After that day, I moved into Briarwood Manor by myself.

The Cole residence wasn't far from the Brown residence. They weren't on the same street but were close enough that running into each other was always possible.

Since I had chosen to give up the marriage agreement with Nathaniel in this life, I needed to cut things off completely and avoid unnecessary contact.

On my first day back at Briarwood Manor, I started cleaning. I didn't expect to find the old marriage agreement tucked away in one of the cabinets.

It was the Cole family who had someone write it up years ago.

The agreement had been set here, in this very house.

Two crooked, childish names were scrawled across it—mine and Nathaniel's.

Back then, we were still little. When I had accidentally found out about the engagement between our families, I told him about it. He had pounded his chest and swore up that he'd marry me. So I secretly wrote our names on it.

Thinking for a moment, I crossed out my name and replaced it with Catherine's. Then, I sent the agreement back to the Brown residence and handed it directly to Catherine.

She curled her lip and said mockingly, "I never thought you were so good at securing a match without the people involved even knowing about it."

Despite knowing that she was deliberately mocking me, I held back my temper. I turned to leave, but she grabbed my arm.

"Nathaniel's taking me to dinner. Why don't you come with us, so he can admire your little masterpiece?"

I stayed silent.

In my past life, Nathaniel had never once taken me out to eat, saying it was a waste of money.

One year, on his birthday, I booked a table at a restaurant, hoping to make him happy. Various dishes were arranged neatly on it. But instead of a word of praise, I got cursed out, accused of being wasteful.

My fists clenched tight. I shook off Catherine's hand and turned to leave the Brown residence.

I hadn't gone far when I ran straight into Nathaniel. He was carrying an emerald bracelet, smiling so wide he didn't even notice me.

"Catherine, look at this bracelet. Do you like it? I bought it just for you."

That one simple sentence made me clench my jaw.

In my past life, I had liked that very same bracelet. But he had refused to buy it, saying it was too expensive. Yet now, he was smiling ear to ear while presenting it to Catherine. "I get employee discounts on it, it's no big deal."

One comparison after another pressed down on me like a boulder, and I quickened my steps to leave.

But it seemed he had noticed the marriage agreement in Catherine's hands. His face froze, and he asked instinctively, "Where did you get that?"

Catherine gave a short laugh, her voice dripping with scorn. "My stupid sister gave it to me."

He immediately lifted his head in a panic. But I had already turned the corner and disappeared by then.

The next morning, I went to work.

In the past, Nathaniel would walk me to my workplace. As I was always busy, I cherished those moments we spent alone together.

Seeing me arrive alone, one of my colleagues teased, "Where's that boyfriend of yours today?"

I smiled faintly. "Don't joke with me, Lucy. He's not my boyfriend but my brother-in-law. He and my sister are getting married soon, so I won't trouble him anymore."

The words had barely left my mouth when I heard Nathaniel's and Catherine's voices not far away.

I quickly ducked into a corner and heard him asking in surprise, "Where's Bella? Why isn't she here?"

But Catherine just pulled him along carelessly. "Maybe she's busy. Come on, let's go get something to eat!"

By the time I came back, the two of them were gone, swallowed by the crowd. What I didn't expect was that he would circle back. Luckily, I was in the middle of drawing customers to look at goods, and I spotted him immediately.

He raised his voice and called my name, "Bella!"

I didn't answer.

By the time he pushed his way through, I had already vanished into the sea of people.

That night after work, I returned to Briarwood Manor. I hadn't even gotten the chance to rest before my mother dragged me back to the Brown residence, saying it was time to start preparing Catherine's wedding.

Her wedding with Nathaniel was set for next month, and there was still so much to do. They had to choose her wedding dress and shoes, order the flowers, and finalize the venue. They even needed to pick out suits for the groomsmen and dresses for the bridal party.

I frowned immediately, and Catherine caught it. She crossed her arms and shot me an impatient look. "Bella Brown, are you that unwilling to do a little work?"

Every time she was upset, she'd call me by my full name.

In the past, I'd always swallowed it, telling myself she was my younger sister. But this time, I didn't feel like giving in. I answered flatly, "I have work tomorrow. I don't have time."

It was an excuse, but also the truth.

I turned to leave the room. Just then, a series of knocks came from the door. "Bella, are you home?"

I knew that familiar voice belonged to Nathaniel. He was probably here to ask why I ignored him today.

I glanced at Catherine and said lightly, "You go open it. I'm leaving."

As I walked out, I heard his low voice from the courtyard. "Catherine, where's Bella? I haven't seen her these past few days."

"Nathaniel, why are you asking about her? I'm your fiancée now. Are you still in love with her?"

His voice caught. After a long pause, he finally said slowly, "Of course not. It's just… I haven't seen her in a while, and there's something I wanted to ask."

I didn't hear the rest. Back at Briarwood Manor, I focused on getting my goods ready for tomorrow's work. I didn't expect him to actually show up at my door.

