After Edwin’s first love arrived, I left his home without telling anyone.

The first week after I left, he didn't care at all. He spent the week doting on her first love, taking her to social gatherings, making people gossip about me being left.

The second week after I left, his friends began placing bets on whether I would come back crawling or scheme against Rose and cry for attention. Edwin heard them making jokes about me, and he actually laughed, keeping Rose on his lap.

The third week after I left, he tracked me down and barged into my door.

“Stop all this drama, Victoria.” He spat, “Rose’s heart is delicate. Your heart is the right match for her. Donate your heart to her, and I’ll marry you.”

But what he expected from me, a long confrontation or an ocean of tears, he didn't get at all.

“Okay,” I replied, my voice as calm as the ocean. “When is the surgery’s date?”

Edwin froze at his place. What he didn't know was that I was not the Victoria he remembered.

I had been transported into his world after an accident, and only by fulfilling his hundred wishes could I finally return to my own.

And, this was his hundredth wish!

Edwinwatched me in panic. He seemed to be lost in his words. This was not what he was prepared for.

He must have thought of plenty of ways of negotiation. He must have come prepared to make me finally give in to his demand and give my consent to the heart transplant.

But my submission to his demand shocked him. He grabbed my shoulder and pulled me closer, making me look up into his eyes, “Do you understand what I’m asking for? After you donate your heart to Rose, you would be a living dead, Victoria.”

“Do you actually understand what that means?” He raised his eyebrows, trying to see through my eyes.

How could I not?

Even if I were not from this world, ever since I arrived, I have made every single attempt to make him happy. There was a brief moment when I actually thought of continuing to live in this world with him.

But, after his true love arrived, he didn't consider my feelings at all, and now he was asking me to give my heart to his old lover.

How could it not hurt?

But I remained calm. I simply said, “This is what you want me to do for you, don't you?”

A flicker of something like guilt passed through his eyes, and he immediately let go of me, asking coldly, “Are you that desperate to marry me?”

I said nothing.

He thought I was doing this because he offered a wedding in return. But, he didn't know I wasn't that desperate to marry him. Not anymore. I was desperate to leave him and his world.

I remembered the day Rose came back. He was taking me out to dinner that night.

“Edwin, Rose is back. She is at the airport.” His friend informed him on the phone.

The car came to an abrupt halt. He turned to look at me. His eyes showed no guilt as he clicked open the car’s door and "gestured me out.

“Get a cab and go back home,” he commanded, “Don't wait for me. I’m busy tonight.”

And just like that, he took the U-turn and left without a word of apology or an explanation. He didn't consider it important to tell me why he was leaving me in the middle of the night, alone.

He didn't even think about what I was going to eat at home since I didn't prepare anything because he promised to take me out.

The next day, he asked me to help Rose renovate her house, since it was my hobby, but ended up making me her personal maid. From cooking to cleaning her house, it became my duty. They would often take snacks, sit on the couch, and ask me to clean up the mess like I was a maid.

But I never complained. I silently obeyed all his commands. It was because only by obeying him a hundred times could I finally leave and… meet my brother.

Before I was transported to this world, I came to know about my long-lost brother, Mark. But the day we finally decided to meet each other, something happened.

I fell asleep while my laptop was on, and the next morning, I woke up as Edwin’s girlfriend in some other world.

I could not meet my brother, my only remaining family in the whole world!

However, Edwin’s love gradually helped me overcome the sense of loss, and I developed genuine feelings for him.

But the day I decided to give up on my old world and accept Edwin's, just to be with him forever, Rosaline arrived, and I became the discarded object in his life.

I simply endured Edwin’s insults and wishful demands for Rose, patiently waiting for the day when I could finally go back to meet my brother.

“The surgery is scheduled for Friday,” Edwin finally managed to speak, his voice raspy, devoid of its usual sharp edge. “The doctors... they’ll contact you.”

He turned and practically fled, his heavy footsteps

echoing down the hallway like a heartbeat, he was so eager to steal from me.

The next day, he called me, his tone unusually soft as he said, “Victoria, get ready. My friend has invited me to the inauguration of his new shopping mall brand in our city.”

“I have ignored you for the past few weeks. This time, I’ll make it up to you.” He added, as if I cared.

The luxurious brands and expensive jewelry were the least things I was interested in.

Had he noticed me throughout the time I spent with him, he would have known I hadn't spent a penny from his money.

But, before I could refuse, he hung up the call. And, an hour later, I was standing behind Edwin at Richard's new mall, holding dozens of shopping bags that didn't belong to me.

Rose walked by Edwin's side, her hands leisurely wrapped around Edwin's arms with an authority that looked like she owned him.

And I was walking behind them, carrying her bags. As it turned out, I was invited just to assist Rose in the shopping and not because Edwin was considering my feelings.

As Rose threw one more bag on me to carry, I sighed. One more week. I thought. One more task and I would be free.

My arms ached under the weight of Rose’s "delicate" whims—satin dresses, designer heels, and jewelry that cost more than a suburban home.

“Oh, Edwin, look at this!” Rose chirped, pointing toward a diamond display. She leaned her head on his shoulder, her eyes shimmering with a calculated frailty.

Edwin glanced back at me, his eyes flickering over the mountain of bags I carried. For a second, a shadow of hesitation crossed his face, but it was quickly replaced by a cold, practiced indifference.

“Keep up, Victoria. Don’t fall behind and embarrass me.”

I didn’t answer. I didn't have the energy to waste on words. I was simply counting the seconds.

Suddenly, the polished atmosphere shattered.

The sound of crashing glass erupted from the main entrance, followed by the heavy, rhythmic thud of combat boots.

