He Rewrote My Marriage Contract for His Uncle—So I Became the Real Donna Chapter 24

He Rewrote My Marriage Contract for His Uncle—So I Became the Real Donna Chapter 24

After traveling for days, I finally returned to the hometown I had left for so long. Nothing had

changed.

Here, time seemed frozen, as if the years never moved forward at all. Even after so many years away, everything looked exactly as I remembered.

Mrs. Anderson, the neighbor, nearly jumped with surprise when she saw me.

Overjoyed, she hurried over to help tidy up my grandmother’s old house.

“When you got into an Ivy League school back then we were all so proud of you. Looking at you

now, you must be doing wonderfully in the big city, right?”

“You didn’t waste your grandmother’s efforts after all.”

Her warm, motherly smile made my chest tighten. But instead of pride, I lowered my head in

shame. I was the pride of this godforsaken town.

Everyone, included myself, believed I was destined for a brilliant future. I would buy my grandmother a comfortable life. I would marry well. I would build a happy home.

But fate was unpredictable. At a crossroads in my life, I chose Leonardo. And with that choice, I lost seven years of youth and two lives.

Mrs. Anderson and I chatted for a while, and I briefly told her what had happened. When she heard that my grandmother had passed away, grief clouded her face.

And I couldn’t hold back my tears anymore.

“I keep feeling like I killed her. If I had noticed her declining health sooner, if I had hidden the news about the baby… if I hadn’t married Leonardo, none of this would have happened.”

Mrs. Anderson gently patted my shoulder and pulled me into her arms.

“Your grandmother called me once, years ago.”

“She knew you weren’t happy after getting married. She cried and told me she felt sorry for you, that she was the burden weighing you down…”

“Sofia, you’re an adult now, so I won’t pretend to comfort you with empty words. But no elder truly stops loving their child.”

“Your grandmother wouldn’t blame you. All she ever wanted was for you to be happy.”

I broke down in her arms, cried until the salt stung my eyes and my lungs felt like ash, wishing I could pour out every ounce of grief and humiliation had endured over the past seven years.

When the storm finally passed, my heart felt lighter. The past couldn’t be undone. But at least, even

stripped to the bone, I had escaped that golden cage.

I hadn’t allowed myself to drown forever. I held a simple funeral for my grandmother in our

hometown. I buried her beside my parents, who had passed long ago.

The neighbors were genuinely kind, helping with every detail, big or small. Their warmth made the

empty spaces inside me hurt a little less. And I made up my mind to stay.

With my degree, I easily secured a teaching job at the local school. Most of my coworkers were

young and newly graduated.

They were around Isabella’s age, yet unlike her, they were bright, cheerful, and full of hope. During our free time, we chatted, walked around town, and shopped together.

My days were simple. A quiet existence, stitched back together with routine. I had almost begun to believe my life could truly start over.

Until one day, Leonardo appeared in front of me.