Reborn, Cousin Stole My Crippled Husband, I Married Pilot

In my last life, my cousin and I got engaged on the same day.

She was pretty and doted on, so she picked the fighter pilot with a bright future ahead of him.

I was born under an unlucky star, so I was forced to marry the laid-off worker from the neighboring settlement, the one with the bad leg.

Who could have guessed how it turned out. The pilot broke the rules and got discharged, lost his job, ended up drowning in debt, and drank himself into a rage at home every day, beating whoever was nearby.

My husband, though, recovered from his leg trouble, and with his skill at fixing engines the county machinery plant brought him back on and promoted him ahead of the line as a key technician.

As his wife, I became a substitute teacher at the plant workers' elementary school, and people treated me with respect.

My cousin ate herself up with envy. And then, over the New Year visit, she dragged me down into an ice hole with her to die together.

"Why should a jinx like you get to live in the city while I go back to the countryside to farm with a drunk? If one of us dies, we both die!"

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day the matchmaker came with our birth charts.

My cousin snatched up the red slip with the laid-off worker's name on it and clutched it tight against her chest.

"Little sister, you're so frail. Let your big sister be the one to go suffer out in the countryside instead of you!"

Watching how she couldn't wait to have it, I swallowed a smile and nodded.

She had no idea that in the last life, that man's bad leg had only healed because of my family's inherited massage technique.

And that pilot, as long as he wasn't dragged down by a greedy wife, was destined to make captain one day.

...

"Are you satisfied now?" Caleb Gilbert was in his everyday uniform, watching me with a cold stare.

I reached up and lifted the wedding veil off my face. "What is that supposed to mean, Mr. Gilbert?"

"What does it mean?"

He gave a cold laugh. "Frieda Fox cried herself half to death out there."

"She said you threatened to kill yourself, that you were dead set on stealing this match into the city."

"Edwina Fox, if there's one kind of woman I despise, it's the kind who'll do anything to climb higher."

She was the one who'd scrambled to switch places, and now she'd turned it into some sacrifice, like she was suffering out in the countryside just to make things right for me.

So now she was the long-suffering saint, and I was the vain little joke.

I stood and looked him straight in the eyes. "So whatever she says, you believe it?"

"What else?" His brow drew tight. "Frieda's never even dared to step on an ant her whole life."

"If you hadn't pulled some dirty trick, why would she throw away a perfectly good life to go suffer with a cripple?"

In the last life, after Frieda married him, she complained his monthly allowance was too small and went behind his back selling off supplies.

When it came out, Caleb took the blame for all of it to protect her.

In the end he was discharged, and he never got back up.

And now here he was, wrapped around Frieda's little finger over a few tears.

I gave a cold snort. "Mr. Gilbert, the marriage application was approved by the organization. The organization did the vetting."

"If I'd really used some dirty trick, do you think you'd be standing here comfortably losing your temper at me?"

Caleb couldn't come back with a word.

"Sharp tongue."

He ground the words out through his teeth. "Frieda was right. You really are a scheming one."

"Let me be clear, Edwina Fox. You may have gotten your wish and married into the Gilbert family, but don't expect me to lay a finger on you."

With that, he slammed the door and left.

Outside the door, Auntie Gilbert grumbled under her breath, "Caleb, take it easy, don't give the neighbors something to laugh at."

"Ma, I'm going to sleep at the barracks."

"Oh, come on. It's your wedding night. What's this, leaving your new bride home alone?"

"She schemed for this life, so let her live it."

Hearing that, I poured myself a cup of cold water and just barely tamped down the fury in my chest.

The door pushed open and Auntie Gilbert came in carrying a bowl of plain boiled noodles.

Her eyelids drooped, her whole face soured with displeasure.

"Caleb's gone back to the barracks."

She set the noodles down hard on the table. "Frieda's a kind-hearted girl. She thought of you at every turn."

"And you, you'd barely walked in the door before you drove your man off."

"We Gilberts are decent, honest folk. We've no room for all that twisted scheming."

"You're right to say so, Ma."

I didn't argue. I just obediently picked up the chopsticks.

"My cousin really is kind-hearted. Before she left she made a point of telling me your son works hard, so I should bear with him and be patient."

I let the pause hang on purpose. "She also said I mustn't touch a cent of Caleb's monthly allowance, that I should set it aside to care for you in your old age."

"Frieda always was the sensible one."

