Chapter 1The Fiancée He Forgot

I stumbled upon a Reddit post.

The OP wrote: "My family arranged an engagement with her to repay a debt. Now the wedding is coming up, but I've always seen her as a little sister. What should I do?"

At first, I thought it was just some fiction.

But the more I read, the more the female lead sounded like me.

The comments section exploded.

Everyone told him not to waste the girl's time.

Some even suggested that repaying a debt didn't require marriage and urged him to convince his parents to adopt her as a daughter instead.

After hesitating for a long time, the OP replied: "Okay, I'll try."

But later.

He fell in love at first sight with me, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

Me: ???

* * *

Many details in the post matched my life perfectly.

Initially, I wasn't sure if the post was written by my fiancé, Ethan Vance.

Until the next day, Mrs. Vance called.

"Sophie, I have something to discuss with you. Is now a good time?"

I had a premonition. I put down my work and walked to the window. "I have time. What's up?"

To avoid being too stiff, I added, "How have you been lately, Mrs. Vance? Is Mr. Vance's knee pain any better?"

Mrs. Vance's tone was rarely hesitant. "We're all fine."

"Here's the thing. You and Ethan haven't seen each other for a few years. I wanted to ask, how do you feel about the engagement?"

How do I feel?

I opened the window, playing with a branch, letting the cold air hit my face.

"Mrs. Vance, I know Mr. Vance arranged the engagement because he wanted me to feel secure in your home. Back then, Ethan and I were young and didn't really understand what it meant."

Giving up the engagement to become purely family with Mr. Vance?

I had no objections. In fact, I looked forward to it.

This way, Mrs. Vance would feel better and stop being prejudiced against me.

My uncle was Mr. Vance's secretary.

Years ago, he took a knife for Mr. Vance during a mugging.

Later, my uncle died in an accident while on a business trip.

I was the only relative left.

Mr. Vance was loyal and took me in.

Worried I wouldn't feel at home, he arranged a "childhood engagement" between me and Ethan.

But things backfired.

I was mocked as the "child bride" of the Vance family since I was little.

Ethan always stood in front of me, arguing with others and shielding me from gossip.

But as we grew up, teenage awkwardness turned his protection into annoyance.

That summer, he had a huge fight with Mr. Vance: "If you want to repay the debt, marry her yourself! Why force me?"

Living under someone else's roof made me sensitive.

I changed my college application without a word.

I left and didn't return to the Vance home for two whole years.

At first, I couldn't face them. Later, I was too busy to return.

Suddenly leaving the Vance family's influence and entering a new environment meant doing everything myself.

For a long time, I was just adapting.

But it was a good thing. It fostered my independence.

True self-reinvention.