Chapter 1
I spent a full decade trying to win over William Carter, the rising star in the business world, but to no avail.
During a car accident, I threw myself in front of him, resulting in the loss of hearing in one ear.
I thought this time he would finally agree to marry me, completing my goal.
But unexpectedly, he coldly replied, "You want to marry into the Carter family? With that malicious intent to harm Hadley, you'd better get your mental health sorted out first.
"Write a ten-thousand-word apology letter every day until you truly understand your mistake."
To achieve my goal, I complied with his orders and went to his private rehabilitation center for psychological treatment.
A year later, I returned, dragging my broken body.
William still greeted me with a cold expression.
He asked, "Have you corrected your mindset after a year?"
I nodded, touching my slightly swollen belly.
I cried, "I know I was wrong. I won't dare to dream of marrying into the Carter family ever again."
Just as I finished speaking, a cold voice echoed in my mind from the System.
[The host has voluntarily abandoned the mission and will be eliminated in eight days.]
*****
After being stuck in that remote clinic for a whole year,
William finally decided to bring me back home.
"Hurry up. Don't keep Mr. Carter waiting," Caleb urged.
The butler spent ages searching before finally finding me in the farthest, damp, and darkest corner of the clinic, my clothes in tatters.
I still smelled like a hospital, mixed with the rank odor of not showering for ages.
Caleb waved a hand in front of his nose, his face twisted in obvious disgust.
"Ms. Scott, honestly, how did you end up looking like this after just one year?
"You knew you were coming home today, and you still show up all messy. What, hoping Mr. Carter will pity you or something?" he said.
Biting back the pain in my lower abdomen, I struggled to stand up.
I pulled at my ruined clothes, ducking my head to cover my exposed skin.
"You're right, Caleb. Looking like this, I'm just making Mr. Carter lose face," I murmured.
I did my best to hide my swollen, raw toes inside my battered shoes, trailing behind Caleb, feeling utterly worthless.
The snow made the ground slick, and the icy shards reopened my barely healed wounds, blood seeping out again. I had to slow down, wincing with every step.
Caleb ignored the pain on my face, grabbed me hard.
He snapped, "If you keep pretending, you'll die here alone.
"Don't think I don't see through you. The clinic gave you a private therapist and good meals. You only started acting pitiful when you heard you were leaving. I'm telling you, it's useless."
Gritting my teeth, I struggled over to William, peering at him with my one remaining eye.
He was just as cold and untouchable as ever, keeping everyone at arm's length.
When he saw me shivering in my thin clothes, barefoot in the snow, his brows knitted in puzzlement as he looked to Caleb for an explanation.
Caleb quickly stepped forward and whispered something in his ear.
William shot me a look of pure disgust, his brows furrowing in disdain.
"Still up to her old tricks, huh? Does she really think I'll pity her just because she's playing the victim?" he scoffed.
Everyone in Riverdale knew that I had been pining after William for a whole decade.
I spent a ton of money and energy, all just to marry him. But the truth is, it was all for the System's mission.
But even after all I'd done, William never once acknowledged me as his fiancée.
He always thought I was just leveraging his parents to force him, and that I was nothing but a fiancée on paper.
I used to think that if I poured my heart out for him, he'd finally care about me.
But to him, it was like I was invisible the whole time.
I can still remember the way he looked at Hadley. There was a softness in his eyes I'd never seen, not once for me.
I was willing to risk my life for him, but he only ever loved another woman.
It was just the biggest joke.
After a whole year apart, I had so much I wanted to say, but the words just wouldn't come out.
William looked at me and let out a sigh.
"Finley, do you even have any idea what you did wrong?" he said.
His voice was soft, but it pierced my heart like a shard of ice.
Suddenly, everything went blurry, and my legs just gave out. I hit the floor before I even knew what was happening.
These past few months at the clinic, I'd been living off cold leftovers, and my body was so weak I couldn't even stay on my feet for long.
"Still pretending?" William said.
When he saw me collapse, he started to reach out, but suddenly froze, remembering something. He pulled back, his eyes cold and mocking.
"With acting skills like yours, you should've been an actress. If Hadley hadn't begged me to bring you back for our wedding, I wouldn't even waste a glance on you," William sneered.
A year ago, his first love, Hadley, framed me at the perfume workshop. She accused me of knocking over a chemical with strong irritants, and after she breathed it in, she landed in the ICU.
William's face was dark. "Finley, with a heart as vicious as yours, how could you ever be worthy of marrying me? If you still want in, I've got a private clinic out in the west suburbs. They'll help you reflect on your actions."