During the forty Christmases of my arranged marriage with Christopher Edwards, we were the model couple that everyone in Washington envied. However, when I was on the brink of death from a heart attack, he locked me in a room and forced me to sign divorce papers and a corneal transplant consent form. Christopher coldly told me, “Natalie Morris, you’ve enjoyed wealth and privilege your entire life, sailing through everything smoothly, except for one thing—you’ve wronged your sister Eleanor Morris. Because of you, Eleanor never married and cried herself blind. Since you’re dying anyway, give her both your corneas and your position as Mrs. Edwards.” My beloved son Dylan Edwards coldly chimed in, “Mom, everyone says a mother’s love is selfless. Aunt Eleanor is the most talented person in Washington. I admire how she’s been able to protect the Morris family through her own abilities, and I’d be willing to accept her as my mother. If you truly care about me, please agree to this.” After that, I died of sheer rage. After my death, my corneas were harvested, but my body was thrown into a cold morgue with no one to claim it. Christopher and Dylan excitedly brought Eleanor back to the Edwards estate to celebrate her new life. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day Christopher came to my house to propose. Watching him steal glances at Eleanor, my heart was filled with nothing but hatred. In this life, I would personally unite this “loving couple” with my own hands. ***** Looking at box after box of engagement gifts sent by the Edwards family, my mother Athena Morris was quite satisfied. She said the same words as in my previous life: “Christopher, Natalie is the daughter I’ve cherished and protected since childhood. If you marry her, you must treat her well for life, and moreover…” But before Athena could finish, Christopher interrupted her: “Mrs. Athena, I’m here today to marry your adopted daughter Eleanor.” Athena was stunned, and everyone else in the villa was shocked too. After a moment, Athena said angrily, “Christopher, you and Natalie grew up together. Everyone in Washington knows about your relationship. How dare you back out now? What do you take her for?” Christopher withdrew his infatuated gaze from Eleanor and said firmly, “Mrs. Athena, the only person I love is Eleanor. Natalie is wonderful and would make a good wife and mother, but without love to sustain it, our marriage would be nothing but a lifetime of mediocrity. That’s not the life I want.” Hearing his words, I was stunned. Instantly, I realized that Christopher had been reborn just like me. Perhaps because our marriage in the previous life felt too bland and regrettable to him, he wanted to make amends in this life. Seeing Athena’s displeasure, Christopher paused, then suggested, “However, Mrs. Athena, your point is valid. Since Natalie’s reputation has been damaged because of me, I can provide for her. After we marry, she can move in and live with us.” Athena frowned, “Let me think about this some more. You should leave for now.” Thinking Athena had agreed, Christopher left contentedly with Eleanor. Watching their intimate silhouettes, I felt a slight pang in my heart. I suppressed the emotion and looked at Athena with confusion: “Mom, why didn’t you refuse outright?” Athena sighed and took my hand with concern, “Natalie, I know your childhood dream was to marry Christopher. I was worried that if I spoke too absolutely, you’d be upset.” I was touched and said, “How could I be? I’m the most beloved daughter of the Morris family. Since Christopher doesn’t think I’m good enough, there’s no need for me to insist on being with him.” Seeing that I wasn’t particularly heartbroken, Athena seemed relieved: “In that case, I’ll go tell Christopher right now to make things clear.” I stopped Athena in time: “I should handle these matters myself.” I left the living room, but the servants said Christopher had already gone. Remembering events from my previous life, I decided to have a proper talk with Eleanor. But I never expected that as soon as I reached her bedroom door, I’d hear her talking on the phone with a friend. Her friend said, “Eleanor, you’re incredible. Even now, that old woman Athena still doesn’t know you’re her husband’s biological daughter, does she? Not only did you become her daughter, but you also stole Natalie’s engagement. From now on, all the Morris family fortune will be yours.” Eleanor let out a cold laugh. “Once I become part of the Edwards family, I’ll make sure that old woman Athena and Natalie end up on the streets, and when they die, they won’t even have a grave. This is what they owe my mother.” I felt a chill run through my entire body, too shocked to recover for a long time. Their brazen conversation pierced my heart like a knife. Until this moment, I had always believed Eleanor was an orphan that my late father Miles Morris had taken in. I never imagined she was actually Miles’s illegitimate daughter. Then I remembered how in my previous life, less than a year after the wedding, Athena had suddenly fallen seriously ill and died despite all efforts to save her. Hatred instantly consumed my heart. I went downstairs, planning to tell Athena everything immediately. But the next second, Christopher, who should have left, suddenly appeared and grabbed my wrist. Glancing at Eleanor’s room behind me, he frowned and asked, “Natalie, what are you planning to do to Eleanor?” After a pause, without waiting for my response, Christopher continued, “Eleanor is kind and gentle. If you’re taking out your anger on her because of my breaking off