The Edwards family wasn’t poor—just tragically short on people.

By this generation, only Edward remained.

And that Edward, rumor had it, was… impotent.

A month ago, his mother Janet had put the word out: any girl willing to marry her son would receive a thousand dollars as bride price—a fortune in their village.

Wayne and Elizabeth, Reese’s aunt and uncle, were the first to bite.

They took half the money upfront, already counting the days until they could ship her off.

But on the day of the formal meeting, Reese had pressed a pair of scissors to her own throat, refusing point-blank to even see the Edwards family.

In the end, it was Edward who stepped back, preventing the whole ugly scene from escalating.

Now, less than a month later, the same girl who’d fought tooth and nail not to marry him was dragging her sick body to his doorstep.

Reese knew how badly she’d behaved last time.

She braced herself for resentment, for hurdles.

But Janet only looked at her with detached calm.

“I know what happened,” she said. “You’re willing to marry my son, on the condition we pay for your treatment. So tell me—how do I know you won’t run the moment you’re well?”

Her gaze sharpened with suspicion. After all, Reese had proven herself unreliable before.

Reese clenched her fists, then forced them open. “You have my word,” she said, voice firm. “I’m not ungrateful. Save me, and I’ll spend the rest of my life looking after Edward.”

Janet studied her for a long, silent moment, her expression giving nothing away.

It was Edward who broke the stalemate, emerging from the inner room.

He held out an envelope. “Take this,” he said, his voice low. “Get well first. We’ll talk after.”

His fingers brushed hers as he passed it over—cool to the touch, yet the contact sent a shock like touching something hot, followed by a wave of warmth.

He was generous. Two hundred dollars—twenty of the new ten-dollar bills, more money than she’d ever held at once.

She stared at the cash, then up at him, stunned. “You—”

A faint smile touched his lips. “Medicine first,” he said. “My fiancée.”

Her ears burned. Mumbling her thanks, head bowed, she hurried away.

---

Reese remembered most of the prescriptions Logan had given her in her past life.

One particular herb was only available from a local, old-school herbalist.

She rushed over, arriving just as he was packing up the last bundle.

“Lucky timing, girl,” the old man, Louis, said with a chuckle. “The season’s over for this stuff. Miss this batch, you’d be waiting till next year.”

He held the paper-wrapped herbs out to her.

Reese reached for it—but a hand shot out from the side and snatched it away.

“Cousin, is this the one that can cure Blackie?” Mary asked, clutching the packet as she turned to Logan.

Logan glanced at Reese, then nodded. “Yes.”

“Perfect!” Mary’s eyes lit up. “Mister, we’ll take it.”

Louis pointed at Reese. “This young lady was here first.”

Mary put on a sweet smile. “Please, I need this for my dog. Could you let me have it?”

Reese almost laughed. “I need it to save my life. And I *was* here first.”

“Go buy it somewhere else,” Mary said, hugging the herbs to her chest as if guarding against a thief.

Louis chimed in, “That herb only grows in the valley behind our mountain. Growing season’s long gone. This is the last of it. Using it on a dog… well, it’d be a shame when this girl needs it to live.”

Mary threw herself against Logan. “Cousin, Blackie is suffering so much.”

Logan looked at Reese, his expression cold. “I’ll give you twenty dollars for it. Hand over the medicine.”

A sharp, fine pain prickled in Reese’s chest. Her face paled. “I don’t want your money. There’s an order to things. First come, first served.”

Logan’s brow furrowed with displeasure. “I can prescribe you something with a similar effect.”

He knew perfectly well this herb was the only thing that could cure her root condition—yet he lied straight to her face.

A suffocating pressure filled her chest. Reese shook her head. “I want this one.”

Impatience flashed in Logan’s eyes. He was about to offer Louis more money when an old acquaintance walked in and called him over to the door.

Seizing the chance, Reese quickly pulled out thirty dollars. “Sir, I’m buying it.”

Louis sighed, gesturing helplessly at Mary. “Young lady, just let her have it.”

Mary pouted, the very picture of wounded innocence, and slowly held the packet out.

