Reborn, I Refused the Man I Once Forced to Marry Chapter 02

But I hadn’t really won.

Because Adrian didn’t love me.

On our wedding night, he barely even looked at me before heading straight to his study.

I rarely saw him outside of that.

But I didn’t mind.

I kept my guard up, watching everyone in the Bennett family.

The family had countless branches, with complicated ties between them. Their legitimate businesses were intertwined with their underground operations, so naturally, there were plenty of things they’d rather keep hidden.

I stayed on alert, constantly afraid someone would set me up behind my back.

But nothing happened.

I’d been wrong.

The Bennett family wasn’t a place where everyone schemed against everyone else. The family members were close, the siblings got along well, and there was little conflict even among those who’d married into the family.

The Adrian who treated me so coldly would come home, take off his jacket, greet his parents, and then spend time with his younger siblings as they crowded around him.

Even Chloe, who had already married out of the family, was often brought up in conversation.

Mrs. Eleanor Bennett sent people to visit her daughter every few days. She taught Chloe how to manage the affairs of the Whitmore household and patiently listened to her complaints about married life.

How could a family like this even exist?

How could a mother like that exist?

I was stunned. I couldn’t understand it.

And yet, before I knew it, I found myself wanting to get closer to them.

Like a moth drawn to a flame, I knew that little bit of warmth could burn me to ashes, but I couldn’t stop myself from reaching for it.

Unfortunately, my reputation was terrible, and Chloe and I had spent years at each other’s throats.

The Bennett family didn’t like me.

Whenever they gathered for meals, chatted together, or spent their afternoons in the estate gardens, I could only sit by myself.

The only person who regularly came to see me was Mrs. Eleanor Bennett. She felt guilty about what had happened to my birth mother, Isabelle, and often showed me kindness.

I treasured every little bit of warmth she offered, yet somehow, it only made me more uneasy.

I’d lost again.

Back in my room, I opened a bottle of wine and drank until I was thoroughly drunk.

The servants hurriedly called Adrian home.

I grabbed his sleeve, tears streaming uncontrollably down my face.

Over and over, I called for my mom, struggling to get the words out.

“I don’t want to practice the piano anymore. I don’t want to learn all those damn high-society manners, either.”

“I’ll never beat Chloe. She has brothers and a mother who love her, but I have nothing.”

My birth mother, Isabelle, and Mrs. Eleanor Bennett had once been best friends. When they were young, they’d attended a charity gala hosted by Margaret Ansford, the Governor’s wife.

At that event, Eleanor had accidentally accepted a gift Isabelle had carefully prepared for an important guest. Margaret, the Governor’s wife, was impressed by the gift and warmly introduced Eleanor to Charles Bennett.

That was how Eleanor married into the Bennett family.

Isabelle’s plan fell through. With no powerful family backing her and no one willing to fight for her, she was eventually married off to Richard Hayes, who held an ordinary position at the time.

After that, the two women cut ties completely.

Later, Isabelle gave birth to me, while Eleanor gave birth to Chloe.

The regrets and resentment of the previous generation had fallen on us.

My mother could force me to do anything if she thought it would help me beat Chloe.

Even in her final moments, she clung tightly to my hand.

Her breathing had grown so faint I could barely hear it. Her throat made weak, strained sounds, but she still struggled to get the words out.

“Evelyn, beat Chloe. You have to beat her!”

Those words had been carved into my mind ever since.

Day and night. Spring and winter. Year after year.

I’d never been able to let them go.

Adrian knew some of this, too.

That was the first time he’d ever taken the initiative to hold me.

He wrapped his arms around me like he was comforting a hurt child, speaking softly as he tried to soothe me.

“Don’t cry, Evelyn. You’ve done so well already. You’re much better than Chloe.”

My mother had never once praised me in her entire life.

Adrian did.

And from that moment on, I fell hopelessly in love with him.