Chapter 3: A Future of My Own

4

I clenched the slip of paper I’d drawn, my eyes blurring with tears.

Heaven was watching.

Fortunately, I was reborn.

Back to the day of drawing lots for land.

I haven’t married Derek yet.

I can still go to the city and chase opportunities.

Everything can start over.

My chest tightened and then loosened, like I could finally breathe after years underwater. Somewhere outside, a cardinal chirped, slicing through the hum of gossip and regret. The second chance I never thought I’d get was here, right in my shaking hands.

5

The lot drawing wasn’t over yet.

It was Aubrey Lane’s turn.

Aubrey had fair skin, an oval face, delicate and slender—she was the pretty widow all the men in Maple Heights couldn’t help but notice.

She hesitated for a long time, as if she didn’t know which slip to pick.

[Oho, the side girl is dumbfounded—the rigged slip the guy set up was already picked by the main character.]

[The main character is about to change her fate. Now it gets interesting.]

[Just joined—did the second round plot really change?]

These subtitles floated by again.

There were gasps and sighs from the crowd.

It turned out Aubrey drew the best plot in the whole town.

Amid congratulations, she smiled awkwardly and looked to Derek for help.

Derek frowned and glanced at her.

The gym’s fluorescent lights flickered overhead as Aubrey’s fingers hovered, her breath shallow and quick. Someone’s kid dropped a juice box with a splat, but nobody looked away from the drama at the table. The gym was thick with curiosity, people elbowing each other and whispering about fate and luck. Aubrey’s cheeks flushed pink, her hands twisting the hem of her thrift-store blouse, eyes darting to Derek with a silent plea. For a moment, all the town’s secrets seemed to hang in the space between their glances.

6

After returning home, I took out my calendar.

In my previous life, Derek had taken leave from his job to come back—

for the land division and our wedding.

Maple Heights had old rules—land passed down to sons, or to whoever the town thought deserved it. Women like me just had to hope someone would fight for us. The town divided land based on male members. A few years ago, after my parents died in an accident, there were no male members left in my family.

Derek had come back specially to help my family get a spot.

Last time, I was so grateful to him and loved this “Derek” even more.

I was thrilled to marry him, counting the days until we could finally be together after the wedding.

Now, I was counting the days until he would leave.

I folded the corner of that calendar page.

Twelve days left.

I circled the date with a red pen, my hand shaking. Twelve days to break the chains I’d worn my whole life.

Before then, I had to find a way to break off the engagement.

Watching everything replay, I almost burst into tears.

This time, I won’t be trapped in marriage, wasting my life.

I want to keep what my parents left me.

I want to go to the city and seize every opportunity.

I want to live my own life.

I ran my finger over the faded print on the calendar—a local bank’s giveaway, its pages decorated with farm tractors and 4-H club logos. Each X I drew through the days felt like peeling off an old bandage, the ache beneath still raw but finally healing.