I married Declan ten years ago, and now his old flame has come back into the picture. She is gentle and considerate, even after spending a decade in a hospital bed to save Declan’s mother. Despite the years, she still enchants everyone in Declan’s family. My husband speaks with her as if they were childhood sweethearts, as if they shared innocent memories together. My mother-in-law treats her like a savior and even said in front of me, “I wish I had a daughter-in-law like you.” And how about me? I wasn’t sad or upset; I felt relieved. Finally, the tedious narrative I’d endured for ten years was reaching its conclusion. So when my mother-in-law stood before me, holding two eggs and glaring at me to make an egg pudding for her ideal daughter-in-law, Adeline, I didn’t even flinch. I just quietly tended to my wildflowers. “How can you be so inconsiderate? Adeline saved my life!” “Oh! Then perhaps you should be the one who’s considerate!” I casually replied to my “very considerate” mother-in-law. Ten years ago, when Declan’s family was struggling, she pleaded with my father for a family alliance to save them. I followed my father’s wishes and married him. Later, when she was diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer, Adeline donated part of her liver, coinciding with my marriage into Declan’s family. I provided the funds, hired caregivers, and took care of everything. Even when Adeline fell into a coma due to complications from the surgery, I covered the ICU expenses for nearly a decade! I’ve asked myself, regarding my role as a daughter-in-law to Declan’s family, I have no regrets. And now they look down on me? I glanced at the lucky charm peeking out of her pocket and felt nothing but disdain. The day after Adeline woke up, my mother-in-law brought her home, saying hospital food wasn’t good enough and that she’d be better cared for at home. Over the next month, the caregiver I hired stopped coming to my room and became her servant instead. What disgusted me the most was Declan visiting her room as well. My mother-in-law allowed it because I couldn’t have children. She called me barren and watched as Declan’s family lineage seemed in jeopardy. In this critical moment, Adeline was seen as their lifeline, the hope they desperately clung to. If that’s the case, I have nothing more to say. I’m about to return to reality anyway. Before entering this story, the system told me I could choose a role. If I lived by that role’s rules for ten years, I would receive half the bonus meant for that character. I gladly accepted. So, without hesitation, I followed my father’s advice and married Declan. This way, I’d earn more money. I figured, in less than half a month, my dream would come true. “Can’t have children, and you still pick and choose what work you’ll do?” No matter how sharp-tongued my mother-in-law is, she can’t hide her greed for that lucky charm. Then she stopped hiding it altogether and flaunted it. “Adeline is pregnant with my son’s child! Look at you, such a failure! You can’t even have a baby!” I couldn’t help but laugh at her outrageous words. Living in my house, using my caregiver, sleeping with my husband, and now carrying a child to fight me for family assets, and I have to pay for a caregiver to care for the homewrecker? I stared speechlessly at my daydreaming mother-in-law. “What are you looking at? The previous caregiver left because of you. You won’t pay for a new one and won’t care for the pregnant woman. What do you plan to do in this house?” “Yeah, I really don’t want to do anything.” For such a ridiculous mother-in-law, wasting even a word on her feels like a waste of breath. Did Auntie Iris leave because of me? Auntie Iris worked here for four or five years. I gave her bonuses during holidays and saved her the best food and drinks. She didn’t leave because she was ungrateful. I appreciated her diligent and efficient work. Why would I send her away? Even though I’m leaving soon, I refuse to swallow this bitter pill. No matter what, I was your daughter-in-law for ten years. Ten years! And you still wrong me?
