Chapter 1

On our fifth wedding anniversary, Elliott Gomez was with Leslie Bradley, his first love, who suffered from depression.

When he returned, he threw the divorce agreement at me.

But he didn't know that if I signed those papers, I would die.

Because if I failed my mission to conquer Elliott's heart, I would be erased by the system.

I begged him not to divorce me, but Elliott just pulled his hand away from mine.

He said, "Playing the victim again? Why don't you just go die?"

Later, I did die, just as he wished.

But he went insane after that.

*****

"Host, just a reminder: if you fail to win Elliott over, I'll erase you," the system's cold, robotic voice chimed in.

I sat motionless at the dining table, staring at the untouched food and cake in front of me.

After what felt like ages, I finally picked up the lighter, lit the candles on the cake, and leaned forward to blow them out.

Today was our fifth wedding anniversary. Elliott promised he'd be home for it.

So I had cooked his favorite dishes, ordered a cake, and waited happily for him to walk through the door.

But then I saw Leslie's post on social media.

In the photo, she was playfully smearing cream on a man's face, grinning at the camera.

Even though only half of his face was visible, I recognized him instantly. It was Elliott.

I had forgotten. Today was also Leslie's birthday.

She was Elliott's first love.

She was the biggest thing standing in my way with Elliott.

Ten years ago, when I got thrown into this novel world, the system gave me a mission: win over the male lead, Elliott.

If I succeeded, I could leave this place. If I failed, the system would wipe me out.

When I entered this world, Elliott was already in love with Leslie. But after graduating high school, she went abroad and cut off contact with everyone, including Elliott.

Elliott was deeply hurt, so I took advantage of his heartbreak and clung to him relentlessly.

Year after year, I stayed by his side as he went from a penniless guy to a business tycoon.

Finally, five years ago, I married him.

I never knew if he married me because he actually loved me or because his mom was pressuring him to settle down, and I was the most convenient option.

But at the time, I believed that as long as I stayed by his side, he would eventually fall in love with me.

But I never expected Leslie to come back.

And I definitely never expected that my ten years by his side wouldn't measure up to a single word from her.

He had promised to come home today, but he had still gone to celebrate Leslie's birthday.

Holding onto a sliver of hope, I pulled out my phone and called him.

It took a while before he finally picked up, his voice cold and distant. "I'm busy. Don't call me unless it's urgent. Talk to my assistant if you need something."

Then I heard Leslie's gentle voice in the background. "Is that Jenna? If she needs you, you should go home first."

It was impossible not to be charmed by Leslie's sweet voice.

"Don't worry about her. She brought this on herself. She owes you," Elliott said.

Elliott hung up the phone the second he finished speaking, and all I heard was the busy signal on the line.

I held the phone in my hand, completely at a loss.

Even the system sounded kind of sorry for me.

I was the worst time traveler ever.

I had fallen hopelessly in love with my mission target, but his heart had always belonged to someone else.

*****

It was the middle of the night when Elliott finally came home.

I had fallen asleep on the couch, and the sound of the door opening jolted me awake. I looked at him, still groggy, and mumbled, "Elliott, you're back."

My heart raced when I saw him walk in.

My palms started sweating.

He hadn't stayed the night with Leslie. Did that mean there was still a chance?

Elliott frowned when he saw me. "Didn't I tell you not to wait up for me?"

I didn't answer him. Instead, I walked over to the table and asked, "Elliott, are you hungry? Want me to warm up the food? We can cut the cake and eat it together."

Elliott grabbed my hand, stopping me. "Jenna, stop drowning in your own misplaced sentimentality, okay?"

My heart, which had been racing just a moment ago, shattered at his words.

My eyes filled with tears as I looked at him. "But Elliott, you promised you'd be here for our anniversary."

He tugged at his tie impatiently. Without answering, he just tossed a stack of papers in front of me. "Take a look at this."

I looked down and saw the words "Divorce Agreement."

Suddenly, it felt like my heart was being ripped apart.

The pain was so overwhelming that I doubled over, unable to stop myself from throwing up.

I knew this was the system's warning.

If Elliott were determined to divorce me, even if I dragged my feet and refused to sign, the system would see it as a failed mission and erase me.

Before I could even recover, Elliott's icy voice rang out from above. "Jenna, what drama are you playing now? It's not gonna work this time."