But as Reese reached for it, Mary suddenly grabbed her wrist, leaning in to whisper, venom in her tone:

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. That day by the old re-education shed—you came chasing after my cousin on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Take a look at yourself in the mirror. How dare you?”

“Today, I’ll show you what wishful thinking really means.”

She let go with a sharp jerk and let out a theatrical cry, throwing herself backwards onto the floor.

Her forceful shove sent the already-weak Reese stumbling and crashing down.

A dull *thud*.

Reese’s forehead struck the leg of a table.

Warm liquid blurred her vision.

Through the haze, she saw Logan running over.

He helped Mary up, then turned and strode toward Reese.

Her heart began to pound against her ribs.

Was he coming to check on her? To see how badly she was hurt?

Against all reason, a sliver of hope bloomed.

Even if he didn’t love her, they *had* shared a bed once.

She was bleeding so much. Surely he couldn’t be that cruel?

But he was crueler than she could have imagined.

Logan stepped right over her, bent down, picked up the fallen packet of herbs, tucked it under his arm, and walked out, supporting Mary.

From start to finish, he acted as if Reese wasn’t even there.

And in that moment, with the blood trickling into her eye, Reese finally knew for certain:

Every moment of her life spent by his side, in that other lifetime, had been nothing but wasted effort.

Unable to bear the sight, the old herb farmer helped Reese bandage her wound.

"Ah, you must rest," he urged. "This illness demands it—you cannot push yourself."

Reese agreed, bid the farmer farewell, and wandered away. Her feet moved without thought, carrying her until she stood before Logan's house.

The familiar brick building loomed, and with it came the flood of memory—this very night, in her past life.

Back then, Logan had thrown the door open, his eyes rimmed red, and pulled her into a desperate embrace.

"Reese, they've dug up my cousin's family background," he choked out. "Her father was labeled a class enemy during the political purges—a factory owner accused of exploiting workers. But that was before he married my aunt."

"My cousin was snatched by traffickers as a newborn, only found and brought home recently. She knows nothing about any of it."

"Our whole family already ached for her, losing all those years. We wanted to make it up to her. And now, just as she's starting to have a few good days, they want to drag her out for public denunciation…"

"I was adopted by this family. I can never repay their kindness. If I could take her place, I would."

He buried his face in her chest, tears streaming down.

Heart aching, Reese offered to take Mary's place.

"After all, no one in the village knows what your aunt's real daughter looks like. If I just claim it's me, no one will question it."

Logan looked up, his expression torn. "But you'd suffer for it. I can't ask you to do that."

"It's fine," Reese said, patting her chest. "You saved my life. You've fed me, sheltered me. This little thing is nothing."

Deeply moved, he kissed her then—fervent, clumsy.

Lost in his intensity, she felt his ragged breath against her lips as he whispered, "Once this blows over, we'll get married."

Naive as she was, Reese thought it would only be a public shaming, something she could endure.

She never imagined the three years of hell that would follow in the quarry.

Nor did she foresee the vicious gossip that would chase her even after she'd served her time.

"That one? She was the communal grinding stone at the quarry. Different men every day."

"Hey, a doctor I know said she's so rotted down there it's festering."

"Doctor Logan is truly loyal, taking her back even after all that."

"Right? I don't know how she has the face to burden him. If I were her, I'd have hanged myself long ago."

Wherever Reese went, she was cursed and chased away. Children threw stones and rotten fruit at her.

Heartbroken, she returned to Logan and poured out her hurt.

He only said, lightly, "Then go out less."

His indifference was plain, but Reese, blind and deaf to it all, truly believed he meant it for her own good.

Only after dying and returning did she finally see Logan for who he was.

Lost in the memory, Reese didn't notice the door to Logan's house opening.

Mary stepped out and spotted her immediately.

"What are you doing here?"

"Ah, I know! You're here to steal the medicine!"

"Shadow! Chase the thief away!"

With a sharp whistle, a dark shape shot out and lunged straight for Reese.

Weak from her illness, she had almost no strength to resist.

As the black dog bared its sharp fangs, her instinct screamed for the man now standing in the doorway.

"Logan—help me!"

Logan halted, his eyes finding Mary first. “Mary, what’s happening?”