She muttered it, then turned to go.

"Wash the bowl when you're done. This house doesn't feed idle mouths."

Watching her walk away, the corner of my mouth curved into a cold smile.

Frieda, oh Frieda.

You think that by stealing Paul Delgado, you'll get to live that glorious life you had before?

But that leg of Paul's, if it doesn't get special therapeutic massage within three months, will rot away for good.

And then your sweet dream shatters, all of it.

After eating, I tidied the room clean, then stitched up Caleb's jacket, one careful stitch at a time.

This life, I will never let anyone step on my head again.

The first step is planting my feet firmly in this house.

The next morning I was sweeping the yard when Frieda appeared quietly at the gate.

"Well, well. Little sister's already put to work?"

She had on a brand-new floral blouse in crisp cotton, her hair set in big waves, and a pair of shiny little leather shoes.

That outfit alone would have eaten up the better part of a year of Paul's layoff checks.

Without looking up, I said, "How did you find the time to come into town?"

"Paul's just soft on me, that's all."

Frieda made a show of the watch on her wrist. "He said the country's all wind and dust, and insisted on giving me money to come buy a few tins of face cream in the city."

"I couldn't talk him out of it, so I came in to shop and thought I'd look in on you while I was here."

She was practically glowing with spite. "Word is, last night Mr. Gilbert didn't even set foot in the bridal room?"

"Your little tricks aren't working out so well, are they. All that scheming to steal a man, and he won't even spare you a glance."

I curled my fingers tight. "You're well informed, sister."

"But if you've got the energy to fret over me, you'd do better to worry about that leg of Paul's."

"I hear on the wet, gray days it hurts him something awful."

Frieda's face stiffened, but she held her ground. "That's no concern of yours."

"Paul says it himself. Give it a while and he'll be on at the county machinery plant as a key technical man."

"Then he'll take me to the big city hospital to see about the leg."

"And by then I'll be the plant boss's wife."

She leaned in close and dropped her voice. "And you? You can spend the rest of your life scraping by, tied to a broke cripple who could get fired any day!"

Hearing that, I nearly laughed out loud.

In my last life, the only reason Paul ever got into the machinery plant was that I'd burned myself out night after night working that ruined leg with my hands, kneading it back to life.

Only then could he stand and go sit the plant's hiring exam.

Now, with Frieda's kind of care, it would be a miracle if Paul could walk at all.

"Then congratulations in advance, sister."

Seeing me so calm only fed her temper. "Don't you put on that act with me!"

Just then Mildred came back through the gate with her grocery basket.

Frieda's eyes flicked, and she was at her side in an instant.

"Auntie Gilbert, you're back from the market?"

She looped an arm cozily through Mildred's.

Mildred took her hand, pleased. "Frieda, dear, what brings you here?"

"I came to see Eddie."

Frieda sighed. "Auntie, you know how stubborn Eddie can be."

"Back home, she was always hanging around the Post boy next door... ah, never mind, I shouldn't say."

"Now that she's married to Caleb, you'll just have to be patient with her."

At that, Mildred's smile dropped away. "What about her and the Post boy?"

She grabbed Frieda's hand. "Frieda, tell your auntie the truth. Was Eddie loose before she married?"

"Auntie, please don't ask. It's all in the past."

"Eddie got what she wanted, married to Caleb. She won't be carrying on with other men anymore."

Mildred was shaking with rage. She jabbed a finger at me and shouted, "You wicked girl, Eddie! I knew it, I knew there was a reason you clawed your way into our family so shamelessly."

"Turns out you were spoiled goods all along! Today, for Caleb's sake, I'm going to teach you a lesson you shameless little tramp!"

She snatched up the feather duster from the corner and came at me.

"Stop!" Caleb stood at the gate, wheeling his bike, his face like iron.

"Caleb, you're back just in time!"

Mildred brandished the feather duster. "Ask Frieda what filthy business this woman got up to back at her own home!"

Caleb didn't look at me. "Frieda. What exactly did you say?"

Frieda clearly hadn't expected Caleb to come back so suddenly. She stammered, "Caleb, I... I didn't say anything."

"I just mentioned in passing that Eddie had been matched with the Post boy once before."

"Auntie misunderstood."

"I misunderstood?" Mildred's voice rose. "You said plain as day that she was tangled up with that Post boy!"

"I did not!"

