Chapter 1

It was my fourth year as Felix Helberg's simp.

He finally realized how good I was.

He asked me for one last thing.

He said, "Agnes loves the Molten Cheese Bread from that bakery in Sormont.

"If you bring it to me by nine tomorrow morning, I'll marry you."

After hearing that, I wasted no time and bought a ticket to Sormont.

But I wasn't heading there to buy Molten Cheese Bread for Agnes Rooney.

I was getting out of here.

Sure, I'd be head over heels for you when we were dating.

But marrying you? Not a chance.

It was one thing to suffer for a while, but a lifetime? No way.

I knew the difference.

Honestly, compared to all the wild stuff Felix had asked me to do over the years, this request was almost... normal.

But for some reason, I didn't want to do it this time.

Maybe I was tired of always loving someone who never loved me back.

Or maybe the whole "marry you" thing freaked me out.

When he said he'd marry me, everyone thought I'd be over the moon.

They figured I'd say yes in a heartbeat.

After all, I'd been chasing Felix for four years, and simping for him the whole time.

For those four years, no matter what, I was always at Felix's beck and call.

Even if knives were falling from the sky or lava was erupting from the ground, I'd still show up.

Felix just had to call, and I'd be there in a heartbeat.

The wildest moment was when I was in Nordveil with friends, soaking in the aurora.

Felix was heartbroken because Agnes had gotten back together with her ex.

He was wasted at some bar, and suddenly, my phone rang. It was him.

Felix said, "Muriel, I'm hurting so bad. My heart aches, and my stomach's killing me."

Without a second thought, I booked a flight that same night.

I endured more than twenty hours of flights, with layovers in four countries, to get back to him.

But when I finally got back, Agnes was at it again with her boyfriend.

Felix was busy comforting her and didn't even notice how tired and anxious I looked.

This time, it was pretty much the same story.

Agnes and her on-again, off-again boyfriend were at it again. He was running, and she was chasing.

But this time, her boyfriend actually proposed.

Agnes looked at her love-hate boyfriend, her eyes brimming with tears.

She didn't say yes right away.

Instead, she shook her head and said, "Sorry, Shawn Tarrio. I need to think about it."

Shawn didn't mind at all. He gently pressed the ring into her hand.

"No rush, Agnes. Take your time," he said.

"Whenever you're ready, wear the ring."

The two of them stood by the sparkling riverside, city lights shimmering around them as they locked eyes, emotions swirling between them.

They left Felix standing there, lonely and forgotten.

And I was even more invisible, feeling lonelier than Felix.

To put it simply, the relationship between me, Felix, and Agnes was like this.

I was simping for Felix, Felix was simping for Agnes, and Agnes had her man.

I didn't know if Felix was provoked or what.

After that proposal, Felix called me the next afternoon.

His tone wasn't impatient or flippant like before.

Instead, there was a thoughtful calm and a sense of acceptance in his voice.

Felix said, "Muriel, Agnes is craving Molten Cheese Bread from Sormont.

"Would you mind picking it up for me?"

I was about to tell him I was busy tonight.

Felix jumped in, "If you bring it to me by nine tomorrow morning, I'll marry you."

Felix's "I'll marry you" made everything go silent for a moment.

Normally, for something this easy, I'd jump right in.

But this time, his "I'll marry you" actually made me pause.

Just hearing Felix say "marry" made my mind start spinning with all kinds of thoughts.

I imagined us getting married, the whole scene playing out in my head.

Then I pictured what married life with Felix would be like.

I even started thinking about us having kids together.

I could almost see the two of us, totally clueless, trying to handle the baby as a team.

Out of nowhere, a chill ran down my spine.

For four years, all I ever wanted was for Felix to look at me a little more.

But now, he wasn't just talking about glancing my way.

He was saying he'd be with me for a lifetime.

And honestly, I was scared.

Was Felix really the guy I wanted to spend my whole life with?

I thought about it for a long time.

In the end, I pulled out my phone and booked a flight to Sormont.

At the same time, I started packing everything I owned.

I'd been chasing after Felix and simping for him for four years.

But it took me less than an hour to figure things out.

Whenever I couldn't have Felix, I'd cry, throw a fit, and give him everything I had.

All I ever wanted was for him to notice me, even just once.

But the idea of marrying him and spending my whole life together?

No way.

Being a simp while dating him, sure. I'd only have to deal with a few years of heartbreak.

But tying the knot? That pain would last a lifetime.

Even if I'm a hopeless, love-crazed fool, I know better.

So this ticket wasn't to win Felix over.

It was my escape plan.

But the people around me saw it another way.

Just like Felix, everyone else thought I was thrilled, finally about to get what I'd always wanted.

I couldn't wait to fulfill his request, even if it meant helping him make another girl happy.

When Nykia Loomer saw me booking that flight, she rolled her eyes so hard that I thought they'd launch straight to Mars.

"Muriel, come on, I'm begging you here," Nykia groaned, sounding fed up.

"Can you please get a grip? It's embarrassing how much you're simping for him."

For the past four years, Nykia had gone from being my wingwoman in chasing Felix to regarding him as an enemy, and then to being exasperated by my hopelessness.

This time, I felt she looked like she was ready to cut me off for good.

I was shoving clothes into my suitcase, not even bothering to fold them.

I half-mumbled an explanation to Nykia.

"Relax, I'm done simping. I've finally wised up."