A month earlier, the instant Cathryn realized fate had granted her another life, she began preparing for the wedding that would take place today.

She already knew that at the ceremony, her fiance, Derek, would cast her aside for the woman he had always loved, turning her into the city's favorite source of ridicule.

Because of that, she had carefully arranged every detail of the events that were about to play out.

Looking back on her previous life, Cathryn felt nothing but a crushing blend of resentment and heartache.

She had never expected her life to end in such a horrifying way.

Everything had started to fall apart the moment she married Derek.

Once they were husband and wife, he was almost never home.

Whether it was her birthday, their wedding anniversary, or any other meaningful occasion, he always spent those days with Tessa instead.

Cathryn was left by herself in a cold, silent house, and whenever Derek did acknowledge her, it was usually to insult or belittle her.

Just before her birthday—the last one she would ever have—Cathryn was kidnapped. Desperate, she called Derek over and over, pleading for him to save her. He refused to leave Tessa's side. Rather than helping, he ignored her desperate cries and even shouted insults at her through the phone.

She reached out to her parents and her three brothers as well, but every one of them was occupied with preparing Jenna's birthday celebration. None of them cared whether she was alive or in danger.

"Cathryn, what ridiculous act are you putting on this time?" they had snapped. "Why can't you behave more like Jenna?"

They had looked down on her and said, "You're always insisting Jenna is trying to hurt you, but she's a thousand times kinder than you'll ever be. You're the cruel one. No wonder none of us can stand you."

In the end, they had said, "If you've really been kidnapped, you should've been dead by now. How could you still call us?"

Eventually, that was exactly what happened.

She endured torture beyond anything she could have imagined. By the time she died, her body had been so disfigured that it was impossible to recognize.

Even after living through an entire month in this second life, Cathryn still couldn't force herself to remember those final days.

Every time those memories surfaced, a chill spread through her entire body. They were too horrifying to relive, so she buried them as deeply as she could.

Her consciousness had remained in the world for a while after she died.

That was when she discovered the truth. Jenna had been the one behind the kidnapping. She was also the person who had sold Cathryn into that living hell.

Jenna wanted to become the Clarke family's only daughter, and she had been willing to eliminate Cathryn without the slightest hesitation.

From the day Jenna entered the Clarke household, she had carefully manipulated everyone around her. Whenever she was alone with Cathryn, she revealed a vicious, calculating side, yet in front of the rest of the family, she played the role of a gentle, innocent girl. Little by little, she drove a deeper wedge between Cathryn and the Clarkes.

Their parents never questioned Jenna's version of events.

No matter how hard Cathryn tried to explain herself, they dismissed every word.

They accused her of deliberately smearing Jenna's reputation, insisted she had no right to judge her, and repeatedly labeled Cathryn as the truly heartless and malicious one.

Even her three older brothers, who had once cherished her more than anyone else, gradually abandoned her in favor of Jenna.

Cathryn had restored her eldest brother's ability to walk, rescued her second brother from death, and played the key role in helping her third brother rise to fame as an actor.

Yet none of them ever accepted that she was the one responsible.

Instead, they credited every one of those miracles to Jenna. In their minds, Jenna was the sister who had saved them all.

After learning of Cathryn's death, they simply convinced themselves that her life had already been ruined. Even if she had survived, they believed she would have become nothing more than a disgrace to the family. To them, she was better off dead.

In the end, it was her friends, Erin Mitchell and the others, who discovered her remains.

And it was Vincent who carried her broken body out of that hellhole.

It was Vincent who took care of her funeral. He was also the one who remained at her memorial, keeping watch for days without leaving.

No one, except Cathryn, understood why he had gone to such lengths. Years ago, she had saved his life, and this was his way of paying that debt.

That was why, after receiving a second chance at life and realizing what would happen next, she sought him out.

"Vincent," she had begged, "please help me this one time."

She already knew Derek would never stay to marry her, and with the wedding impossible to cancel, she decided she would rather marry someone whose status far surpassed Derek's.

"Have you really thought this through?" Vincent asked as he stood.

His tall frame filled the room with authority. The perfectly tailored suit he wore emphasized his commanding presence, making him look every bit the powerful man he was.

Cathryn nodded without hesitation. "I have."

Despite her answer, her heart was pounding.

Vincent was someone who naturally inspired both respect and fear. Although he was still young, he had already become the head of the Morgan family and the leader of its vast business empire.

Throughout Bloffield, hardly anyone dared challenge him.

When she had first asked him to replace Derek as the groom, she hadn't been confident.

She hadn't believed there was any chance he would accept. Yet he did.

Even more surprising was the fact that he had personally settled everything with Richard.

After all, Vincent wasn't just anyone; he was Derek's uncle.

Replacing Derek with Vincent at the wedding would undoubtedly cause an uproar and become the biggest topic of conversation across the city.

