Eloise's POV

In my past life, after my sister’s suicide, I tried to tell my parents the truth about her secret. But they refused to listen. They even called me cruel and heartless, and cut all ties with me.

I tried to tell Tristan, too. But instead of listening, he tied me to a helicopter and let me fall to my death. I was nothing more than a splatter of blood and bones by the time I hit the ground.

It wasn’t until my last breath that I realized the truth. He and my sister had been together all along. She didn’t kill herself because I “stole” her love. She took her life because she discovered the secret hidden in her own body, and it terrified her.

The memory of it sent a chill down my spine. I could still feel the pain of crashing from that great height, waves of it rushing back like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.

But this time, I was not going to play the hero. I would just let them destroy each other.

“Don’t worry, Tristan,” I said, steady and calm. “You’re not the one I want to marry, anyway.”

I gave him a long look, then turned to everyone else with a polite nod. “I’ll be leaving now.”

As I walked away, I heard my parents trying to smooth things over with the Clark family. “Our eldest daughter has always been a bit strange. Not easy on the eyes, either. Please forgive her…”

A dull ache settled in my chest.

Since we were kids, they had always favored my sister, just because she was born a few seconds after me. Every time, I had to give in to her, step aside for her, and let her shine.

When I discovered her secret and tried to tell Mom, she snapped at me, accusing me of being jealous. Dad pinned all his hopes on my sister, his beautiful, obedient daughter who, he believed, could marry into high society and elevate our family.

They never really cared about me. And now? I was done caring about them too.

I took out my phone and opened a text from three days ago.

“I’ll marry you,” I replied. “But I have one condition.”

That same night, as if afraid I’d ruin his plans, Tristan had people leak the news that he was going to marry the second daughter of our family. The wedding was set for one week later on his 25th birthday.

Coincidentally, that was the same day I planned to get married, too.

Over the next two days, the man I agreed to marry sent people every day to escort me to wedding dress fittings and banquet tastings.

I was exhausted and tempted to just give up, but he was serious.

“You saved my life,” he said, “and you’re the only woman I’ll ever marry. So the wedding has to be grand. I won’t let you settle for anything less.”

His deep, sincere gaze made my heart skip for a moment.

In my last life, he had approached me, too. But I had already promised myself to Tristan, so I rejected him, cold and firm.

Later, I heard he took his own life.

The guilt stayed with me for a long time. But back then, I only cared about saving my sister and my parents from the wrath of the Clarks. I was willing to sacrifice everything for them back then.

But not this time.

This time, I was putting myself first. I would save the people I wanted to save. I would live the life I wanted to live.

Three days before the wedding, he told me he was flying overseas to pick out a diamond worthy of me.

“Eloise,” he said, gently holding my hand, “I’ll have someone pick you up tomorrow. You’ll love the wedding dress this time. I promise.”

Then he got in the car and headed to the airport.

The next day, I saw the dress, and it was breathtaking.

The boutique owner told me he’d rushed over a hundred designers to complete it in time. He even named it after me.

The moment I slipped into it, the entire room seemed to light up. Even my usually dull features looked striking in the mirror.

Then I heard a voice I knew all too well.

“Tristan, I love that dress she’s wearing!”

As I turned around, I locked eyes with Tristan.

For a split second, I saw surprise flash in his eyes. But it quickly twisted into a sneer.

“Eloise?” he scoffed. “What are you doing here? Did you find out we were coming to try on dresses and show up just to ruin our day?”

Bianca threw herself into our mother’s arms and pouted. “Mom, do you think she’s upset because we didn’t invite her?”

My parents turned on me immediately.

“You little brat!” my mother snapped. “So this is where you’ve been hiding. You're trying to upset your sister on purpose?”

“Take that dress off and get out of here! What, are you that desperate to get married? You’re a disgrace to our entire family!” my father venomously spat.

Eloise's POV

I let out a cold laugh and snapped right back at them. “I’m 23 years old. Since when do I need your permission to go anywhere or do anything? And that wedding dress? It’s mine. No one’s taking it from me.”

“You ungrateful brat!” my dad shouted, slapping me hard across the face.

My mom also lunged forward and grabbed the gown like a madwoman. “Your sister wants it, so take it off! Now!”

I tried to fight back, but Tristan grabbed both my arms and pinned me down.

Under the gown, I was only wearing stick-on covers and underwear. Just like that, he saw everything.

The shame hit me like a wave. I felt tears welling up, and when he saw that I was about to cry, he finally let go so I could change.

When I walked out of the fitting room, I saw Bianca already wearing the gown, with a smug look on her face like she’d just won a prize.

“I told you,” I said, clenching my fists, “that dress is mine.”

I tried to call the manager, but my mother yanked me back roughly. “Are you done embarrassing us? That dress was meant for someone beautiful like your sister. Stop dreaming!”

My dad snatched my phone away and growled, “Go home and reflect on your behavior. You’re grounded until your sister’s wedding is over in two days!”

While I was still shouting in outrage, Tristan told his bodyguards to drag me out and stuff me into the car.

He leaned close to my ear, laughing under his breath. “Eloise, so this is what they mean by playing hard to get. You showed up here on purpose, didn’t you? Just to get my attention?”

He then slipped a key into my palm and added, “Be good. I’ll spend the first half of our wedding night with your sister and the second half with you.”

Disgusted, I spat right in his face. “What kind of trash bag are you? So full of garbage you’re spilling over? Disgusting. You're punching way above your weight.”

Right then, his smile vanished, and his face turned dark. “Ungrateful slut. Who else would want someone like you? You better think this through.”

With that, he told the guards to send me home.

I was then locked in my room, grinding my teeth in rage. Two more days… I couldn’t wait to see Tristan’s cursed transformation, neither man nor woman, just a freak of nature.

