The night Chloe didn’t come home, I vanished. She went to see Aiden, her first love, the one who got away, and she ignored all my calls. I desperately texted her: **”Don’t do anything reckless, or I swear I’ll die!”** She just logged into all my gaming accounts and deleted them, then threatened me: **”Still sulking? If you don’t come back now, I’m throwing out your precious husky too.”** I was frantic, but utterly helpless. Because the Soulmate Quest failed, the System had already wiped me out completely, leaving absolutely nothing behind. 0 My wife’s first love had returned to the country, and I tried my best to keep her from seeing the news. But she still found out and went to see him behind my back, leaving me a message to reassure me: **”He and I are just friends now, don’t get the wrong idea.”** I paced back and forth in the living room, a knot of anxiety twisting in my gut. A dull ache settled in my chest, heavy and suffocating. “One life, one love, one fated pair”—that was the mission the System had given me. If Chloe betrayed our marriage, I would be completely erased. For now, I chose to trust her… After all, I had so much faith in our relationship. Midway, I couldn’t resist calling her. She sounded soft and sweet, even a little bit flirty with the alcohol: “Honey…” “No need to pick me up, I know my way home. Don’t worry, I’ll be good. See you in a bit.” I didn’t know where they were having dinner, so I got in my car and started driving around, searching for her. I called countless times, but she kept rejecting them, until eventually, her phone went straight to voicemail. At that moment, my mind was a chaotic mess. Okay, I was panicking. I kept sending her desperate texts: **”If you truly can’t let him go, we can get a divorce.”** **”Please, don’t do anything that would betray me. I’ll die, I really will die!”** … The city lights blazed bright, a kaleidoscope of colors. My car pulled into a deserted alley. That’s when the System’s cold, robotic voice echoed in my head: **[Host, it is with regret that we inform you, your Soulmate Quest in this world has failed.]** My mind went blank. I clenched my fists, slamming them against the steering wheel again and again. The last thread of hope in my chest snapped. But I was so incredibly unwilling. The System’s voice remained mechanical, but this time, it seemed to stutter: **[Your wife has already… with him…** **[Based on the penalty mechanism, you will be annihilated before dawn.]** ### Cut-off point But I never expected her to return in the dead of night. What truly shocked me was that her first love had brought her back. 0
The door creaked open. Aiden King had his arm wrapped around Chloe Bennett’s waist, his voice dripping with intimacy: “You must be tired, Chloe. Get inside and get some sleep.” My heart violently twisted, rage threatening to consume me. I shot up from the sofa, flicked on the living room lights, and cut straight to the chase: “Chloe Bennett. “Haven’t you had enough sleep already? What more sleep do you need?” She froze, straightened up, her face chilling: “Liam Harris, what are you yelling about? I drank too much tonight, that’s why I asked Aiden to bring me home.” He drove you? Even if he drove around the entire city, it wouldn’t take three hours. Besides, arguing with her was pointless now. She noticed the strange look on my face and, instead, got angry, demanding: “When did you become so possessive, to even suspect your own wife?” Aiden leaned lazily against the doorframe, his eyes narrowed, enjoying our argument. I grabbed the vase from the table and hurled it towards her: “He abandoned you first and went abroad back then, don’t you remember? You’ve been married to me for so many years, have you forgotten that too?” But I couldn’t bring myself to hurt her. The vase flew wide, shattering on the floor near her. The exploding glass shards seemed to clear her eyes. She stammered out: “I really did drink too much tonight, and Aiden came back specifically to say goodbye to me. He’s staying abroad for good now. “Besides, he and I have both moved on. If you were so bothered by our past, why did you marry me in the first place?! What are you raging about?” I listened, then let out a soft, mocking laugh. I pulled a cigarette to my lips, self-deprecatingly: “Stop pretending. Own up to what you did.” The smoke drifted across Chloe’s face. She frowned: “Own up to what? Aiden suffered so much drifting alone overseas, what did he do wrong? Can you please stop bothering him now? I’m begging you!” I shrugged: “I won’t. You won’t be seeing me around anyway.” Aiden snickered, a sneer twisting his lips. “You two chat. I’m out.” The door clicked shut. Chloe’s expression softened. She took a step closer, wrapped her arms around my neck, and stood on tiptoes to touch my nose with hers: “Honey, still jealous? “Don’t worry, you’re the only one I love.” I swept her soft body into my arms. Her warm breath tickled my neck, igniting a familiar heat within me. But then I thought of what she’d done with her first love just hours ago, and I abruptly let go. She landed on the floor with a painful thud. I disgustedly wiped the spot on my face where she’d touched me: “You’re disgusting.” I even spat on the floor. She froze, too stunned by the pain to cry. After a long moment, she slowly got up, then stormed out, slamming the door behind her: “Liam Harris, you dare humiliate me like this today, you’d better not regret it! “If it weren’t for you paying Aiden to leave the country and stay away, I would have married him years ago! I never would have chosen you!” 0
