At my twenty-second birthday gala, I issued a challenge: the man who won "The Sanctuary," an architectural model of my own design, would become my fiancé.

My childhood sweetheart, Blake Cunningham, was certain he would be the one.

However, midway through the evening, the model was accidentally knocked over.

At its center, the silver World Tree, a symbol of dreams, shattered into a thousand pieces.

As the fragments scattered across the floor, a crucial branch landed right at the feet of a mysterious young man in sunglasses, Jonas Thorne. He bent down and picked it up.

Blake bellowed, "What do you think you're doing? Get your hands off that!"

I stepped in front of Jonas, shielding him.

I said, "You're my fiancé now."

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1

Blake Cunningham stared at me, his face a mask of disbelief. "What did you just say?"

Under the weight of everyone's stares, I repeated, word by word, with chilling clarity, "I said, I'm marrying Jonas."

Blake's perfectly groomed eyebrows crashed together. "Scarlett Atwood, have you lost your mind? You're going to marry... a blind man?"

Hailey Vance let out a delicate, mocking laugh. "Oh, Scarlett, stop being so dramatic. We all know you're just having a little spat with Blake, but risking your entire future over it? That's taking things too far."

I shot them a frigid glare.

Blake and I had grown up together. For the longest time, his world had revolved around me, until Hailey's arrival threw everything into chaos.

She didn't move in with my family until I was in middle school.

In my previous life, I'd had a massive fight with them when they jokingly urged me to accept Jonas. The two of them had stormed off in a huff.

I knew then that Hailey was just using Blake. She was never serious about him. I had warned him, but he abandoned the business partnership between our families for her. As a result, our company's funding dried up, and the business nearly collapsed.

I still remember the way he stood over me, his eyes dripping with contempt. "Scarlett Atwood, back when you tried to drive a wedge between me and Hailey, did you ever imagine you'd end up like this?"

My face was ashen, my laughter hollow and bitter. It was on that day I realized he was no longer the Blake who had once loved me, who had wanted nothing more than to be my husband.

After our family went bankrupt, my mother, Eleanor Atwood, died from overwhelming grief.

As for me? I was murdered in a staged car accident.

None of us had made it out alive.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back at my twenty-second birthday gala. I looked at their smug, sneering faces and silently clenched my fists.

This time, I wouldn't beg anyone. All I had to do was wait for the perfect moment to watch Blake crumble under the weight of the truth.

I took Jonas's hand and led him toward the exit of the banquet hall.

Blake blocked our path, a smirk playing on his lips. "I get it. You're just trying to make me jealous, right? Provoking me with him?"

He gestured toward the wreckage on the table. "Alright, game over. I'll give you a chance to save face. Drink the champagne Hailey poured for you, and I'll pretend I didn't hear that nonsense you just spouted."

His finger pointed to the bottle on the table—Hailey's supposed birthday gift.

In our circle, everyone knew I was severely allergic to alcohol and never drank. And he wanted me to drink it? The whole bottle?

"You're insane." I shoved him away.

His smirk instantly froze.

I tightened my grip on the hand of the man in sunglasses and continued toward the door.

Blake's furious voice echoed behind me. "Scarlett! Go on, then! Marry that blind man if you've got the nerve!"

I didn't flinch. I didn't look back. I just walked out of the banquet hall with Jonas.

My assistant, Chloe Pierce, pulled the car up to the entrance. I gently helped Jonas into the back seat.

He finally spoke, his voice a low murmur. He introduced himself only as Thorne, explaining that an accident a few months prior had temporarily impaired his vision.

Thorne?

In New York City, the Thorne family was practically royalty. Everyone who was anyone wanted to be associated with them.

And this man, who looked down on his luck and seemed unsteady on his feet, shared that name.

I studied the strong lines of his face, half-hidden behind the dark sunglasses, and said softly, "I'm Scarlett Atwood of Atwood Architectural Design. I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess today. I can hire the best doctors to treat your eyes, but on one condition: you have to agree to marry me. If you're willing, just nod."

He nodded.

No fanfare, no theatrics. It was a transaction.

I wasn't marrying him on a whim. I needed a husband. Otherwise, my mother would never stop pushing Blake on me.

"Alright then, Mr. Thorne," I said gently. "Let's go pick out a suit. We'll settle everything today."

The car merged into traffic, and I picked up my phone to call my mother.

It rang for a long time before she answered.

"What is it?"

The sheer exhaustion in my mother's voice made my heart ache.

I remembered how she had withered away in my previous life, eventually dying of a broken heart.

I clenched my fists.

"Immediately," I said firmly, "I want you to terminate all business partnerships with the Cunningham Group."

She sounded confused, but I held my ground, persuading her with precise predictions about the future real estate market. Finally, she relented. "Alright. I trust your judgment."

Relief washed over me.

By the time I hung up, the car had stopped in front of a high-end bespoke suit shop. I got out, helped Jonas out of the car, and we walked in together.

The moment we entered, I saw Hailey. She was standing before a display, her eyes practically glued to a stylish designer gown.

"Scarlett would look absolutely stunning in this gown, don't you think?" she said, her voice laced with a sly, dreamy quality.

Blake stood beside her. At her words, his brow twitched. "Don't mention her name. She's lost her mind. But honestly, Hailey, you'd look much better in this than she ever could."

Hailey gave a demure laugh. "Really? But… this gown is so expensive. I couldn't possibly..."

Blake's expression softened. "Don't say that. If you like it, we'll buy it. Right now."

He pulled out his card to pay, then turned and his gaze met mine.

"Scarlett? What are you doing here?"

He snatched his hand back, pocketing the credit card as his eyes flickered to the man beside me. His handsome face instantly twisted into a scowl.

"You brought him here to get a custom suit? Are you really going to marry that blind man?"