When I am choosing who to be my fiancée, comments pop up before my eyes.

"Skylar, do not choose Gwen Moore! She is a daddy's girl. If you marry her, her father will make your life miserable."

"Choose Laura Colson. She may be an illegitimate daughter now and not valued, but she will rise to power and become the head of the Colson family!"

In my previous life, I believe the comments and choose Laura. After the marriage, she abuses me. I end up in the hospital again and again.

Once, I cannot endure it anymore and escape back home.

Brandon Stone, the illegitimate son who marries Gwen in my place, stands beside my father and berates me openly.

"Skylar, why do you always upset Laura? You are so immature! Do you not know how powerful the Colson family is now?"

My father looks displeased as well. "Why do you keep coming back when you're already married? Send him back!"

In the end, Laura beats me to death after I am sent back to the Colson residence.

After being reborn, I see those fake comments again.

This time, I will not just sit around and await my impending doom.

Brandon Stone slung an arm around my shoulders, putting on a mysterious air. "Who do you want to pick, Skylar? I think Laura Colson is pretty good!"

I felt dazed for a moment before it hit me that I'd been reborn. I turned to focus on Brandon before me, a chill running down my spine.

He was my dad's illegitimate son. After his mom died, Dad brought him home, saying it was so I'd have some company. In my previous life, he married Gwen Moore and lived in the lap of luxury.

And me? I was beaten to death.

I clenched my fists after hearing what he'd said. "Gwen and I grew up together. When my mom was still alive, she said she wanted me to form a marriage alliance with the Moore family."

"But Gwen has no mind of her own! I asked around for you—her dad is super controlling. Didn't you say before that Mr. Moore was really strict with you? He's probably scared you'll steal his daughter away from him!" Brandon said.

"Yeah, Skylar. What if you marry her and she makes you miserable?" Dad chimed in, trying to persuade me. He met Brandon's eyes for a split second, and then they both looked away.

The comments exploded in front of me.

"Come on. Ignore good advice, and you'll regret it! Listen to your dad, or you'll be doomed!"

"Hurry up and choose—Gwen is already on her way over. She's bringing her dad with her!"

"Laura's right outside. Say her name, and she'd die for you!"

I just had a bad feeling about this.

In my previous life, Laura and Gwen had walked in at the same time. I'd chosen Laura, and Gwen's expression had instantly turned hideous. Her father, Phil Moore, had also been infuriated.

Later on, Brandon ended up marrying Gwen, and only then did our families patch things up. Even so, Phil never stopped picking on Brandon.

I took a deep breath. "Dad, even if I choose Laura, she's no help to the family at all right now. We'd have to pour money into supporting her. Wouldn't that be way too risky?"

Dad gave me a look that was hard to read. "Why would it be? We won't be using the Stone family's resources. You'll just use what comes from your mother's side. That way, our family still gets to preserve its strength."

I looked at him, taking in the cold calculation in his eyes. How had I missed this in my previous life? Everything he did to me was just one big scheme. At least he'd shown his true colors early this time.

I frowned, and the comments before me started flying by even faster.

"Skylar, getting married is like getting a second life. Your dad and brother would never hurt you!"

"Laura even brought everything to her name with her today. She's super sincere!"

I couldn't help but sneer inwardly. She was an illegitimate daughter. How much of an inheritance could she possibly have?

Just then, the doorbell rang. Everyone was here.

Gwen and Laura walked in at the same time. Phil carried an air of effortless authority. I looked at the two of them and silently made up my mind.

With Phil watching me, I said firmly, "I choose Gwen. That way, I'll be fulfilling my mother's last wish."

Brandon's grip on my arm suddenly tightened, making a sharp pain shoot up it. I yanked myself free and stared at the crescent-shaped nail marks on my skin. I scowled at him. "What the hell was that, Brandon? It hurt!"

His expression turned wounded. "I didn't mean to, Skylar. It's just that you clearly said you liked Laura, and you even gave her a token of your affection. How can you go back on your word now?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? When did I ever give her anything?" I turned to glance at Laura, then froze when I saw the ring on her finger.

It was one half of the couple's ring I'd designed myself. It had gone missing after I'd finished it. I never imagined it would show up on her hand.

I couldn't help but look at Brandon. No one aside from him could've gotten into my room after the ring was done. It seemed my dear brother had been plotting against me for a long time!

I felt a chill in my chest.

The onslaught of comments continued.

"Don't blame your brother, Skylar. He just wants you to be happy!"

"Laura is such a hidden gem. You'll never go wrong choosing her."

"Yeah, hurry up and say yes to her. Once the Moore family starts putting pressure on you, the old codger is gonna tear into you in front of everyone!"

I took a deep breath after reading the comments and turned to Laura. "Are you sure that ring was from me?"

"Skylar, I know you're embarrassed, but my feelings for you are true. The moment I got your ring, I had everything prepared. This is all I own. I'm willing to spend my whole life with you!" she said.

Phil let out a cold laugh. "Are you trying to be a two-timer, Skylar? The Moore family might not be perfect, but we're not about to fight someone like her for you!"

"This engagement—"

"Since you're unwilling, let's just call off the engagement," I cut in evenly. "The Moore and Stone families are evenly matched. A union between us would be a power move for both sides. But as you can see, my dad and brother are dead set on forcing Laura on me. They even stole my work and gave it to her.

"Therefore, I can't go through with the engagement right now. In fact, I need to call the cops and get to the bottom of this."

At that, Phil froze, and Dad's face flushed with rage. "What nonsense are you spouting? Who are you accusing of stealing your stuff? You obviously gave the ring to Laura yourself!"

"That was a piece I wanted to submit for a competition. Why would I ever give it to someone else? And besides, I didn't even know her before this. I'd have to be insane to just hand it over to her!" I retorted.