Frieda burst into tears. "Caleb, you have to believe me. Why would I make up lies about my own cousin?"

Caleb's face was dark. "Edwina. You say it yourself."

"I've got nothing to say."

My voice stayed even. "Since my cousin says I was tangled up with the Post boy, then let her produce her proof."

"And if she can't produce any, then she's spreading lies to wreck a military marriage."

"Mr. Gilbert, you know better than I do what the penalty is for sabotaging a military marriage, don't you?"

"You... you can't just throw a big accusation like that at me!"

Frieda had gone white in the face. "Who sabotaged anyone's marriage?"

"I was only worried about you. I was afraid you weren't being treated right in this house, so I said a few kind words to Auntie out of goodwill."

"And this is how you repay me. You turn around and bite me!"

She clutched Caleb's sleeve, the picture of wounded innocence.

"Caleb, look at her. Look how she bullies. Where's even a shred of a proper wife in that?"

Caleb pushed her off without a flicker of expression. "Frieda, without proof, don't go running your mouth again."

"Edwina is my lawful wife now."

"When you drag her name through the mud, you're spitting in my face."

Frieda stared at him, disbelieving. "Caleb, you... you're snapping at me?"

She wept, tears streaking down her cheeks. "You never used to talk to me in that tone."

"Did she say something to poison you against me?"

Mildred forgot her own anger, took Frieda by the arm, and spoke up in complaint.

"Caleb, what do you think you're doing?"

"Frieda came all this way out of kindness to see us. How can you take an outsider's side?"

"Mom!" Caleb's voice went stern. "Edwina isn't an outsider. She's my wife."

The moment the words left him, the whole yard went silent.

I was a little surprised. I'd thought it would take Frieda a good long while to brainwash him.

I hadn't expected him to catch the holes in her story so fast.

Then again, it made sense. A man his age didn't rise to the post he held on luck alone.

Frieda's little tricks were only ever good enough to fool a woman like Mildred, a country woman with no schooling.

Realizing there was no salvaging her day, Frieda choked out, "Well, since none of you appreciate it, I won't stay here and be an eyesore."

At the gate she stopped short, turned back, and threw Caleb a snide, singsong parting shot. "Caleb, you'd better keep a tight watch on that fine wife of yours."

"And another thing, you've got a lot of flights coming up lately. You be careful out there. Wouldn't want anything to go wrong."

"After all, some people are just born under an unlucky star."

With that, she swung her hips and swept off.

Mildred trudged back toward the house, sighing and grumbling.

"This... what kind of business is this!"

Caleb's face softened. "What she said just now, don't take it to heart."

"I'm not."

I turned and picked up the broom. "If there's nothing else, Mr. Gilbert, I'll get back to work."

"Edwina."

He stopped me suddenly, his voice low with feeling and regret.

"Last night... I was rash. I saw the shirt you mended for me. The stitches were fine and neat."

"Thank you."

My tone stayed flat. "A torn shirt has to be mended."

"You don't owe me anything, Mr. Gilbert."

"We're married now. We're making a life together. This is just what I'm supposed to do."

Hearing that, Caleb walked over and took the broom out of my hands.

"Stop calling me Mr. Gilbert. Just call me Caleb."

Over the next few days, Caleb came home on time every day.

He still didn't say much, but he started pitching in on the heavy work, hauling water and splitting firewood without being asked.

Mildred still couldn't stand the sight of me.

But given Caleb's stance, she no longer dared to come at me out in the open.

That day, I was in the yard doing the laundry.

Ruby Lambert, the neighbor, sidled up to me all secretive. "Eddie, have you heard?"

"Your brother-in-law, Paul, broke his leg out in the countryside yesterday!"

My hands went still. "Broke his leg?"

"That's right!"

Ruby lowered her voice. "Word is, your sister flat-out forced him up the mountain to chop wood to sell for cash."

"Then the rain made the path slick, and down he went, man and logs and all, rolling right off the slope."

"He was already lame in one leg. Now the other one's broken too."

"The doctor says he'll likely never stand on his own two feet again as long as he lives!"

Ruby had barely finished speaking when the courtyard gate slammed open.

Frieda came storming in, hair in wild disarray. "Edwina! You cursed jinx!"

"You're the one who put a curse on our Paul!"

"If you hadn't passed your bad luck onto him, how would he ever have fallen and broken his leg!"

