Chapter 5

“Don’t talk like that, Elena. After all, Bella is your older sister; you have to respect her.”

“Ugh, Mom’s stepsister! I’m embarrassed to have a sister like her. Did Mom forget that back in school she embarrassed us by almost failing to graduate? And to top it off, she actually asked to marry Alvaro. That’s crazy, right?”

I just stayed silent, listening to the conversation between the mother and daughter. From that, I pieced together one fact: the middle-aged woman named Mira was Bella’s stepmother, and Elena was her stepsister. No wonder her gaze toward Bella was anything but sincere.

“Don’t be like that. After all, she’s my daughter; I’m still proud of Bella. As for marrying Alvaro, I’ll discuss this with her father. Hopefully, I can arrange for you to marry Alvaro,” she said, looking in my direction. “You still want to marry Alvaro, right, Bella?”

I stayed silent, unsure of what to say. I also didn’t know what Alvaro looked like. Was he a fat guy too, or…?

Ah, I didn’t want to think about a man anymore.

I’ve been foolish enough once because of a man, and I won’t repeat that mistake—even though I’m currently in Bella’s body.

Mira came closer, gently stroking my hair. However, I could still see the corners of her lips curving downward; it was clear her actions weren’t sincere. Or maybe she was planning something? I didn’t know, but one thing was certain: I couldn’t trust either of these two people.

“Don’t be afraid. Even though Alvaro doesn’t seem to like you, he’s your destined husband. He’s been betrothed to you since childhood, so Mom is sure you’ll still marry him.”

I remained silent, then chose to nod my head slowly.

Doesn’t like me? Why force it if he doesn’t like me?

I closed my eyes, choosing to just pretend to be asleep. I was sick of all this pretense.

Luckily, they didn’t make a big deal out of it and just assumed I was still sick.

Until, that is, the door opened. That forced me to open my eyes again, especially when Elena exclaimed cheerfully.

“Varo! You’re here!”

The corner of my eye immediately fell on the man standing tall. He had a sturdy build, a cold expression, and a strong jawline.

Handsome. Yes, I’ll admit he’s handsome. No wonder Bella likes him.

But still, what’s the point of staying together if one of you doesn’t love the other? Ah… David and I used to love each other, but it turned out it was all a lie, and in the end, I lost everything.

“Elena, don’t be like that. He’s your sister’s fiancé,” Mira exclaimed, pulling her daughter’s hand away as Elena tried to approach the man.

The man didn’t look at Elena at all. He cast his gaze toward Bella, but the look in his eyes felt so cold.

“Mom, even Alvaro doesn’t seem to like Bella—why are you still forcing this on her? Why not just set me up with him instead?” Elena whispered softly, but I could still hear her.

Ah, so this stepsister has a crush on her older sister’s fiancé? This kind of thing is usually a sign of an affair. Is a sister-in-law a death sentence? Or, stealing a sister-in-law’s husband. It would be truly ironic if that were to happen. 

“All right, let’s go outside. Let Alvaro talk to Bella,” said Mira. Then she looked at me briefly with a faint smile before turning her gaze to Alvaro. “Varo, keep an eye on Bella, okay? I’m going downstairs first.”

Alvaro merely nodded in response, not even glancing in Mira’s direction.

He has absolutely no manners. I really wanted to throw my sandal at his head. Judging by his facial features, I guessed he was still quite young—maybe around 35, or not even 40 yet. Meanwhile, in my previous life, I was already 40 years old.

“Satisfied with your little drama?” the man finally asked, his voice hoarse and his gaze piercing, once it was just the two of us in the treatment room. 

“This is why I don’t like you, Bella. You’re not just fat and stupid—you’re also a attention-seeker! You threw yourself into the pool on purpose, didn’t you? You did it on purpose so Grandpa would scold me, didn’t you?”

I remained silent, because honestly, I had no idea what he was talking about.

And I thought he was a quiet person, but it turned out that once he started talking, he was talkative and very harsh.

“I love another woman! I brought her to your birthday party so you’d know, so you’d ask Grandpa to call off this damn arranged marriage! But instead, you went and faked a suicide attempt. You really have no brain at all, Bella!”

I clenched my fists tightly upon hearing that. I exhaled slowly, then turned to stare at him sharply.

“Why don’t you just ask to call off the arranged marriage yourself if you already have a woman you love?”

“You dare to talk back to me, Bella?!” he snapped.

I chuckled sarcastically at that. “Well, why not? You asked, didn’t you? Of course I’m going to answer. What’s the big deal?”

Alvaro fell silent. He then stepped closer, a cynical smile curving his lips. “This time, what else are you planning, Bella? What else?!”

“I’m not planning anything. If you really don’t want this arranged marriage, fine, let’s just call it off. Problem solved, right?”

I saw his eyes widen in disbelief. What am I supposed to do? Beg? Apologize and plead for this arranged marriage to go ahead?

Oh, that’ll never happen. I’m Amora, not this so-called “stupid” Bella.

I’ve been given a second chance at life, so I’m going to change everything. I won’t let Bella be as foolish as I used to be.