Back to the day we exchanged fiancés

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After my elder sister lost her sanity, her engagement with the Herty family was passed on to me.
I joyfully married my long-time sweetheart, only to spend the wedding night alone. Because of this, I became the laughingstock of the capital.
Later on, I uncovered my sister's secret, so she ran me over with her car and dumped my body in the woods.
When I opened my eyes again, I realized I had returned to the day when the engagement was swapped.
Lewis Herty cradled my deranged sister in his arms and kissed her fingers affectionately. "No matter what happens to you, you'll always be my love, Janice."
This time, I turned and agreed to the marriage proposal of Nick Samson, the infamous tycoon with a violent temper and who's rumored to be impotent.
While he asked for my hand in marriage, Lewis cried for me to return to his side.
*****
After bidding farewell to members of the Samson family, my mother turned to me with a frantic expression.
My father said with a frown, "Don't be afraid, Elma. Even if he's the CEO of Samson Conglomerate, he can't bully people into marrying him. I'll go ask their patriarch to cancel this engagement immediately."
Then, he got up and headed for the door.
I replied calmly, "Nick promised that as long as I married him, he would get Dr. Thomas, the renowned neurologist, to treat Janice."
My father stopped in his tracks when he heard that. His tone changed immediately.
"I will allow you to marry Nick Samson. To be his wife is a blessing that many pray for but never receive. From today onward, we will prepare for your marriage."
My mother's eyes were red with tears when she interjected, "But Nick is notorious for his violent tendencies. How sure are you that we're not just sending Elma to her death?!"
My father's expression was stone cold. He responded angrily, "That's just a baseless rumor! You're just a housewife, what do you know?!"
Having said that, he turned and left.
I was not surprised by his reaction.
He might love me as his daughter, but it could never compare to his love for my elder sister, Janice Jonson.
Janice's mother was my father's first wife. She died at a point when they were deeply in love with each other.
My mother was his second wife. Worried that Janice would be mistreated by her stepmother, he would always leave the best for her.
Since childhood till today, whenever a conflict arose between me and Janice, he would unwaveringly choose her side, even when she was in the wrong.
I wiped my mother's tears away and comforted her. "Mom, don't worry about me. I'll soon be Nick's wife. You should be happy for me."
"But…"
"No buts. Don't worry, I'll be fine," I said reassuringly.
Dr. Thomas lived up to his name. In just two days, Janice's sanity was restored.
My father was so elated that he hosted a feast to announce the good news.
He looked at me and instructed, "Elma, inform the Herty family about Janice's recovery and invite them to the banquet this evening."
I arrived at their headquarters alone, where I was stopped by a security guard at the entrance. I had to explain the purpose of my visit, and he agreed to pass on the message.
There, I stood under the hot sun for two hours before Lewis emerged from the office building. He started reprimanding me the moment he saw me.
"Elma! Just because I agreed to marry you doesn't mean you get to pester me constantly!"
Looking at his disgusted expression, I responded calmly, "My sister has regained her sanity. My father's hosting a celebration banquet this evening."
He was surprised by the news. "Has Janice really recovered?"
I nodded in confirmation.
Lewis smilingly accepted the invitation slip that I was holding. "I'll be there on time."
At this point, I became aware that Lewis's attitude toward Janice and me was completely different.


That evening, at the start of the banquet, my father raised his glass and announced excitedly, "As Janice is getting married soon, I shall grant all the real estate companies under my name as her bridal gift."
Janice's face lit up instantly.
At that moment, mother said indignantly, "What about Elma? She's getting married as well."
My father replied without hesitation, "She's getting married to Nick, so we don't know if she'll survive this marriage or not. It would be a waste to give her such valuable gifts."
Although I already knew my father favored Janice over me, it still hurt to hear that he didn't take my life seriously.
When my mother heard this, her eyes welled up with tears. She was prepared to fight back for me, but I tugged her arm and said, "Forget it, Mom. I don't need anything from them."
Halfway through the banquet, Lewis arrived in his bespoke suit. In front of everyone, he presented a diamond bracelet to Janice.
"Janice, this is a gift to celebrate your recovery."
Janice's eyes lit up when she saw the bracelet, but she pretended to turn down his gift.
"Oh, how could I accept this? It's too expensive."
Ignoring her, Lewis wrapped the bracelet around her wrist and said, "To me, nothing's as precious as you."
Those with a good eye knew that this was a family heirloom, passed down through generations for their daughters-in-law.
"Only a daughter-in-law of the Herty family can wear that bracelet. If he has given that to Janice, what about Elma?"
"Mr. Herty and Janice are in love with each other. Now that she's recovered, it's only right that it should go to her."
"Doesn't that mean he won't be marrying Elma?"
Unable to bear the discussions of the crowd, I left the banquet on my own and went to the backyard.
To my surprise, Janice came after me.
Under the pale moonlight, she fiddled with her diamond bracelet while looking at me disdainfully. "In the end, this is still mine. Did you think you could steal it from me while I was sick? Dream on!"
She was wrong. I wanted nothing to do with her.
I just wanted to watch her ruin her life quietly.
"I heard from Dad you're gonna marry Nick Samson? The guy with a violent disposition and who's rumored to be impotent?"
Janice sighed softly.
"What a shame. I can no longer bully you as I please anymore."
I didn't want to waste my time with her anymore, so I turned and prepared to leave.
Without a warning, she grabbed my wrist and leaped into the pool next to us.
"Help! Help!"
Her cries for help quickly attracted everyone's attention.
Lewis was the first to arrive. He jumped into the pool to drag Janice to safety.
She was huddled in his arms while complaining, "Elma was upset, so I came to cheer her up, but she pushed me into the water!"
Without giving me a chance to explain, Lewis kicked me into the swimming pool and left with Janice in his arms.
I flailed around in the water for a while before I managed to climb out of the water.
My father came after hearing the news. He raised his arm and gave me a hard slap. "How cruel can you be? Picking on your own sister like this? Go kneel and repent in the family hall! Anyone who protects you will be punished altogether!"
I placed my hand over my now swollen cheeks and looked at my mother. I shook my head, signalling for her to stay silent.
In the family hall, my mother sobbed silently. "It's all my fault, Elma. You got dragged into this because your father dislikes me."
My eyes were red, but I kept my back straight. "If they don't like me, I won't like them either."
Three days later, my mother managed to convince my father to let me out of the house so that she could prepare a bridal gift for me.
At the jewelry store, my mother picked out a pair of pink diamond earrings, which she placed above my earlobes.
"Fortunately, I've tucked away some money to be able to afford a bridal gift for you. With this, you won't be looked down upon when you marry into their family."
I shook my head and smiled. "I don't care about these things."
At that moment, Janice and Lewis entered the store. She pointed at the pink diamond earrings I was trying on and said, "I want those earrings."


