Elijah Morris has been fooling around for four out of the five years we've been married. And from the very first month, he openly betrays me.

Meanwhile, I spend my time warding people off with expensive contracts, one after another. Eventually, all that's left between us is constant fighting.

One day, his younger stepsister, Abigail Wright, returns. And just like that, he finally settles down. That's when the system tells me that I can finally go home.

For the next five days, I no longer ask about his schedule. I don't care if he is with Abigail, nor do I care if she is pregnant with his child. I even move out of the master bedroom myself, listening to them going at it all night.

The fifth day after Abigail's return is our wedding anniversary. Elijah bursts into the room, tears up our marriage certificate in front of me, and smashes my most treasured vase into pieces.

He grips my throat tightly and growls, "Why did you put mango in Abby's cake? She's allergic, and she almost died! How could you be so cruel?"

For the first time, I don't argue with him. Instead, I go along with his accusations. "So what?"

I then pick up a shard from the broken vase on the floor under his disbelieving gaze. Then, I draw it across my artery.

Just like that, I end my life in this world.

Elijah Morris kicked out all his flings today when his younger stepsister, Abigail Wright, returned. He even took her out for a joyride in his sports car.

Meanwhile, I stayed home, cleaning up the mess we made after our latest argument.

I had just received news that he'd bought out every digital billboard nationwide to celebrate his reunion with Abigail. As he leaned in to kiss me, I gently pushed his chest to stop him. However, he kissed me even more forcefully.

After the kiss, I looked up at him with tears in my eyes. "Abby's back, isn't she?"

It was obvious that I was implying he shouldn't be bothering me now that his beloved was home.

The system notified me that I could finally go home, and I didn't want to sink any deeper into this twisted relationship. Yet, Elijah seemed to misunderstand, chuckling before pinning me against the wall.

My wrists felt like they were about to shatter under his grip.

He snarled, "Oh, so you still remember that Abby and I only broke up because of you and your dirty tricks, you shameless thing! How do you still have the nerve to mention Abby? You disgusting woman!"

I froze.

Years ago, it was Abigail who had drugged Elijah and slept with him, only to regret it later. She even begged me on her knees to take the fall for her.

At the time, I had already completed my mission with Elijah. He loved me and spoiled me, but he became a completely different person overnight. He turned into someone cold and distant, convinced I was a despicable woman.

Looking through Elijah's eyes, I saw Abigail from that encounter two years ago, smiling mockingly as her words seemed to pierce my heart.

She'd said, "This was part of my plan all along. Eli's mind is full of me now. And you? You're nothing!"

That was when I realized that everything I'd done had just been a stepping stone for their relationship.

I whispered, "I'm willing to step aside for you two. Let's get a divorce. Wouldn't that make you both happier? Or is this all just some twisted game to you both?"

I tried desperately to hold back my tears, but they streamed down my cheeks anyway.

Elijah leaned in almost tenderly to lick away my tears. "Don't even think about a divorce. If it weren't for you, I would've been with Abby a long time ago. You're just going to have to watch."

I tried to pull away from him, closing my eyes to avoid looking at him. However, his hands kept roaming over my body, as if telling me I was only fit to be the third wheel in their love story.

The next second, his phone rang. I watched him rush away, finally able to breathe again.

The call was from Abigail, of course. She had called him just because there was a power outage at her home, and she was scared to be alone. It was such a small thing, yet it was enough to summon him immediately.

I went to the bathroom and used a washcloth to scrub the places Elijah had kissed, desperately trying to suppress the nausea rising in my chest. When I finally composed myself and unlocked my phone, I saw people all over the country posting pictures of their billboards.

I threw my phone to the ground in a fit of fury. I closed my eyes and asked the system, "If I leave, will he never be able to find me again?"

When the system confirmed it, I smiled for the first time in a long while.

Seven years ago, I followed the system's instructions to save a tragic second male lead named Elijah Morris.

