After Rowan Blackwood and I get into a car accident, we get reborn at the same time.

In my previous life, I was one of the candidates who were groomed by the Blackwood family from a young age as the Blackwood brothers' potential wives. It was he who had personally selected me to become his fiancee as well.

But Rowan never announced our relationship in front of the outsiders, though he had no problems being all lovey-dovey with me in front of the Blackwoods.

That was, until I witnessed him pinning Lyra Whitmore, who used to be a fellow candidate but got freshly widowed by his older brother, against a corner with slightly reddened eyes.

"I regret my decision…"

In this lifetime, when it's time for the Blackwood brothers to choose their wives, Rowan didn't approach me.

"Mom, Dad, I want to be the one who makes his choice first! I want her to become my fiancee!"

Young Rowan takes Lyra's hand without even sparing me a glance.

That's when I suddenly realize the reason why Rowan never shed a tear, although I suffered from massive bleeding during my labor in my previous lifetime.

It turns out that he has never loved me at all.

"Well, it seems that you shall be my fiancee, then."

As I look at Adrian Blackwood's gentle smile—the very same man who died early in my previous lifetime—I nod in response.

This time, I decide to grant Rowan his wish.

After walking out of the living room, Rowan Blackwood looked at Lyra Whitmore affectionately. The moment he noticed me stepping out, he instantly became wary, shielding Lyra behind his back.

"Why are you following us? Don't think I'll choose you just because you're pretending to be pitiful now. My fiancee can only be Lyra; a malicious woman like you isn't even worthy of carrying Lyra's shoes. In fact, you belong with my older brother, whose days are numbered!"

The moment the words left his mouth, he shoved me away with brute force. Caught entirely off guard, I staggered and fell onto the cold floor. A sharp pain shot through my elbow.

Yet, he didn't even spare me a single glance. Holding Lyra close as she nestled in his arms, he left without a backward glance.

Propping myself up against the ground, I attempted to stand.

Just then, someone came to a slow halt right in front of me. I lifted my head and met the pale yet gentle face of Adrian Blackwood, Rowan's elder brother. I didn't know how long he had been standing there or how much he had seen.

"Do you like Rowan?" he asked.

I shook my head. "You're perfect just the way you are, Mr. Blackwood."

He froze for a moment. A faint trace of surprise flashed through his eyes, as if he hadn't expected me to respond in that manner. "What's your name?"

"Sylvia Laurent."

"Good to know." He held out his hand. His palm wasn't warm—it was actually a bit chilly—yet he helped me up from the ground.

I followed Adrian into his courtyard, a place so quiet it almost felt desolate. Slowly, he took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack beside him.

"My health isn't great, and I can't bear loud noises, so I live out here." He turned his head, looking at me with an apathetic gaze. "I'm sorry to put you through this."

"Not at all," I responded softly.

I hadn't expected Adrian to be this kind of person. After all, in my previous life, I had never heard a single good thing about him from Rowan's mouth.

Gloomy, withdrawn, short-lived, and despised by their father… These words had formed almost the entirety of my impression of Adrian.

In my previous life, shortly after I was chosen to be Rowan's fiancee, Adrian fell gravely ill and went abroad for treatment. By the time I heard news of him again, it was already word of his death.

At that point, he had long been forgotten by his family, reduced to nothing more than a short-lived ghost whom everyone sighed over for a brief moment before pushing him to the back of their minds.

I wanted to speak up, but in the very next second, Adrian turned and went back to his room, leaving me all alone in the living room.

"Ms. Laurent," the butler, Cyrus Long, called out. "Mr. Blackwood fancies his peace and quiet. In time... you'll get used to it."

So, I stayed in Adrian's courtyard villa. I began to learn pharmacology from Cyrus, identifying medicinal herbs and even trying my hand at the simplest acupuncture techniques. In the courtyard's study, there was an entire wall lined with medical books, many of which were thread-bound old volumes.

