He asked me to give my favorite toy to Femma and I would obediently comply.

He told me to give up the room with the best lighting for Femma to live in and I would quietly pack my things and move out.

Even when he told me to marry Jude, I would accept without hesitation and try on the wedding dress.

I even studied various management skills, preparing myself to be a suitable Mrs. Zeller.

But now, I wanted to rebel for once.

“Dad, I want to marry Yosef.”

I heard my voice rise calmly, surprising even myself.

"You can say whatever you want, but this time, I want to choose my partner for life."

Suddenly, a heavy slap landed on my face, the sound echoing throughout the wedding hall.

The entire room went silent.

"You unfilial daughter! If you dare marry Yosef today, I’ll pretend I don’t have a daughter!"

I calmly raised my head to look at him and suddenly smiled. "Fine, let’s sever our father-daughter relationship."

No one expected it.

The well-behaved Johnson Family’s daughter would actually say such reckless words.

My dad’s face turned pale with anger, his chest rising and falling violently.

"Leona, you would rather sever ties with your father for this good-for-nothing? It seems I’ve spoiled you too much, letting you become so reckless!"

Since my mother passed away, my father remarried and they had the precious Femma. It had become quite normal for him to hit me.

His hand raised in anger again, ready to strike my face. But before it could reach me, a strong, knuckled hand grabbed his wrist.

Yosef stood there, his face cold, not a word spoken as he shielded me behind him.

"If you dare hit her again, try it."

He gritted out through clenched teeth and I felt my eyes redden.

No one had ever protected me like this before.

Everyone wondered why I would marry Yosef, the good-for-nothing playboy.

But only I knew.

In my past life, the day I was in labor, it just happened to be Femma’s memorial day.

Both my husband and father, too absorbed in their own grief, rushed to the cemetery to be with the ones they cared about most.

No one paid any attention to whether I lived or died. Even the doctors issued a critical condition notice.

I made dozens of phone calls, but each was met with impatient rejections.

Only Yosef went mad, pulling medical resources from the next city and miraculously saving my life, pulling me back from the brink of death.

Later, when Jude made enemies in the business world, they set fire to the Zeller Family villa.

I woke up in the middle of the night, choking on smoke, my leg trapped under a burning cupboard.

I held my two crying children, desperately pleading with Jude to save us. But he ignored me completely, rushing into the study to save Femma’s memorial portrait.

It was Yosef who rushed over like a madman again.

He charged into the sea of fire without hesitation, carrying my children out one by one, then came back for me.

Just as the roof beam was about to collapse, I screamed at him, "Yosef, get out—now!"

But it was too late. The fire engulfed him. The last thing he left me with was a reassuring smile, as if telling me not to be afraid.

From that moment on, I had my own “first love.” too.

He gave his life for me.

It was only after his death that I realized just how deeply he had hidden his love for me.

So this time, I wanted to protect him too and choose only him without hesitation.

My father was so furious that sparks seemed to fly from his eyes. “Leona, I’m asking you one last time. Are you sure you want to choose this man?”

"Yes." I nodded.

My father let out a cold laugh. "Good, good, very bold of you. I just hope you won't regret it later!"

He threw those words at me and stormed off.

Many guests who usually fawned over him also followed and left.

Deyna sneered with her usual passive-aggressive tone. "Leona, this marriage of yours is bound to be cursed. But if you change your mind and still plan to marry Jude, I’ll still accept you as my daughter-in-law."

I ignored everyone. I simply held Yosef's hand and walked up the stage step by step.

I told the officiant, “The wedding can begin.”

Most of the guests who had ties with the Johnson and Zeller families had already left the venue.

Only a few friends remained seated, but I still smiled with relief as Yosef and I completed the final part of the ceremony.

“From this moment on, I am your wife. Yosef, through sickness and health, through wealth and hardship, we are one.”

Yosef smiled and embraced me. He gazed at me deeply and with utmost sincerity, spoke a single word. “Okay.”

After the wedding, Yosef had me move into a riverside villa registered under his name.

To get our marriage certificate, I needed to return to the Johnson Family home to retrieve my ID card.

Just as I arrived at the building, a red sports car suddenly sped toward me.

Before I could react, Jude yanked my arm and forcefully shoved me to the ground.

“Are you blind?” he snapped, glaring at me coldly with a sneer tugging at his lips. “Didn’t you cut ties with the Johnson Family already? What are you doing back here?”

I replied calmly, “I’m here to get my ID card and register my marriage.”

Jude’s expression froze instantly. He stared at me in disbelief. “What did you say? Are the rumors outside are true? You’re really going to marry that good-for-nothing playboy?”

Before I could respond, Femma, dressed in a bright red dress, came jogging over from the sports car.