Screams tore through the air as a group of masked men, armed and moving with military precision, stormed the atrium. These weren't petty thieves; they were the subordinates of the Moretti family—Edwin’s most ruthless rivals.

“There he is! Secure the target!” a voice roared.

Chaos descended. The crowd surged toward the exits, a panicked tide of humanity. Edwin’s bodyguards moved to intercept, but the attackers had the advantage of surprise.

In the heart of the crisis, Edwin’s instinct was instantaneous. He didn't look at me. He didn't call my name. He lunged for Rose, wrapping his massive frame around her small body to shield her from the flying debris.

In a desperate attempt to protect Rose, he pushed me into one of the attacker’s arms just to stop him. When he realised, his legs paused. A moment of panic flickered through his eyes. But Rose’s voice, filled with fear and panic, forced him to keep going.

He pulled her behind a marble pillar, his back turned to the open hall—and to the gunman aiming directly at his spine.

“Edwin, watch out!” Rose shrieked, but she didn't move to help him; she only buried her face further into his chest.

The lead gunman leveled his suppressed pistol. He had a clear shot at Edwin’s unprotected back.

A part of me was satisfied watching this.

But in the end, I dropped the bags. The designer silks and leather hit the floor like dead weight.

Time seemed to liquefy, slowing down until I could see the gunman’s finger tightening on the trigger.

If Edwin died, the hundredth wish was never completed. If he died, I would never see Mark.

I didn't move out of love. I didn't move out of a sense of martyrdom. I moved because this man was my ticket home, and I refused to let a bullet cancel my flight.

I threw myself forward, my body a human shield between the barrel and the man who had spent the last three years breaking my heart.

THWIP.

The sound was sickeningly quiet. The impact felt like a molten iron rod being driven into my shoulder. The force of it knocked me into Edwin, sending us both crashing to the floor.

Edwin scrambled up, his eyes wide with shock as he realized he wasn't hit. He looked down at me, his hands trembling as they touched the rapidly spreading crimson stain on my white blouse.

“Victoria?” His voice was a strangled whisper, the coldness finally shattered by a raw, primal terror. “Why… why did you do that?”

The pain was blinding, but through the haze, I saw the system notification flashing in the corner of my vision like a neon sign.

[Progress: 99/100 Wishes Fulfilled.

Current Status: Final Sacrifice in Progress.]

I looked at Edwin, seeing the guilt and confusion warring on his face as he ignored Rose’s hysterical sobbing to hold me. I wanted to tell him not to flatter himself. I wanted to tell him that this blood wasn't for him.

“Just…” I coughed, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth. “Just schedule the surgery, Edwin. Don’t… don’t let this heart go to waste.”

I closed my eyes, the darkness pulling at me. One more wish. The surgery. Then, I would finally be able to tell Mark that I was coming home.

***

When I opened my eyes, the antiseptic smell of the hospital was the first thing that greeted me, followed by the rhythmic, artificial hum of a heart monitor. Every beat of my heart felt like a dull hammer striking the wound in my shoulder.

I opened my eyes to a sea of white. As the blur faded, I saw a figure sitting by my bed.

Edwin looked terrible. His expensive suit was wrinkled, his hair was a mess, and his eyes were bloodshot. The moment he realized I was awake, he leaned forward, his hand hovering over mine as if afraid I might shatter if he touched me.

“Victoria,” he breathed, his voice thick with an emotion I hadn't heard in years. “You’re awake. Thank God.”

I tried to sit up, but a sharp spike of pain forced a gasp from my lips. Edwin was immediately on his feet, gently pressing me back into the pillows with a tenderness that felt alien.

“Don’t move,” he whispered, his eyes searching mine with a desperate, soft intensity. “The bullet missed your vitals, but you lost a lot of blood. Why... why did you do it, Victoria? After the way I’ve treated you... Why would you throw yourself in front of a gun for me?”

I looked at him, my expression blank. He was looking for a confession of undying love. He was looking for the old Victoria—the one who would have wept with joy at this sudden display of affection.

When I didn't say anything, he spoke, “If there’s anything I can do for you, just tell me.”

“I’ll do it for you.” He said, his voice firm.

“Anything?” I raised my eyebrows.

Edwin nodded eagerly, clutching my hand. “Anything. Just name it. I’ll get you the best specialists in the world, the finest recovery suite—whatever you want.”

“Hasten the surgery,” I said.

The air in the room seemed to freeze. Edwin’s grip on my hand loosened as his face went pale. “What?”

“The heart transplant,” I continued, my gaze steady on his. “Don’t wait for my shoulder to heal completely. If Rose needs the heart, let’s get it over with. Schedule the surgery for as soon as possible. Tomorrow, if the doctors allow it.”

Edwin recoiled as if I had slapped him.

“Victoria, I—I was angry when I said those things at your door. I was frustrated. I didn't mean...” He swallowed hard, his eyes shimmering with a sudden, panicked guilt. “You just saved my life. How can you ask me to take yours?”

‘It was your hundredth wish, Edwin.’ I replied, though the words never came to my lips.

“Don’t back out now. I’m ready.” I said instead.

He looked like he was about to break. He opened his mouth, perhaps to apologize, perhaps to tell me he had changed his mind, perhaps to finally see the woman he had ignored for three years. His fingers brushed my cheek, his eyes filled with a raw, blooming regret.

“Victoria, I think I—”

Bang!

The door to the private suite swung open. A frantic nurse stood there, breathless.

“Mr. Edwin! It’s Miss Rose! She collapsed in the recovery ward. The trauma from the mall... her heart rate is spiking, she’s fainted, and the doctors can’t stabilize her!”