Chapter 1

Lights illuminated the Parker family’s house, but no guests were around. Only the immediate family members were visible at both ends of the house. Lisa was at the center, and beside her was a ring bearer holding two wedding rings. He was there to represent the groom. However, Lisa wondered where the groom was. Leonard Parker suffered a severe car crash a while ago. The doctors had concluded he had no chance of survival and warned Leonard’s loved ones to prepare for the worst. The Parker family was heartbroken. Leonard’s mother, Melissa Parker, was devastated when she discovered her son’s condition and sought a Strafford tarot reader named Alexander for guidance. Alexander predicted that Leonard’s only chance of survival was to marry. There was a supposed arranged marriage between Leonard and Leslie Jones since they were children, and upon hearing Alexander’s prediction, the Parker family was more than happy to solidify the marriage. However, Leslie refused and immediately betrayed the Parker family by marrying another man. Her father was furious but surrendered his stepdaughter, Lisa, to avoid offending the Parker family. Fortunately, the Parker family had likely forgotten about Leslie to know the difference between her and Lisa since the supposed arranged marriage had occurred over ten years ago. No one forced nor threatened Lisa to take her stepsister’s place. Instead, the former simply volunteered. ‘Why would I even object?’ Leonard’s father, David Parker, was extremely grateful for the marriage and agreed to give the Jones family 2 million dollars as a dowry. Lisa thought it best since the money would be hers after Leonard’s death. She would also not have to sleep with him. Instead, she could use the money to buy a car and house in Queenston. Perhaps she could even find a sugar baby to keep her company in her golden years. ‘Can this Leonard guy even recover if I just marry him? That’s impossible. I don’t believe in such superstitious shenanigans.’ The doctors had already made it clear Leonard would not survive, while Lisa did not consider herself an angel with the power to prevent someone from entering the afterlife. The marriage ceremony soon ended, and Melissa looked at Lisa with teary eyes. The older woman said, “Leonard is upstairs. You should keep him company. Call the nanny if you need anything.” "Okay,” Lisa obediently responded. She appeared naturally pleasant, with plump cheeks and a sweet smile. She made others feel comfortable around her. A relative said, "Lisa looks quite promising. Leonard might have a chance of waking up.” "I agree," the other relatives echoed. Lisa kept silent, thinking, ‘I didn’t know my looks could resurrect people.’ She resigned herself to her fate and walked up the stairs. Leonard occupied the first room. The young man was lying on the bed when Lisa entered. He was so pale that he looked lifeless. Lisa was about to say her prayers out of respect but found the courage to squint and look at him again. Although Leonard’s eyes remained closed, she could see how handsome he was. His eyebrows were thin and straight, and he had a sharp jawline. Indeed, he was dashing. “Too bad he’s not a celebrity,” Lisa muttered as she approached him. She reached over to feel his breathing. “It’s quite faint. Is he dead?” Her heart began to pound as she drew nearer and lifted one of his eyelids. ‘Whoa!’ Lisa thought she was hallucinating when she saw his eye move, so she looked at the other eye suspiciously. Then she noticed the other eye was open, looking at her coldly. “Ahhh!” Lisa exclaimed and jumped in fear. However, she tripped over the chair behind her and crashed to the floor along with the chair. “What happened?!” A nanny heard the commotion and barged in. Then she thundered, “My goodness, Mr. Leonard is awake!” David and Melissa were the first to rush in. “Really?! Leonard woke up?!” "Leonard, you’re awake! Alexander’s tarot skills are amazing!" Melissa trembled with excitement and hugged her son. Leonard had trouble vocalizing. After all, he had just regained consciousness and did not have the strength to speak. "Quit crying! Let’s hurry to the hospital!" David shouted. "Ah, that’s right! The doctor told us to take you to the hospital when you regain consciousness!" Melissa quickly let go of Leonard and said, "Call an ambulance! Follow us too, Lisa. You’re his savior! You must be there to provide blessings!” Lisa kept silent. ‘N-No, I’m not his savior. There’s no way I can resurrect people. That’s ridiculous!’ However, the situation made her doubt her plans, and she wondered what would happen to her dream of being a widow. After all, she only wanted to live a fulfilling life as a happy widow. … Lisa wore a red windbreaker while sitting outside the ICU at ten at night. She felt lost when the ICU doors finally opened. The doctor removed his mask and exclaimed, "It's a miracle! The patient showed no signs of life before, but something extraordinary happened! I’ve never encountered anything like this. You can rest assured the patient has overcome his most critical period and is no longer in danger." "Great!" Melissa clasped her hands together to pray. "Thank you for saving my son. Thank you, Alexander and Lisa. You’re my son's savior.” She held Lisa’s hand tightly. The doctor was puzzled but thanked his medical team, saying, “Well, there’s no scientific basis for superstition, so don’t believe it too much.” Melissa scoffed, "Do you think I should thank the doctors instead of Alexander or my daughter-in-law? You were the one who said my son’s case was hopeless.” The doctor said nothing. David quickly pulled his wife away. He said, “Let’s not dwell on that. We still need the doctors to proceed with therapy to prevent further complications.” Soon, the nurses sent Leonard to the general ward while David and Melissa arranged for Lisa to stay in the ward to keep their son company. However, the older couple also hired two more nurses, so Lisa’s presence was unnecessary. Meanwhile, Lisa lay in bed. She was wondering what to do next when her phone suddenly rang. She saw who was calling and quickly ran outside to answer it. “Leslie.” "Lisa, I heard that you married Leonard on my behalf. Are you crazy? He was already halfway in the coffin!" Leslie sounded angry yet concerned. Friction between stepsiblings was standard when two adults with children married each other. Although Lisa and Leslie were not biological sisters and were only a year apart, they lived together for a long time. The two also went to the same school, so their relationship had always been good, contrary to popular belief. “No, the Parker family offered a 2-million-dollar dowry,” Lisa feared her stepsister would get mad and quickly added, “I wanted to marry Leonard and wait until he was gone. Then I could keep the money and regain my freedom.” Leslie asked through gritted teeth, “Well, how’s Leonard now?” Lisa’s mood plummeted when her stepsister mentioned that. “H-He woke up.” Leslie did not respond. Lisa sighed, adding, “Focus on your well-being and let me handle this. You’re young and beautiful, yet you chose to be Christopher’s second wife.”