Chapter 2

In my last life, this was exactly how he turned on me, dropping to his knees in front of everyone to confess.

Begging my sister to marry him.

And when my parents heard it, they weren't the least bit surprised. They were beaming.

"Since Evie's already got someone to marry, then Vicky can marry Mr. Finch!"

"What do you think you're doing!" Joel tried to wrench free of me, hard.

Lucky for me I'd minored in taekwondo in college. Handling one soft, breakable man was nothing.

I let go of him in disgust and rounded on him.

"I'm the one asking what you think you're doing."

"I never knew you could be this rough! Nothing like your sister!"

"She's so gentle, so lovely. Love at first sight." The moment he mentioned my sister his voice went syrupy.

He said it like it came from the bottom of his heart.

"Whoever marries her is a blessed man eight lifetimes over."

Looking at this man who'd changed his heart out of nowhere, something in me tore open and knotted back up.

I couldn't make sense of it.

Had he secretly wanted my sister all along, and just used this chance to let it out?

I didn't have time to keep asking myself why.

"I'm warning you!"

"We've been together three years. Every friend you have, everyone you work with, I know all of them."

"If you want to end up ruined, then go ahead, go propose to your girlfriend's sister right now."

"You're impossible!" Joel cursed under his breath and walked off.

Three years together couldn't stand up to love at first sight.

Fine, good riddance. I'd hurry up and find someone else to marry, and get far away from unreliable family and unreliable men.

The second the thought landed, I logged into a well-known matchmaking app.

Posted my profile.

"Victoria Swanson, 20, currently in college at [redacted] University."

"Willing to marry with nothing. No bride price, no house, no car."

"Only requirement: no bad habits, decent values."

The moment I submitted it, the agent called.

Soon I got to the meeting spot the agent had set up.

The entrance of a housing complex still under construction, dust everywhere.

A man in a hard hat came hurrying over.

The agent said he was 23, worked in construction.

He had an honest, simple face.

"You're Ms. Victoria Swanson, the one Cheryl mentioned?"

"You've got so much going for you, do you really want to be with someone like me?"

"I'm just a bricklayer."

He gripped the hammer in his hand awkwardly, covered in mud.

"I don't mind. I only have one condition."

"What condition?" The man tensed up.

"We get married right away."

"That, that's no problem at all!" He was overjoyed.

He scrubbed his hand hard on the hem of his shirt, over and over, before reaching out to take mine.

"I'll go tell the foreman right now, and we'll go get our marriage license!"

"Little sister, this is the new guy you found?"

Hearing my sister's voice, I went rigid.

I turned and saw her not far off, wearing a face mask, waving a hand in front of her in disgust to bat away the dust.

"Yes! This is my fiancé, we just settled it!" I grabbed the man's hand and announced it loudly.

"How did you even find your way here?" Her sudden appearance put me on edge.

"Can't I be worried about your safety?"

"Aunt Rhoda saw your matchmaking post online and got so worked up she called Mom, scared you were being conned!"

"Mom had to ask the app agent just to find out you'd hidden yourself away out here to meet someone."

"Little sister, you're really dead set on finding someone to marry before I do!"

She kept talking as she walked right up to the two of us.

"I'm not competing with you. What happened with your boyfriend was a complete accident."

But the very next second, the hand I was holding tore itself free.

"Is, is this Ms. Victoria Swanson's sister?"

"Miss, would you marry me with nothing?"