In a few words, Charles had easily portrayed me as a greedy woman. It sounded like I had performed some shameless acts with him, and I was refusing to take responsibility after.

People started gossiping about me in a louder tone.

“Sophia, Charles is the most promising young man around here. He’s going to move up in the world. Why are you this picky?”

“Just stop making a scene. It’s already a stroke of luck to marry someone so capable.”

“If you keep making such a scene, no one would want to marry you.”

Charles appeared to be smug.

In front of everyone, he gave me a promise again.

“Trust me, Sophia. If you marry me, I’ll make sure you’ll enjoy a good life.”

He was confident of making me yield. After all, a woman’s reputation was everything.

I looked at him and suddenly burst out laughing.

“Fine. Since you two insist on slandering me, I don’t mind going to the police station with you now. Let’s see how they handle a case of defamation and harassment. I’m nobody. At most, I’ll face a few years of trouble myself. But you’re a college student…”

I purposely let my words hang in the air for a while. “Your future will be ruined.”

Instantly, Charles’ face turned pale. He started sweating. He anxiously changed his statement and tone.

“Don’t get the wrong idea, Sophia! The kid is simply talking nonsense. You can’t take him seriously!”

Jacob was unaware of the severity of the situation. He anxiously yelled, “No, I’m not talking nonsense. Dad, you…”

There was a clap. Charles slapped Jacob and cut him off.

Jacob was dumbfounded. He held his cheek and cried.

Charles grabbed his crying son and turned to the surrounding neighbors. He kept bowing and apologizing to them.

“I’m sorry, ladies and gentlemen. My son was ignorant and made that up! Nothing happened between Sophia and me. My mom was at home. She can vouch for that!”

But the neighbors still looked at me suspiciously and ambiguously.

I sneered. “Is this the norm now? If any woman refuses to marry someone, you threaten to ruin her reputation. What an amazing idea!”

I used a sharp tone and looked at the older women, who were warming up to the drama.

“I simply helped them because they looked pitiful. But I always brought along my nephew and niece whenever I went to their house. The kids can vouch for me. It looks like other young women should be careful too. When you kindly help someone, someday, don’t let them fraudulently take advantage of you.”

My words rapidly changed the atmosphere in the yard.

When they put themselves in my shoes, they could not picture the thought of their own daughters getting into such a mess.

Hence, Charles immediately became the target of scorn.

“Oh, Charles. Why are you this wicked? You’ve studied so much.”

“Yeah, you didn’t raise your kid well. He’s full of nonsense!”

Nothing mattered to Charles more than his reputation and future. His face turned scarlet under the barrage of criticisms.

He grabbed Jacob and ran away.

Claire put her hands on her waist and scolded the onlookers, who still refused to leave.

“Are you done having fun? If you keep gossiping about others like this, I’ll rip all of you new ones. Then, I’ll report this to the authorities that you’re ruining the reputation of a fallen hero’s family!”

The onlookers left in dismay.

Claire turned and poked my forehead for disappointing her. “Hey, you! You got yourself into this mess! Now, Charles refuses to let you go!”

I held her arm and tried to please her. Then, I grinned, “Don’t worry. I know how to deal with him.”

But she did not believe me. A sigh escaped her. “When your uncle’s home, I’ll make him find you a good family to avoid trouble.”

I remained silent. In the other timeline, Charles chose me because of my ongoing pension as the child of a fallen hero. He tried every means to plot against me.

Before our marriage, he asked for money from me, using the excuse of his paralyzed mother needing medical attention.

After marriage, his mother grew worse. She always sowed discord between my uncle’s family and me.

When Charles’ family had spent every penny I had, they ended up scolding or beating me. His family was cruel and wicked.

At the thought of that, I grew so furious that my chest hurt.

Suddenly, I recalled the thirty dollars that Charles had taken from me the previous week. I clenched my fists and decided to reclaim them.

Driven mad by resentment, I rushed to his house.

The sky was getting dark, and there was hardly anyone on the quiet road.

When I was near his house, I suddenly heard some strange birds chirping.

It was piercing and short, and it did not at all sound like the birds in the forest.

I paused and saw a dark figure looking around the door of Charles’ house.

It was Summer Smith, a widow.

Before long, someone opened the shabby wooden door of Charles’ house with a creak.

I quickly hid in the shadow of a nearby locust tree.

Charles and Summer were seven to eight steps apart as they left the house before walking toward the fields on the outskirts of town.

I followed them. My instincts told me that something fishy was going on between them.

The tall corn stovers were the best cover.

I crouched down and quietly approached them.

When I pushed a leaf aside, I almost threw up at the scene before me.

Charles and Summer were hugging and kissing each other, making smooching noises.

Summer was only a few years younger than Charles’ mother. But surprisingly, he could kiss her.

I covered my mouth firmly and tried my best not to make a sound.

Summer’s coquettish voice was sickly sweet.

“Hey, why haven’t you come to me lately? Are you planning to break up with me since you’re marrying Sophia?”

Charles panted while ambiguously comforting her, “No, you’re wrong. Nothing is set in stone yet. And let’s not talk about her. It’s annoying.”

Summer refused to let go. She clung to his neck and asked, “Then, who’s better? She or me?”

“You. Of course, it’s you,” Charles answered without any hesitation.

Summer chuckled and asked, “What about your ex-wife and me?”

Charles’ face stiffened. He was no longer in the mood. He pushed Summer away and fell silent.

Feeling rebuffed, Summer fished some cash from her arms and stuffed it into his hands. She said bitterly, “I don’t know what’s so great about Ruby. She cheated on you and ran away. Why are you still thinking about her?!”

“Shut up!” Charles lowered his voice and sounded hostile.

“If you bring her up again, I’ll stop seeing you!”

Frightened, Summer hurriedly clung to Charles. She continued to kiss, hug, and comfort him.

I grew nauseated and furious.

In the other timeline, Charles had also turned hostile whenever I mentioned Ruby.

I always assumed that he hated her. But later, I learned that she was his first love, whom no one could condemn.

It was ridiculous. Evidently, I was worse than Summer.

When I was in a trance, I heard Charles’ wicked voice.

“Do you still have that kind of illegal stimulant? Get me some.”

Summer smiled coquettishly and punched him. “What do you need that for?”

“Sophia is getting disobedient. I’ll need to encourage her to be even more disobedient.”

Coldness instantly gripped me.

Summer was still laughing. “What if she turns crazy after taking some?”

Charles snorted with disdain. “I don’t care. Maybe her family will be forced to offer more just to keep the peace.”

I reeled from the weight of that statement. What an evil man! I could not understand how he could come up with such ideas.

I must have been a fool in the past to fall in love with such a wicked and cruel man.

They started tearing at each other’s clothes.

I looked at the discarded pants on the ground before a crazy idea dawned on me.

I held my breath and secretly extended my hand to grab those pants. Then, I turned and ran.

While running, I expanded more of my energy to scream, “Help! There’s a thief in the fields! Someone’s stealing crops!”