In my previous life, I became the “lucky groom” and married Juniper Green, a woman in a coma, in place of my younger brother, Sean Hale. However, what I never knew was that the person Juniper truly loved had always been Sean.

For ten long years, every frown Sean made became another reason for Juniper to torment me. My blood became his medicine. My bone marrow became his backup supply. To her, my entire existence was nothing more than a life-extending cure for Sean.

Juniper had often said to me, “If you hadn’t gotten in the way, Sean would’ve been my rightful husband long ago. Keeping him alive is the only purpose you have.”

In the end, she signed the consent form for my bone marrow donation. Then, she watched coldly as my life was drained away.

“Being able to save Sean’s life is your honor.”

Then, I was reborn and returned to the very day I was supposed to marry into the Green family. This time, I decided to return that “honor” to my dear brother.

However, before I could even speak, Sean suddenly stepped forward first. His face was pale as he clutched his chest weakly.

“Mom, please don’t force it on William. I’m willing to marry into the Green family instead, because I’ve fallen in love with Juniper.

“I can’t bear the thought of her having no one by her side to take care of her. Please just let me marry into the Green family!”

Sean looked at our mother with determination written all over his pale face. Even though he looked weak, his voice was firm.

However, our parents were stamping their feet in frustration, looking as though they were at their wits’ end.

“This is nonsense! Absolute nonsense!”

“Juniper is still unconscious! If you marry into that family now, you might become a widower!”

Dad’s face was dark with anger, yet he still couldn’t bear to hit his precious youngest son.

Then, his gaze suddenly shifted toward me, where I stood silently watching from the side. Instantly, his anger exploded.

“Was this your doing? Did you pressure your brother into marrying that cripple?”

“You useless jinx! This family will never know peace as long as you’re here!”

As he shouted, he lifted his leg and tried to kick me. I instinctively stepped aside to dodge it, but before he could continue, a voice interrupted him.

“Who said I’m crippled?”

I turned around and saw it was Juniper, my wife from my previous life. Only this time, she wasn’t lying unconscious in bed. She was standing there, perfectly healthy and commanding.

My heart skipped a beat. She had awakened an entire month earlier than in my previous life.

Dad stiffened instantly, disbelief filling his face.

“M-Miss Juniper? Y-You’re awake? This is incredible news!”

Juniper couldn’t even be bothered to spare him a glance. She walked straight past him and stopped in front of Sean. Then, under everyone’s shocked stares, she took a delicate velvet box out of her handbag and held it out toward him. Inside the box rested a man’s diamond ring with a sleek, elegant design.

“Sean,” she said softly, her voice filled with a tenderness I had never once received from her, “I’m sorry for making you wait. We’ve lost too many years together, but in this life, I can finally propose to you myself. Will you marry me?”

Sean looked shocked and overwhelmed with joy. His hands trembled as he nodded frantically.

“Yes! Juniper, of course, I will!”

Our parents were so excited that they could barely speak. It was as if they could already see the Hale family rising to unimaginable wealth and status.

At that moment, I realized that the three of us had all been reborn. Well, this was perfect. This time, I could finally free myself and live a life that belonged to me.

Without saying a word, I dusted off my clothes and turned to head back to my room, planning to pack up my few belongings. However, the moment I stepped inside, someone suddenly grabbed my wrist tightly from behind.

It was Juniper. At some point, she had followed me in and shut the bedroom door.

“William, stop playing these pathetic little games. I’m telling you right now, no matter what you do, you’ll never have my attention again. The only person I’ve ever loved is Sean.”

I looked at her and almost laughed. I hadn’t done anything at all. I simply wanted to leave. Yet, in her eyes, even that had become some manipulative trick to get her attention. How narcissistic of her.

I tried to yank my hand free, but her grip only tightened. Just then, the bedroom door swung open, and Sean stood in the doorway.

Seeing us tugging each other, a dark look flashed across Sean’s eyes. However, it was quickly replaced by a wounded expression.

“William… Juniper… Both of you… William, I know you’re upset, but… but Juniper is my fiancée now. How could you try to seduce her?”

I almost laughed from disbelief.

Before I could even respond, Juniper immediately let go of me and walked over to hold Sean’s hand.

“Sean, don’t be upset. No matter what your brother does, you’re the only person in my heart.”

Just like that, she pinned the label of “trying to steal his brother’s fiancée” onto me.

Unfortunately, Dad arrived just in time to hear everything.

He exploded in rage, “William Hale! Have you no shame at all, openly seducing your own brother’s fiancée right in front of me like that? How did we raise such a disgraceful son! Get out! Get the hell out of my house!”

He grabbed me roughly and dragged me toward the door. Then, he threw both me and my luggage out of the house. Standing above me at the entrance, he looked down coldly as I lay on the ground.

“And don’t forget the money we spent raising you. I didn’t raise you for eighteen years so you could freeload forever. I’m giving you six months to repay every cent of that one hundred thousand dollars in living expenses! If you don’t pay it back, I’ll sue you!”

I snorted.

One hundred thousand dollars for raising me?

Ever since I was old enough to remember, I had been the unpaid laborer of this family. As a child, I carried heavy boxes every day and handled all the exhausting chores at home. They wouldn’t even let me eat enough food. Before I turned twelve, I didn’t even know what an allowance was.

