Chapter 1
As the rescue team captain, my husband, Ford Carter, pushed me toward the kidnappers to save his childhood friend.
I begged him desperately to save me, but he showed nothing but disdain.
He said, "Stop pretending, Hadley. You'll be resurrected by the System after you die anyway.
"Kiana has been pampered all her life and can't handle any shock. So, die for her."
What he didn't know was that the System had only given me three chances at resurrection.
The first time, I saved his critically ill mother.
The second time, I saved Kiana when her life hung in the balance.
The last time, I saved him after he lost too much blood.
This time, I wouldn't be coming back.
*****
Once the kidnappers had me pinned down, the gleaming dagger flashed and pierced my throat in a heartbeat.
As I lay dying, I saw Ford cradling Kiana Brooks in his arms, staggering out of the abandoned factory.
When I woke again, I was nothing but a soul, haunting Ford's every step.
He cupped Kiana's face, his expression filled with worry as he wiped the dust off her skin.
"Kiana, are you alright? Did you get hurt anywhere?" he asked.
His face was overflowing with concern, but to me, it felt utterly unfamiliar.
After five years of marriage, he had always treated me with nothing but cold indifference. Not even a trace of warmth, let alone a smile, had ever been given to me.
I locked my eyes on Kiana's cute little face.
Aside from a bit of dust, she didn't have a single scratch on her.
Kiana clutched her chest, her heart still pounding with fear.
"Ford, I'm fine, just a little shaken up. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead for sure today," she said.
Ford looked even more worried than before.
"No external injuries? Then you must be hurt inside. Let's get you checked at the hospital right now," he said.
With that, he lifted Kiana into his arms and rushed out to the car.
Anyone seeing this would say he was head over heels for her.
But all I felt was bitter irony.
Ryan Miller, one of the team members, saw Ford about to leave and grabbed his arm.
"Ford, are you just going to leave her behind? Hadley's still inside. Things were dangerous. Why didn't she make it out?" Ryan called out.
Ford shook off Ryan's hand, his face full of impatience.
"She's not going to die anyway, so what's the worst that could happen? Move aside. Can you live with it if Kiana doesn't get checked out?" he snapped.
Ryan stumbled back from Ford's shove, watching his retreating figure with a complicated look on his face.
I kept floating along with Ford, watching him slam the gas and push the car to its absolute limit. My heart felt bitter.
He was so damn devoted to Kiana.
If he'd spared even a tenth of that attention for me, maybe I wouldn't be dead right now.
They arrived at the hospital in no time.
The tests showed Kiana was in perfect shape, mentally and physically, not even the slightest sign of trauma.
After all that kidnapping and chaos, all she had to show for it was a little dust on her face and some mud on her white dress.
But Ford was still on edge, refusing to relax even for a moment.
He even called in every dermatologist in the city.
"Check Kiana's face thoroughly. I don't want a single mark left behind," Ford demanded.
Kiana gazed at Ford, her eyes brimming with gratitude.
"Ford, you're always so good to me. I really don't know how I could ever repay you," she said.
After a moment, she asked tentatively, "By the way, when Hadley was pushed toward those kidnappers, do you think she's okay? They looked so vicious. They wouldn't have hurt her, right?"
A flicker of guilt crossed her face.
Ford just shook his head with a smile, gently holding Kiana's hand.
"Why are you worrying about her? Just take care of yourself. Seriously, she's got the System, and she can come back as many times as she wants. She'll show up in front of us any minute now," he said.
Then Ford's temper flared up again.
"Hadley is getting more and more out of line. She's always acting jealous for no reason. When I told her to save you, she claimed she'd really die this time.
"Just because of some personal grudge, she didn't even care about your life. Honestly, it makes me so disappointed," he snapped.
The more he ranted, the more fired up he got, like I was the worst person ever.
I watched his face go red with anger, and I just felt it was so unfair to me.
*****
I was a transmigrator, sent straight into the pages of a novel.
All I had to do was make Ford fall in love with me. That was my quest.
So, to get close to him, I signed up for his rescue squad.
Back then, after Kiana called off their engagement, Ford was basically a zombie, drowning himself in booze day after day.
I stayed by his side, bringing some light back into his life and helping him get over the breakup.
During that time, our feelings for each other grew, and it was only natural that we ended up together.
I aced my mission, and I should've been set for a great life.
But right when it was time to leave, I found myself wanting to stay, to spend the rest of my days with Ford.
So, the System granted me three extra lives.
Late at night, Ford suddenly asked me why I was always so good to him.
I opened up to him about the System.
Seeing the shock on his face, I just smiled.
"No matter what you do to me, I'll take it. I won't die anyway," I said.
Looking back now, it was honestly kind of ridiculous.
It had only been a year since Ford and I got married when Kiana came back.
She snuggled into his arms, all soft and sweet, and all she had to say was that breaking off the engagement was never her choice. Ford didn't even hesitate and believed her right away.
He forgot how he used to be, a total mess after the breakup.
He forgot all about me, the one who was always by his side.
He went right back to doting on Kiana, just like before, making sure she ate well, fussing over her every little thing, wishing her good morning and good night every single day.
All the things I struggled so hard for, Kiana just got handed to her like it was nothing.