Knowing that I was just someone else's replacement ripped my heart apart.

So what he said and did was all a lie. I was never special—just a stand-in for the woman Angus truly loved.

Every bit of love I thought we had was nothing more than my own foolish delusion. In that moment, my world collapsed. Angus didn’t even try to spare me. He wanted me to get the message and leave as soon as possible.

Even as I lay in that cold, sterile room, losing our child, he stood outside, saying things that cut through me like a hot knife through butter.

Outside, I could hear his mocking tone as he talked to Milo. "You like her, right? Take her. Want to bet if she'd ever wanted to go with you?"

There was a time when, if Milo so much as looked at me, Angus would pull me into his arms, holding me close in silent warning. Now, I was nothing more than something to be handed off.

I stared at the tiny, lifeless baby that had just been taken from me. Swallowing the pain clawing at my chest, I reminded myself—just three more wishes.

Then I could finally go home.

Among the spirit faries, all debts must always be repaid. Angus had saved my life once and I owed him a hundred acts of gratitude before I could return home.

Three years. Over a thousand days and nights by his side.

Through all those years of his love, I had countless chances to remind him to make a wish.

But I never did. Because I wanted to stay.

After the abortion procedure, Milo placed a cup of warm water in front of me.

"Thanks," I said softly, but my eyes were already on Angus.

Angus just smirked, turning to Milo. "Even after I made her lose a child, she still won’t leave with you."

I simply said, "Once I completed your last three wishes, I’ll be gone for good."

Angus waved me off as he strode away. "I’m done playing your little ‘hundred wishes’ game. You don’t need to put on this act to hold on to me," he added without looking back. "No matter what you do, you’ll never compare to even a single strand of Hallie’s hair."

I didn’t touch the warm water Milo had brought me. I didn’t want to owe anyone anything anymore.

Instead, I went back to the Davidsons’ home.

The place was buzzing with music and laughter—Angus had thrown a grand party, filling our home with guests. The moment I stepped inside, every gaze turned to me, expectant, as if waiting for a show.

And then I saw her. My eyes scanned through the crowd, finding her instantly.

In that moment, I finally understood why Angus had wanted me to say I loved him. Because all along, he had never really been looking at me. He had only ever been seeing that woman in my face.

Angus looked completely caught off guard when he saw me. "What are you doing here? Can’t you stop clinging to me like some desperate leech?"

He must have forgotten—he was the one who begged me to come.

Just a week ago, he insisted on throwing me a birthday party. I told him I didn’t like big gatherings.

Yet, that man wouldn’t take no for an answer. "Then I’ll make a wish," he said. "I wish for my Rose to attend the birthday party I planned for her. Will you grant me that?"

Look at him now, the party had become a grand welcome for Hallie. Here, I was nothing more than an unwelcomed guest.

I swallowed the humiliation and bitterness. "I’ve come, just like you wished. This is the fulfillment of your ninety-sixth wish."

Angus, desperate to distance himself from me in front of Hallie, acted like I was nobody to him.

I had done what I came to do. So, I simply left the place.

However, Hallie’s call stopped me.

"I heard that while I was gone these past three years, you've taken care of Angus, Ms. Traverse. It must've been difficult for you."

Hallie let out a delicate sigh, feigning innocence. "While I was by the lake just a moment ago, the ring Angus gave me slipped off into the pool."

"Why don’t you take the ring, Ms. Traverse? It’s worth 800,000 dollars. Consider it a payment for your troubles."

I had no interest in entertaining Hallie's little show and continued to leave.

By then, I could hear the subtle edge of displeasure in her voice. She let out a dramatic sigh. "Oh, that’s right—I almost forgot. Ms. Traverse just had an abortion, didn’t she?"

"I see… so you can’t swim. That was my mistake for assuming too much."

Angus hurried to reassure Hallie. "I told you—the child with her was just an accident. The only children I’ll ever have will be with you."

I hear his hurried steps catching up to me. Angus stopped me from leaving. "Those last three wishes you mentioned—do they still count?"

I told him they did.

