I thought I had been careful, but his fiancée still uncovered the truth.
In my previous life, she used a flimsy excuse to persuade Cedar to send me abroad. When illness struck me down, she twisted the narrative, slandering and framing me at every turn.
I died a lonely, tragic death, forgotten and abandoned. A year later, my uncle finally remembered me, but by then, all that remained of me were brittle, white bones.
This time, I vowed not to repeat the same mistake.
As Monica continued to cling to her suspicions, I lifted the love letters in my hand and spoke with feigned innocence.
"Auntie, these were written by my friends for my uncle. They only met him once, but they were utterly smitten!" I added a nervous laugh as if embarrassed by the situation.
"But I was too scared to hand them over. What if he got angry and drove me out of the family? You know how terrifying he can be. And... I’m just an orphan. If I leave here, I have nowhere else to go."
Mentioning the word "orphan" caused Monica’s expression to falter. A glimmer of pity crossed her face, softening her once sharp gaze.
Sensing the shift, I pressed on, my voice trembling with an intentional hint of vulnerability.
"Anyway, even if I gave them to my uncle, he’d refuse them without a second thought. His heart belongs to you and only you! So, after thinking it over, I decided to hide the letters. But somehow, one letter turned into many and now I’ve got a whole pile of them."
Afraid she might still doubt me, I quickly pulled out my phone, showing her the edited chat logs I had prepared in advance.
The conversations were real, my friends did have crushes, but none of them were aimed at Cedar. I had carefully rewritten the records to steer clear of suspicion.
Monica scanned the screen with a scrutinizing eye. Her guarded expression softened slightly and she lowered her gaze, seemingly lost in thought. After a moment, she straightened up and smirked.
"Even if you wrote them, so what? Don’t worry. Auntie isn’t petty enough to hold a grudge against a little girl like you!"
Her tone dripped with disdain and the mocking curve of her lips stung.
I swallowed my unease, forcing myself to maintain an obedient demeanor. Perhaps my docility in this life had finally satisfied her, convincing her that I was no longer a threat.
Though her doubts weren’t entirely erased, Monica no longer saw me as a rival.
As for that "Auntie" title, it wasn’t entirely fabricated.
The family had indeed been discussing a marriage for Cedar, though not to her. They were arranging a match with someone deemed his equal.
Cedar came home late that night. Ever since my confession on my eighteenth birthday, he had made it a point to treat me with cold indifference. But tonight, to my surprise, he knocked on my door.
I had barely drifted off to sleep when the loud rap startled me awake. Groggily, I opened the door, only to be met with Cedar’s thunderous expression. His words lashed out like a whip.
"Sylvia, what nonsense have you been telling Monica? When did I ever discuss marriage with her, or anyone, for that matter?"
His gaze burned with accusation and his voice carried the weight of disdain.
"What are you scheming now? Are you trying to upset Monica and make her cry? Or is this some underhanded ploy to drive her away? Let me remind you that I’ve already chosen to overlook what happened before. But from now on, you’d better stay in line!"
He fixed me with an unrelenting glare, his words cutting deeper with every syllable.
"I warned you once, didn’t I? Stop entertaining those improper thoughts about me! I won’t tolerate any more of your antics and I certainly won’t let you meddle in my love life!"
I swallowed hard, lowering my head as I murmured a barely audible "Hmm."
Cedar’s impatience flared as he let out a sharp sigh, his glare intensifying.
"Who are you fooling with that lost little act? Do you think I’ll pity you? Sylvia, let me make this crystal clear: stay away from Monica! She’s innocent and pure, unlike you, a young woman with a heart weighed down by scheming thoughts."
With that, he turned and slammed the door behind him, leaving me standing in the suffocating silence of my room.
I let two silent tears slip down my cheeks, not for Cedar, but for the life I had lost in my previous lifetime. A life cut short, filled with tragedy and regrets too heavy to bear.