our engagement, I won’t let you get away with it. Also, at Mr. White’s birthday party in three days, Eleanor will earn the admiration and respect of everyone in Washington. This will benefit both the Morris and Edwards families. As her sister, shouldn’t you be blessing her?” The words “gentle” and “kind” stabbed at my heart. I suddenly changed my mind. I couldn’t let Athena and I suffer this injustice for nothing. Since Christopher trusted Eleanor so much, I would personally tear off his beloved’s mask right in front of him. After Christopher left, I contacted a lawyer: “Please investigate the orphanage Eleanor was at before her adoption and the medications my mother has been using recently, and arrange a paternity test for me.” Besides that, I needed to prepare thoroughly for this birthday party. I was determined to make this pair of bastards pay the price.
Three days later would be the banquet hosted by Washington’s elite White family specifically to celebrate Julian White’s birthday. “The White family comes from a scholarly background, and Julian’s greatest passions are calligraphy and oil painting.” So everyone in Washington with any connections or friends attended. In my previous life, Eleanor had won the White family’s favor and support at this very banquet with a single oil painting, and Julian even adopted her as his goddaughter. Subsequently, Eleanor not only became one of the most prominent women in Washington, but also impressed Christopher and Dylan so much that they didn’t hesitate to abandon me for her. I took a deep breath, suppressing the churning emotions, then walked into the banquet hall. Instantly, everyone’s eyes fell on me, and their whispered conversations immediately reached my ears. One woman said disdainfully, “I heard Miss Morris actually plans to live in their house after Mr. Edwards gets married. She’s truly shameless.” A man said puzzledly, “Actually, Miss Morris’s looks and education are top-tier in Washington. Why won’t Mr. Edwards marry her, but instead marry an adopted daughter?” Another woman replied, “What do you know? Although Eleanor Morris can’t match Miss Morris in other aspects, I heard she’s very talented and exceptionally skilled at painting.” I smirked inwardly with disdain. Not wanting to deal with these gossips, I headed straight to the guest lounge. I had just sat down when Christopher approached with Eleanor. Seeing me, he smiled smugly and said, “Natalie, why don’t you sit with us in the VIP section up front? That way, after Eleanor presents her gift and receives praise from Mr. White, you might get some attention too.” I couldn’t help but scoff, saying, “Mr. Edwards, to promote Eleanor, you don’t hesitate to spread rumors about me. I really should praise your devotion.” Christopher’s expression darkened slightly. I continued, “But have you considered this? Now that the rumors have spread so widely, if you can’t handle this well, you’ll both become everyone’s laughingstock. If Eleanor succeeds, that’s fine. But if she fails, she’ll be the joke of all Washington.” Christopher snorted coldly, looking as if he’d seen right through me: “The fortune teller I consulted said Eleanor brings good luck and simply cannot fail. Natalie, I know you’re angry because I won’t marry you. But you’d better not cause trouble for Eleanor. You need to treat her well. That way, the outcome will be good for the Morris family.” Hearing his words, I grew cold, remembering what I’d overheard a few days ago. Christopher poured a glass of wine and handed it to me: “Toast Eleanor and apologize to her. Then we’ll consider everything from before water under the bridge. That way, you can get your wish and move into our home after we’re married, can’t you?” The surrounding crowd immediately gathered around, seemingly waiting to mock me. After all, everyone knew about my desire to marry Christopher. Two years ago, some wealthy and powerful Washington families wanted to arrange marriages with me, but I directly refused them all. I even declared outright that I only wanted to marry Christopher in this lifetime. Even if his family went bankrupt, I wouldn’t look down on him. But I never expected these words to quickly spread throughout Washington. So now everyone believed that as long as I could stay by Christopher’s side, I’d agree to even his most unreasonable demands. One man said, “Yes, Miss Morris, hurry up and toast and apologize. Don’t make Mr. Edwards angry. Otherwise, you won’t be able to move into his house.” Then a chorus of jeering voices rose from the crowd. Eleanor, who had been standing outside the crowd, finally spoke with perfect composure: “Stop making things difficult for Natalie. After all, Natalie is the true daughter of the Morris family, while I’m just an adopted daughter.” Seeing her look hurt, Christopher protectively pulled her into his arms, saying, “You’re too kind. Once you become a member of the Edwards family, no one will be able to bully you anymore. If Natalie doesn’t behave, she can get out and never set foot in Edwards Manor again.” I couldn’t help but laugh out loud, interrupting them: “I’m curious—does Eleanor dare drink the wine I toast her with? Christopher, what makes you think I don’t like anyone except you? Finally, I want to ask everyone here: Do you really think the person who’ll win Mr. White’s appreciation today will definitely be Eleanor?” Instantly, everyone fell silent, not knowing how to respond. The next second, the White family’s butler, Warren Reyes, suddenly approached: “Miss Eleanor Morris, Mr. White has seen the painting you sent and would like to meet with you.”
