"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.”

Yosef took a two-month leave from his company just to go on our honeymoon together.

Even though the company was his, he still went through the formal procedures.

“Of course we’re going straight to the City Hall. I’m afraid if I wait any longer, someone else might steal my wife away.”

He lazily gazed out the window.

I turned to look in the same direction.

Jude was standing at the door with a dark expression, fists clenched tightly, staring coldly at us.

Right in front of him, I deliberately leaned forward and kissed Yosef on the lips. “Honey, let’s go.”

Yosef’s face turned red instantly. He nodded with a smile and in his nervousness, he even forgot to release the handbrake when he hit the gas.

Jude’s figure was soon left far behind.

Sitting in the car, I casually started playing with my phone. Suddenly, a news notification popped up.

“Chairman of Johnson Corporation announces severance of father-daughter ties with his eldest daughter Leona, declaring he no longer recognizes her.”

I only glanced at it before calmly putting the phone down.

“Yosef,” I asked, “I’m no longer the Johnson Family’s eldest daughter. Do you still want me? Do you think I’m no longer worthy of you?”

He paused, then smiled and gently ruffled my hair. “Of course not.”

He said we could live a different kind of life together.

Even if it meant working odd jobs or wandering the world, he was willing.

And he promised never to let me suffer.

Looking steadily at Yosef’s face, a warm and full feeling quietly filled my heart.

He ruined his own reputation just to fend off unwanted attention from other women, some even spread rumors that he had AIDS.

But I knew the truth.

He had never been in a relationship, never touched another woman in his life.

Every single time, it was him who saved me.

I used to think I was just lucky again and again.

But it wasn’t until after Yosef died that her mother, crying, told me, “Leona, my son has liked you since he was a child. These past years, he chose never to marry because of you. Have you ever thought about this? Where in the world does good luck come from for no reason? If it feels easy, it’s only because someone was silently bearing the burden behind the scenes.”

‘Yosef, in this life, I will love you properly.’ I told myself this in my heart.

Married life was simple, yet blissful.

Every time Yosef came home from work, he would bring me my favorite strawberry mini cakes.

He always worried I might get bored staying home all day, so every few days, he’d take me on a road trip to nearby cities.

But then, one night two weeks later, after a shower, I lay in bed getting ready to sleep.

It was nearly 11 p.m., yet Yosef still hadn’t come home.

Suddenly, I scrolled across a short video

“Suspected Griffin family playboy caught cheating, hotel raid underway, police already involved in anti-vice operations.”

An uneasy feeling rose in my chest. I clicked on the comments below...

The comments were full of judgment and insults.

“As expected, the world of the rich is beyond our understanding. Didn’t he just marry the eldest daughter of the Johnson Family? Their wedding was even trending! And now he’s already out messing around?”

“A dog can’t stop eating shit. Even if he married a goddess, he’d still find mistresses outside more tempting.”

One of the usernames looked very familiar.

The nickname was simply “Yos” and they even tagged me directly under the video.

“Look at the man you chose. Bet you don’t even have a place to cry now.”

I hesitated for a moment, then quickly changed clothes and took a cab to the hotel mentioned in the video.

Everyone was saying that my husband had cheated.

The police had surrounded the area and the scene looked extremely serious.

I rushed through the crowd without hesitation and when I finally made my way inside, I saw Yosef bare-chested in the hotel.

There was still a woman lying in the bed.

Jude was here too.

"How come you're here?"

"Just passing by."

Jude crossed his arms, looking like he was enjoying the show. "Are you regretting not marrying me now? Leona, your taste is really something. Now you've only been married a few days and he's already daring to cheat behind your back. I wonder how long you'll be able to keep that bastard off. Now I'm really curious. What kind of girl can make Mr. Griffin linger at night?"

His gaze, filled with malicious intent, landed on the bulging quilt beside Yosef.

From time to time, the sounds of a girl crying could be heard.

No need to think to know that inside, there was a woman.

My face turned slightly pale.

I didn't respond to him. I stepped forward and grabbed Yosef's arm. "Tell me, what is going on here?"

Yosef held my hand. "Leona, do you trust me?"

Without hesitation, I nodded.

Yosef seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

The next moment, he pulled the blanket away.