Vernon's POV
The Andrews family had two candidates for their daughter's hand in marriage. One was me, and the other was Calvert Thompson.
However, on Zera Andrews’s twenty-third birthday, Calvert died in a car accident. And just like that, I became the Andrews’s son-in-law.
After the wedding, my wife and I were respectful, loving, and devoted. So naturally, I gave everything to her and her family. I thought that was how my life would go: quiet, stable, and happy.
But I never expected that, in our old age, my wife would suddenly ask to move Calvert’s ashes into the Andrews’s ancestral tomb—into the spot originally reserved for me.
I was furious. I cried, shouted, and even cursed. But she wouldn’t budge.
To make me give up, she coldly confessed that she had already written a will. After her death, I’d be left with nothing.
Then came the final blow. The son I had loved and raised for decades, Alec Andrews, wasn’t mine. He was Calvert’s.
The shock hit me so hard that I coughed up blood on the spot. Right there, in front of my wife, I died.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the Andrews estate on the very day they were choosing Zera’s husband.
Mr. Andrews stood at the head of the hall, solemn and serious, as he declared, “Zera, you’re not young anymore. It’s time to make a decision. Tell us, who do you want to marry?”
Mrs. Andrews smiled kindly. “I think she’ll choose Vernon. She’s always clung to him since she was little.”
I was better than Calvert in every way—looks, intelligence, ability. So, everyone in her family knew I was the obvious choice to be their son-in-law. It had basically been decided already.
But this time, Zera looked at me with cold eyes. Eyes full of hatred and disgust.
At that moment, I understood. She had been reborn too.
If you still longed for Calvert that badly, then fine. I’d give him to you.
——
I stood up and said calmly, “Uncle, Auntie. I'm neither talented nor handsome. I’m not worthy of Zera. So I’m stepping down.”
Zera looked stunned. For a second, confusion flickered in her eyes. But then she quickly turned cold again, said nothing, and walked out of the hall without looking back.
I knew exactly where she was going. Right now, Calvert was still alive, and no car accident had happened yet. There was still time.
I stood there, a bitter smile tugging at my lips. So all those decades of marriage meant nothing, but just an illusion.
“Vernon, what did you just say?” Mr. Andrews’s voice came from the hall above.
I looked up and met his eyes. This man once treated me like his own son. Now, all I saw on his face was confusion.
I took a deep breath. Even I was surprised by how calm I sounded.
“Uncle,” I said, “since Zera already has someone in her heart, I won’t compete to be her husband.”
Mr. and Mrs. Andrews exchanged a look. Given how decisively Zera had just left, they didn’t know what to say to comfort me.
Leaving them behind, I returned to my room and quietly packed my things, preparing to leave.
The next day, I opened my social feed and found numerous posts about Zera and Calvert making it official.
In the photos, Zera leaned into Calvert’s chest, smiling like spring sunlight, while he held her by the waist, his eyes soft and full of affection.
Without a word, I scrolled past the posts.
Around noon, I heard a commotion downstairs. I looked out the window and saw Zera, holding tightly onto Calvert’s arm, walking confidently through the front gate.
A little later, shouting echoed from the direction of the study.
Zera’s voice was sharp and aggressive as she shouted, “Dad! You promised! Whoever marries me gets control of our company! So why is Vernon still in charge of the San Francisco project?”
Mr. Andrews responded patiently, “Zera, Vernon has been leading the San Francisco project all along. Changing leadership now would shake investor confidence and hurt our stock.”