And when that happened, the Clarks would blame my sister and my parents first.

I had to find a way to cut ties with them before that.

That night, I caused a ruckus. I broke furniture, threw things, and made so much noise that no one could sleep.

But my parents still refused to let me out.

Left with no choice, I lit a fire.

Half of our estate went up in flames, so my parents called me a jinx and threw me out for good.

In the chaos, I grabbed my phone and called my fiancé. He didn’t ask a single question. He just sent someone to pick me up and take me to an empty luxury villa.

For the next two days, I slept well, rested up, and waited for the wedding day to arrive.

And when it finally came, I put on the custom-made gown that had been designed just for me, and walked into the grand event hall.

The moment my parents and Bianca saw me, their expressions changed instantly.

Even Tristan’s eyes lit up for a second before his face twisted again in disgust.

“Eloise,” he barked, “you show up dressed like this to steal someone else’s wedding? Shameless!”

I hadn’t expected these two walking disasters to choose the exact same day to get married. I frowned.

But then, I calmly replied, “Relax. I’m here to get married, too. Now get out of my way.”

But Bianca stepped in front of me, gripping the hem of her gown, her eyes full of jealousy and resentment. “Why do you always take everything from me, even when we were kids? You can have the dress, fine. But Tristan? I won’t give him up.”

That one line sent the entire room into chaos.

“Wait, what did she just say? The older daughter tried to steal her sister’s wedding dress and the groom?”

With that chaos, our parents pushed through the crowd, their faces flushed with anger.

“Eloise, are you out of your mind? You tried to burn us alive just because we wouldn’t let you steal your sister’s fiancé, and now you have the nerve to show up dressed like this to ruin the wedding?” my mom accused me.

My father then snorted and warned, “Try us, go ahead. Keep this up, and we’ll call the police!”

Eloise's POV

Everyone was stunned.

“Wait, what?! She was the one who started that fire at the Shelton estate two days ago? What a monster. Typical ugly on the outside and even worse on the inside. If I were her parents, I’d have disowned her ages ago!”

All I wanted to do was laugh coldly.

Ever since we were kids, my sister had always had her eyes on what was mine. Then she’d twist the story, acting like I was the one who stole from her, playing the victim with her soft little voice and pitiful eyes.

And my parents? They always took her side. They helped her steal everything that was supposed to belong to me.

So now, when I spoke up, I didn’t hold back.

“You locked me up. Took away my freedom. What, I’m not even allowed to save myself?” I shot back, calm and sharp.

But my father slapped me across the face. “You really want to say that in front of everyone? You know exactly why we locked you up. It's because you shamelessly chased after your sister’s fiancé!”

“What?! What’s going on here?” Tristan’s parents had just arrived, clearly confused by the chaos.

After hearing my sister and parents pile their accusations against me, they exchanged uncertain glances.

“But… when we came last week to propose, she didn’t say anything about wanting to marry Tristan,” Mrs. Clark said.

Still holding my stinging cheek, I let out a laugh. “Mr. and Mrs. Clark, you’ve always been reasonable, and I appreciate that. I’ve already said it—me showing up at the bridal shop, and now here, was a coincidence. The man I’m marrying happens to be holding his wedding upstairs on the second floor.”

The crowd burst into laughter.

“The second floor? Isn’t that reserved for private VIP events? I’ve never heard of anyone holding a wedding up there!”

My parents turned even redder with embarrassment.

“Eloise! You’re such a liar, it’s disgusting. Get out! As of today, we no longer have a daughter like you!”

In contrast to their expected reaction, I smiled with satisfaction. “Perfect. Everyone here heard that, right? I want you all to be witnesses. I don’t want anything to do with them anymore. I won’t be dragged down by this family ever again.”

Mr. and Mrs. Clark paused, confused. “Dragged down? What do you mean?”

I pointed directly at my sister. “She can’t save your son. She never could.”

My sister’s face turned pale, her eyes welling with tears. “Eloise, don’t you remember? A fortune teller said when we were born that both of us had the blessing to break the curse. Are you really going to stand here and accuse me just because you were the one who had to marry into the Clark family instead?”

Tristan immediately pulled her into his arms, glaring at me like I was filth. “Give it up, Eloise. The only woman I’ll ever love, ever marry, is Bianca. You could stand in front of me naked and I still wouldn’t want you.”

I rolled my eyes and scoffed, “You’re in such a rush to die, what do you want me to do, stop you? Well, I'm sorry, but I just feel sorry for your parents.”

With that, I turned to leave, but Mrs. Clark stepped in front of me. “Eloise, what you just said, is it true?” Her voice trembled slightly. “If it is, will you marry my son instead?”

A mother’s heart was always the same. Just like in my last life, she was willing to cancel the wedding in front of everyone, just to protect her son.

But Tristan growled through gritted teeth. “Mom! I told you I’m not marrying that woman! Don’t beg her!”

He then turned to me, his expression dark and twisted. “Eloise, stop trying to manipulate everyone. I don’t care what tricks you pull, but I’ll never marry you.”

But before anyone else could speak, a calm, steady voice rang out from behind us.

“My woman doesn’t need to marry you.”

The whole room went silent. Gasps echoed through the hall.

When people turned to look, they saw a tall, sharp-suited man standing at the doorway.

Mr. Clark’s eyes went wide. “Drake?!”

Drake Clark gave a polite, faint smile. “Long time no see. How have you been, my brother?”

Mr. Clark was so flustered, he nodded quickly. “Good, good!”

It was only then that the truth came out.

The man in front of us was the son adopted by Tristan’s grandfather, the very same day Tristan was born. Technically, that made him Tristan’s uncle, even though they were the same age.

And when Tristan realized that I was marrying his uncle, he completely lost it.