Back then, my wife, Chloe Bennett, was the dream goddess of every guy on campus. Her exquisite, stunning face needed no makeup whatsoever. Any elective Chloe chose, the classes would be packed, with people even spilling out into the hallways. I was one of them. And everyone knew that besides Aiden King, she wouldn’t say a single extra word to any other man. “You like her too?” Aiden had approached me back then, handing me a card. “Give me enough money to study abroad, and I’ll hand her over to you.” My rival, yet he offered her up. Without a second thought, I transferred the money, sending off my biggest competitor. The System quest notification appeared the moment I fell in love with Chloe at first sight. Initially, the mission was just to marry her. I felt no pressure at all, I was even excited. Because I truly loved her. After Aiden left, I finally won her over with my persistent efforts. When Chloe agreed to marry me, she said: “When there’s a rainbow in the sky, I want to capture it for you. When I hear a beautiful song, I want to sing it to you. When I’m sad, I want you to understand me. I want to share every beautiful thing with you, and if you’re slow to reply, I’ll worry you don’t care about me anymore. I hate unstable relationships, so Liam, let’s get married.” I’ll never forget the rapid beat of my heart that day. And, of course, the sweet chime that signaled the completion of the quest. But I never expected there to be a second quest: **[One Life, One Love, One Fated Pair.]** **[If your partner betrays you, you will be annihilated by the System.]** At first, I thought the System was just testing me. After all, there were so many temptations in the world. Until I saw Aiden King’s chat pinned to the top of my wife’s SnapChat friend list. I panicked. She always calmed me down with her actions. Dark clouds rolled outside, thunder rumbling. Her eyes were hazy in my arms, and the air around us crackled with a charged intimacy. I told her seriously and sincerely: “If you ever stop loving me and want a divorce, I’ll agree. “But please, never betray me. Otherwise, I’ll die.” She laughed, confidently: “Honey, I’m not that kind of person.” Now, it all seemed like a cruel joke. Did I regret it? Yes, I should have divorced her the day I found out she still had feelings for Aiden! I should’ve married anyone, even someone I didn’t love, and I’d still be alive! My carefully built company, all those savings in the bank. My buddies I gamed with. Even the limited edition action figures, signed basketballs, and rare sneakers I’d spent millions collecting. The moment dawn broke, they would all be gone forever! My phone rang. It was an unknown number. “Liam Harris, it’s Aiden. “Heh, she came looking for me again. You’re really pathetic, can’t even hold onto what was given to you.” 0
“Take me to a hotel, please.” Aiden deliberately didn’t hang up the phone. Chloe had gotten into his car. “Chloe, why the long face? Didn’t you say you definitely wanted to go home earlier?” “He’s like a rabid dog. I don’t want to talk about him. I’m tired, and I don’t want to see him for a while.” Aiden chuckled: “But you were so determined when you emailed me saying you were marrying him. “Now that you regret it, maybe you could consider someone new? “After all, I’m your first love. After all these years, didn’t you miss me?” Chloe’s voice softened: “Alright, Aiden, stop it…” The call ended. My head slumped. The ashtray was overflowing with cigarette butts. I’d be gone soon. I pulled out my phone and called my closest friend, Caleb. He picked up, his voice heavy with sleep: “What time is it? Waking up this early makes me feel like my soul’s being ripped from my body!” He’d been my best friend since childhood. Our bond was stronger than gold. I intended to tell him my last wishes, but hearing his voice somehow steadied my emotions. “Chloe cheated on me. I’m going to die.” He didn’t understand, even raising his voice: “She cheated? No way, she would never cheat! She wouldn’t even look at another man besides you!” “Aiden’s back.” “Good, divorce her! Divorce her immediately! You have money, you have looks, there’s no woman you can’t get! As long as you don’t love her, she’s absolutely nothing!” I fell silent, not replying, and began reciting my bank card passwords to him… Before we got married, Chloe, to prove she wasn’t marrying me for money, had signed a prenuptial agreement. That worked out. Now that I was gone, I’d rather donate the money than let her get a cent. Caleb seemed scared, his voice frantic: “Liam Harris, are you out of your mind? “Don’t be like this. I’m coming over right now to drink with you, drink till we drop! There’s no hurdle in life you can’t get over! “It’s just a woman, right? Divorce her, torment her, make her regret it! Isn’t ‘the ex-lover’s desperate chase’ the hot trend now?! “Hang in there, man. I’m telling you, I rode my bike all day today, my crotch was chafed, I can’t even take a shower. Isn’t that hilarious? “Think about your bank account! You can go to the Maldives and stare at the sea, feed pigeons in London Square, go diving in Australia, travel the world to heal. How happy is that? If I got dumped, all I could say is, ‘Ugh, I’m tired, guess I’ll just screw it and live.’ You’re living in paradise and don’t even know it!” As he spoke, he started crying. Because he knew I would never joke about something like this. But only Chloe didn’t know. Even though I’d told her again and again. I gambled and lost. I deserved it. I printed out the divorce papers, signed them, and prepared to give them to Chloe. My last wish was to divorce her. She wasn’t asleep yet and quickly replied: **”Liam Harris, are you serious about this?”** The sunlight streamed through the window, so faint. My body began to turn transparent, light, floating upward… So this is what death felt like. Chloe. If I hadn’t been erased by the System, I would never have let you off easy.
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