Before dawn, heavy knocking echoed through the manor. I frowned and peeked quietly out the window. Seeing it was Nathaniel, I chose to ignore him.

"No one's home? But if Bella isn't here, where else could she be?"

He knew me well and knew there were only a few places I ever went. It wasn't until daylight fully broke that he finally left with frustration.

By then, it was already past 7:00 am. I'd already lost the will to go to work.

So I grabbed my bag and hopped on the bus into the city. In my last life, I rarely ever came downtown.

Nathaniel thought wandering around was nothing but a sign of idleness. So my days had been nothing more than endless trips between home and work.

At the shopping mall, I ran straight into him and Catherine. They were carrying armfuls of things for the wedding, and I overheard Catherine complaining about me.

"Bella is so petty. She's just jealous that you're marrying me, that's why she won't help prepare the wedding."

Nathaniel's face was unreadable, giving away nothing of what he was really thinking.

I lowered my head, trying to avoid them. But then, unexpectedly, he called my name under his breath. "Bella?"

I hurried my steps, bought a movie ticket on a whim, and ducked into the newly opened theater. The movie turned out to be some cheesy romance.

The place was packed with couples, which only made me feel even more out of place sitting there by myself. Not long after I settled in, I caught Catherine's voice close by. "Nathaniel, what are you thinking about? You're not even paying attention to the movie."

My whole body stiffened. I could feel his gaze searching the seats behind me.

He let out a soft sigh and murmured, "Was I really just seeing things?"

I slipped out of the theater before the movie even ended. After making sure no one was following me, I wandered around until nightfall before finally taking the bus home.

On the road leading back to Briarwood Manor, I suddenly noticed a long shadow stretched across the ground.

Nathaniel was smoking under the moonlight, his face hidden in the dark.

I turned on my heel and headed straight for the Brown residence. As soon as I pushed the door open, I saw Catherine flaunting the things she'd gotten with him that day.

She held a wedding dress against her body, looking at me with smug delight. "Bella, you've probably never worn anything this nice, have you? But don't worry, after I marry Nathaniel, I'll hand this one down to you. You can wear it at your wedding."

Then, she showed off a watch on her wrist, parading it in front of me.

The knot of pain in my chest slowly eased into numbness, and eventually, a quiet sense of acceptance settled in.

In my last life, when I married Nathaniel, I'd made almost everything with my own hands. He insisted on keeping things simple, and aside from a cheap bottle of face cream, he didn't buy me anything. Yet now, he was generous with Catherine.

"Oh, by the way, Nathaniel said we're going to have a wedding banquet, too." Her eyes gleamed with pride as she whispered, "These are all things you never had."

I remained quiet, though my hands dug into the chair until the wood creaked.

She had indeed been reborn, too. She knew exactly what my wedding with Nathaniel had been like. She had competed with me her whole life.

And this time, even her marriage had to outshine mine.

To avoid running into Nathaniel, I stayed the night at the Brown residence. When I returned to Briarwood Manor before dawn, I saw cigarette butts scattered all over the ground outside. I had no idea when he finally left.

But after that day, he never came near Briarwood Manor again. Maybe he thought I no longer lived there.

One afternoon, after coming back from the market, I finally treated myself to a proper, hearty meal. With both meat and salad laid out, I was about to dig in when a sharp knock came at the door.

"Open up! Open the door! Bella, I know you're in there, don't pretend you're not!

"I can smell the food you made!"

Even though I had long since resolved to let Nathaniel go, those words tore open every emotion inside me. In my last life, I cooked and did all the chores for him for 40 years. And now, in this life, all it came to was going our separate ways.

I let him pound and shout, even as the neighbors came out to gawk. I didn't open the door or say anything.

At last, he stormed off furiously after being urged on by the neighbors. Before leaving, he threw one last line over his shoulder. "Bella, if you've got the guts, then hide from me for the rest of your life!"

He didn't know I had already decided not to have anything to do with him again.

The days passed, and the wedding drew closer. The day before it, I handed the wedding gift to my mother. "Mom, I'm planning to find a job in the city. I won't be at the wedding tomorrow."

She looked at me long and hard, and when she realized she couldn't change my mind, she sighed and nodded.

The next morning, I went straight from Briarwood Manor to the bus station. But outside, a long line of motorcycles was parked, with Catherine and Nathaniel standing at the front.

In my last life, when I married him, there had been no wedding procession, just a plain meal with the two families. But now, with Catherine, he had pulled out all the stops.

The whole station was crowded with onlookers. Yet despite the spectacle, he looked distracted.

I slipped through the crowd into the station, bought a ticket to the city, and sat quietly in the bus. Through the window, I could see him carrying Catherine on his back, laughing and playing.

The driver shouted, "Anyone headed to the city, get on board! We're leaving!"

My gaze accidentally met Nathaniel's through the crowd. For a moment, he froze.

The bus pulled out quickly from the station.

His expression twisted as he rushed to the ticket counter, shouting, "Who was the woman that just got on that bus?"