None of that seemed to concern Vincent. Besides, no one had the courage to spread rumors about him where he could hear them.

Vincent closed the distance between them before holding out an arm. "We should go."

Cathryn blinked before realizing he was waiting for her to link arms with him.

She slipped her hand around his arm, and together they made their way toward the ballroom entrance.

The hotel staff had worked quickly. The wedding display that had originally featured her and Derek had already been replaced with one showing her alongside Vincent.

She had arranged that ahead of time.

Originally, she had suggested using edited photos, thinking that would be sufficient. Vincent, however, had insisted they take genuine wedding portraits together instead.

Now those photographs were displayed prominently at the entrance.

The guests inside still had no idea that anything had changed.

Robert had originally planned to escort Cathryn into the ballroom. But the moment he turned around and saw her walking arm in arm with Vincent, who was unmistakably dressed as the groom, he stopped in his tracks.

"Mr. Holt?" Robert blurted out. "W-Why are you here?"

"Isn't it obvious? The groom is supposed to be at his own wedding." Cathryn lifted her chin slightly. "There's no need for you to escort me anymore. We'll walk in together."

"Cathryn, what are you talking about?" Robert demanded, completely confused. "Where's Derek?"

"Why should I care where he is?" she asked calmly. "I'm marrying Vincent. Derek has nothing to do with today's wedding."

Robert stared at her, unable to process what he had just heard.

"If you still don't believe me, go look at the wedding poster," Cathryn continued, motioning toward the display nearby.

Following her gesture, Robert turned toward it. The instant he recognized Vincent in the photograph, all the color drained from his face.

He hurried over and examined the display repeatedly. The groom in the picture was unmistakably Vincent.

His eyes darted from the poster back to the man standing in front of him, and then back again, struggling to believe what he was seeing.

At that moment, Jenna stepped out of the ballroom.

The sight of Cathryn standing beside Vincent caused her eyes to narrow, but she quickly replaced that reaction with an expression of gentle concern.

"Cathryn," she said in a voice dripping with fake sympathy, "Derek still hasn't come back? How is the ceremony supposed to happen without the groom? A wedding can't exactly go on if the groom doesn't show up. Everyone's going to be talking about this, and I'd hate to see you become the laughingstock of the entire city."

Jenna acted as though she were worried, but inside, she could barely contain her excitement. She was eager to watch Cathryn humiliate herself in front of everyone.

Once that happened, the Clarke family would only resent Cathryn more, and her standing within the family would sink even lower.

"What do you mean there's no groom?" Cathryn answered with an icy smile. "He's standing right here beside me."

At that exact moment, the officiant said loudly, "Please join me in welcoming the newlyweds!"

Vincent and Cathryn walked into the ballroom together.

The instant they came into view, the crowd erupted into hushed gasps and confused whispers.

"I thought Derek was supposed to be the groom. Who's that man beside the bride?"

"Hold on... isn't that Vincent Holt?"

"Seriously? Vincent's the one getting married?"

"So where's Derek?"

People stretched their necks and scanned every corner of the ballroom, trying to spot Derek, but he was nowhere to be found. The only couple standing together onstage were Cathryn and Vincent.

Bathed in the glow of the stage lights, they looked strikingly well matched.

Accepting the microphone from the officiant, Cathryn turned toward the audience with a composed smile. "Thank you all for being here to celebrate my marriage to Vincent. I've noticed quite a few people mentioning Derek. Just to avoid any misunderstanding, the man I'm marrying is Vincent. I'd rather no one bring up that other name again. I wouldn't want my husband to be displeased."

She understood better than anyone that every guest present feared Vincent.

His ruthless reputation was well known, and nobody was willing to risk provoking him.

Although everyone was still baffled by the unexpected change in groom, Cathryn's warning immediately silenced the room.

Soon, the backdrop behind the stage changed.

Their wedding portraits filled the massive display screen.

Even though astonishment was written across every face, no one dared speak openly. They simply stole cautious glances toward Richard while exchanging barely audible comments with one another.

The Clarke family, seated near the front, looked no less stunned than the rest of the guests.

"Dad... Mom... what's happening?" Jenna asked, her voice tense. "Wasn't Cathryn supposed to marry Derek? Then why is Mr. Holt the man standing beside her in all those photos?"

Jenna scowled. Vincent was the man she had always dreamed of marrying. In her mind, she was destined to become the wife of Bloffield's most influential man.

So why was Vincent the one standing beside Cathryn at the altar?

How could this possibly be happening? Had everyone suddenly lost their minds?

Robert and Lauren were just as bewildered because they hadn't known a single thing about this arrangement.

Their three sons sat nearby, each wearing the same stunned expression.

Even as the Clarke family remained frozen in shock, the ceremony continued exactly as planned. Cathryn had already gone over every last-minute adjustment with the officiant beforehand.

As a result, the wedding unfolded smoothly from beginning to end.

