My academically averse sister, Alayna James, suddenly decided to apply for college and convinced our parents to marry me, Sienna James, off to Colonel Dylan Webber’s son, Austin Webber, planning to use the wedding gifts to fund her education. I knew it then—she had been reborn too. In my previous life, Alayna thought education was useless and married Austin right after high school graduation, enticed by the generous gifts he offered. Later, when Austin was reassigned to Adak, Alayna refused to follow him, complaining about the harsh environment. Meanwhile, I worked my way through college, secured a stable job, and moved into the city. Alayna began accepting bribes in the military district using Dylan’s name, which led to Dylan being investigated and ultimately punished by his superiors, resulting in Ella Webber, Austin’s mother, throwing her out. After the divorce, Alayna was tricked into stock trading in Los Angeles, and when the market crashed, she lost all the money our parents, Gavin James and Natalia James, had saved. Desperate, she came after me, threatening me with a knife to hand over my savings and house, hoping to use that money to recover. In the chaos, I was stabbed twelve times and died from blood loss. When I opened my eyes again, Alayna was convincing our parents to marry me off to Austin. I gladly accepted and immediately dropped out of school. “He’s the colonel’s son! What a great opportunity. If Sienna hadn’t brought them food back then, do you think you’d have this marriage prospect?” “So what if his father is a colonel? Austin is just a recruit now. If I hurry and get into college, I can work in the city later. Finding a rich boyfriend will be much easier then.” Gavin and Natalia kept trying to persuade her, but Alayna wouldn’t listen. Ten Christmases ago, when Austin and Ella first arrived at our farm, they were emaciated and nearly dying. No one dared approach them except me, who secretly brought them food and cotton clothes in the middle of the night. Because of this, the first thing Austin and Ella did after returning to the city was to propose to my family. In my previous life, Alayna took credit for my good deed. Since it was dark, Ella couldn’t see my face clearly and only asked which family’s child I was. Gavin and Natalia insisted that it was Alayna, their favorite daughter, who had delivered the supplies. I watched helplessly as Alayna married Austin and enjoyed her moment of glory. Gavin said, “College costs money. We’re poor—how are we supposed to pay for your education?” He slammed the table in anger, making it shake. Alayna replied, “Then let Sienna marry Austin. Ask his family for more money, and that’ll cover my college tuition.” Alayna knew that marrying Austin meant following him to Adak, likely never to return, yet she deliberately pushed me into it. She walked over to my spaghetti, snatched the book from my hands, the edges of the pages painfully scraping my palm. She said, “I’ve already told the teacher to cancel your enrollment. Give me your textbooks and workbooks—you won’t need school anymore.” She was informing me, not asking for my opinion. I looked up to meet Alayna’s gaze and smiled, “Sure.” Natalia, seeing Alayna’s determination, sighed. “You really won’t listen to reason. You’ll regret this later!” Then she turned to me. “You’re getting a great deal! When you marry into the Webber family, remember to introduce boyfriends to your sister. Forget about recruits like Austin—your sister will go to college, she should marry a lieutenant at least!” Gavin and Natalia were always like this, thinking of Alayna first whenever something good happened. They felt I didn’t deserve anything. Just because when I was born, Natalia was in pain for three whole days and nearly died in childbirth. Since I was little, Gavin and Natalia called me a disaster. So whenever Alayna bullied me, Gavin and Natalia thought she was avenging them. This time, sending away the “disaster” while earning tuition money for Alayna seemed like a good deal to Gavin and Natalia. They quickly responded to the matchmaker, saying they would double the originally agreed wedding gift amount, and the marriage was settled. The matchmaker agreed while rolling her eyes. As she left, I overheard her muttering, “All this fuss over the kindness of one meal—this family has no shame!”
The Austin family received word from the matchmaker, and although reluctant, they grudgingly agreed. That evening, gifts arrived at my home. Alayna paraded around the village wearing her expensive watch, head held high with pride. Gavin and Natalia counted the $1,200 over and over again. Yet their gift to me was merely a piece of old fabric. I stayed up all night using the sewing machine the Webber family sent to quickly make a shirt and a dress. Alayna mocked me from the side: “Is this for you? You’re about to get married and won’t be part of our family anymore. If you break this sewing machine, what will my mom use to make new clothes for me?” I cut the last thread and silently returned to my room. Seeing her blank test papers spread out, a cold smile appeared on my lips. I thought, “Alayna, you have no idea how much effort it takes to study in the city.” In my previous life, because of the village’s poor education, there were no teachers who understood the SAT. Gavin and Natalia wanted me to come home and farm, but I refused to accept that fate. I persistently sought help from visiting teachers in the village. After the teachers returned to the city, no one could teach me anymore. I relied on a pair of worn-out shoes to walk four miles to town to borrow study materials. During my free time, I sat under trees, buried in books. I either worked or studied, which is how I got accepted into the city’s top university. Gavin and Natalia loved to brag, never mentioning my hard work, only claiming I got into university after barely glancing at the textbooks. Alayna actually believed them, thinking she was a genius who could easily get into college with minimal effort. She clutched my workbooks thinking they were some kind of cheat code, not realizing that without determination to endure hardship, no one could escape this dream-devouring family. Soon, the day of my wedding to Austin arrived. Austin’s parents booked a restaurant in the city. My parents had never been to the city before, and Alayna looked at their timid demeanor with disgust. She said, “This is just a small restaurant. I’ve seen much more luxurious places.” Indeed, compared to the lavish lifestyle she had lived in her previous life through bribery, this was nothing. Though modest, the wedding was properly arranged. Ella held my hand apologetically and said, “Sienna, we originally wanted to make it more elaborate, but we gathered the wedding gifts in a hurry and couldn’t afford more. Please understand.” I smiled and said it was fine, but Alayna looked dissatisfied. “People would throw money at you with just a casual request. Who are you trying to fool by pretending to be poor?” As Ella was about to retort, a commotion erupted outside the private room. Someone shouted, “Austin, don’t be stubborn! The bride’s family is all here. You can’t just call off the wedding. Where will your father put his face?” Austin wanted to back out of the marriage? Ella’s expression changed dramatically as she went to check the situation. I didn’t remember much about Austin, but he was a man of integrity. In my previous life, even when he was transferred to Adak with its harsh environment, and Alayna refused to go with him, he never complained. Later, when Alayna got into trouble for embezzling money using Dylan’s name, Austin, out of gratitude and consideration for their marriage, gave her a settlement during their divorce. He had always valued relationships and loyalty; he would never call off a wedding like this. I stared at the door of the private room as it kept opening and closing, with Austin’s friends rushing out one by one to persuade him. Through the gap in the door, I vaguely saw his face, more rugged and determined than when he was young. Austin said, “No matter what, I cannot marry this harbinger of disaster! I can repay the debt of gratitude, but this bride—I absolutely cannot marry her today!” He actually called me a “harbinger of disaster”? My heart ached sharply as a cold feeling spread through me.
