My husband saved another woman in front of me, and even my son begged him to choose her over me. The system told me my mission had failed, and death was my only way home. But every time I tried to die, someone dragged me back—especially his brother, who claimed he loved me after destroying my life. I no longer want his love, his family, or this world. If I can’t go home, then I will burn everything they forced me to endure. Bella Sinclair and I were kidnapped at the same time, and Adrian Bennett came running with half a million dollars in ransom – to save Bella, of course. My son, whom I carried for ten long months, naturally echoed his dad: “I want Bella to come with us! Dad, she’ll be scared if she stays here alone!” The system informed me that my “mission” had failed: “If your body dies, you’ll return to the original world.” Fine by me. All I wanted was a way out, to go home. choose Bella over me. Adrian only needed a couple of seconds to untie Bella’s ropes, his eyes full of worry. And there beside him, Jonah, just like his father, fussed over Bella’s bruised wrists, blowing on her red skin. “Bella, this will make it feel better.” The three of them stood there, tender and cozy, entirely forgetting that I was still bound in the hands of the kidnapper. Even the man holding me couldn’t help but sneer. “That husband of yours is lost in the warmth of another woman’s arms. I bet he’s not coming back for you – should I just call it a day here?” As I watched Adrian and Jonah walk off with Bella, the system officially deemed my mission a failure. The penalty, a jolt of electric shock, knocked me out instantly. Through my foggy consciousness, I felt the kidnapper support my collapsing body. “All I did was say something harsh, no need to pass out! Oh no, oh no… I better get her to a hospital, don’t want to be in trouble if something really happens to her.”
I woke up in the hospital and confirmed with the system that, if I died here, I could finally go home. Once I had my answer, I made my way toward the window. My room was on a high floor, high enough to make the jump fatal. I opened the window and threw myself forward. As the wind roared past my ears, stinging against my skin, I felt no fear – only an intense, bittersweet relief. Just a little further, and I’d be back home, back to a place where I was truly loved. I closed my eyes, calm and ready. But a moment later, the sensation of falling stopped. My arm was yanked sharply, the force ripping through my muscles, pain radiating from my shoulder into my chest. I opened my eyes, feeling as if my arm had nearly broken. The one holding me was Ethan Carrington, Adrian’s half-brother. I looked up at the sweaty, panicked boy and spoke calmly, “Let go.” Ethan gritted his teeth and pulled harder, putting every ounce of strength into hoisting me up. “Seriously? All because my brother didn’t choose you, you’re doing something this stupid? What’s going on in that head of yours?” With effort, I began prying his fingers off, one by one. “Ethan, my death would suit you perfectly, so just let go.”
Ethan Carrington couldn’t stand me. Actually, none of Adrian’s inner circle wanted me around. After Bella ran off for love, Adrian married me under family pressure, and his people were convinced I had swooped in at her lowest point to stake my claim. I was met with obvious hostility and rejection. Ethan was always the first in line. With his rights as Adrian’s brother, he’d stroll right into Bennett Manor and ruin the garden of flowers I’d planted in the backyard. He even suggested that Jonah adopt a stray cat despite knowing I was severely allergic to cat hair. When I objected, Ethan coached Jonah to cry, making a big scene that echoed through the whole house. Then he jumped in, pretending to be the “good guy.” “It’s just a little cat. Let the kid have it if he likes it.” Jonah only cried louder, throwing a full-blown tantrum and rolling on the floor, muttering, “Mom’s mean. I want the cat.” I chased both Ethan and the cat out, then patiently explained to Jonah that I was allergic to cats and couldn’t have one but that we could get a puppy instead. But Ethan had Jonah so focused on that cat that he refused to hear me out, hitting me and demanding that I bring back his kitten. That day drove a wedge between us. Ethan seized the opportunity to plant more doubts in Jonah’s mind, convincing him that I was the “bad guy.” Like a demon crawling up from the depths, Ethan made it his mission to turn my life upside down.
I didn’t succeed in dying. Ethan’s ruckus attracted the medical staff, and together they pulled me back inside. Ethan shot me a glare and shut the window, falling silent for once. His hands trembled, knuckles red and bruised. “Vera, I don’t hate you as much as you think,” he muttered, his head down, messy hair covering his eyes. I almost thought I sensed a bit of regret in his voice. But before I could delve further, Ethan crossed his arms, looked up, and returned to his usual careless attitude. “So, what kind of new stunt is this supposed to be? I’ll tell you right now – my brother doesn’t fall for this hard-to-get stuff. Keep it up, and you’ll just push him away…” As he rambled on in his own world, the nurses checked the equipment nearby. I seized the chance to make my way back to the window and pulled it open again. But just as my foot hovered over the edge, Ethan grabbed me back with force. After stopping me twice, Ethan finally seemed to realize I was serious about ending my life. He moved me away from the window, making sure I was safely within his reach before he began trying to talk me down, with an oddly gentle tone. “Don’t be reckless, okay? My brother isn’t the only man in the world. Why cling to him this tightly?” He coughed awkwardly, a hint of pink touching his cheeks. “Look, I’ll admit, he’s not a great husband. But divorce him if you have to; he’s not worth dying over. And who knows? Maybe someone else out there’s been quietly in love with you, and you just never noticed.”