Back then, his family had gone bankrupt, his parents had died, and he was raising a helpless stepsister, working three jobs to keep them both alive. He had no hope for his future and only wanted to give Abigail a better life.

I came to the fast-food restaurant where he worked and took his hand, beginning to help him through his struggles.

He once spent three months of his salary on a necklace to make me smile. His eyes were bright with excitement as he confessed to me, "I'll only ever love you in this lifetime!"

I stayed silent. After all, I didn't belong to this world. I was the daughter of a wealthy family who had made a deal with the system because Dad was critically ill.

The moment Elijah uttered those words, the system told me that my mission was complete and that I could choose to stay in this world or leave.

I didn't decide immediately, planning to stay another year.

During that year, when I said I wanted a star from the night sky, Elijah immediately bought one for me. When I wanted memories that belonged to us, he invested in a game based on our love story that later became a global hit. When I wanted to travel with him, he canceled his work and booked plane tickets.

Hence, I decided to stay and help him build his business empire. Yet one month later, everything between us turned upside down.

A year after our marriage, Elijah received a letter from Abigail telling him she had always loved him. From then on, he started living it up with other women. He also used an entire room to display Abigail's photos.

And now, I was finally about to escape it all and leave him forever.

The moment I finished tidying up the house, the system's notification chimed.

"Fran, you'll be going home in five days," it said.

Tears began streaming down my cheeks again. I forced a smile and whispered, "Alright... Thank you."

For a second, I thought I heard the system sigh. The next thing I knew, my ears were filled with the sound of fireworks going off.

Elijah had lit them up outside for Abigail.

I took a deep breath, turned around, and gathered all my belongings—wedding photos included. I then crouched in a tight corner of the garden and burned all that junk in a heap.

In the flames, one item kept catching the light and flickering. It was the necklace Elijah had given me that year. I'd always carefully displayed it in the most prominent spot in my room, even polishing it once a week to keep it dust-free.

That was until I learned that Elijah had recently gone to an auction and bid on a necklace, declaring in front of everyone that it belonged to Abigail.

It was then that I realized our old memories had all but rusted away.

Watching the flames slowly shrink—just like my marriage to Elijah—I felt an unprecedented sense of joy. I could finally leave.

The next morning, as I opened the door and prepared to leave, I found Elijah standing outside. His eyes held a strange mix of emotions that made me somewhat afraid.

He asked, "Where's the necklace?"

Those few words made my eyes widen. After we got married, he'd never once asked about my affairs. In fact, he used to threaten to throw that necklace away simply because it stood out too much.

Before I could even respond, his phone rang. Elijah deliberately looked at me as he put the call on speaker. Then, I heard a sweet, coquettish voice.

"Eli, you were so rough last night. I miss you! Come back soon, okay?"

I watched as Elijah replied in a gentle voice, a tenderness that had vanished after the switch years ago. I bit my lower lip hard, trying to use physical pain to numb the ache in my heart.

Elijah soon hung up and pulled a gift box from his pocket, handing it to me. His tone was casual, smug even. "I bought you a new one. Since that necklace is gone, wear this instead."

I opened the box to find an exquisitely crafted snake-shaped necklace. This was the first gift he'd given me since we got married.

That said, I knew this was something he'd received from another rich heir after taking Abigail out in his sports car yesterday. It had probably passed through several women's hands before landing in mine.

My expression soured, but Elijah didn't seem to notice as he leaned close to my ear. He whispered, "Abby's pregnant. I'll be taking care of her, so I won't be coming home."

I felt a wave of nausea and tried to struggle. However, Elijah held my hands down firmly, leaning in to kiss the corner of my eye with a tenderness I'd always longed for. Yet, this time I felt nothing.

I bit my lower lip and said nothing in response.

Met with my silence, Elijah slapped me across the face, instantly leaving a bright red handprint on my cheek. "Why aren't you saying anything? Congratulate me. Who knows? Maybe you can even help babysit later."

I whipped my head around. My eyes were bloodshot as I glared at him in disbelief. "Elijah, are you doing this on purpose?"

