"Your closet has clothes in her size," Zachary said. "Why don't you take the guest room tonight?"

Belle pulled the blanket aside, revealing the light pink slip she was wearing. Her smile was smug, laced with barely hidden mockery.

"Regina, you don't mind, right?" she asked.

"Those clothes were never really for her anyway," Zachary chimed in. "Whoever fits them, wears them."

I understood exactly what he meant. Every dress in this bedroom had been chosen by Zachary to match Yvonne's taste. Now that someone even more like her had come along, I was just expected to quietly step aside.

"Go get some rest, Regina," he said. "Trust me, you'll always be number one in my heart. You know better than anyone whether I love you or not."

He gave me that same teasing smile, looking so sure of himself.

With the affection score stuck at 99 percent, he clearly believed I'd keep quiet and feel thankful for whatever bits of affection he threw my way, just like a dog begging for scraps.

Sure enough, I did exactly what he expected. I walked out without saying a word.

But just as I closed the door, my phone lit up with a string of messages.

"Didn't you all say I should provoke her just when she thinks I'm finally done with other women? We've done everything but hook up in front of her, and she still doesn't say a word."

"Zach, weren't you planning to up the ante next time? You just can't shake this chick."

"Wait, Zach, you sent that to the wrong group! Hurry, delete it!"

One by one, the messages were deleted. I stared at the screen, my chest tightening as pain surged through my numb heart.

I used to think 99 percent on the affection score meant something real. I was happy but also afraid, constantly walking on eggshells around Zachary, treating every rare moment of tenderness like it was gold.

But it turned out, raising the affection score was just a way to make fun of me. They only did it to watch me suffer.

It wasn't long before Zachary called.

"Regina, can you bring Belle a glass of milk? Didn't you see my message?" he asked, testing the waters.

I pretended I hadn't seen any of the messages. "No, I was just about to check on the baby."

That seemed to put him at ease. When I brought the milk, he even gave me a rare compliment.

…

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of the baby crying.

The baby had somehow crawled out of his crib and landed on the floor, wailing at the top of his lungs. His bottle was empty, and he was so hungry he tried to suck on it anyway.

Zachary stood by, totally clueless about what to do.

Even though I wasn't the baby's real mother, the sight of him crying on the floor made my heart clench. I got his formula ready and picked him up, feeding him quietly.

"What's with all the noise?" Belle's voice floated down from the upstairs landing. She leaned lazily over the railing, wearing a loose slip with the hickeys clearly visible on her neck.

"Oh, shoot, I totally forgot about the baby," she said. "This is Zach's fault. He kept me up all night."

She glanced at me, her eyes full of smug delight. "I'm gonna have to talk to him about this nanny gig. If he keeps tiring me out like this, how am I supposed to do my job?"

She made a show of blushing, then picked up a torn nightgown and tossed it down the stairs.

"Sorry, Regina," she said, barely containing a laugh. "Zach got a little too rough. It looks like your sleepwear didn't survive."

She covered her mouth, waiting for a reaction, but I just held the baby and stared right past her.

Things like this happened too often for me to care anymore. I'd learned that silence hurt less.

Last time, I spilled tea on one of his mistresses, and Zachary immediately accused me of being jealous.

There was a time when I was so desperate to boost his affection score that I let him pour scalding water on my thigh and said nothing, just so he'd see me as loyal.

The skin on my thigh had never healed. It stayed puckered and dark, a mark that would never fade.

After putting the baby to sleep, I went out to hire a proper nanny.

By noon, I brought the new nanny back. As we entered the nursery, I noticed the baby napping. However, his cheeks were an odd, vivid red. His little face was scrunched in pain instead of peaceful sleep.

The experienced nanny, Catherine Dawson, hurried over to check on the baby. As soon as she did, she drew in a sharp breath.

"This baby has been given sleeping pills, and not just a small amount," she said, her voice filled with panic. "He's having an allergic reaction. It looks like he's going into anaphylactic shock."

My heart tightened. I grabbed the baby and ran down the stairs. "Hurry! We need to get to the hospital right now!"

But as I reached the front door, Belle stepped in front of me. "Where are you going, Regina? Why are you taking the baby out?"

"You gave him sleeping pills? He's just a baby! Were you trying to kill him?" My voice shook with rage as I glared at her.

Belle was stunned. She looked down at the baby in my arms. When she noticed his splotchy skin, panic flickered in her eyes.

"He wouldn't stop crying. I just gave him a little sleeping pill so he'd sleep for a bit. What's the big deal?" she snapped, then quickly stepped in front to block the way again. "You can't leave. The baby's fine. You can't run off to tell Zach…"

I gave a short, cold laugh. After handing the baby to Catherine, I grabbed Belle by the hair and yanked her aside. "Catherine, take a cab and get the baby to the hospital."