Ethan took me back to Bennett Manor. On the way, he informed me, “Adrian found out that the whole kidnapping was your plan, so he’s busy comforting Bella after the ‘trauma’ of it all.” “He’s angry, so apologize to Bella, and it’ll all blow over. Keep him calm, and the divorce will go smoothly.” I ignored him, turning to stare out the car window. The scenery blurred past, vanishing as quickly as it appeared. I thought back to the panic of the kidnapper rushing me to the hospital before I passed out. It was obvious that Bella had set me up yet again, pinning the blame on me so she could play the innocent “victim” in Adrian’s eyes. This wasn’t the first time, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. It was like Bella and I were two magnets with opposing poles, pushing each other away yet constantly colliding in harm. And Adrian? He was the iron that spun endlessly around Bella. No matter how thin her schemes were, to him, they were just more proof of her delicate charm and fragility. He always took her side, the scales never tipping in my favor. All my fighting, despair, and even hysterics only earned me one response from him: “Stop making a scene. Look at what you’ve become.”
I remembered back to when the system first assigned me to “win over” Adrian Bennett. Back then, Bella had run off with her love, leaving Adrian, the “tragic second lead,” to drown his sorrows in alcohol every night. The system had pointed to the drunken man passed out in the corner and said he was my target. I needed to reach 100% affection to return home. I didn’t understand why love from a man was the only way to succeed, but I tried. If going home meant this was the path, then I’d play along. I started with the basics. He drank himself sick at the bar, so I’d apologize to everyone, clean up his mess, and even help him get home. He’d talk about Bella’s favorite desserts, so I took baking classes to learn his tastes. But he never even looked at the treats I painstakingly made – they went straight to the trash. He warned me never to imitate Bella, that I wasn’t even worthy of standing in her shadow. I never made desserts again, though I did start learning to cook. Adrian’s stomach couldn’t handle late nights, so I made balanced meals and brought them to his office. Maybe my food wasn’t bad because he eventually started tolerating me around him. Those were the most peaceful days we had together. His affection climbed all the way to 98%. Just as I thought I’d be able to go home soon, one night of reckless drinking ended in my pregnancy. And Adrian, pressured by his family, married me. His “affection” plummeted. He believed I had tricked him, that I’d gotten pregnant on purpose, trapping him. Funny how he conveniently ignored who didn’t bother to use protection that night. He and Bella were alike in that way, both needing to lay blame on others. Did that make their guilt easier to bear? How ridiculous. I’ll never understand it.
I followed Adrian through the door of Bennett Manor, and there on the sofa, looking utterly relaxed, was Bella. Adrian and Jonah each played their part: Adrian brought over a plate of cut-up fruit and fed Bella piece by piece, while Jonah sat by her feet, grinning with his big toothy smile as he massaged her legs. If they had tails, they’d surely be wagging them by now. When Adrian turned and noticed me, his expression turned stern. He grabbed a file from the coffee table and threw it in my face. Rising with a towering, intimidating presence, he glared at me. “Vera! I can handle you throwing a tantrum, but harming Bella? That’s unforgivable!” “You set up that fake kidnapping just to get my attention? If something happened to Bella, you’d be rotting in jail!” I bent down, picked up the scattered pages, and read through them, unable to hold back a laugh. It was just a statement from the kidnapper, nothing more. If Adrian had even the slightest bit of faith in me, he’d look into the bank account used to pay the kidnappers and realize I was innocent. But people only see what they want to see. Bella, sensing my reaction, sprang from the sofa and gripped Adrian’s sleeve in a panic. “Adrian, I’m fine, really. You don’t need to get so worked up… It would be horrible for Vera to end up in jail…” Before she could finish, my hand lashed out, slapping her hard across the face. The crack of the slap echoed through the entire room. Bella stood there, stunned, as if unable to process what had just happened. Everyone else was frozen in place too. Adrian snapped out of it first. Fury filled his eyes as he grabbed my throat, his grip tightening. Fighting to breathe, I twisted and struggled, looking up at him with contempt. “You think that flimsy statement will put me in jail? You’re a fool if you think the police would fall for that.” The words seemed to hit a nerve; his hands tightened, and I felt my air slipping away. The darkness started closing in, yet I couldn’t help but let a smile creep across my face.