Half a month ago, I heard Auntie Iris quietly sobbing in the kitchen. I was truly surprised because Auntie Iris was usually cheerful, optimistic, and sociable. I couldn’t imagine what had upset her so. I hadn’t even asked when my mother-in-law came out with Adeline from a room, standing on the second floor, looking down. “I told you not to put soy sauce in the egg pudding! Are you trying to harm her?” Her words practically crushed Auntie Iris. “It’s okay, Genevieve~” Adeline softly looped her arm through Genevieve’s, “My sister likes soy sauce in her egg pudding. Maybe Auntie Iris is just used to making it that way. I don’t mind having it with soy sauce too; I actually like it.” I wanted to gag. Look at her, just like a manipulative character from a palace drama. Genevieve smiled kindly and patted her hand, comforting her. “Don’t pretend you don’t want what you can’t have. You dare touch our Declan family heir!” I was so fed up with her nonsense that I didn’t even want to respond. I just took Auntie Iris’s hand and hugged her. “I’m sorry, Aunt Iris, for the trouble. I’ll pay your full salary for this month, plus half a year’s as a bonus, and you can work for my friend instead.” Aunt Iris looked tearfully at me, wanting to speak but holding back. I waved her off, understanding everything. How could I not understand? Later, Genevieve, seeing I ignored her, brought out her son Declan to confront me. Declan, without a word, launched into his usual routine, questioning me right away. I’ve had enough. Ten years, and he’s always been like this! Every time, without knowing the full story, he’d blame me, say I was wrong. Whenever I tried to have a proper conversation, he’d side with his mother and their family, treating me like I was invisible, just a figment of air in an unknown world. Even if I were an ancient turtle, I’d still be fed up! I stormed up to the second floor, ready to confront that manipulative woman. But before I could reach her, Declan blocked me. I hadn’t even raised my hand when he grabbed and held it tight. After struggling fiercely, I lost my balance and tumbled down the stairs. The outcome was worse than before. I broke my right leg, had multiple bruises, and although I didn’t bleed much, I’d still need a hundred days of rest, confined to a wheelchair. Genevieve, despite my condition, still wanted me to deliver egg pudding to Adeline. I quickly contacted the system, asking if it had any medicine to heal my leg fast. I didn’t want to return just to lie around.
“Did you forget, Master? You exchanged all your points for potions for Adeline. You don’t have enough points left to exchange for medicine.” Ah! I slapped my forehead, suddenly realizing my oversight. From the day I married Declan, I prepared to leave him. Because I never forgot my goal: money! But I overlooked the fact that I’m human. Humans have emotions, and even if I were an ice shard buried in the Arctic’s frigid pool, I’d still be moved by the ten years of shared experiences. Yet, in the end, I didn’t attain enlightenment. Instead, I became a resentful woman blaming the world and myself. I asked myself, I did want to leave him with a child or two, so he wouldn’t be too lonely after I left. So over the years, I took traditional medicine, consulted doctors, both traditional and modern. I even tried IVF several times, and of course, miscarried many times. But I never gave up. I heard he had a childhood sweetheart, an unrelated sister, who was perfect for him. She was the one who sacrificed her own body part to save his mother and fell into a deep sleep for ten years. I cried. It was straight out of a novel, and yet I ran into it. What a coincidence. Since this lifelong regret weighed so heavily, I’ll fulfill their wish. The system, seeing I hadn’t responded for a while, said, “Master, the Declan family fortune is ten billion. Including your share from your own family, it totals twenty billion. Hold on just a few more days, and you’ll be free to enjoy life!” Is this suggesting I go back to recover? “Nora, don’t push your luck!” Before that voice faded, another arose. Declan kicked open the door, looking furious, ready to settle the score with me. What a twist of fate. Since this lifelong regret weighs so heavily, let me fulfill your wishes. The system noticed I hadn’t responded for a while and said, “Master, Declan’s family fortune is a billion. Plus your share from the main family, it’s a total of two billion. Just hang in there for a few more days, and you can have your freedom!” Does this mean I should go back and heal? “Nora, don’t push your luck!” These words had barely left my mouth when another voice interrupted. Declan stormed through the door, looking furious and ready to confront me. “You chased away the aunt who was taking care of Adeline; fine, I’ll just hire another. You want to make a big deal out of hitting