Of course, Angus didn’t believe I was truly repaying a debt. But he was confident that I would say anything just to keep clinging to him.

Watching him grow impatient, urging me to retrieve the ring from the lake, I suddenly recalled a moment in the past...

Back then, when Angus’s family heirloom had slipped into the water, he had held me close after I returned from taking the golden bracelet. The man trembled with worry as he scolded me to not do something like that again.

But now, he didn't even think twice...

So, I stepped into the lake. The freezing water rushed up, filling my nose and lungs. Inside the house, laughter and music carried on, oblivious.

I dove deeper into the pool, pushing through the suffocating cold. Suddenly, sharp object at the bottom slicing into my feet. It didn't take long before my fingers closed around the ring.

By the time I surfaced, my abdomen throbbed and blood trickled from the soles of my feet.

All I saw in Angus’s eyes was disgust. "Can you stop with this pathetic act? It’s disgusting."

I placed the ring firmly in Hallie’s hand.

"This is your ninety-eighth wish," I said to Angus before walking away.

I forced myself to ignore the pain at my feet and went past the Davidson's house--all aware that Angus stared at me with a stunned gaze.

A replacement was just a replacement. Once the real one returned, the replacement became nothing more than a stray dog, barely hanging on.

Though my feet were injured, the cold that caught up my heart felt far worse. The coldness spread to my physical body, like an ice block that couldn’t thaw.

I spent the next three days in the hospital.

During that time, I heard that Angus never left Hallie’s side. He told people I was just a pathetic leech who wouldn’t let go.

I felt awful—sick, restless, unable to sleep.

Then, a news notification caught my eye.

[Prince Angus’s woman exposed as an adult film actress.]

I clicked on its link.

The woman in the video was clearly visible. She was Hallie Palmer. Even the tiny mole on her neck was identical.

In the comments, some people insisted the video was AI-generated.

I knew Angus had hired people to spread that lie. But the public wasn’t convinced.

[No way this is AI. The tech isn’t advanced enough to make fingers look this natural.]

A message from Angus popped up on my phone.

[I’ll pay you. Take the blame—say the woman in the video is you.]

I stared at the message for a long time, my heart feeling as if it had been kicked hard.

Take the blame and claim that I was the one in the adult video? If I did that, I’d never be able to show my face in Astrait again.

I swallowed the pain and typed back. [So… is this your ninety-ninth wish?]

He agreed without hesitation—he just wanted me to clear Hallie’s name as soon as possible.

***

When Angus came to find me, the first thing he did was take me to a tattoo artist and have a small black mole inked onto my neck, in the exact same spot as Hallie’s.

"Hallie wants to go into the entertainment industry," he said. "She can’t have a scandal like this ruining her future."

"Don’t worry. I’ll make sure this whole thing gets buried quickly."

Hallie wanted to be a celebrity? That was the excuse he came up with?

Angus went so much to held a press conferrence to completely erase the stain of Hallie’s scandal.

I stood on stage, facing the cameras. "I’m sorry," I said. "I’m the woman in the video. I deeply regret any trouble I’ve caused Miss Hallie Palmer."

Instantly, the crowd erupted in outrage. People hurled insults at me, calling me shameless, a whore, a liar.

I had never felt such humiliation in my life. By the time I stepped down, my legs were so weak I nearly collapsed.

But then, for the first time, Angus caught me. He draped his suit jacket over my shoulders.

"You actually went through with it," he murmured, almost in disbelief.

So he knew, after all. He knew exactly how much this would destroy me.

Angus said, "Even if I marry Hallie, I can still make space for you outside of my family."

He said that like he was doing me a favor. Like he was granting me the privilege of being his mistress.

A sharp, unbearable pain spread through my chest. For the first time, I refused him. "I won’t be your mistress."

His expression darkened. "This is my hundredth wish. Isn’t this what you wanted?"

I had wanted to fulfill all one hundred wishes. But if I agreed to stay by his side, I could never go home. So, I couldn’t say yes.

