I Stole My Sister's Groom

Our dad looked up at me, his face full of hesitation. His lips moved like he wanted to say something.

Right on cue, my eyes started to redden. "Sylvia, I do like Miles, but for the sake of your happiness with him, I'll do my best to be a good wife to Captain Smith..."

I deliberately glanced at the matchmaker present and said, "If you'd just been honest with Dad about your feelings for Miles from the start, it wouldn't have come to this... You're making things hard for Dad and giving outsiders something to gossip about..."

"That's bullshit! Stop playing the innocent victim!" Sylvia had never seen me, who had always been obedient, dare to talk back like that.

Her eyes widened as she lunged at me.

Our dad stepped forward in a flash, his strong arm blocking in front of me and stopping Sylvia. "Sylvia! Switching marriages was your idea! Laura is being the mature one here, taking on the Smith family for you. Yet, instead of being grateful, you're trying to hit her? What kind of sister are you?!"

Sylvia froze at his shout, then started trembling with anger, unable to form a proper sentence.

Seizing the moment, I wiped my eyes hard with my sleeve and spoke in a trembling, tearful voice. "Sylvia…don't be mad at Dad. I…I'll be fine, no matter what. As long as you and Miles are happy together...I'll...I'll be satisfied..."

Then, I turned and lowered my head as I rushed out of the living room, ignoring the barrage of mocking comments flashing before my eyes.

The northern wind cut against me like icy whips, forcing me to hug my arms tightly. Even though my whole body was shaking, I did not actually feel cold. Instead, the image of Sylvia's furious, humiliated face lit a fire inside me.

After a while, Miles finally came out of the house. He looked around, then his gaze landed on me, and he quickly walked over.

In the dim light, I could see that he was feeling conflicted. There was gratitude and even a trace of guilt on his face.

He took off his coat and draped it over my shoulders without asking. "The wind's too strong. Sylvia isn't mad anymore, so come back inside."

Only then did I lift my eyes to look at him.

In my previous life, Sylvia had lied to him, saying she had originally wanted to marry him, but that because she liked him, she had no choice but to choose Zephyr instead.

Miles had believed her, and from that moment on, he treated me as the one who tore them apart, rarely showing me even a hint of warmth.

My fingers unconsciously traced the edge of the coat before I took it off and handed it back to him. "No need, thank you."

Miles stared at me, his brows furrowed tight. "That record store really isn't worth the trip anyway..."

"I know." I pulled a cassette tape from my pocket and pressed it into his hand. "It's the one you mentioned. I went this morning and managed to rent it for you."

Shock flashed in his eyes. "But that didn't arrive until 4 AM. Did you wait up all night?"

I gave a faint smile. "As long as it makes you happy..."

Before I could finish, a single tear fell at just the right moment. I pressed both the jacket and the tape back into his arms, turned, and left him with a view of my resolute silhouette.

As I glanced over my shoulder, I caught a glimpse of unexpected pain and regret in Miles' eyes.

I smiled to myself. It seemed that the freezing wait this morning had not been for nothing.

After several days of our dad's patient reasoning, Sylvia finally stopped making a fuss.

[Without Sylvia this time, Zephyr will die in that landslide behind the mountain in five days.]

[Laura really thinks she'll get to be an officer's wife after this switch? She has no idea Zephyr's about to become a cripple!]

[After she marries him, she'll barely have food or decent clothes, and she'll have to compete with Zephyr's precious first love for his attention!]

[But she seems pretty sharp. If she goes up against that first love, she might not actually lose.]

[In the past life, Zephyr always complained that Sylvia was petty and jealous. Let's see how this fake, sweet, calculating girl handles him!]

[Looks like the situation at the Smith family is about to get interesting!]