So, on the day of my coming-of-age ceremony, I told Jethro and Melinda, “Please arrange a wedding for me and Gracie.”
It was time for their whole family to pay for what they had done to me in my last life!
Rural weddings were always a big event.
They set up a huge tent at the town entrance, and every household pitched in to help.
I put on a sharp and tailored suit while Gracie wore the white wedding gown her parents had picked out for her.
She was glowing with excitement, holding my hand as she beamed up at me.
“Jorren, you look so handsome!”
But when she noticed how distant I was, her smile faded, and she asked anxiously, “You’re not happy?”
I forced a smile and took out a handkerchief, gently wiping the drool from her chin. “Of course, I’m happy.”
Over the years, she had done nothing but treat me well.
But her family deserved to die.
At the party, every household had its own table, which made my plan even easier.
As I went around making toasts with Gracie, I discreetly slipped a slow-acting poison—hidden under my fingernails—into the wine glasses of Jethro, Tavian, and Faron.
I had learned about this particular poison in chemistry class. It was easy to get in farming communities like ours, where every household kept pesticides and fertilizers.
A small dose wouldn’t kill instantly. First, they’d get sick—diarrhea and vomiting.
Two days later, their organs would start shutting down.
And then, they’d die.
They drank with big, dumb smiles, completely unaware.
Within minutes, they started clutching their stomachs in pain.
The party erupted into chaos.
Everyone thought the food had gone bad and scrambled to call an ambulance.
But the mountain road was too damn remote—an ambulance from the county would take at least two or three hours to get here.
A few of us got dragged back inside, but before long, everyone else rushed out to the backyard, freaking out.
By the time Jethro ran back there for the fifth time, something finally clicked in his head.
“Why is it just a few of us feeling like this? How come no one else is sick?”
His eyes darkened as he stared at me for a long moment. Then he turned to Gracie.
“Watch him. Don’t let him run!”
Gracie didn’t get what was going on, but she just nodded.
The next second, I pulled out the knife hidden in my suit and pressed it against her throat.
“If you don’t want her dead, let me go!”
I snapped, my voice sharp with fury. Jethro and Melinda went pale.