Rebirth: No Longer My Brother's Double

In my past life, Noah Luther, my brother, runs away from his engagement. The bride, Julia Zimmerman, shows no resentment and simply switches the arrangement to me right on the spot. She is courteous and thoughtful toward me after the wedding, but that all changes when Noah crosses someone abroad and has his limbs crushed. She actually spends the whole night in the study after learning of that incident. I assume Julia is worried about my safety when she sends over a dozen bodyguards to me the following day, a gesture that touches me deeply. I suddenly lose consciousness out of nowhere the next day. Then, I get abducted to an abandoned factory and have my hands and legs crushed bit by bit. It's so painful that I try to bite my tongue to commit suicide from the agonizing pain. Julia walks in slowly, looks at my condition, and says wistfully, "So that's how much pain he went through back then." When Noah trips and falls during rehabilitation and loses a tooth, Julia violently pulls out my tooth with pliers that very same night. She looks at my bloody mouth and says calmly that she's only doing this for my sake since I eat too much. Soon after, I "happen" to fall down the stairs when Noah sprains his back, forcing me to stay in bed for three months. Julia even breaks a cup and drives the shards into my hand when Noah accidentally slices his finger while chopping vegetables. Noah later dies in a car accident abroad. Julia drags me to a bridge over the river and jumps off with me, saying, "You're just a stand-in for him. He's dead now, so you shouldn't live either." I open my eyes and find myself back on the day Julia arrives to talk about the wedding arrangement. Noah has already fled through the back door, so she looks at me coldly and says, "I'll marry you, then." I merely smile and say, "I'm already in love with someone else, so please find another person for this marriage, Ms. Zimmerman." Chapter 1 Julia Zimmerman merely glanced at me after hearing what I said. She even acted as if she hadn't heard me. She merely turned sideways and nodded slightly toward Dad, saying, "It's settled then, Mr. Luther." Mom and Dad were consumed by guilt over my elder brother walking out on the wedding, so they nodded repeatedly to Julia's request. I tightened my grip on my phone, then lowered my head. With trembling fingers, I sent a short text to Queenie Greene, the most intimidating woman in Brightcrest. "Let's get married." I held my breath until the other side replied at once. "We'll do it next Wednesday, then." I got to my feet and showed Julia our chat history. "I'm already in love with someone else, Ms. Zimmerman—" Julia slapped the phone out of my hand, sending it crashing to the floor. She didn't even bat an eye as she said, "Get the traditional pastry gifts from Blossom Pastries since Noah likes their baked goods." Noah Luther was none other than my elder brother. Mom and Dad agreed right away. "It's quite fitting to get Noah involved in your wedding in this manner, Ms. Zimmerman." I was breathing heavily, my chest constantly heaving. "I refuse to enter a marriage of convenience." Julia ignored me completely. She rose to her feet and nodded politely toward Mom and Dad. "I'll take my leave now, Mr. and Mrs. Luther." I couldn't help but speak up. "Julia!" Julia finally looked toward me, her gaze indifferent. "I'll have my assistant pick you up tomorrow for the wedding suit fitting, so make sure to be on time." I was suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of helplessness. Julia had always been like this. She could remember every little thing that bothered Noah. She would drive over 200 miles just to meet him if he sounded slightly off. She, however, treated me like a mere pet of hers—something to be petted when she felt like it and treated like livestock when she didn't. She didn't allow me to have opinions of my own, to refuse her requests, or to have thoughts of my own. I looked at Julia's retreating figure as she walked toward the door. I stated coldly, "You don't like me, and I don't like you either, so there's no point in forcing this marriage, Ms. Zimmerman." Julia stopped in her tracks and turned to face me. She looked completely displeased, as though she were dealing with something bothersome. She stated calmly, "You're not Noah. You're not suited for this aloof act, so stop trying to imitate him, Aiden Luther." She raised her wrist and checked the time on her watch. "You'd better show up on time tomorrow. Get the wedding suit sorted out within 30 minutes, and don't waste my employee's time." Chapter 2 Julia simply regarded our wedding as just an administrative task that needed to be wrapped up in 30 minutes. She didn't even give me time to respond before turning on her heel and leaving. Dad's expression immediately hardened the moment Julia left. "Have you lost your mind? How could you say those things in front of Julia? What's all this talk about being in love with someone else? How could you refuse the marriage? "Noah already bailed on the wedding. What will become of the Luther family's reputation if you mess this up too?" I stared at Dad, refusing to give in. "Why should I be the one to step up and marry Julia after Noah ran away?" In that instant, Dad slapped me hard across the face, causing me to stumble to the side from the force. Dad jabbed his finger right at my forehead and snarled, "How can you even compare yourself to Noah? Noah is exceptional and independent, so when he wanted to leave, I allowed him to. "You, on the other hand, have spent your whole life chasing after Julia. Why are you suddenly playing hard to get now that Julia is willing to marry you?" Mom sighed. "There's nothing wrong with a man acting aloof or playing hard to get once in a while—it can be quite