Reborn Three Times: His Murdered Wives Uncovered His Obsession Chapter 03

Reborn Three Times: His Murdered Wives Uncovered His Obsession Chapter 03 This Marriage Has to Happen
I held my breath and waited for Charles’s next words. But he changed his tune. “Silly. It really is you. “That’s not a mole. You just got a little ink on your neck. “Don’t you know how good I’ve been to you since we were little?” For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. Charles had indeed always been good to me. Donovan and Dad were best friends. Charles and I had been inseparable since we could remember. I was a handful when I was little. I hated studying and was always sneaking out of class. Every time my parents were about to punish me, Charles would show up and protect me. He’d promise my parents he’d teach me everything I missed, one-on-one. He always got me off the hook. And he wasn’t just saying it. He actually sacrificed his own time and stayed up late to tutor me. He even secretly taught himself proper etiquette for ladies and explained it to me. I once made fun of him—a grown man—for learning that stuff. He just sighed and told me he didn’t want people bad-mouthing me in the future. That time, I felt a warmth in my heart for no good reason. And right then, it hit me—marrying him wouldn’t be so bad. So for him, I straightened up and stopped being such a handful. I really turned myself into a proper lady from a good family. Standing next to Charles, I’d always hear people say we were a perfect match. Even the Empress liked me a lot. She told Charles more times than I could count to treat me right. He took that to heart and got better and better to me. When I got sick, he stayed by my side day and night. He prepared the medicine himself. When someone messed with me, he never cared who they were. He always had my back right away. Even on our wedding day, he spared no expense to make the ceremony grand. He said he didn’t want anyone looking down on me. He was such a good man. I really couldn’t figure out when he changed. The lump in my throat snapped me back to the present. I rubbed my nose and asked in a muffled voice, “Charles, if you really care about me, why didn’t you put a name on the marriage agreement?” Charles paused for a second. Then he said, “Heather, you and Jasmine have been fighting over me for years. Everyone in Brockton knows about it. “I didn’t put a name down because I didn’t want to hurt her pride. She’s your sister, after all. “I figured if you took the agreement first, she’d feel a little better about it. “But I didn’t expect you to get the wrong idea and say no just to spite me.” Truth be told, both Charles and I knew Jasmine didn’t like him that much. What Jasmine really liked was the thrill of competing with me. When we were little, she fought me over clothes, food, and Mom and Dad’s attention. When she grew older and got bored of that, she started going after the guy I liked. Seeing me space out, Charles thought he was getting through to me. He pressed his advantage. “So here’s the thing, Heather. The one I’ve always wanted to marry is you. “Three days from now, I’m coming to ask for your hand. No more of these misleading moves. “Can you forgive me this once? “After we’re married, I’ll make you your favorite almond cookies every single day. How about that?” I looked at how sincere he seemed, held back my tears, and said in a choked voice, “Okay. I’ll give you one chance. “But forget about coming to ask for my hand. If Jasmine finds out, she’ll throw a fit. “Three days from now, just come to take me as your bride.” Charles let out a long, deep breath. He looked like he’d just gotten back something he’d lost. When I got home, Jasmine and Mom were stunned speechless after I told them everything. Jasmine did something she’d never done before. Instead of going head to head with me like she always did, she hauled off and slapped me. “Heather, can you get your head on straight? “You still want to marry a guy like that? “You didn’t suffer enough in the first life?” For the first time ever, I didn’t get mad at Jasmine. I just kept sewing my wedding dress calmly and said, “This marriage has to happen. “But it’s not me who’s marrying him.”