It was the first time Angus had ever been rejected. His face twisted between shock and anger before he finally spat, "I’m not falling for your little push-and-pull games."

"This is your last chance. Walk away now and you’ll never get another one."

As I left, strangers on the street whispered, pointing at me.

"Look, that’s the girl from the leaked video. You think she’s some kind of sex addict?"

A man walked up without hesitation, groping me. "Why act all shy now? You didn’t hold back in that AV, did you?"

Panicked, I shoved him away and ran home, slamming the door shut behind me.

I collapsed onto the couch, shaking. And then, finally, I broke.

"Angus, what gives you the right to treat me like this?! What right?!"

Despair crashed over me, suffocating. I just wanted to go home—just go home…

Since the scandal broke out, I hadn’t stepped outside once. All I was waiting for was Angus to make his final wish—then I could finally leave.

Yet, he refused to let go, insisting I become his mistress. I couldn’t agree.

We fought, over and over, neither of us willing to back down. He wouldn’t change his wish.

And I wouldn’t compromise.

Eventually, Angus' patience finally snapped. "I already buried that scandal. If anyone dares to bring it up again—I’ll break their damn neck."

"Isn’t this what you wanted? Haven’t you been clinging to me this whole time just so you could stay? So drop the act."

Then he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Not long after, another message popped up on my phone.

[Fine. I’ll change my wish. Bring Hallie back to her husband.]

Chaos erupted within the Davidson family. Word spread quickly and soon, I learned the truth.

Years ago, Hallie had married a powerful crime boss from one of the Northern Countries. A man with wealth, influence and absolute control. After the wedding, she realized something—money was all the crime boss had.

The man was a monster, his violence unimaginable. When Hallie escaped, she was barely human—her body covered in wounds, not a single patch of her skin was uninjured.

Those adult videos? It was the crime boss who forced Hallie to film them.

He had always known where Hallie was. Yet, in Northern Continent, the law reigned supreme. Even with all his crime-boss power, he couldn’t simply take her by force.

Today, fate had handed him leverage.

Angus’s grandfather had been taken hostage while conducting business near Astrait’s border.

The demand? Hand Hallie over him.

However, Hallie had barely escaped with her life. If she went back, there was no telling what horrors awaited her.

The crime boss was infamous along the border, his brutality unmatched. He had a sick hobby—mutilating women, severing their limbs, displaying their heads like trophies in glass vases.

Angus knew that giving Hallie up meant sending her to certain death. So instead, he turned to the one person who looked just like her: Me.

I was the perfect substitute. The perfect sacrifice.

When I saw Angus’s message, for one fleeting, foolish moment, I thought he was reaching out to apologize.

Now, I realized how naive I was.

For Hallie, he was willing to throw me to the wolves. Even if it meant my death.

I thought I had grown numb to the pain, that nothing he did could hurt me anymore. Yet, Angus always found a way to prove me wrong.

"Angus, I'll do just as you wished. I’m finally done with you."

Before I was handed over as a hostage, Angus leaned in close, his voice soft in attempt to comfort me. "Once my grandfather is safe, I’ll have Barcain's police force rescue you."

"After that, don’t ever show up in front of Hallie again. I’ll arrange a new identity for you—you can stay by my side. I love you. You know that, Rose."

I agreed to whatever Angus said.

With that, Angus' eyes lit up, as if truly pleased. Not that it mattered—this so-called 101st wish didn’t count anyway.

And I had to give him credit. To convince me to walk willingly toward my death, Angus had spun the sweetest, most affectionate lies. Lies so sickening they made my stomach turn.

Once the hostage exchange was made, the crime boss’s men shoved me into a basement jail.

Severed limbs and decapitated heads lay scattered across the floor. The tools of the most brutal tortures ever devised hung from the walls.

I couldn’t even begin to imagine the agony these instruments could inflict.

I didn’t want to.

***

The next day.

Angus arrived in a frenzy, bringing an entire police force with him, storming into Northern Countries territory.

But the police only shook their heads. "The person you’re looking for? She’s already been taken. The gang packed up and vanished before we got here."