charming, too. But you've never known how to read the room, so no matter how good a woman is, they could never stand that, Aiden." Dad scoffed. "Go to the fitting tomorrow and apologize to Julia!" I looked at them in silence. It turned out that, in both Julia's and my parents' eyes, I had been nothing more than Noah's stand-in. … Julia didn't show up for the fitting the following day. Gareth Johnson, her assistant, led me into the boutique while adjusting his cufflinks. "Please make it quick, Mr. Luther. Ms. Zimmerman only set aside 30 minutes for you." I pointed at the most basic one in the corner and said, "I'll take this one. I'm in a hurry as well." Queenie was still bugging me about the wedding venue over on her end. Gareth didn't budge. "Ms. Zimmerman isn't around, so you can drop the act now, Mr. Luther." He looked at me with a mocking smirk, while I was stunned by his comment. "You've been chasing Ms. Zimmerman for years, dreaming of this exact moment. And now that it's actually happening, you act like you don't care. "You're intentionally dragging your feet with picking the suit because you want me to call Ms. Zimmerman and have her come here herself, right, Mr. Luther?" He chuckled and added, "Your petty little tricks are exactly what they've always said about you." I didn't know who "they" were, but I couldn't care less. I acted as if I hadn't heard him, removed the suit from the hanger, and walked directly into the fitting room. I had just taken off my clothes when someone yanked the curtain fully open from the outside. I stood there practically naked, completely exposed to everyone in the room. Gareth feigned surprise, speaking loudly enough to carry across the whole floor. "Why on earth would you intentionally yank open the curtain, Mr. Luther? Do you actually enjoy putting yourself on display? You don't even have a good physique. "Is this your way of trying to seduce Ms. Zimmerman? It seems like your plan has failed this time, Mr. Luther." In that instant, the crowd let out a chorus of catcalls, with several people pulling out their phones and taking photos non-stop. I quickly put my clothes back on and, without any hesitation, turned to punch Gareth hard in the face. Those present immediately fell silent. Gareth bellowed, "How dare you lay a hand on me!" He took out his phone, his voice suddenly snivelling as he said, "I failed to attend to him properly and ended up infuriating Mr. Luther, Ms. Zimmerman…" In less than ten minutes, the Zimmerman family's bodyguards arrived. I had barely gotten to my feet when two of them roughly pinned my arms and forced me to bend forward. It was then that a third bodyguard walked over to Gareth and said respectfully, "We're here since Ms. Zimmerman said you've suffered an injustice, Mr. Johnson." He turned to look at me coldly and said, "We're going to make him pay the price for it." Gareth showed a proud, gloating expression. I was dragged out of the boutique, shoved into the car, and taken to an isolated villa, where I was thrown inside like trash. My knee slammed into the edge of a marble coffee table, sending a sharp wave of pain through me that made me gasp. At that moment, Julia walked in from behind and looked down at me. Chapter 3 Julia looked coldly at me and said, "You haven't even married into the Zimmerman family yet, and you're already throwing your weight around. "I'm warning you, Aiden—even the janitor working for me ranks higher than you. You'd better start getting on their good side now. Otherwise, you're going to suffer a lot after we're married." I clenched my fists. "Your assistant yanked the curtain open while I was getting changed, deliberately making a fool of me—" Julia cut me off, a look of impatience crossing her face. "That's enough, Aiden. Did it ever cross your mind that you're the problem? They had never behaved this way when Noah was with me." She then turned to the bodyguards standing by the door and ordered, "Go cut off the water and electricity. Aiden is to stay here and reflect on what he did for three days." I rushed forward, only for the main door to slam shut in my face. I was locked in the villa for three days. I was so thirsty that I lifted the toilet tank lid and scooped water with my hands to drink. I was so hungry that I plucked the leaves off the potted plant in the living room one by one and forced myself to chew them. I had no idea how much time had passed when I suddenly heard someone punching in the code at the door. A tall figure stumbled inside, reeking of alcohol. It was Julia. Spotting me curled up in the corner, Julia suddenly leaned closer and kissed me. I went completely still. Julia suddenly murmured, "N-Noah…" I felt a sharp pang in my chest after hearing that. I mustered all my strength to push her off me, my voice trembling while yelling, "Do you even know who I am, Julia?" Julia paused for a moment, her gaze finally focusing on my face. She persisted in pressing closer as she said with a mocking smile, "Congratulations, Aiden. You've been dreaming of getting with me forever, so you must be thrilled beyond belief now, right?" I forcefully pushed her away. "Get lost!" Julia's expression hardened. She glared at me for several seconds before suddenly bursting into laughter. "Your cold, aloof act is really quite convincing, Aiden." I instantly clenched my fists. Julia pressed forward, crowding my space. "You're just mimicking Noah to try and get on my good side by playing hard to get all this time, aren't you? You should drop the pathetic act. You'll never be him, Aiden. "If you take your clothes off now and serve me well, I'll give you the respect due to the person marrying into the Zimmerman family. Otherwise…" I shoved her away before she could even finish speaking, stepping away to put space between us. I looked her in the