Chapter 1

“Stella, Nancy, you two need to draw lots.

“Even though the Goodwin family has gone bankrupt, we still need to fulfill the marriage arrangement set in the past.”

George was my father. His voice was so familiar that it almost hurt to hear it.

I lowered my head and stared at my soft, unblemished hands. They did not have calluses from years of hard labor or scars from frostbite.

The date on the calendar hanging on the wall showed a time from two years ago. I had returned to the past. I had returned to the very day when the lot would decide my fate!

“Stella, I’ll draw first.” My younger sister, Nancy, interrupted my thoughts with her sweet and gentle voice.

She flashed me an innocent-looking smile. She reached for the sticks in George’s hand.

That was exactly how it happened in my previous life. She had feigned innocence despite already knowing which one was the long stick.

“Hold on. Let me draw first.” I grabbed her wrist so firmly that her eyes widened in shock.

My mother, Catherine, instantly frowned. “Stella, how can you be so rude? Nancy is your younger sister! Shouldn’t you let her draw first?”

I snorted. I ignored Catherine’s rebuke. Without hesitation, I pulled out a stick from George’s hand.

“It’s a long stick,” I announced calmly. I held the stick up and showed it to everyone.

The living hall fell into a terrifying silence.

Nancy’s face turned as white as a ghost. She anxiously turned to George. “Dad… Dad…”

“I…” George cleared his throat. He turned to me and said, “Stella, you’re the older sister. You should let Nancy draw first. How about you two redraw the sticks?”

“Why do we need to draw them again?” I feigned innocence. “Rules are rules. Or could it be that…

“Someone already knew which one was the short stick?”

Nancy widened her eyes in shock.

When Catherine saw this, she quickly tried to smooth things over. “Stella, how can you think that way about Nancy? She’s still young. She can’t handle that kind of hardship.

“The Goodwin family is already bankrupt. Marrying into that household means a hard life. As her older sister, shouldn’t you protect her?”

“Protect her?” I almost laughed. “Who’s supposed to protect me, then?”

George abruptly exploded into a fit of rage. He slammed his palm on the coffee table. “Stella, you’re the older sister! Why can’t you accommodate Nancy? She can never survive that kind of hardship. You’ve been handing down everything to her since young, so why can’t you do the same now? Why are you making things difficult now?”

I looked into George’s enraged eyes. “Haven’t I given her enough ever since I was young? She has a bigger room than mine. She wears more expensive clothes. She went to a private school while I studied in a government school. How could you even want me to give up my marriage for her?!”

“You’re out of line!” George roared. He raised his hand and motioned to slap me.

I did not flinch. I did not prepare to evade his attack. I stared at him coldly.

In the end, he did not slap me. His hand trembled in midair before he slowly lowered it.

He turned to Catherine. “Lock her up. She’ll stay there until she comes to her senses.”

I knew he was not worried about hurting me. He was worried about ruining my face and affecting the wedding next month.

Catherine hurriedly came over and grabbed my arm.

When she dragged me to the staircase, I heard Nancy say with a sob, “Dad, I don’t want to marry into that family! They can’t even afford servants these days. I’ll die over there!”

“Nancy, don’t you worry.” George’s voice was sickeningly gentle.

“I won’t let you suffer,” he said.