“Oh no, I’m so sorry, Leona! I didn’t see you standing there just now and I almost hit you. It’s all my fault. Dad just bought me a new sports car and I got a little too excited to handle it properly. You don’t mind, right?”

Her tone was filled with smugness and flaunting.

I turned to glance at the red Porsche, then looked down and chuckled softly.

"I don't mind."

After all, all these years, living in the Johnson household felt like I was just an outsider taking shelter.

I had long gotten used to the days where my father and stepmother showered all their affection on Femma.

Back then, when I needed to go for an internship and asked for a basic nanny car to get around, my dad flatly refused.

But as long as Femma asked, he gave one luxury sports car after another without even blinking.

It was then that I fully understood a saying. Once there's a stepmother, even your biological father starts acting like a stepfather.

"I'm just here to grab a few things."

Just as I turned to leave, I hadn’t taken more than a few steps when a bucket of cold water came crashing down on me from above.

Jude burst into loud laughter.

Femma covered her mouth, trying to stifle a laugh, but still put on an innocent face.

"Leona, everyone’s saying you're going to marry that playboy Yosef. He has AIDS, doesn’t he? You probably got infected too. I’m just disinfecting you so you don’t bring anything back into our house."

I caught the taunt in her eyes and stared at her coldly.

But she wasn’t done. She took a few steps closer, like she wanted to press her luck.

“Honestly, I really don’t get what you’re thinking,” she sneered. “Jude chose me. Even if he ran away from the wedding, that doesn’t mean you should pick a man at random just for pride’s sake, right? You have no idea how messy the private life of someone like Yosef is.”

“You’re really going to sleep with him after marrying him? Just thinking about all the messy things he’s done with so many women before. Doesn't that disgust you?”

I couldn’t help but sneer in return. “I maybe worry about your own man instead.”

Yosef ruined his own reputation on purpose just to fend off unwanted admirers.

He might have a bad name, but in his whole life, he’s never touched another woman.

But Jude was not like that.

In our previous life, it seemed like we were married for sixty years. But ever since I gave birth to our pair of children, we began living separately.

He could never forget Femma, his so-called first love. Every few days, he would bring home young girls who looked like her to spend the night. He even flirted in front of me on purpose.

To me, there was nothing filthier than Jude.

Suddenly, I had a wicked impulse. I lowered my voice and leaned in toward Femma.

“Femma, the man beside you is just someone I’ve already played with. If you don’t believe me, there’s a red birthmark on his right thigh. I’ve seen it countless times. You’re treating a rotten cucumber I’ve already used as a treasure, don’t you find it disgusting?”

After saying that, I walked away coldly.

Femma’s face instantly turned pale. Furious, she stomped her foot and started arguing with Jude.

“Jude, did you lie to me? How does she know you have a birthmark on your thigh? Did you already sleep with her and keep it from me?”

Jude’s face darkened and he flusteredly tried to explain.

“No, that was from the previous life… I know you won’t believe me if I say that. Femma, trust me. I swear I never touched her…”

Watching them argue louder and louder, nearly breaking into a fight, I couldn’t help but laugh.

‘Serves you right for badmouthing Yosef. It’s karma!’

Luckily, my dad wasn’t home. Once I got my ID, I slipped out quickly.

Before leaving, I didn’t forget to pick up a bucket of cold water and dump it on Femma.

Seeing her drenched like a drowned rat, I smiled gently.

“My good little sister, now I forgive you.”

“You stop right there!” With a darkened face, Jude chased after me.

For the first time, he left Femma behind and ran after me instead.

“Leona, are you really sure about this? Don’t think you can play hard to get and make me change my mind. I’ve already decided, in this lifetime, the only person I want to marry is Femma. No one can replace her.”

I gave a faint smile and turned to offer my blessing.

“Then I wish you two a happy marriage and a lifetime together. Hurry back to your wife. Stop following me.”

Jude’s face darkened, but he still stared at me.

“Leona, I already told you, stop playing games. Femma is pure and kind, not as scheming as you. I’m warning you, don’t hurt her. Even though we were married for decades in our last life, you should know I never loved you, so I advise you to…”

“Got it.” I waved him off, a little impatient. “If you’re so worried, I’ll leave Bostom with Yosef in the future. You’ll never see us again.”

There was a moment of silence behind me, but I couldn’t be bothered to argue with him anymore.

My mind was filled with the image of going to register the marriage with Yosef and just thinking about it made my steps feel lighter.

As soon as I ran out of the Johnson residence, I heard two honks behind me.

The car window quickly rolled down. It really was Yosef who had come to pick me up.

“Honey, get in the car.”

I smiled and got into the passenger seat. “Why are you here? I thought you hadn’t finished handling things at the company.”