Elijah revealed a mocking smile, nodded, and left soon after.

I had once been pregnant with Elijah's child, conceived before Abigail drugged him. A month after our marriage, I discovered it when I suddenly felt nauseous.

When I found out about the child in my belly, I was like an excited teenager. I ran straight to Elijah's office to tell him the good news.

As soon as I entered, however, I saw him embracing his secretary in a very compromising position.

Seeing me arrive, not only did Elijah not stop, but he even thrust harder into the woman beneath him, as if deliberately provoking me.

He succeeded, of course, and I stumbled down the stairs in a daze, falling from the tenth floor to the eighth.

Just like that, the baby was gone. I lost not only my ability to have children, but also the love I once had for him.

Elijah only knew that I'd lost my fertility and ability to conceive. After learning this, he'd remind me of it every so often. He constantly made me feel like it was my personal curse to suffer.

After Elijah left, I didn't hesitate before leaving that house. I wanted to visit my parents' cemeteries in this world first, to say goodbye to them.

Elijah and I had chosen that location together, wanting to give my folks a peaceful resting place. The graves were also built with the money he'd earned from his first project after establishing his business empire. It was compensation he owed my parents.

The graves were luxurious and grand, and he'd said this was the first step in repaying me for all I'd done. But apparently, it was also the last step.

When I arrived at the cemetery, I did not expect the graves to look completely unrecognizable.

Now, a mansion stood where my parents lay.

I stumbled out of my car and frantically pressed the doorbell, desperate to know what had happened. The next second, I heard a familiar, sweet voice.

"Eli, you're back already? Did you get them already?"

Abigail was barely clothed, and only after seeing me did she smile and put on a men's dress shirt. I knew it was Elijah's, having seen that very shirt yesterday.

She raised an eyebrow, her eyes full of mockery as she asked, "What's wrong? Didn't expect me to be more important than your parents? This is the mansion he spent a fortune building just for me. I think he used all of last year's company profits on it. Your parents' graves? They were bulldozed long ago."

I gripped the railing tightly, growling like a wild animal. "How could you do this? If you're angry, you can come at me. Why treat my parents this way?"

Abigail snorted and deliberately walked toward me, still smiling as she looked at me. "I always thought a cemetery gave this place bad vibes. Who cares about your parents?"

I stared at her, searching for signs of shame on her face, a crack I could dig into. Yet, I found nothing.

I could only shout weakly, "You'll never be Elijah's wife! Do you think he'll accept you? You're too naive!"

Hearing my words, Abigail showed no fear whatsoever, and I could not help but feel like a complete clown. From beginning to end, I'd been nothing but a pathetic loser.

She said flatly, "I'm pregnant with his child, and I'm his first love. If I don't marry him, who will? You, the woman he sees as a walking joke?"

I froze for a moment. Suddenly, Abigail reached out to grab my throat tightly, and I couldn't breathe.

Then, I heard her running her mouth.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Elijah running toward us. In that instant, I stopped resisting.

"Let go!"

I thought Elijah had rushed over because of me. But instead, he gently caressed Abigail's hand and asked her, "Does your hand hurt? You need to be more careful next time."

Then, he turned and looked at me coldly. The look in his eyes told me that I was the outsider here.

He said indifferently, "Abby must've had reasons for doing this. Did you make her angry again? You vicious woman, can't you just leave her alone?"

I clutched my throat and looked at him, quietly asking, "Where are my parents' graves?"

For a moment, Elijah seemed flustered. Then, he spoke with slight guilt. "This is prime real estate, and Abby deserves to live here. Your parents wouldn't mind. Think of it as paying back the debt you owe me and Abby. Their urns are inside. I'll get them for you."

I had no intention of arguing with them. I just wanted to take my parents' urns back home—my real home.

Abigail grabbed my hand and glared at me hatefully. "You know, if you'd just died, things wouldn't be so difficult for me and Eli. Why do you keep trying to get his attention?"

I frowned and tried to pull my hand away, but she gripped it tightly. She hissed, "I can make Eli completely disgusted with you right now!"