Every day, I would stay up until the dead of night. The housekeeper, Agnes Hale, often brought me late-night snacks. Spotting me sitting before those thick medical books with ink all over my hands, she couldn't help but sigh. "Why do you push yourself so hard, Ms. Laurent?"

She set the warm milk down. "Mr. Rowan's fiancee, Ms. Whitmore, does nothing more each day than go shopping, drink tea, and buy endless new clothes. You, on the other hand…"

I was well aware of what Agnes had left unsaid. Lyra was currently basking in Rowan's favoritism, just as I did in my past life. She looked glamorous and enviable, but she was nothing more than a caged canary. Meanwhile, here I was, washing herbs with jagged thorns until my hands were bloodied and raw.

Once, catching sight of the bloody tint in the basin where I was washing the medicinal herbs, Cyrus fell silent for a moment before inquiring, "Do you want to take a break?"

I shook my head. "No, thank you," I responded.

I truly meant it. Even though it was exhausting, it was worth it.

Adrian might have been quiet and cold, but he never stopped me from doing what I wanted.

To my surprise, during dinner that day, I stared at Adrian's Ivy League graduation certificate for a long time. The very next day, Adrian had Cyrus come and ask me whether I still wanted to pursue my education.

I stiffened. I recalled how, in my previous life, whenever I wanted to study, Rowan would always scoff at the idea, claiming that a daughter-in-law of the Blackwood family had no need to be intelligent and that being obedient and pretty was enough.

I nodded. Consequently, private tutors were hired for me in the courtyard.

Adrian gave me the opportunity to study. It was the kind of privilege I had never been able to obtain in my previous life, no matter how desperately I tried.

…

Early the next morning, I carefully made my way back along the corridor, cradling a stack of old books I had just retrieved from the library. These were all books Adrian had specifically asked for, so I had to be exceptionally careful.

As I rounded the corner, a figure abruptly collided with me. Caught completely off guard, the books in my arms scattered all over the floor.

I staggered and barely managed to steady myself. Before I could even see who it was, I heard a soft, sweet voice filled with surprise. "Look, Ro. It's Sylvia!"

I looked up. Rowan stood there, a doting smile initially playing on his lips. The moment he saw me, the smile on his face froze. His expression held unconcealed disgust.

"Sylvia?" His brows knitted together. "What are you doing here? Why are you following us like a piece of gum under our shoe?"

"I'm not following you," I calmly retorted, squatting down to pick up the books scattered across the floor. "I'm here to fetch some books."

"You're here to fetch books?" Rowan scoffed, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. "Why are you pretending to be so diligent and ambitious? Do you think that'll get my attention? Listen here, even if you follow me around every day, wagging your tail and begging, I still won't spare you a second glance! My fiancee can only be Lyra!"

My heart still ached a little when I heard that. It wasn't because I still harbored any lingering feelings for him, but because I felt sorry for the version of me from my previous life, the woman who had been blinded. That woman had given her heart to the wrong person.

"Don't talk about Sylvia like that, Ro," Lyra said softly, gently tugging at Rowan's arm. "Sylvia just isn't used to it yet. After all, she always thought you would choose her…" She hesitated for a moment, reminding Rowan of my past wishful thinking.

Sure enough, he was provoked. "Not used to it? I think she's harboring resentment; she's jealous of you! A narrow-minded woman like her deserves to be stuck with that sickly older brother of mine!

"He's gloomy, and she's malicious; they're a match made in heaven!"

"What did you just say?" I jerked my head up. I could endure his humiliation of me, but I couldn't tolerate him slandering the person who had given me shelter and respect. "Mr. Adrian's not—"

"Not what?" Rowan cut me off impatiently. His voice dripped with utter ridicule. "Is he not sickly? Not despised by Father? Or are you saying he isn't gloomy?

"Sylvia, you've only been with him for a few days, and you've already learned to speak up for him? What, have you found yourself a new master that quickly and just switched the target you wag your tail for?"