Alayna burst into laughter when she heard this. “Sienna, I can’t believe your reputation as a jinx has already reached your husband’s ears!” she said. After a brief pause, she lowered her voice with a hint of mockery, “A jinx and a loser—truly a match made in heaven.” I clenched my fists, my knuckles making a slight cracking sound. Austin was pushed through the door by several friends, looking reluctant. Alayna stood up straight with her arms crossed when she saw him enter. With her tall figure, she always stood out in a crowd. However, Austin ignored everyone else, his eyes fixed only on me. I stared at his chiseled features, momentarily stunned. Up close, his handsome, stern face was even more striking than the movie stars on posters. No wonder Alayna never failed to mention how good-looking Austin was whenever she brought him up. Austin noticed the corsage on my chest that matched his boutonniere exactly, immediately realizing the bride had been switched. His thick eyebrows furrowed as he blurted out, “Why is it you? Wasn’t I supposed to marry Alayna?” Alayna, already displeased about being upstaged, didn’t hesitate to strike back. “Who would want to marry a rookie like you? You should know your place—you’re not good enough for me!” she snapped. She then smoothed her two braids, lifted her chin, and turned her face away. Austin’s expression changed slightly, clearly realizing he had said the wrong thing. I spoke calmly, “You said you wanted to marry the girl who saved you back then. That was me.” Austin’s gaze froze, his chest visibly rising and falling as he stared at me with unusual intensity, as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time. “I know,” he said. I widened my eyes in shock, a bold guess flashing through my mind. He continued, “I’m sorry. Let’s continue with the wedding. I want to marry her!” Everyone was confused by Austin’s reaction. Ella quickly said, “Look how excited he is! He’s completely disoriented! What a softie!” Austin suddenly shed his rebellious attitude, a blush spreading from his neck to his cheeks. Alayna muttered something and returned to her seat with a cold snort. The rest of the wedding proceeded smoothly. However, near the end, Alayna mentioned that the study environment in the village wasn’t good and asked Austin to find her a tutor in the city. At this request, Austin visibly showed his reluctance to deal with her and remained silent. Ella, however, readily agreed, “Since you’ve asked, we’ll definitely help.” She then arranged for Alayna to stay at a test prep center. Before Gavin and Natalia left, they repeatedly instructed me, “Now that you’re married, don’t forget about our family. Make sure to bring back plenty of good things from Austin’s home for your sister, and don’t let her get too tired.” “Prepare three meals a day and deliver them to her, and come back to wash her clothes.” “Your sister’s exam is important—taking care of her is your real duty!” Alayna lounged on the bed, eating snacks with a smug expression. “Did you hear that? Don’t think you’re special just because you married into the Dylan family. No matter where you go, you’re destined to be my servant!” Gavin and Natalia nodded in agreement, saying Alayna was right and that I shouldn’t forget my roots. I swallowed my anger without arguing back. For the next two weeks, I shuttled back and forth between the test prep center and the Dylan house. Seeing how hard I was working, Austin arranged for the family’s housekeeper to deliver meals instead. But Alayna threw a plate in front of the housekeeper. “Go back and tell Sienna not to act high and mighty with me! If I hadn’t given her the opportunity to marry Austin, she’d still be doing chores at home.” When Austin heard about this, he was furious and wanted to send her back to the village to defend me. But Alayna mocked him to his face, “Austin, don’t be so smug. Be careful or you might get deployed to some wasteland in Adak and never return.” “Tsk, you might even die there.” In my previous life, I had heard stories about Austin while living in the city. Adak was where he met his end, and they never even brought his remains back. Austin glared at Alayna, his whole body trembling, seemingly with a thousand words he wanted to say. I dragged him home, and it was the first time he lost his temper in front of me. “Why are you taking her side instead of mine?” I was speechless, a strange atmosphere spreading between us. It wasn’t the right time yet; I needed to wait a little longer. On the last day of the SAT, I was more nervous than Alayna. It was also the day Austin’s transfer orders would be issued. Alayna walked into the exam room confidently, saying to me, “Sienna, after today, let’s see what you have to be so proud of!” Gavin and Natalia watched her go with high expectations, as if Alayna would be accepted into college just hours later. I was so nervous that my palms were sweating. When I turned around, Austin was calling my name from across the street, waving a folder with a bright red seal clearly visible. My heart skipped a beat.
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