My mother immediately said, "I've already bought them for Elma."
Janice immediately looked at Lewis with tears in her eyes. "If my mom were still around, she'd have bought them for me."
With a grim expression, Lewis looked at us. "In the end, you still choose your own daughter over Janice. I can't imagine the torture you've put her through while growing up."
He then pulled out a black credit card from his pocket and slammed it on the table.
"I'll buy everything you have for my fiancee," he said.
My mother looked at them while shaking with anger.
I grabbed her arm and tried to calm her down. "Forget it, Mom. I didn't like the design anyway."
I pulled her out of the store, and Janice and Lewis followed behind us.
At that moment, an out-of-control car came hurtling in our direction and was about to hit Janice.
Lewis rushed up and pushed me forward to block Janice from harm.
Before I could react, I felt my head slamming against the hard frame of the car. Before drifting off unconscious, I saw Lewis walking up to me with a worried expression.
However, Janice quickly pulled him back and buried her face in his chest.
"I was so scared, Lewis!"
He proceeded to wrap his arms around her and turned away.
When I came to, I was lying on a hospital bed while my mother sobbed next to me.
"Lewis's no better than a beast! How dare he push you in front of the car!"
My face was pale as a sheet. I raised my arm to wipe away her tears. "Don't cry, Mom. I'm not marrying him anyway. After this, we'll stay as far away from them as possible."
She cried even harder. "After what happened, your father still stands on her side. After the accident, not once did he come to visit you."
This wasn't the first time he had done this, so I had gotten used to it.
The next day, Lewis came to the hospital and presented a pair of crystal earrings to me.
"Elma, I didn't mean to push you yesterday. In the heat of the moment, I-"
I snorted sarcastically. "In the heat of the moment, you pushed me into the car's path because you were worried for Janice's safety?"
With a guilty tone, he admitted, "It's my fault. As long as you promise not to mistreat Janice anymore, if you choose to follow me, I'll give you a child, and you won't have to worry about money for the rest of your life."
I looked at him with a frown. "Follow you? Give me your child?"
Lewis nodded.
"Janice has regained her sanity, so our engagement will naturally resume. However, seeing how devoted you've been, and since your reputation has been ruined, your father has agreed to let me take you as my unofficial wife."
"Hmph!" I snorted.
Unofficial wife? In other words, he was asking me to be his mistress?
I took a deep breath and was about to speak when Janice entered the room dressed in designer clothes and the pair of pink diamond earrings from before.
"Elma, those earrings are made from the best lab-grown diamonds that Lewis asked his assistant to pick for you. Do you like it?"
The cheap artificial diamonds couldn't even compare to her pink diamond earrings that sparkled under the light. It was an accurate representation of my place in Lewis's heart compared to Janice.
I forced a smile and nodded in agreement.
With a satisfied expression, Janice led Lewis away.
In the following days, in order to avoid stirring up trouble with Janice, I remained at home.
Until my wedding day, I put on my bridal crown and wedding dress. I proceeded to whisper Janice's secret to my mother and asked her to complete the necessary arrangements.
Teary-eyed, she nodded along while sending me off.
Lewis and Janice had been vacationing for the past few days. While dropping her home, they happened to see a bridal entourage leaving our house.
Lewis asked, "Who's that in the car? Doesn't your family only have two daughters?"
My mom wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. She replied coldly, "It's Elma. She's getting married to Nick Samson today."
The news caught Lewis by surprise.
"What?" he asked in disbelief.

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