The villainous mother and her two daughters in this story were tearing each other apart over the male lead. It was my intervention that changed their fate. The older daughter later inherited the family business, and the younger one got into a top-tier university. But at the company’s annual gala, the sisters jointly pleaded with their mom, asking her to bring back Ryan, the man who had lost his wife. “Mom and Ryan have already missed out on a decade together, Dad. You need to be reasonable and generous.” On the day of Katherine’s wedding to Ryan, I didn’t cry or make a scene. Instead, I summoned the God of Destiny who had sent me here. “I need to leave this messed-up place.” I stood in the pouring rain until the music in my earbuds stopped. I swayed, letting myself topple into the freezing, biting river. I wasn’t from this world. I’d been sent here on a mission to save a family of antagonists from a story. The God of Destiny had tasked me with preventing their tragic fate of tearing each other apart over the male lead. The condition was the healing of my own critically ill body. But tragically, the moment the original love interest was out of the picture, my wife and daughters couldn’t wait to welcome the widowed Ryan into our home. The God of Destiny’s voice echoed: 【Mission failed. If your body in this alternate world perishes, your body in your real world will awaken. However, your time there is also running out. Are you certain you want to leave here?】 I nodded slightly. With the precious little time I had left, I only wished to spend it with my own family and friends. But the expected sensation of drowning never came. A powerful grip seized my arm from behind, yanking me upwards. “What do you think you’re doing? It’s Ryan’s big day, and you just had to pull this stunt?” I turned to see my stepdaughter, Alex. She was gasping for air, her bright eyes burning with fury. She was one of the targets of my mission in this world, and in the later parts of the book, the most fanatical antagonist. She would become so obsessed with Ryan that she’d turn crazy, fall out with her family, and eventually become an outcast everyone avoided. When I became Katherine’s husband, Alex was only six years old. Her birth father had died young, and her mother was constantly busy with work. The young Alex roamed the streets getting into trouble, desperate for attention, but often just messing things up and getting bullied by other kids. I brought her home, cleaned her up, and planned for her future. Alex wasn’t interested in academics, so I encouraged her to pursue business instead. Little Alex had a dream for the first time. Her eyes red-rimmed, she asked me, “Can I call you Dad? Everyone laughs at me for not having a dad, for being unwanted…” After I agreed, she gently hugged me. “Dad, when I grow up and make a lot of money, the first thing I’ll do is buy you a huge house and make sure you’re set for life.” But when she actually achieved her dream, her first demand was for Ryan to become her new father. She stopped calling me Dad. She even hated my guts because of a single comment from Ryan – that I had intentionally let him be abducted by thugs, preventing him from coming back to see her in time. The young woman before me overlapped with the memory of that child who called me Dad, but her eyes now held only a chilling coldness. “No need to keep up the act. You just want to get our attention, right? If you really wanted to die, why pick a spot on my way home from work, timing it perfectly?” I was speechless. I just wanted to find a not-too-ugly way to die, choosing a picturesque spot, and completely hadn’t expected to run into Alex. Seeing I didn’t respond, Alex scoffed, “If you really want to die, go somewhere far away. Ryan loves this river. He walks here when the weather’s nice, don’t you dare…” Her words abruptly cut off. I quickly dashed to the other end of the broken bridge and leapt off. Ryan likes this river, huh? Then I hope he never comes here again. Every time he does, it just fills me with disgust.
