Chapter 2

Ever since our first attempt at a wedding, Lucas kept saying we would do it next time.

But seven years went by, and we still never managed to actually get married.

I was about to tell him that this was it, there was no next time.

But just then, Alice's tearful voice came through the phone again.

She said, "Lucas, I can only love you if there's another chance."

Lucas's face instantly filled with worry.

"I'm coming right now, Alice. Please, don't do anything reckless," he said urgently.

With that, he strode out like a knight rushing to save his princess, his gentle words to Alice still lingering in the air.

And there I was, the woman who was supposed to be his wife, left standing there like I didn't even exist, not even a single glance from him.

The guests below had already started whispering, shooting me all kinds of strange looks.

The pity and mockery in their eyes felt like knives, slicing into me again and again, until my heart was left raw and bleeding for everyone to see.

I watched Lucas leave without a second glance. All I could do was let out a bitter laugh.

Lucas, did you even know? I was dying too.

The system's mechanical voice buzzed in my ear.

It said, "Host, if the wedding doesn't go through in three days, your mission will fail, and you'll be erased."

I stared at the ring in my palm, lost in a daze.

I waited seven years for this diamond ring, but I never managed to actually wear it.

As if possessed, I slowly slid it onto my index finger.

Seven years ago, the ring was already half a size too big for my finger.

Back then, Lucas hugged me with an apologetic look, saying it was his oversight and he would order a new one.

I didn't want to trouble him, so I laughed and said, "No need to change it. Once we're married and you feed me well, it'll fit just right."

Seven years later, the ring was even more ill-fitting for me.

It sat loose on my index finger, like it could slip off any second.

I took it off and tossed it out the window.

I should've gotten rid of a ring that never fitted me long ago, instead of waiting like a fool for seven years.

It was the same with people.

"System, I want to quit the mission," I said.

Even with cancer and no family in my old world, I still had friends who cared, a doctor who always reminded me to check up, a neighbor who shared her homemade food, and a little girl who brought me flowers.

I could find warmth in each and every one of them.

But here, all I had was nothing but endless cold.

I always thought Lucas would be the one I could call family.

I imagined us building a cozy little home, just the two of us, living out our days in warmth and happiness.

But after seven years of being left behind, of broken promises, my heart kept growing colder.

Now, all those hopes I held onto finally crumbled.

"Host, you still have three days left. If the wedding happens, your mission will be complete. Won't you give it one last shot?" the system said.

Surprisingly, I could hear a trace of regret in the system's usually cold, mechanical voice.

"I don't want to," I said.

Why bother trying again?

It would be humiliating myself all over again. My heart was already numb.

As long as Alice was here, I was doomed to fail.

The system said, "Alright, but you still have to finish out the full ten years. You've got three days left before you can leave this world.

"Host, you can choose how you want to leave."

I thought for a moment.

"Let me die right in front of Lucas. Let him see firsthand what it really looks like when someone truly wants to give up," I said.

Lucas believed Alice's ninety-nine suicide attempts without question, but when it was me, he always assumed I was bluffing.

I wondered what kind of look he would have on his face when I finally died right in front of him.