"Ro…" Lyra abruptly let out a soft cry and bent over. Clutching her calf, her eyes misted over in an instant. "It hurts! I think I got scratched by the corner of a book…"

I stared at her in disbelief. Even though those books were old, their corners were well-worn and rounded. Moreover, when they scattered earlier, they had not touched her in the slightest.

Rowan immediately crouched down to check on her. "Where does it hurt? Let me see!"

He carefully inspected her calf, which did not even have a single red mark on it. Yet, he snapped his head up, and a furious fire blazed in his eyes.

"Sylvia, you did this on purpose! Not only did you bump into Lyra with these stupid books, but you also dared to hurt her? How could you be so malicious? Is it because Lyra is my fiancee now, and you're absolutely nothing?"

I gaped at Lyra, at the woman who had come to the Blackwood family from the orphanage with me. After depending on each other for so many years, I had never imagined she would use this kind of method to frame me.

"Lyra—" My voice trembled.

"I know you're upset, Sylvia," Lyra cut me off timidly, shrinking behind Rowan. "I'm sorry. It's my fault. I shouldn't be with Ro. Please don't be mad at me, and please don't throw books at me anymore..."

Those manipulative words solidified my jealousy and malice.

"Why are you wasting your breath on someone like her?" His patience was entirely spent. Rowan scooped Lyra up into his arms. "Let's go. From now on, steer clear of her, lest her bad luck rub off on us!"

He carried Lyra and strode away, giving me absolutely no opportunity to explain myself. Before they left, Lyra rested her chin on Rowan's shoulder and looked back at me as I stood frozen in place. In her teary eyes, I clearly saw a cold glint.

After they left, the empty corridor held only me and the old books scattered all over the floor. I slowly crouched down and picked them up one by one.

Right as I was organizing them, a pair of clean black leather shoes came to a silent halt in front of me. I froze, and I slowly looked up.

Adrian had arrived at some point. He stood there quietly, looking down at my disheveled state.

He didn't ask me what had happened. Instead, he simply crouched down in silence. Then, he reached out and picked up the scattered books, one by one.

"I can pick them up myself," I said quietly.

"The books did nothing wrong," he said indifferently. "They shouldn't be treated like this."

Following that incident, he allowed me into his study. Initially, he merely designated an area for me, and we each kept to ourselves.

I steeped some warm chamomile and honey to help with his stubborn cough. The first time I handed it to him, he only spared it a glance. "You don't need to trouble yourself."

"If I don't take care of you, I can't rest easy," I insisted. He was silent for a moment, but in the end, he accepted it.

That was a turning point in our relationship.

From that night on, he would occasionally give me a few pointers while I organized the medical books. His knowledge was astonishingly vast. Those obscure medical theories and pharmacological texts always became exceptionally clear to me whenever he explained them.

I absorbed everything like a sponge, and more than anything, it gave me a real sense of security, knowing that I was finally in control of my own life. That was until one afternoon when I was flipping through the calendar, and I realized in my previous life, Adrian had been kidnapped around this exact time.

Not long after that, news came that he had fallen gravely ill and gone away to recuperate. Then came... the news of his death.

I sprang to my feet, knocking over the medicine cup at my elbow. "Where's Mr. Blackwood?" I rushed out and grabbed Cyrus, who was pruning the flowers.

Cyrus was startled. "Mr. Blackwood mentioned that his chest felt tight this afternoon, so he went to Hopewell Hospital in the north of the city for a checkup. He only left a moment ago…"

Hopewell Hospital in the north of the city. Without a second thought, I grabbed a baton nearby and bolted out the door.

Rain lashed against my face, yet I couldn't feel the cold. There was only a single thought screaming in my mind. I couldn't let anything happen to him. Not on my watch!

I ran with all my might. Right at the entrance of a dim alleyway, I skidded to a halt.

Several burly men were roughly shoving a slender figure deeper into the alley. The man attempted to fight back, but he was easily restrained.

It was Adrian. To my surprise, Lyra was right beside him. She was being held by the arm and held in place by a man.

"Let them go!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, charging forward with the baton raised. "I've already called the cops! They'll be here any second now!"