eyes and stated firmly, "Don't touch me." Julia stared at me in disbelief. She never imagined that she would be rejected repeatedly after taking the initiative herself. She glared at me with fury blazing in her eyes. "Very well, Aiden." She laughed out of sheer anger and got up. "You'd better not regret this!" Julia left, leaving the villa's front door wide open. I bolted outside and made my way home, only for Dad to throw his teacup right at my feet. He pointed at me with a trembling finger, asking, "You actually turned down Julia?" I explained hurriedly, "Julia imprisoned me for three days, cut off the water and electricity, and she even—" Mom cut me off, her expression brimming with disappointment. "You should be grateful that Julia even wants you! What's wrong with her locking you up for a few days? You're going to become her husband soon, so even if she locks you away forever, you should bear it!" Dad pointed right at my face. "You're worse than Noah in every way, and now you won't even use your looks while you're young to lock Julia down! How did I raise such a useless idiot?" I stared at the two furious faces before me, feeling a sudden pang in my chest. It was as if someone were wringing the last bit of warmth out of my heart. Dad struck the table hard. "You're staying home for the next few days to learn how to behave properly before you embarrass this family any further!" … Three days later, the wedding began as scheduled on Wednesday. Mom and Dad brought me to the church against my will, but Julia was nowhere to be seen even after three hours had passed. In the meantime, the packed venue started buzzing with chatter from all the guests. "It seems like Ms. Zimmerman found someone who bears a 70% resemblance to Noah." "I heard that the guy carried Ms. Zimmerman straight into the CEO's office this morning right in front of the whole company. They're probably still in there right now…" "What will become of Mr. Aiden's wedding, then?" Chapter 4 Dad, standing behind me, threw the wine glass in his hand to the floor. "Julia was never like this when Noah was around!" He grabbed me by the hair and jerked my head to one side. "You're truly worthless, Aiden! You've embarrassed this entire family!" Mom sat off to the side, tears streaming down her face. "You're both my sons, so how can you be so pathetic that you can't even hold onto a woman?" I stayed where I was, sitting perfectly still. Gareth opened the door and walked in, barely holding back a smirk. The bodyguard behind him tossed a hen right onto me. It flapped its wings wildly, leaving a pile of droppings on my pristine white suit as a stench spread throughout the room. Gareth said, "Ms. Zimmerman had something come up, so please bear with it and complete the wedding ceremony with this hen first, Mr. Aiden. Ms. Zimmerman will arrive later to exchange rings with you." Dad sprang to his feet. "How can he marry a hen—" Gareth crossed his arms and threatened, "Ms. Zimmerman said either you marry the hen, or the wedding's off. You should figure it out among yourselves." Dad stopped abruptly mid-sentence. He glared at me with hatred, blaming me for everything embarrassing that happened today. Mom pushed me forward. "Just do as Julia says." She suddenly felt a wave of relief as she said, "It's a good thing that Julia is marrying you, Aiden. If this happened to Noah today, I'd be heartbroken." I glanced her way and remained silent. I then discreetly sent Queenie my location before walking to the end of the red carpet and taking the hen into my arms. I could hear the sound of shutters clicking and stifled laughter echoing from the crowd. "Mr. Aiden must love Ms. Zimmerman very deeply." "He brought this on himself. He's been shamelessly following Ms. Zimmerman for over 20 years, trying to marry his way into her family. He wouldn't just marry a hen—he'd sleep with a pig if it meant getting what he wanted." … Toward the end of the wedding ceremony, the sound of a roaring engine echoed from outside. I got to my feet and walked toward the entrance. Julia stepped out of the car with a pair of clippers in her hand. "Noah got a buzz cut today and is currently enjoying a seaside vacation." She handed me the clippers and said, "Go shave off your hair, take off the suit, and change into a T-shirt and shorts." I stayed rooted to the spot. Dad shoved me from behind. "What are you waiting for? Go do as Julia says!" I still stood motionless, looking past the crowd at the winding road down the mountain. "It seems like you still haven't learned your lesson. You can spare me your pathetic tactics, Aiden. Do you really think this stubborn act of yours will get my attention?" Julia scoffed. She threw the clippers at me with a cold look and said, "If you overplay your hand with this playing-hard-to-get act, you'll just end up embarrassing yourself." I remained silent as the roaring engine of a motorcycle reached my ears. In that instant, a red figure gradually appeared in everyone's view. The bright red motorcycle at the foot of the mountain kicked up a cloud of dust, leading a convoy of over a hundred vehicles behind her. "Who is that?" "What's with all the fanfare? Is there another wedding going on today?" Those around broke into discussion while Julia frowned deeply. I made my way directly toward the bright red motorcycle. Julia's expression instantly hardened. "Get back here, Aiden! You'd better not provoke me any further." I paid her no attention as the motorcycle sped directly toward me. The convoy of over a hundred luxury cars behind Queenie honked simultaneously as fireworks lit up the sky. Queenie removed her helmet, eliciting a collective gasp from those in the church. She kissed me directly on the cheek and exclaimed, "Let's get married, Aiden!" Julia's expression was instantly filled with panic.