Chapter 2

Dealing with all the paperwork was exhausting and felt so robotic.

I moved like a marionette, signing papers, paying fees, and listening to the morgue staff drone on with their standard procedures.

The window at the end of the hallway was left slightly open, letting the wind blow in fallen leaves from outside.

I stared at the name "Alex Finn" on the paperwork, and for a moment, my mind went hazy.

I spent five whole years chasing Hugo.

Everyone in our circle knew I was Hugo Finn's tail, always following him around.

When he went abroad for business, I forced myself out with a high fever to personally deliver his documents.

When his stomach issues flared up, I spent two weeks learning medicinal soup recipes and showed up at his office a few times with a thermos of homemade broth.

I did everything possible for him.

After five years, I finally warmed his frozen heart.

The day he proposed, he booked out the whole cruise ship by the river.

With fireworks lighting up the sky and tears in his eyes, he slid the ring onto my finger. "Natalie, it's my turn to love you now."

I really believed my hardships were finally over.

But when Alex was a month old, Hugo's older brother died unexpectedly in a car accident.

At the funeral, Zoey cried so hard she passed out.

That night, Zoey knocked on our door, her eyes swollen and red.

She stared at me with a strange, unsettling confidence. "I have a mission system. I have to capture Hugo's heart. If I fail, you'll bear the punishment.

"If he doesn't marry me, you'll die a sudden, tragic death."

At first, we assumed she was traumatized by grief.

Hugo scoffed and had the security escort her out.

But then, things started to spiral out of control.

One day, I was out grocery shopping when an advertising sign came crashing down out of nowhere, missing my head by less than an inch.

Another time, I was driving to pick Hugo up from work when the brakes suddenly failed. The car slammed into the guardrail, and I spent three days in the ICU.

The last straw was when I took a sip of my usual milk and went into severe anaphylactic shock. I ended up hooked to a ventilator, fighting for my life.

The day I was at death's door, Hugo's eyes were red with panic.

He clung to me at my bedside, his voice shaking uncontrollably. "Natalie, I believe it now. I can't risk your life.

"Marrying Zoey is to keep you safe. It's only a stopgap. Please, trust me. I swear, I'll never lay a hand on her. In my heart, it's only you and Alex."

Seeing the fear and heartbreak in his eyes, I believed him.

To save my life and to protect our family, I gave in.

I watched as Hugo welcomed Zoey into our home and saw them enter a paper marriage to keep the system off our backs.

I believed that as long as the three of us kept our hearts together, we'd survive these crazy days.

But somewhere along the line, that so-called "stopgap" turned into a convenient cover for Hugo's open favoritism.

*****

The dawn broke.

The morgue was icy cold. I sat on the bench, mechanically scrolling through photos of Alex from when he was alive.

A photo from last month's family gathering popped up in the album. It was Alex's third birthday.

On the table was Alex's favorite dish, turducken. Because it was so complicated to make, I'd started prepping a day ahead.

But as soon as it was served, Hugo naturally placed the plate in front of Zoey. "Zoey's appetite isn't great. This turducken is tender, just right for her."

Alex looked at it eagerly and softly said, "Daddy, I want some, too."

Hugo frowned, his voice stern. "Alex, don't you know the rules? The adults haven't started eating yet. Why are you reaching for food?"

Alex, frightened, buried his face in my arms, his eyes brimming with tears.

I couldn't help but protest, but Hugo muttered dismissively, keeping his voice low. "The system's mission forces me to take Zoey's side at the dinner table. Don't stir things up right now."

After that, stuff like this kept piling up.

The day Alex spiked a 104°F fever, I clutched him in the living room, anxiously waiting for Hugo to show up.

But then, Hugo strolled downstairs with his suitcase. "Zoey wants to see snow. The system flagged her as severely depressed, so I have to take her to Aurora Island for a break. If I don't, you'll be the one getting punished.

"If the kid's sick, take him to the hospital. I'm not a doctor."

Hugo left without even looking back, leaving me standing in the pouring rain, trying to hail a cab all by myself.