On the day I was supposed to swap marriages with my sister, Sylvia Hayes, I chose to be a battalion commander's wife instead.
Then, watching Sylvia wither away from late-stage stomach cancer until she was nothing but skin and bones, a few strange lines suddenly appeared before my eyes.
[Great news! The heroine is about to be reborn!]
[What a joke. What good is being an officer's wife? That scumbag will take his mistress to live on base with him, leaving her to starve in that old house!]
[After she's reborn, she should pick Miles Williams, the steel factory director! He secretly kept her photo and loved her his whole life!]
Miles, the husband Sylvia used to mock as 'nothing but a money-grubbing brute,' was holding a tin cup, trying to give her water.
Sylvia suddenly grabbed his wrist, her bulging eyes boring into me. "Laura Hayes...you had food saved up. Why wouldn't you help me?!"
She died with her finger pointed at me.
Miles' jaw was clenched so tightly that the muscles in his cheeks bulged, and then he suddenly lunged forward and wrapped his hands around my throat.
When I opened my eyes again, the room's blackened mud walls were hung with an old, faded calendar.
"Sylvia Hayes, you can't be serious!"
My sister, Sylvia, stood up from the wooden stool, her expression firm and serious. "I'm not marrying Captain Zephyr Smith. His heart already belongs to someone else! Even if I marry into the Smith family, I might warm his bed, but I'll never win his heart!"
Our dad slammed his hand on the table in anger. "We already accepted the engagement gifts and set the date, and word has already gone out to the whole community. How can you just back out now?!"
Sylvia turned to look at me. "Laura and I can just swap places!"
Before anyone could respond, our front door banged open.
A figure stood in the doorway; it was Miles Williams.
Sylvia looked at him, and her eyes instantly reddened, as if she had suffered some deep injustice.
Seeing her like that, Miles, who had promised to take me to the record store in town that day, immediately moved to stand beside Sylvia.
"Mr. Albert Hayes, this is a new era now. Parents shouldn't be forcing their children into marriage anymore. If Sylvia says she won't marry him and you force her, that's going to cause problems. As long as she's willing, I'll marry her right now."
My eyes twitched as those strange words appeared before me again.
[Sylvia never disappoints! She just put on a little act, and Miles forgot how she publicly rejected and humiliated him before.]
[I told you! As long as Sylvia gives him the slightest bit of attention, he'll do anything for her!]
[Without Sylvia saving him, Zephyr will lose his legs and become disabled soon! Let's see how he protects his so-called true love then!]
Sylvia gazed at Miles with deep affection, then nodded. "I'm willing."
Our dad shot to his feet in rage. "What are you talking about? Laura is standing right here!"
Miles reached out and grabbed Sylvia's hand tightly. "Mr. Hayes, please grant us your blessing."
With that, he pulled the marriage papers from my hands and personally switched the names.
Our dad was so angry that he looked ready to strike, but I stepped forward and stood in front of Miles, stopping him.
"Dad, don't be angry. I'm willing to take Sylvia's place and marry Captain Smith."
The image of Miles' twisted face flashed through my mind: the moment after Sylvia died, when he had wrapped his hands around my throat, demanding I pay with my life. In that suffocating moment, I understood that Miles did not love me.
All those years, I had worked myself to exhaustion managing the factory's daily affairs, serving his parents, and taking care of his every need. Yet, no matter how hard I tried, I could never win his heart.
If that was the case, I might as well become an officer's wife instead.
I raised my hand and wiped the tears I had forced out, then put on a gentle, composed expression.
"Sylvia and Miles...truly love each other. I'm willing to step aside for them. Dad, Laura has always had feelings for Miles. Going back on the engagement is wrong, and it might cause us unnecessary trouble later!"
Our dad looked up at me, his face full of hesitation. His lips moved like he wanted to say something.
Right on cue, my eyes started to redden. "Sylvia, I do like Miles, but for the sake of your happiness with him, I'll do my best to be a good wife to Captain Smith..."
I deliberately glanced at the matchmaker present and said, "If you'd just been honest with Dad about your feelings for Miles from the start, it wouldn't have come to this... You're making things hard for Dad and giving outsiders something to gossip about..."
"That's bullshit! Stop playing the innocent victim!" Sylvia had never seen me, who had always been obedient, dare to talk back like that.
Her eyes widened as she lunged at me.
Our dad stepped forward in a flash, his strong arm blocking in front of me and stopping Sylvia. "Sylvia! Switching marriages was your idea! Laura is being the mature one here, taking on the Smith family for you. Yet, instead of being grateful, you're trying to hit her? What kind of sister are you?!"
Sylvia froze at his shout, then started trembling with anger, unable to form a proper sentence.
Seizing the moment, I wiped my eyes hard with my sleeve and spoke in a trembling, tearful voice. "Sylvia…don't be mad at Dad. I…I'll be fine, no matter what. As long as you and Miles are happy together...I'll...I'll be satisfied..."
Then, I turned and lowered my head as I rushed out of the living room, ignoring the barrage of mocking comments flashing before my eyes.
The northern wind cut against me like icy whips, forcing me to hug my arms tightly. Even though my whole body was shaking, I did not actually feel cold. Instead, the image of Sylvia's furious, humiliated face lit a fire inside me.
After a while, Miles finally came out of the house. He looked around, then his gaze landed on me, and he quickly walked over.
In the dim light, I could see that he was feeling conflicted. There was gratitude and even a trace of guilt on his face.