The banquet hall instantly erupted into chaos. One man said, “I never expected Miss Eleanor Morris to be personally requested by Mr. White for a private meeting. It seems she’s truly won Mr. White’s favor.” A woman chimed in, “Looks like Miss Morris is just jealous.” Another woman added, “If I were her, I’d be too embarrassed to stay here any longer. She’s absolutely ridiculous.” Some even began praising Christopher: “As expected, Mr. Edwards is so perceptive—he can tell at a glance who’s more valuable.” Christopher shot me a smug look and said mockingly, “I told you Eleanor was exceptional. What do you have to say now? Natalie, if you apologize properly before things are settled, Eleanor and I won’t hold this against you.” The commotion around us grew louder, as if after this birthday party, I would become a complete failure. My bodyguard was furious and said, “Miss Morris, I’ll go get Mrs. Athena Morris.” I shook my head and stopped him: “That’s not appropriate. Don’t worry, someone will come looking for us soon enough.” Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, Julian approached surrounded by a crowd of people. He wore a tailored suit, his hair silver but his bearing vigorous. Julian placed two greeting cards and two oil paintings on the table, then asked, “Miss Morris, why are your gifts identical to Eleanor’s?” Eleanor walked forward with tears in her eyes, looking utterly bewildered: “Natalie, I’ve always looked up to you as my role model. How could you plagiarize my greeting card and painting?” I didn’t panic at all. In my previous life, Eleanor had stolen my greeting card and painting to attend this birthday party. Back then, Julian was concerned about damaging our reputation, so he waited until after the party to question us privately. At that time, I worried this incident would affect our relationship and make outsiders think Miles and Athena had failed in raising their children properly. On the other hand, I was afraid Christopher would mind this matter. So I took the blame for plagiarism, allowing Eleanor to receive everyone’s admiration. Now, since I already knew her true intentions and no longer loved Christopher, there was no need to accommodate her: “In this world, being first to present something doesn’t make you innocent. You claim I plagiarized you—where’s your proof?” Eleanor hadn’t expected me to be so composed and found herself at a loss for words. However, Christopher stepped in front of her, looking at me with displeasure: “I’m the witness. A few days ago, you were sneaking around outside Eleanor’s room. I didn’t know what you were doing then, but now it’s clear—you went there to steal her gifts.” Julian, having experienced many situations, didn’t easily believe Christopher’s words: “Just because you saw Natalie once, you’re that certain?” Christopher said confidently, “Natalie and I have known each other since childhood, and I understand her completely. She truly can’t compare to Eleanor in any way.” Even though I’d long known about Christopher’s favoritism, I couldn’t help feeling my heart turn cold. I clenched my fists and declared loudly, “In that case, why don’t we ask Mr. White to be our witness and have Eleanor and me write greeting cards for you again right here?” Eleanor’s face turned pale as she frantically tried to stop Christopher. But before her hand could touch his sleeve, Christopher said confidently, “Since you want to be humiliated, we’ll oblige you.”
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