Chapter 1

To cure Ryan Cole's stomach cancer, I agreed to the System's demand: become the tragic heroine of a love-hate romance novel for three years and complete every plot it assigned me.

Before I left, Ryan, always so calm and composed, rarely let his eyes turn red.

He held my hand and promised me over and over, "Emily, I'll behave. I'll wait for you to come back.

"When you return, we'll get married."

During those three years, I played the fake heiress and was locked in a correctional facility by my adoptive parents, tortured endlessly.

I played the substitute and was framed and slandered by the male lead's first love. I ran away pregnant, only to be caught and imprisoned.

Three years later, the System kept its promise. Ryan's illness was gone.

And I finally returned to the real world, to Ryan, whom I had missed with every breath.

But right then, he was standing under the dim streetlight, locked in a tight embrace with some girl I'd never seen before.

My tears fell without warning. No matter how hard I wiped, they wouldn't stop.

Then the System suddenly asked me, "Emily, do you regret it?"

*****

I'd pictured our reunion in a hundred different ways, but this was the one scenario I never imagined.

I thought Ryan would feel the same way I did, that he'd miss me as much as I missed him.

For three years, whenever I was suffering, I'd think of Ryan, the man waiting for me in the real world, and grit my teeth to hold on.

However, seeing what was right in front of me at that moment, I realized how naive I'd been.

Maybe my gaze was so heated that Ryan turned to look at me.

The next second, his eyes widened in shock, and his whole body went rigid.

He stood there for a while before snapping out of it. But instead of coming over right away, he lowered his head and whispered something to the girl in his arms.

I bit my lip so hard that I could taste blood, the metallic tang spreading across my tongue.

Three years ago, when I left, he looked at me like this and promised he'd wait for me. But reality hit me like a slap in the face.

The girl looked up at him, snuggled her head against his shoulder, murmured something softly, and then turned to leave.

When Ryan stood before me, I realized tears were streaming down my face.

He reached out to wipe them away, his gaze filled with emotions I couldn't decipher. "You..."

But before he could finish, I cut him off, "Ryan, what were you thinking when you saw me just now?"

Were you glad I'd finally come back, or were you wondering why on earth I came back at all?

He didn't say a word. He pulled me into his arms.

A faint scent hung in the air. I was pretty sure it was her perfume.

My nose prickled, and out of nowhere, I felt a wave of grievance wash over me.

"Emily, you're back. I missed you so much," he said softly. "Let's go home, okay?"

I looked at him, really wanting to ask if he'd ever missed me all these years. I also wanted to ask if he still loved me.

But I swallowed the words before they left my lips, letting Ryan take my hand and walk me home.

We walked in silence, neither of us bringing up what had happened.

When we got home, Ryan cast a quick, uneasy glance my way. "Emily, you haven't eaten yet, right? Let me fix you something."

Before I could respond, he headed into the kitchen, acting like he was busy.

Ryan was a great cook. He used to learn how to make mild dishes to suit my taste.

But at that moment, staring at a table full of spicy food, I felt the ache in my throat spill over.

I said, "Ryan, we need to talk. Who is she?"