Once the reception was over and every guest had left, Robert and Lauren immediately confronted Cathryn.

"Have you completely lost your senses?" Lauren snapped. "You were supposed to be marrying Derek!"

"Cathryn, explain this," Robert said. "Where is Derek?"

Her three brothers also fixed her with disapproving frowns.

"Wait, I know what happened," Jenna suddenly said, her face brightening. "Derek couldn't get back in time, so Mr. Holt stepped in temporarily to keep the wedding from falling apart. That's what happened, isn't it?"

The more Jenna thought about it, the more convinced she became. Everything finally made sense.

Vincent had likely only agreed to stand in so the ceremony wouldn't become a public disaster.

There was simply no way a man like him would genuinely choose someone like Cathryn.

After all, Cathryn had been promised to Vincent's nephew. The idea that Vincent had actually married his future niece-in-law was absurd.

Richard must have gone along with the arrangement solely to keep the Clarke family from becoming a laughingstock. Yes, that had to be the explanation.

Certain she had figured everything out, Jenna looked at Vincent, waiting for him to confirm her conclusion.

"And why would there be a problem with me being Cathryn's husband?" Vincent asked, his calm yet authoritative voice instantly shattering the tension. "Whether you like it or not, we're already legally married."

Vincent reached for Cathryn's hand and lifted their joined hands for everyone to see, exposing the wedding bands they both wore.

Jenna froze in disbelief. That wasn't the ring Derek had given Cathryn when they got engaged. She recognized that one. The band on Cathryn's finger now was unmistakably different.

"My wife is exhausted," Vincent said in a calm but decisive voice. "I'm taking her home."

Without waiting for anyone's reaction, he turned and walked away with Cathryn beside him.

As they made their way toward the exit, they crossed paths with Erin and the rest of Cathryn's close friends.

"I'll tell you everything later," Cathryn said softly. "You should all head home too."

...

Once they were in the car, Cathryn looked over at Vincent before speaking. "I could stay at a hotel instead," she said quietly.

She felt she was asking too much of him.

Although they had already signed their agreement and planned to officially register their marriage the following day, theirs was only a marriage in name. More importantly, she had been the one who persuaded Vincent to enter into the arrangement.

Moving straight into his house seemed like an unreasonable imposition.

"You are my wife now," Vincent replied evenly, never lifting his eyes from the tablet resting in his hands.

He continued reviewing work documents, his commanding presence making the car feel even smaller.

Not long afterward, they arrived at Holt Manor, Vincent's sprawling private estate in Bloffield.

The property was immense. Cathryn had visited only once before, back when she had come with Derek. This was just her second time there.

Vincent escorted her inside.

The housekeeper, Betsy Davis, welcomed them at the entrance. "Betsy," Vincent said, "this is my wife. Treat her with the same care and respect you give me from now on. I still have some work to handle, so I'll be heading out. Show my wife to our room, and make sure she has everything she needs."

After introducing the two women to each other, Vincent left almost immediately.

Betsy then guided Cathryn to Vincent's bedroom.

It looked exactly as she had imagined—neat, understated, and free of unnecessary decoration.

Betsy helped her get comfortable and settled in for the night.

The following morning, Cathryn woke to find no sign of Vincent. It wasn't until she went downstairs that she saw him returning through the front door.

"Good morning," she greeted him, sounding slightly unsure.

"Morning," Vincent answered.

For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.

"Betsy already prepared breakfast," Vincent said as he headed upstairs. "Go ahead and eat. I'll take a quick shower, and afterward we'll set out."

His matter-of-fact tone eased some of Cathryn's nervousness. She still found herself tense whenever she was around him.

Halfway through breakfast, Cathryn's phone started ringing. Lauren was calling.

"Cathryn, come home immediately and explain what happened yesterday!" Lauren demanded sharply.

Before Cathryn could get a single word in, the call ended.

She looked at the screen for a moment before setting the phone back on the table.

She needed to return to the Clarke house anyway to collect her belongings. After today, she had no intention of ever going back.

It had never truly felt like home in the first place. She wasn't even included in the family's portrait.

The thought brought a familiar ache to her chest.

She had spent years doing everything she could for them, giving endlessly in the hope of earning their love. Even though she was their biological daughter and sister, neither her parents nor any of her three brothers had ever shown her genuine affection or concern.

Every bit of their attention was reserved for Jenna.

They never hesitated to shower Jenna with gifts, while Cathryn was almost always forgotten. On the rare occasions they gave her anything, it was either because it was convenient or because they were passing along something they had received for free.

There had been a time when Cathryn poured every ounce of herself into winning their approval, believing that they would eventually accept her.

Now, after everything she had been through, she had finally let go of that hope.

There was no reason to keep clinging to people who had never truly treated her as family.

In her previous life, even after she died, they hadn't mourned her, not even for one moment.