If anyone did the math on the money they spent on me, it probably wouldn’t even total to twenty thousand dollars. However, I was too exhausted to argue anymore. I wanted nothing to do with them again.

With no money and nowhere to go, I dragged my suitcase to the police station. The officers there were surprisingly kind in offering to buy me a hot meal.

As the warm food settled in my stomach, my eyes burned slightly. Still, I forced myself not to cry. Even strangers treated me with kindness, yet my parents discarded me like trash.

In my previous life, I had been weak and cowardly, allowing monsters to destroy my entire life. This time, I decided things had to change, and first, I needed a job that could keep me alive.

Back then, I had studied nursing through night classes. So, becoming a male nurse was the best option I could think of right now. Hospitals were always short on hardworking orderlies anyway.

After sending out my résumé, I felt hopeful about the future for the very first time. However, of course, someone just had to ruin my good mood.

A text message suddenly popped up. It was from Juniper.

[William, the things I said at home were only to calm Sean down. He’s in poor health, so he can’t handle emotional stress. Don’t take it personally. I own an apartment. I’ll send you the address. You can live there for now. I don’t need you embarrassing me in public.]

The moment I saw the address, I felt nauseous.

Here we go again.

In my previous life, she played the role of the devoted lover in front of Sean. However, behind closed doors, she treated me like some disposable toy she could stash away whenever she wanted.

What she wanted was Sean’s affection and my body. She wanted me obedient and silent, like an object without thoughts or feelings, staying exactly where she placed me and waiting to sacrifice everything for the man she truly loved.

Yet, what choice did I have? In the capital, the Greens practically ruled the city. As long as Juniper said no, I wouldn’t be able to escape, no matter where I ran. Not to mention, I could barely even afford food right now.

At that thought, I clenched my fists tightly. A real man wouldn’t cry, and I refused to lose again.

Just then, my phone rang once more. When I opened it, I realized one of the hospitals I had applied to had replied to my résumé. At last, there was some good news.

Early the next morning, I went to the private hospital for the interview. After passing both the interview and practical assessment, I successfully got hired as a male carer in the VIP special care ward.

The head nurse brought me to my first assignment in a luxury suite on the top floor.

“William Hale? The patient in there is of high standing and has a rather short temper. She’s already scared away three carers. You look sturdy enough. Work hard, and the pay will be worth it.”

I pushed open the door to see a woman in a wheelchair. There was something cool about her, with her long hair casually tied back. She carried an unmistakable air of nobility and aloofness.

Hearing the sound, the woman slowly turned her wheelchair around. The moment our eyes met, both of us froze.

The woman standing before me was Juniper’s greatest arch-enemy, Cleo Summers, the capital’s rising business queen.

I, too, had heard countless rumors about the fierce competition between the two women. The accident that left Juniper in a coma had happened during a business negotiation with Cleo, and Cleo hadn’t escaped unscathed either, having broken her legs.

After marrying into the Green family in my previous life, I had crossed paths with Cleo several times. At the time, Mrs. Green had been pressuring Juniper to have a child. Unfortunately, Sean overheard the conversation and threw a huge tantrum at Juniper.

To vent Sean’s anger, Juniper actually sent me to “take care” of Cleo, who was confined to a wheelchair. It was meant to humiliate Cleo while also making me suffer under her.

At first, Cleo clearly disliked me. However, despite her cold exterior, she never truly hurt me. Slowly, she stopped rejecting me, and eventually we were able to talk normally. Oddly enough, those days became the most relaxed period of my previous life.

“William Hale, long time no see.” Cleo was the first to break the silence.

I froze, overwhelmed with shock. This was our first meeting in this life, so how did she recognize me? And what did she mean by “long time no see”? Had she been reborn as well?

As if hearing my thoughts, she answered calmly, “I’ve been reborn. I heard Juniper woke up, and while looking into it, I also found out that she went to your family to propose to your brother and that you were thrown out afterward.

“At first, I wasn’t sure whether you were reborn too, but the way you looked at me earlier, that’s not a look someone gives a stranger. So tell me, William. Have you been reborn as well?”

She sure had sharp senses. No wonder she had fought Juniper for so many years and driven Juniper insane with hatred.

Honestly, Juniper herself wasn’t all that extraordinary. She was only arrogant because the Green family had money and influence. Cleo, on the other hand, had fought her way up from nothing. Everything she had came from surviving brutal business battles and power games.

“Yes, I’ve also been reborn. What is this? Four of us have been given a second chance in life, and we all know each other. Is this God’s revenge plan?” I laughed as I said.

Cleo laughed too, her cool voice surprisingly pleasant. “Do you want revenge?”

I paused.

Did I? I had thought about it before, but deep down, I was afraid. Ever since I was a child, all I had ever been taught was obedience; no one had ever taught me how to fight back. The most rebellious thing I had ever done was probably what I did today—running away from those people.

“In our last lives, we were both losers. Now that we’ve been given another chance, don’t you want to live differently?”

Her eyes locked onto mine. The intensity in her eyes made her words strangely convincing.

Almost unconsciously, I asked, “Then what should I do?”

“Form an alliance with me. But first, you’ll need a new identity.”

“What identity?”

“Be my fiancé.”