Chapter 1

"Mom, I don't want to get married. I want to go to college and make something of myself."

"You know nothing! For a woman, finding a husband is all that matters!"

A familiar sob echoed in my ears, followed closely by the sharp crack of a slap.

I forced my eyes open just in time to see Mom striking my sister Rachael Booth across the face. It was the exact same scene I had witnessed in my previous life.

Dad was puffing on his pipe nearby. Noticing me staring, he rapped the pipe hard against my forehead and snapped, "What are you staring at? Help us convince your sister. Nowadays, nothing beats marrying well. You're already a lost cause. Do you want Rachael to end up ruined like you?"

His words turned everyone's attention toward me, and my heart missed a beat.

Grandma frowned in mild disapproval. Her wrinkled face was filled with worry. "Selena, you're the educated one here. Talk some sense into your parents. Who forces their child to drop out of school just to get married? What will people say about them?"

My mind raced back to the answer I had given in my last life.

Back then, I'd believed Rachael should stay in school. After all, relying on yourself was always better than relying on someone else.

But the moment those words left my mouth, I was slapped.

This time, Mom moved even faster. She smacked the back of my head and sneered. "What's the point of asking her? She failed to land a good husband herself, so of course she doesn't want to see Rachael succeed.

"Listen, it's the Hesters who are looking for a daughter-in-law. Mrs. Hester explicitly said that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of ambition. She only took a liking to Rachael because she's pretty and looks like she can bear children."

Mom held her head high, acting as if this were some grand achievement.

Even the protesting Rachael fell silent, and Grandma's resolve began to waver.

After all, the Hester family was one of the wealthiest families in the entire state. Forget marrying into the family, even just landing a job with them was considered a jackpot.

I understood my family's hesitation perfectly. They were waiting for me to speak, so that whether Rachael married or not, they could pin the blame on me. All because I was just the adopted daughter.

Rachael's anger vanished, and she grabbed my hand. "I'll do whatever Selena says. She's working now and knows how the world works."

Mom and Dad glared at me instantly, their eyes threatening to beat me to death if I dared say a single wrong word.

My legs went weak out of habit, but I forced myself to stand tall. "Rachael, you're lucky to have this opportunity. I'm happy for you. Just listen to Mom. She'd never hurt you."

I chose a completely different answer from my last life.

Mom let out a sigh of relief and actually gave me a rare smile. Dad also patted the spot where he had struck me and smiled warmly.

"See? I knew Selena was sensible and wouldn't talk nonsense. Don't take what happened earlier to heart. We were just worried Rachael might choose the wrong path."

They put on their hypocritical smiles again, playing the part of a loving family perfectly.

I fought down the wave of nausea rising in my stomach as memories of their true nature from my previous life flooded back.

Back then, Mom had preached the exact same nonsense. She'd treated marrying into the Hester family like a divine blessing and snapped at anyone who disagreed.

And I had been the fool who stuck my neck out.

I hadn't wanted Rachael to be trapped in this backwater valley forever, so I had tried to reason with Mom and Dad from every angle.