Belle screamed, flailing wildly. A glass on the coffee table crashed to the floor, and the shards scattered. One of them sliced her cheek open.

"Enough!" Zachary's icy voice cut through the room as he stormed in. His eyes landed on the cut on Belle's face, and his chest heaved with barely contained rage.

He raised his hand to slap me, but the moment he saw my face, he hesitated. I looked so much like Yvonne. Then, without warning, he kicked me hard in the stomach.

The force sent me sprawling. Pain exploded through my body.

Zachary glared at me. "Are you jealous of Belle? I guess I've been too easy on you lately!"

Then, he pulled Belle up and led her out, leaving me on the floor.

Catherine and I managed to get the baby to the hospital just in time. He recovered without any serious complications.

But I wasn't so lucky. My abdominal wound reopened, and I had to stay in the hospital for a few days.

Zachary didn't show any concern for me. Only his affection score kept fluctuating before settling back at 99 percent.

When I finally came home, I saw Zachary and his friends laughing loudly through the door that hadn't been completely shut.

"She really hit Belle? Not bad! It looks like giving her a 99 percent affection score finally gave her some guts. We can finally see something new. A soft little pushover was fun for a while, but it got boring."

"Too bad about Belle, though. She was the best lookalike yet. That face is ruined now."

"Aren't you going to check on Regina, Zach? The baby's still in the hospital too."

Zachary just scoffed. "Come on. I've got control of the affection scores. She'll come crawling back, just like always."

I found it laughable and pathetic. He still had no idea that I no longer cared.

I stepped inside and handed Zachary the baby's hospital records without saying a word, then went straight upstairs.

"Whoa, she's got a backbone now? Zach, aren't you going to sweet-talk her?"

"She's had your kid and now she's got some nerve. It looks like she's trying to stake her claim."

I didn't slow down. I ignored all of them and shut the door behind me.

I curled up behind the door, pulling my knees tight to my chest. The tears I'd been holding back for so long finally spilled over, dropping to the floor.

It felt like every ounce of pain and humiliation from all these years was finally breaking loose, pouring out of me.

I cried until my eyes felt completely dry.

Then, just as I'd gone quiet, the system's voice sounded in my mind.

"Host, your request has been approved. We can take you away soon. The next world is already set up for you."

I sat there stunned as more tears fell. But this time, they came with a sense of relief, like I was finally ready to let go.

"Okay," I whispered, and then I let myself drift into a heavy sleep.

For a moment, I thought this might finally be the peaceful night I'd been longing for.

But in the middle of the night, thick smoke jolted me awake, stinging my lungs. I opened my eyes and saw flames licking up the walls, crawling hungrily toward the ceiling.

My survival instinct kicked in. Covering my mouth, I forced myself to my feet and rushed for the door.

The moment I opened the front door of the villa, I saw Zachary lying on the ground, coughing.

When he saw me, his face lit up with surprise and relief. But then, his expression changed, as if he suddenly remembered something.

"Oh no! The baby's still inside! Regina, just go! The fire's too big. We can't get back in…"

My heart plummeted, and I felt as if a vise had tightened around my throat.

"I'll go. I know where the baby is," I said firmly.

Without looking back, I turned and plunged straight into the fire.

Every inch of my skin burned, but I pushed through the pain and hurled myself against the nursery door until it burst open.

However, the crib was empty.

For a second, I stood frozen. Then, I ran through the house, checking every room.

Panic clawed at my insides.

"Baby, where are you?" My voice was raw, each shout ragged and hoarse, but the baby was nowhere to be found.

Just as I was about to give in to despair, an image flashed through my mind—a vision the system projected.

I saw Zachary and his friends in the yard, passing around a pair of binoculars.

"Move! Let me see! She's still looking for the baby. She doesn't even know the baby's not in there."

Someone snatched the binoculars, zooming in. "Damn, Zach, you really went all in! You're gonna lose a villa for this one!"

Zachary just laughed, not even trying to hide his smugness. "Whatever. I bet she won't leave me, not even after this. Her mission's not done."

"I'll take the other side. I bet she finally leaves. Seriously, this is brutal!"

The system kept streaming their conversation straight into my mind.

As I watched them laughing, the flames flickered all around me, lighting up my pale face.

Just then, my phone rang. It was Zachary.

His voice was light, almost cheerful. "Sorry, Regina, the baby isn't inside. Anyway, he's not your baby. I used Yvonne's egg. Did you actually think I could ever fall for you? I've been planning this for a whole year. Surprised?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the affection score dropped from 99 percent to zero.

So, that was his final blow. He wanted to take away the very last bit of hope I had.

But I let him down. I didn't cry or scream. I just gave a quiet laugh and said, "Thanks, Zachary. Thank you for finally setting me free."

Then, I hung up and told the system, "I'm ready. Let's go."