He took off his coat and draped it over my shoulders without asking. "The wind's too strong. Sylvia isn't mad anymore, so come back inside."
Only then did I lift my eyes to look at him.
In my previous life, Sylvia had lied to him, saying she had originally wanted to marry him, but that because she liked him, she had no choice but to choose Zephyr instead.
Miles had believed her, and from that moment on, he treated me as the one who tore them apart, rarely showing me even a hint of warmth.
My fingers unconsciously traced the edge of the coat before I took it off and handed it back to him. "No need, thank you."
Miles stared at me, his brows furrowed tight. "That record store really isn't worth the trip anyway..."
"I know." I pulled a cassette tape from my pocket and pressed it into his hand. "It's the one you mentioned. I went this morning and managed to rent it for you."
Shock flashed in his eyes. "But that didn't arrive until 4 AM. Did you wait up all night?"
I gave a faint smile. "As long as it makes you happy..."
Before I could finish, a single tear fell at just the right moment. I pressed both the jacket and the tape back into his arms, turned, and left him with a view of my resolute silhouette.
As I glanced over my shoulder, I caught a glimpse of unexpected pain and regret in Miles' eyes.
I smiled to myself. It seemed that the freezing wait this morning had not been for nothing.
After several days of our dad's patient reasoning, Sylvia finally stopped making a fuss.
[Without Sylvia this time, Zephyr will die in that landslide behind the mountain in five days.]
[Laura really thinks she'll get to be an officer's wife after this switch? She has no idea Zephyr's about to become a cripple!]
[After she marries him, she'll barely have food or decent clothes, and she'll have to compete with Zephyr's precious first love for his attention!]
[But she seems pretty sharp. If she goes up against that first love, she might not actually lose.]
[In the past life, Zephyr always complained that Sylvia was petty and jealous. Let's see how this fake, sweet, calculating girl handles him!]
[Looks like the situation at the Smith family is about to get interesting!]
The scrolling comments in front of me actually reminded me of something: Zephyr's unforgettable woman was actually his fallen comrade's widow!
In my past life, Sylvia had been tricked into going to the back mountain while job hunting. When she tried to escape, Zephyr and his comrade happened to drive by.
Zephyr got out to save her, and a mudslide instantly swallowed his comrade in the driver's seat. The guilt had eaten away at him for half his life, which was why he had taken in the widow and her child, even giving her the military dependent housing spot.
This time around, Sylvia already had Miles, so she would not need to go job hunting. In other words, Zephyr would have no reason to get out of the car.
With that in mind, I immediately soaked all the firewood at home to make it damp, then used that as an excuse to tell my dad I needed to go and chop some firewood at the back of the mountain.
I arrived early at the road the military vehicles always took and flagged down Zephyr's car. With a screech of brakes, the car door swung open.
A man in a crisp military uniform jumped out, his shoulder insignia gleaming coldly in the overcast weather, his features ten times more striking than Miles'.
It finally hit me why Sylvia had been so determined to marry him in my past life.
I knew if I just told them outright about the incoming landslide, they would never believe me. So, I came up with a quick plan.
I swayed on my feet and deliberately fainted.
Zephyr caught me, and I furrowed my brows just enough, my lashes trembling faintly.
Sure enough, the kindhearted Zephyr immediately told his comrade to turn the car around and head back to base to find the medic. The moment the vehicle turned around, a deafening roar erupted behind us as the mountain gave way.
The mudslide was avoided. This time, not only was Zephyr safe, but his comrade was alive and well, too!
"Thank you, miss. If you hadn't shown up, we would've been buried in that mudslide for sure."
"My name is Zephyr Smith. If you ever need my help with anything in the future, you can come to me anytime."
I pretended to look at him with wide, surprised eyes, then lowered my gaze shyly and revealed my identity.
When he learned my identity, a look of delight appeared on his face. "Laura, did the matchmaker tell you?"
I nodded, my face turning red.
He asked, "So...do you want to?"
Something stirred in my heart. In two lifetimes, that was the first time anyone had asked what I wanted.
Zephyr met with my dad and personally handed over 1000 dollars as a wedding gift.
That was a level of respect Sylvia had never received in either lifetime. Following the earlier drama in which she publicly rejected Miles, word had spread everywhere, and Miles' father, the factory director, felt utterly humiliated and refused to offer any more money.
The 200 dollars Miles had scraped together were just his savings from pinching pennies.
However, Zephyr was different. He was polite and respectful, and he held the rank of captain.
My dad was so pleased that he rubbed his hands together with a grin and immediately brought out a bottle of aged liquor he had been saving for years to drink with him.
Between their rounds of drinks, the wedding date was quickly decided.
After seeing Zephyr off, I helped my slightly drunk dad back to his room. He was clearly delighted with his future son-in-law, and he even took out an heirloom bracelet passed down from my grandmother to my mother and shakily slipped it onto my wrist.
However, I understood that this 'favor' was meant for the commander's wife, not for me.
Once his snoring grew steady, I expressionlessly removed the bracelet and put it away.
The moment I stepped out of the room, Sylvia charged at me like a wild animal. Thankfully, I was already prepared and dodged to the side.
Sylvia swung at empty air, stumbled, and crashed into a post.
Watching her pathetic state, I could not help but laugh a little. She had always acted so superior around me. Even in my past life, when she was starving to death, she still looked at me like I was beneath her.
Seeing her like that felt incredibly satisfying.
Sylvia froze for a second when she saw the look on my face, then glared at me and said, "Laura, you too? You came back, too, didn't you?!"