Just as Elijah walked toward us carrying two urns, Abigail grabbed my hand and slammed it hard against her stomach. I watched helplessly as she punctured a blood pack she'd prepared earlier and began screaming while clutching her unharmed belly.

"Eli! Eli! My baby! Our baby!"

At that moment, it felt as if my soul had left my body. I could see the hatred in Elijah's eyes as he dumped my parents' ashes on the ground. He shouted, "You don't deserve them!"

Abigail was carried into his car, where he began comforting her. Meanwhile, his men dragged and secured me to the back of their car. And through it all, I never opened my mouth once.

I knew that Elijah would never choose me over Abigail.

By the time we arrived at the hospital, my legs were scraped bloody and raw from being dragged the whole way over. Yet, Elijah still hauled me onto the blood transfusion table.

"Abby's hemorrhaging badly, you evil woman! Lucky for her, your blood type matches. It's the only use you have left!"

My eyes were swollen from crying, but I no longer had any tears left. "Elijah, could you just believe me this once?"

Elijah snorted coldly as a thick needle pierced my flesh. "Stop wasting time. If anything happens to Abby, I'll make you pay for it with your life."

I watched helplessly as he drew four large vials of blood from my body, leaving my lips pale and my strength completely drained.

"Elijah, I'm going home," I whispered as I watched him leave. However, he didn't seem to hear me. His heart only had space for Abigail.

I refused the nurse's suggestion to stay overnight and dragged my exhausted body home. Just several more days, and I could finally go home. I eventually moved into the dusty maid's room.

Meanwhile, Elijah brought Abigail back home, where they began fooling around in the master bedroom without any regard for my dignity.

"Eli, you're so good!"

"I love you, Abby. We're perfect together."

The soundproofing in our home was poor. I could clearly hear every sound they made, including their hushed dirty talk. Yet, I could only hide in the corner, covering my ears and praying I'd fall asleep quickly.

The next morning, I saw Elijah's social media posts showing intimate photos of him and Abigail. They were accompanied by joyful captions about shopping for baby supplies together.

After that, I silently deleted all his contact information.

My last day in this world happened to be my wedding anniversary with Elijah, and it was also Abigail's birthday. I ignored Elijah's instruction to attend Abigail's birthday party and instead sat alone at home.

I wiped down a vase with my bare hands. It was the last gift my parents had left me and the last thing I had in this house. I held the vase and imagined talking to my parents while waiting for midnight to arrive.

I mumbled, "Mom... Dad... I'm sorry. If I had the choice, I'd take you both home with me. Please forgive me. I'm finally leaving this nightmare, and I swear I'll never see Elijah again... Not in this life or the next."

Just then, Elijah kicked the bedroom door open, hard. He strode forward and smashed the vase in my hands.

He shouted, "How can you be so evil? You actually put mango in Abby's cake! She's in the hospital now with an allergic reaction, fighting for her life!"

I stared blankly at the vase, shattered into countless pieces on the floor. I did not hear a word of what Elijah said.

"What did she ever do to you? Just because she's pregnant with my child, you can't stand her? You're acting like such a jealous madwoman."

He had already made his judgment. Regardless of whether or not I tried to explain myself, these labels were already forced on me.

Elijah stepped forward and gripped my throat tightly, wanting to see me desperately argue back. He most enjoyed the feeling of controlling me, after all.

"Elijah, did you know? Five years ago... I was pregnant with your baby," I said calmly.

"You're lying again."

I laughed bitterly and spoke in a gentle tone I hadn't used in ages. "I knew you'd say that, so I prepared everything. I hope that after I die, you'll receive those things and still be able to live happily ever after with Abigail."

At that moment, the system's voice rang in my head. "Fran, midnight has arrived. You just need to die in this world, and you can go back."

I picked up a sharp piece of glass and raised my hand, dragging the jagged edge across my artery.

Finally, I was leaving this world where no one loved me.

Everything was finally going to end.