My adoptive parents dropped the matter quickly after that and arranged the first formal meeting between the two families.
As the Allens' recognized goddaughter, I was naturally expected to attend.
The Bennett family knew about Logan's condition. When they saw a prize like the Allen family offering itself up on a silver platter, they could barely contain their delight.
Logan was still in his racing suit, his looks and presence rivaling any A-list celebrity's.
Joy sat beside him, practically swooning, her voice several shades softer than usual.
What no one expected was that Logan's gaze kept drifting toward me.
“Rachel Dickerson? Have I seen you somewhere before?”
I thought of my previous life—how he'd been dosed with that lust drug, how he'd grabbed me and kissed me all over the place without the faintest idea what he was doing.
Under the table, Joy kicked me hard. Her voice turned to ice.
“My godsister Rachel is a housekeeper's daughter. Completely uncultured. How could she possibly have crossed paths with someone like you, Logan?”
One sentence dragged me to the bottom. The Bennett family's eyes turned openly disdainful.
Logan looked away too and didn't spare me another glance.
The moment we got home, Joy came for me in full.
“Do you have any idea what kind of man Logan is? Someone like you doesn't even get to dream.”
She dragged out every piece of winter clothing she owned.
“I'm about to marry Logan and move into the new house. Every last one of these gets hand-washed!”
My adoptive parents just smiled and waved the servants away when they tried to help.
After more than a decade living under the Allens' roof, I was long used to this family's ingratitude.
What gutted me was that my mother had nearly died saving this demon.
In my previous life, not long after I was forced to marry that playboy, my mother passed away.
This time around, all I wanted was to protect her and make every last one of them pay.
Joy pushed things along at breakneck speed. Within a month, the wedding took place.
My nerves were wound tight through the whole ceremony. On their wedding night, Logan's condition would inevitably come to light.
But I still hadn't found out where they were keeping my mother. When that moment came, I had no idea how I'd handle the fallout.
Lost in thought, I didn't notice someone sit down beside me.
“You're the one who went behind my back and said I wasn't up to it—got me passed over for that useless pretty face?”
My heart slammed against my ribs. I looked up at the man next to me.
Dana Stephens. At the wedding. I never expected him to show.
Dana was the type who responded to softness, never force. I kept my voice calm and careful.
“Mr. Stephens, you've got it wrong. I'm just the Allens' unfavored goddaughter—how would I have any say in the young lady's marriage?”
His eyes went cold. Without warning, his fingers reached out and traced my earlobe.
“Drop the act. Whether I'm up to it or not—you'd know, wouldn't you?”
A jolt ran through my entire body.
Nothing on me was more sensitive than my earlobes.
My adoptive parents had given both men that drug specifically to erase every memory of that night.
So why did Dana still remember?
My phone buzzed at exactly the right moment. It was Joy.
“Get to the dressing room.”
Inside the dressing room, Joy jabbed a finger in my face.
“What, you couldn't seduce my husband, so now you're throwing yourself at Dana Stephens?”
“Do you actually think you're some Allen family heiress?”
“Born trash. A whore who's been in two men's beds. You're never going to have a decent match—not in this life!”
“Pull another stunt like that and I'll have Mom and Dad marry you off to that worthless youngest son of the Matthews family!”
I was shaking. Because I knew exactly who she meant.
Earl Matthews. The man directly responsible for my death in my previous life.
And in that moment, it finally hit me with total clarity: no matter what I did, Joy would find a reason to come after me.
If I'd been reborn, I had to carve out a way to survive on my own.
My hand drifted to my stomach. Maybe Dana Stephens, the man from that one night, was the turning point I needed.
The morning after the wedding, my adoptive parents and I were still at the breakfast table when Joy stormed in.