Adeline, I won’t say anything because I’m here to protect her from harm. But now, you’re even disregarding my mother. What kind of daughter-in-law are you?” Inside, I felt nothing. This scene had replayed countless times over my ten-year marriage: I just send off the old witch, and her son bursts through the door, cursing. Declan saw my indifference and, in a rage, grabbed my neck and yelled, spraying spit all over my face, “You fell down the stairs and startled Adeline, shouldn’t you apologize?” “Did we ask you to work yourself to the bone, to say three simple words: I’m sorry?” “At most, we asked you to bring a bowl of egg custard. And you can’t even do that???” Oh, so that’s what this is about! I coughed, my face flushed red, and Declan seemed to realize something and let go of his grip, deflating like a balloon. We had argued before, but this was the first time he’d gotten physical. I wiped my face with my sleeve, looked up at my husband of ten years, and said each word clearly, “I! Do! Not! Want! To!” “You did it on purpose!” Declan blurted out. He looked at me, “You intentionally drove away the aunt, fell down the stairs, upset my mom, and now you want to make my mom, me, Adeline, and her unborn child miserable.” I smiled bitterly. Living over thirty years, marrying into their family opened my eyes to a whole new world. Many suffer from delusions, but among those with persecution delusions, aside from Genevieve, Declan is quite a rising star. “Nora, Adeline is such an obedient and sensible girl, yet you can’t leave her alone. We’ve been married for ten years! Ten years! Have you forgotten what my mom taught you?” He’s still trying to persuade me! I opened my mouth, then closed it, and the breath I was holding finally escaped. I realized that explaining was unnecessary. “Yes, mutual respect can’t compete with a childhood sweetheart.” Especially when she’s the old flame. I huffed, turned my attention to my wildflowers, and said no more. He seemed to understand, taking my words as jealousy bubbling to the surface, and did not respond, “The lady is ill, very ill, and not fit to go out. Let’s wait until she’s better to meet others.”
His subtext was clear: since you don’t want us to be happy, we won’t let you be happy either. But my subtext was: Whether it’s good or bad, it will pass because I’m leaving you all! The system told me, just three more days, and when the contract expires, I can return to the real world and enjoy myself. After this, no matter how Declan or Genevieve talks about me, thinks of me, treats me, or tortures me, it has nothing to do with me. Except… my father… I still can’t let go… Ten years ago, I married Declan. To make sure I wouldn’t be mistreated, my father gave me a dowry of five billion, a car, a house, fearing that I would be bullied or looked down upon by Declan’s family. In the end, he even assigned me a bodyguard who had been with him for years. Every few days, he wanted to know if I was doing well, and every two weeks, he sent someone to bring me back to my family home for a few days. Even the traditional Chinese doctor he found to fulfill my wish of getting pregnant was personally selected after he visited all the major hospitals and clinics in New York City. Later, my father saw how painful IVF was for me. Fearing that Declan’s family would scold me for being unworthy, he even started visiting orphanages, hoping I would adopt a few children instead of suffering unnecessarily. But I refused. Because I knew with Genevieve’s personality, she would never accept a non-biological child as an elite successor for Declan’s family. And my husband Declan, being a mama’s boy, would definitely comply with his high and mighty mother’s wishes without question. I was completely alone, outnumbered and outmatched. It’s quite laughable. I took the bowl of thick herbal medicine Beatrix handed me, and the strong smell made me cough. It tasted as awful as ever. I looked at her. “They can’t stop me!” Beatrix’s words answered my current doubts. After all, Declan had gone to great lengths to trap me. “Miss! Sir said if you want a divorce, I can take you away right now!” Beatrix lowered her head, paused, then continued with a heavy tone, “Sir said if you don’t want a divorce, I can take you to live on an estate in the suburbs, far away from them.” “You can adopt a little miss and a little master, plant a whole garden of flowers and grass, have cats and dogs…” My eyes lit up. Beatrix reminded me of something I had forgotten. Adeline was allergic to pollen, so the day before she moved in, Genevieve stood upstairs giving orders, while Declan humbly obeyed. The flowers and plants I had planted in the backyard garden were pulled out one by one by Declan and sent to the waste disposal site. Yes, my flowers were trash, and so was I.
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