With that, I pulled out my phone, ready to call the police. However, Brandon barreled over and hurled my phone to the floor.

"Skylar, stop causing a scene! You and Laura have long… I know you're too embarrassed to admit it, so I'll just say it for you. I'll take your place and go through with the marriage with the Moores. That way, you won't have to feel torn anymore."

He ran to Phil. "Mr. Moore, Skylar is just worried that this whole thing will blow up and get out of hand. That's why he's acting like this. Still, the engagement between the Moores and the Stones will go ahead as planned. Don't worry—we won't go back on our word."

Hearing that, Gwen glanced at him, then at me.

I couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. "This marriage alliance was arranged by my mom when she was still alive. Even if I step aside, it still won't be your turn to carry on with the engagement."

I turned to Phil. "Mr. Moore, if you trust me, please help me file a police report. Once everything is cleared up, I'll give your company the Nanvard project as a thank-you."

Lastly, I looked at Laura. "As for you, Laura, you'd better think carefully about how you're going to explain yourself in a bit."

My stance was crystal clear, and Phil hesitated. However, Dad snapped, "You're a disgrace to the family, you ingrate! Just how far are you planning to take this?"

"Am I the one making a scene, or are you two the ones with the hidden agenda?" I shot back. "This engagement was something Mom arranged before she died. You had your eye on it the whole time. You want to steal it for your precious son instead! Ask yourself whether he's worthy of it!"

A shadow flickered in Brandon's eyes, but he quickly grabbed my arm and put on his usual wounded act. "Skylar, how can you think of me like that? I'm doing this for your own good. I know I don't measure up, but I'm also a son of the Stone family, aren't I? And stop denying it—hasn't marrying Laura always been what you wanted?"

Even now, he was still trying to corner me.

Catching the complicated look in Gwen's eyes pushed me over the edge. I finally lost control and punched Brandon squarely in the face. "That's for running your filthy mouth!"

Immediately after, I was also punched. My head snapped to the side from the impact. Dad had done it, and he'd put so much force into it that it knocked me straight to the floor.

Phil looked enraged. "Enough of this nonsense! How you discipline your son is your family's business. We won't force this anymore. Gwen, we're leaving!"

He turned and left with her.

I panicked and moved to go after them, but Laura yanked me back. "Skylar, trust me. I promise I'll treat you well from now on."

The comments immediately flooded my view.

"Skylar, come on! Laura is your destined soulmate! Stop messing around already!"

"Why are you so hung up on Gwen? Didn't you see how cocky her dad was just now? Their family clearly has zero intention of letting their daughter marry you!"

"Don't miss out on Laura, Skylar!"

I actually let out an exasperated laugh upon reading the comments. Then, I yanked my hand out of Laura's grip and snarled, "I'll never marry you. Get that idea out of your heads!"

Dad's face turned blotchy with rage. "This isn't up to you! I'm going to announce your engagement right now. The wedding will be three days from today!"

"No way!" I tried to bolt for the door, but the bodyguards pinned me to the floor.

Brandon walked toward me. "Skylar, stop upsetting Dad, okay?"

I shot him a cold look. "Drop your 'concerned brother' act. I'm my mom's only child. You want me to marry Laura? Over my dead body!"

"It's not your call!" Dad roared. Then, he forced himself to soften his tone. "Skylar, I'm doing this for your own good. Over the years, I've never asked anything of you. Truth is, you have no idea that the company is on the verge of collapse. If we can get the Colson family's help, we can lock down all our downstream factories."

In his eyes, I was nothing more than a bargaining chip on the table.

Too bad Laura was deadweight. In my previous life, she'd taken out all her frustrations on me whenever the slightest thing went wrong, and she never made a single decent move in business. Even if I married her, there was no way I could preserve the Stone family's glory.

But Dad couldn't see that. He just wanted to reserve the best for his favorite son. Brandon was his true pride and joy.

I opened my mouth to argue, but Laura spoke up first, saying, "Don't worry. I'll definitely treat Skylar well."

A chill ran down my spine when I caught the venom in her eyes. Meanwhile, Brandon asked, "How about we have Skylar head over to your place starting today? That way, you two can build your relationship."

I snapped my head toward him. There was pure malice lurking in his gaze. My heart sank.

Dad signaled the bodyguards with a flick of his wrist. They dragged me toward Laura's car and stuffed me inside. I struggled with everything I had, but Dad just stepped forward and punched me in the face twice. My mouth tasted like blood, and my ears started ringing.

In that moment, I finally understood that there was no way to completely escape the nightmare from my previous life.

Laura's eyes darkened sinisterly. She hissed, "I've heard about you being pampered and spoiled, but I've truly gotten a firsthand experience of what you're really like today. Don't worry, though. I'll be very gentle with you."

The look she gave me made me shudder, and a wave of despair flooded my chest. I couldn't go back to living in the hell that was my previous life. I couldn't!

But the driver slammed his foot on the gas, and the scenery outside began to blur and fall away behind us. My heart sank into an abyss.

If going with Laura meant getting beaten to death all over again, I would rather jump out of the car now. Unfortunately, she clamped down on my wrist with a vicious smile. "Save your energy, Skylar. I'm not letting you die that easily."

At her words, I lowered my head and sank my teeth into her wrist. She cried out in pain, and I used that moment to shove the door open, ready to throw myself out.

At the very last second, the car screeched to a halt. Laura recovered and grabbed me by the hair, then slapped me hard across the face. The blow almost knocked me out.

Just then, the driver said shakily, "Ms. Colson, the car in front of us… It's…"

His face had gone pale with fear.

Laura had also seen the owner of that car. She loosened her grip on me in an instant. Meanwhile, I let out a sigh of relief. Finally!