My body grew heavier and heavier. In a daze, I heard the beeping of hospital equipment. Mom, Dad, wait for me! Your son is coming home soon! Just as I thought I had succeeded, a powerful force dragged me back to the shore. Alex was drenched, her eyes misted over with water, making it impossible to tell if she’d been crying or if water had just gotten in them. Seeing Alex like that, I joked, mocking her, “You don’t want me to die?” Alex’s face twisted in an awkward expression. “You’re overthinking it. Your death has nothing to do with me. Even if you really wanted to die, I wouldn’t stop you, but not today! I don’t want Ryan to be upset thinking about you every year on his wedding anniversary!” It was for Ryan, of course. Seeing that I was uncharacteristically quiet, Alex grabbed me and started walking towards the house. “Just go home for now. Anyway, you can’t die today. If you really want to die, find somewhere far away, at least somewhere I won’t see you!” Alex was strong; I couldn’t break free. As we reached Katherine’s front door, we ran into Sophia, my daughter in this world. She was dressed in a crisp suit, looking incredibly sharp. She had just rushed over from school. Seeing Alex and me soaking wet, she glanced past me, barely giving me a look, and simply called out, “Alex.” Alex nodded. Sophia then instructed, “Why are your clothes all wet? Be careful not to catch a cold, Alex. Go change quickly. Ryan and Mom’s wedding is about to start.” Throughout the entire exchange, she didn’t spare me a single glance, as if I weren’t her father but a stranger on the street. The book said Sophia was lost at birth and grew up in foster care, developing an extremely gloomy personality. Ryan was supposed to be the only light in her life. But I came. I found her and brought her home. I had such high hopes for this child. In my mind, she was connected to me by blood, not just a character from a book. She wouldn’t need me to meticulously “complete a mission”; she would naturally be on my side. I cherished Sophia like a precious jewel, terrified she would get lost again like in the book. I was hands-on with everything, ensuring Sophia grew up safe and sound. And Sophia indeed grew into an outstanding young woman, completely different from the troubled girl in the book. She was humble, polite, had a sense of family responsibility, cared for her sisters, and even became a star student at school. I never doubted myself. My own daughter, how could I not manage? But the moment Ryan appeared, the usually attentive Sophia changed completely. She started doing all sorts of things I forbade, using them to express her dissatisfaction and rebellion against me. “Why does Dad always have a problem with Ryan? It’s clearly Dad who’s wrong!” I never expected that all the lessons I’d taught Sophia, all those books we’d read together, would turn into weapons against me. “Dad is just jealous of Ryan, which is why he cruelly let Ryan be kidnapped and tortured. He has no kindness in his heart. How can someone like you be my dad?” At that moment, I was standing dumbfounded, holding the breakfast I had woken up early to prepare specifically for her. I felt like I didn’t recognize the daughter I had personally raised. She then slapped the tray out of my hands, declaring she’d never eat anything I made again. The pain in my heart was inexpressible. I sternly reprimanded her, and she looked at me as if I were her enemy. From that day on, my daughter and I never exchanged another word. Hearing Sophia’s question, Alex’s expression was mortified. “Just now… he really jumped into the river.” Sophia frowned slightly, her cold tone utterly devoid of emotion. “Alex, don’t let him trick you. With you there, how could he possibly die? He’s just seeing Ryan come home and throwing a tantrum, resorting to these little tricks. Do you really think he’d give up all the comfort and luxury of this home…” Sophia hadn’t finished her sentence when I slammed my head into the doorframe. I kept sighing inwardly. Ugh, I wanted to die with a bit of dignity, but these two girls are just too noisy. Hot blood streamed down my face, and the world before me plunged into darkness. Just before my consciousness completely faded, I thought I heard someone scream “Dad” in anguish.