Mary clutched his arm, her voice honeyed and thin. “Cousin, I stepped outside and saw this person lurking by the door, acting all suspicious.”

“When I asked if she was here to steal our medicine again, she glared at me—so fiercely. Then Heihei just lunged and bit her. I couldn’t even call him off.”

Logan’s expression frosted over, his tone flat. “Then don’t bother calling him off.”

No sooner had he spoken than the black dog sank its teeth into Reese’s calf.

A sharp cry tore from her throat.

White-hot pain shot through her, electric and searing. Her vision swam, darkness crowding the edges.

The dog held on, shaking its head, trying to rip flesh from bone.

Gritting her teeth, Reese groped the ground until her fingers closed around a jagged stone. With every ounce of strength, she drove it into the dog’s eye.

A wet, sickening sound—blood sprayed.

The dog released its grip with a yelp.

“Heihei!” Mary shrieked, rushing forward, arms outstretched to gather her pet.

But the wounded animal, now enraged, whirled and lunged at her, clamping down on her forearm.

A scream ripped from Mary’s throat, nearly drowned out by Logan’s sharp cry of alarm.

All his earlier indifference vanished. He lunged forward, kicking the dog again and again.

Yet the beast only grew more frenzied, attacking both of them with renewed fury.

Just as Reese had done, Logan snatched up a rock and began smashing it down on the dog’s head.

Once, twice… He didn’t stop until the animal lay motionless in the dirt. Panting heavily, he finally dropped the stone.

Mary clutched her bleeding arm, sobbing. “Cousin, it hurts so much.”

Logan snapped back to himself, hastily scooping her up. “Don’t be scared. I’ll treat your wound first.”

Then he threw a vicious glare over his shoulder at Reese. “You just wait!”

Leaning heavily on her injured leg, Reese straightened, her eyes fixed on Logan. “You were the ones who let your dog attack me first. I only fought back to protect myself. Mary chose to run over and get bitten—how is that my fault?”

“Logan, what have I ever done to you? Why do you insist on humiliating me like this?”

Logan’s back stiffened for a split second, his steps faltering.

“You’re the one who keeps showing up around us. What else could you be after but trouble?”

“If you know what’s good for you, stay away!”

With that, he hurried inside and slammed the door.

Reese felt like she’d just heard the world’s worst joke.

But as the bitter laugh died in her throat, a familiar ache settled in her chest.

In this life, Logan wanted nothing to do with her.

And she wanted nothing to do with him, either.

She had already steeled her heart. No more expectations. No more waiting.

One last glance at the tightly shut door, and the final trace of emotion faded from her face, leaving it cool and detached.

She hired a farm truck to take her to the county clinic for the rabies vaccine.

Since it was growing late, she spent the night at a local guesthouse and didn’t return to town until the next morning.

The moment she stepped off the truck, town officials surrounded her.

“Reese, someone has reported you for killing their dog. Come with us to the Town Hall to give a statement.”

Hearing this, Reese knew immediately who had filed the complaint.

For a moment, she was speechless.

She never would have imagined that Logan, always so rational and composed, would indulge Mary’s madness to this extent.

**Town Hall.**

Mary was nestled against Logan’s chest, half her face buried in his shirt.

Her shoulders shook with silent sobs.

The moment Reese walked in, Mary lifted her tear-streaked face and pointed a trembling finger. “It’s her! She killed my Heihei!”

Reese’s gaze went straight to Logan.

He merely glanced up briefly before looking away, refusing to meet her eyes.

His hand moved in slow, steady circles on the back of Mary’s head—a silent, comforting gesture.

The sight brought back a memory, sharp and unwelcome: another time, long ago, when mischievous children had thrown stones and split her forehead open. She had run to him then, burying her face in his chest, seeking comfort.

He had gently but firmly pushed her away. “I’ll go find some medicine for you.”

She had felt the sting of rejection then, but she’d eventually talked herself out of it, made excuses for him.

But seeing Logan now, seeing how he comforted Mary, Reese finally understood.

It wasn’t that he didn’t know how to soothe someone.

He just hadn’t wanted to soothe *her*.

The official presiding over the hearing rapped his knuckles on the desk. “Miss Reese, what do you have to say about this?”