Chapter 3
Alayna burst into laughter when she heard this.
“Sienna, I can’t believe your reputation as a jinx has already reached your husband’s ears!” she said.
After a brief pause, she lowered her voice with a hint of mockery, “A jinx and a loser–truly a match made in heaven.”
I clenched my fists, my knuckles making a slight cracking sound.
Austin was pushed through the door by several friends, looking reluctant.
Alayna stood up straight with her arms crossed when she saw him enter. With her tall figure, she always stood out in a crowd.
However, Austin ignored everyone else, his eyes fixed only on
- me.
I stared at his chiseled features, momentarily stunned.
Up close, his handsome, stern face was even more striking than the movie stars on posters.
No wonder Alayna never failed to mention how good–looking Austin was whenever she brought him up.
Austin noticed the corsage on my chest that matched his
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boutonniere exactly, immediately realizing the bride had been switched.
His thick eyebrows furrowed as he blurted out, “Why is it you? Wasn’t I supposed to marry Alayna?”
Alayna, already displeased about being upstaged, didn’t hesitate to strike back.
“Who would want to marry a rookie like you? You should know your place—you’re not good enough for me!” she snapped.
She then smoothed her two braids, lifted her chin, and turned her face away.
Austin’s expression changed slightly, clearly realizing he had said the wrong thing.
I spoke calmly, “You said you wanted to marry the girl who saved you back then. That was me.”
Austin’s gaze froze, his chest visibly rising and falling as he
stared at me with unusual intensity, as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
“I know,” he said.
I widened my eyes in shock, a bold guess flashing through my mind.
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He continued, “I’m sorry. Let’s continue with the wedding. I want to marry her!”
Everyone was confused by Austin’s reaction. Ella quickly said, “Look how excited he is! He’s completely disoriented! What a softie!”
Austin suddenly shed his rebellious attitude, a blush spreading from his neck to his cheeks.
Alayna muttered something and returned to her seat with a cold
snort.
The rest of the wedding proceeded smoothly. However, near the end, Alayna mentioned that the study environment in the village wasn’t good and asked Austin to find her a tutor in the city.
At this request, Austin visibly showed his reluctance to deal with her and remained silent.
Ella, however, readily agreed, “Since you’ve asked, we’ll definitely help.”
She then arranged for Alayna to stay at a test prep center.
Before Gavin and Natalia left, they repeatedly instructed me, “Now that you’re married, don’t forget about our family. Make sure to bring back plenty of good things from Austin’s home for your sister, and don’t let her get too tired.”
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“Prepare three meals a day and deliver them to her, and come back to wash her clothes.”
“Your sister’s exam is important—taking care of her is your real duty!”
Alayna lounged on the bed, eating snacks with a smug
expression. “Did you hear that? Don’t think you’re special just because you married into the Dylan family. No matter where you go, you’re destined to be my servant!”
Gavin and Natalia nodded in agreement, saying Alayna was right and that I shouldn’t forget my roots.
I swallowed my anger without arguing back.
For the next two weeks, I shuttled back and forth between the test prep center and the Dylan house.
Seeing how hard I was working, Austin arranged for the family’s housekeeper to deliver meals instead.
But Alayna threw a plate in front of the housekeeper. “Go back and tell Sienna not to act high and mighty with me! If I hadn’t given her the opportunity to marry Austin, she’d still be doing chores at home.”
When Austin heard about this, he was furious and wanted to send her back to the village to defend me.
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But Alayna mocked him to his face, “Austin, don’t be so smug. Be careful or you might get deployed to some wasteland in Adak and never return.”
“Tsk, you might even die there.”
In my previous life, I had heard stories about Austin while living in the city.
Adak was where he met his end, and they never even brought his remains back.
Austin glared at Alayna, his whole body trembling, seemingly with a thousand words he wanted to say.
I dragged him home, and it was the first time he lost his temper in front of me. “Why are you taking her side instead of mine?”
I was speechless, a strange atmosphere spreading between us.
It wasn’t the right time yet; I needed to wait a little longer.
On the last day of the SAT, I was more nervous than Alayna. It was also the day Austin’s transfer orders would be issued.
Alayna walked into the exam room confidently, saying to me, “Sienna, after today, let’s see what you have to be so proud of!”
Gavin and Natalia watched her go with high expectations, as if Alayna would be accepted into college just hours later.
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I was so nervous that my palms were sweating.
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When I turned around, Austin was calling my name from across the street, waving a folder with a bright red seal clearly visible.
My heart skipped a beat.
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