When I opened my eyes again, my forehead throbbed faintly. The lavish, modern chandelier above me came into view, and I knew: I hadn’t managed to leave this world again. Every night, I hovered at the edge of death, meaning my time with my family in my original world was shrinking. Time was precious to me. I stared at the chandelier, wondering if I could use it to end everything. The moment I stirred, a hand gripped mine tightly. “Liam, please, stop this nonsense, okay? It’s a good thing you’re weak; you didn’t hit your head too hard. Otherwise, you would have terrified the girls.” It was Katherine, my wife in this world and the company CEO, who spoke. Her brows were tightly furrowed, her gaze fixed on the bandage wrapped around my forehead. Her eyes were deep, making it impossible to guess what she was thinking. In the original story, Katherine was Ryan’s most passionate admirer. Unable to have him, she eventually turned dark, even committing extreme acts of betraying the company and harming others, all to get closer to Ryan. My first act upon arriving in this world was to drug Katherine, making her fall unconscious and unable to pursue Ryan, thereby cutting off the source of all her future wrongdoings. When Katherine woke up, she wanted to end me immediately. But I knew the story inside out and was well aware that Ryan wouldn’t be harmed. It wasn’t until she witnessed Ryan and his love interest living a happy, loving life together that Katherine gradually let go of her prejudice against me. She tried to understand me, to care for me. During that difficult period, she mistakenly thought I was being bullied and personally stood up for me. In that challenging moment, two hearts quietly drew closer. Later, I reined in my temper, managed the household, and supported my wife and daughters. Katherine, too, became like any ordinary wife who cherished her husband. We relied on each other, promising to be together in the next life. Her fate was slowly changing; my mission was nearing completion. At that point, my terminal illness in my original world would be cured, and I could even choose to pause time in my original world to first spend this happy lifetime with Katherine’s family. However, the change came without warning. One stormy night, Ryan returned alone. He cried, throwing himself into Katherine’s arms, pouring out the inhumane suffering he had endured all these years. The usually composed Katherine actually shed tears of heartache. When she learned that I had maliciously hindered Katherine and pushed Ryan into his predicament, Katherine’s entire family – mother and daughters – erupted in fury. They kept Ryan at home, caring for him meticulously, while completely ignoring me. On Sophia’s birthday, I prepared a table full of steak and salad, all their favorites. But I waited until deep into the night, and no one returned. It turned out the three of them were out dining with the dejected Ryan, simply to cheer him up. The day I found Sophia and brought her home was one of the happiest days of my life. Katherine had promised then that she would bring the children to celebrate with me every year because I had given Sophia a home. But now, they had all broken their promises. When Katherine’s family returned, they simply glanced at the table of cold food and blandly said, “Ryan doesn’t like your cooking. You don’t need to make it anymore.” Recalling these past events, I coldly pulled my hand free from Katherine’s tight grip and calmly said, “I’m not being difficult. I just… don’t want to live anymore.” Katherine suddenly seemed annoyed. She leaned over and helped me up; I couldn’t break free. A moment later, she finally spoke, her tone tinged with helplessness. “Liam, don’t say such angry things, and don’t threaten me and the girls with death anymore. Our feelings for each other won’t change. I’ll make sure to discipline the girls well. You will always be the man of this house.” Katherine’s words sounded sweet, as if she still loved me as before. But then, she cautiously observed my expression and mentioned Ryan. “I’ve already assured you, Ryan won’t take your place. You wronged him before, and now he just needs a place to stay… So, where did you hide him? Tell me, and I can pretend nothing happened. We can continue our peaceful life as a family, wouldn’t that be better?” I scoffed inwardly. Ryan’s gone missing again? And Katherine still thinks it’s my doing? Seeing me smile, Katherine couldn’t maintain her detached façade any longer, her tone growing urgent. “Liam, you don’t need to act anymore. I’ve searched. Ryan’s watch was clearly hidden in your closet. You both disappeared simultaneously this morning… Tell me, where did you hide Ryan?” It seemed Ryan was impatient to expel me, even willing to use his own wedding as a scheme. After all, as the male lead, he craved universal adoration; how could he share a woman with another man? What he wanted was to be the only one in the hearts of Katherine and her daughters. I suddenly burst out laughing, “Ha, yes, I did it. Ryan’s dead! I was jealous of him, so I killed him. Do you want to avenge him? Then kill me! Unless… you can’t bear to?” Katherine would stop at nothing for Ryan. If she laid a hand on me to kill me, I could finally go home. Katherine was visibly enraged. Losing all reason, she directly wrapped her hands around my throat. “Liam! How did you become like this…? Ryan has suffered enough; why do you keep harassing him!” Actually, it wasn’t me who changed, but the three women of her family. I didn’t resist, letting my breath gradually weaken. Good. Finally, everything will end. The door was abruptly shoved open, and Alex and Sophia walked in, supporting Ryan.
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