I shook the soap suds off my hands and said coldly, "That's a funny thing to say, sis."

"You forced him up the mountain to chop wood yourself. The path was slick, he slipped, and that's an act of God."

"How does any of that become my curse? What, do you think I can order the heavens to rain?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "You got greedy and drove your own man into heavy labor, and now that something's gone wrong you want to pin it on your sister? What kind of logic is that?"

Frieda's face changed. "You shut up! Our family's business is none of an outsider's concern!"

She thrust out a hand toward me. "Edwina, Paul's lying in the hospital right now waiting on money to save his life."

"Hand over five hundred, and be quick about it!"

I let out a cold laugh. "Five hundred? You think I run a bank?"

"Don't play poor with me!"

Frieda spoke as if she were entirely in the right. "Caleb pulls in that big an allowance every month. There's no way you can't scrape together five hundred."

"Besides, if I hadn't handed this good match over to you, you think you'd be where you are today?"

"Consider it your way of paying me back!"

"I don't have the money. And even if I did, you wouldn't see a single cent of it."

"You" Frieda's hand shot up to slap me.

"Hands off!"

Caleb crossed the yard in long strides, caught Frieda's wrist, and flung it aside with force.

She staggered back several steps and dropped to the ground.

"Caleb... you'd shove me for this woman?"

His eyes were ice cold. "Frieda, this is the Gilbert house, not some place for you to throw a fit."

"Paul got hurt. That's your own business. Who gave you the nerve to come to my home and shake us down for money?"

Frieda gave a cold laugh. "Fine! That's just fine!"

She jabbed a finger at Caleb and screamed, "Caleb, you think shielding her means the two of you will have some happy life?"

"Let me tell you, disaster's coming for you, and soon!"

"You won't finish this mission of yours! You'll break the rules, and you'll be discharged!"

"And when that happens, the two of you can go beg on the streets together!"

Caleb's face went dark. Even he had only just learned of this mission. How could Frieda know the details so clearly?

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

Mildred heard the commotion and hurried out of the house. "Get out of here! The Gilbert family doesn't welcome you!"

Frieda scrambled to her feet. "I'll go, I'll go."

"But I'll be watching. Once Caleb's stripped of that uniform, let's see how high and mighty you all are then!"

Mildred clutched her chest, gasping. "That... that woman's out of her mind!"

Caleb helped Mildred inside, his expression grave.

"I do have to leave on an emergency mission tomorrow."

"It's dangerous. No fixed date for coming back."

Something inside me jolted.

In my last life, Caleb had gone out on a mission at exactly this point in time.

And it was during that mission that Frieda's black-market dealing in supplies came to light.

To take the blame for her, Caleb had defied orders at the critical moment, the operation had failed, and in the end he was discharged.

But in this life, she hadn't married him, and she'd never lay a hand on those supplies.

"Caleb."

I looked into his eyes and said seriously, "No matter what happens out there, follow every rule."

"Mom and I will be waiting at home for you to come back safe."

Caleb held my gaze for a long moment. "All right."

But three days later, Caleb's flight squadron ran into extreme weather during their mission. The jet lost contact, and no one knew whether the crew was alive or dead.

When the news broke, Frieda made a point of dressing head to toe in red and coming to the Gilbert house.

"Edwina, have you heard?"

"Caleb's not coming back!"

"He's dead! You're about to be a widow!"

Her face was smug. "Told you, you're a jinx!"

"You crippled Paul's leg, and now you've cursed your own man to death!"

Mildred couldn't get her breath and fainted dead away.

"Mom!"

I carried her inside and used my massage technique to bring her around.

"My son... my boy..."

Mildred slowly came to, weeping so hard she couldn't speak.

"Mom, nothing's going to happen to Caleb."

At that, Frieda screamed, "The notice already went out. The plane went down in the sea. How could he not be dead?"

"Edwina, hand over every cent of the Gilberts' money right now."

And with that she moved to go inside and start digging through the house.

Just then, a jeep pulled up at the gate.

The soldier in it shouted toward the house, "Mrs. Gilbert! Caleb's alive, and he's been promoted ahead of schedule to captain by the higher-ups!"

"No... impossible..."

Frieda shook her head and backed away. "He was supposed to be discharged..."

"Why should you get to be the captain's wife!"

Her eyes went bloodshot as she pulled out a pair of scissors and lunged at me. "Die! Just die!"