Just as the edges of my vision began to fade, Ethan’s fist collided with Adrian’s face, snapping him out of it. His grip loosened, and I slumped to the floor, gasping for air. I shot a glare at Ethan, my reluctant savior, who looked back at me, clearly unsatisfied, and landed another punch on Adrian. “She almost died. Do you even get that? You almost killed her!” Adrian looked stunned, rubbing his wrist as if deciding whether to hit back. But after a moment, he shoved Ethan aside, casting me a conflicted look before averting his gaze. “So what if she died? She shouldn’t have messed with Bella in the first place.” “Exactly! She hurt Aunt Bella—she’s a bad mom! I hate bad moms!” Jonah clung to Bella’s arm, angrily chiming in. Not interested in facing the ugliness of the Bennett family any longer, I slipped away to my room while Ethan and Adrian continued their fight. Their voices drifted up to the second floor. “Brother! Don’t you get it? Vera wants to die! Didn’t you see that twisted little smile when you nearly strangled her? She’s pushing you on purpose!” “Want to die? Please. All she ever does is cling to me. You think she’d actually want to kill herself?” Once I shut the door, the noise faded. Peace at last. I pulled a small paring knife from my drawer and walked to the bathroom. The blade sliced cleanly across my wrist, the blood trickling down in thin rivulets. Funny…facing death wasn’t nearly as painful as I’d expected.
woke up in the hospital once again, staring blankly at the sterile white ceiling. As I moved to sit up, I noticed a familiar figure dozing in the chair beside my bed. Ethan. Seeing me stir, he jerked awake, eyes ringed with dark circles. “You’re up? How do you feel? Want some water or food?” Glancing down, I saw my wrist wrapped in layers of thick bandages. With a sigh, I brushed his hand away, pushing myself up without his help. He looked taken aback, retracting his hand awkwardly. I refused to look at him. If I hadn’t been so weak from blood loss, I would have slapped him for meddling. Of all the times to start caring, why now? “Where’s Adrian?” I asked. That question hit a nerve. Ethan gripped my shoulders, pressing me back into the bed with a flash of anger in his eyes. “Why are you still thinking about him?” he demanded. “Vera, you were out cold for two days. Did he visit you once?” “Stop torturing yourself over him. Just divorce him, please.” For a brief second, sorrow flickered in his gaze. He softened, almost pleading. “Please, just look at me, Vera. Just once.”
The walls in the hospital weren’t soundproof, and before Ethan’s heartfelt speech had even ended, the door swung open with a bang. I looked up just in time to see Adrian’s fist collide with Ethan’s face. Adrian looked furious, veins bulging as he punched Ethan again and again. “Ethan! Since when did you have these feelings for my wife?” Ethan had restrained himself before, but now he’d had enough. He clenched his fist, red-faced, and threw a punch right back. “I saw her first, you know that? Remember the time I almost drowned years ago? She was the one who saved me!” “She pulled me back from death, and I tried to find her afterward, but you got to her first and claimed her for yourself.” “I let you have her, and this is how you treat her?” Adrian’s fists tightened as he yelled back, “Claimed her? She came to me willingly. What claim are you talking about?” “Know your place, Ethan! As long as I’m in charge of the Bennett family, don’t think I won’t put you back in line.” The two fought ruthlessly, going at each other with every ounce of strength. At some point, Bella and Jonah appeared in the doorway. Jonah ran up, trying to pull them apart with his small hands, but he was too weak to make a difference and soon began crying out of frustration. Bella, meanwhile, folded her arms and watched the scene with casual amusement. Their racket made my head throb. I wanted to die, but I also wanted some peace and quiet while I did it. Grabbing an apple from the fruit basket beside me, I hurled it at them. The apple smacked right into Ethan’s head. “Enough! Can you all just be quiet?” Ethan rubbed his head, pausing, and Jonah stopped crying, though Adrian looked ready to charge again. I reached for a pear and threw that one at him, finally making him stop. As Ethan looked at me, clearly hurt, I laughed without mirth. My face was calm, expressionless. “Ethan, why do you think I’d want anything to do with someone who uses ‘love’ as an excuse to hurt me?” “Do you really think one word – ‘love’ – makes up for everything you’ve done?” “Get out, Ethan. You’re even worse than your brother. Honestly, I regret saving you. You should’ve just drowned.”
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