you honestly think I would beat my own brother like this?"

Cindny pushed my hand away.

"Joseph, you’re truly cruel. Just to accuse Matthew, you’d go as far as hurting yourself like this."

"Go to the hospital on your own. Don’t worry, our Rodriguez Family won’t abandon a cripple. We’ll get the best doctor to fix your leg."

I knew no words could change anything, so I clenched my teeth and stood up. "I just want to say a few things to you, then I’ll leave."

"Claire, from the beginning, being with me was only a bet between you and your sister. You never truly loved me, did you?"

"Yes."

Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. I once believed I was the happiest person alive. I had parents and a sister who loved me and someone who cherished me deeply.

But it turned out everything was just a dream that broke so easily. I could have chosen to stay in this world forever, surrounded by my family. However, now, I have made up my mind to return. "One last question."

"Why did you wait until the wedding day to tell me the truth when you had already been with me?"

"Because Matthew couldn’t handle it, he made me keep it a secret."

I burst out laughing. "My brother is truly kind! He didn’t want me to be sad, so he waited until the wedding day to tell me it was all just a bet."

"You made me wear a suit and watch you get married like a fool. Wasn’t that just to humiliate me?"

"Nonsense! Matthew isn’t as scheming as you claim!"

I gave a bitter smile. "Not as scheming as I say? Since he came home, he’s tried to kill himself countless times, big and small."

"When did he ever succeed? Someone who really wants to die doesn’t wait to be saved!"

"Shut up! How dare you speak that way about your brother!"

Dad was about to strike me again, but Mom stopped him. "Enough! Joseph is already badly hurt. Don’t hit him."

"Dad, I’m your son too. You raised me with love. Just because I’m not your real son, does that mean I don’t deserve your trust?"