I'm the most hot-tempered stand-in by Emily Kelley's side. When she smiled at another guy, I smashed her million-dollar car. When she had dinner with a man, I set her multi-million-dollar mansion on fire.

Everyone thought Emily would kick me out in anger, but instead, she fell even more in love with me. It turned out my arrogant, jealous attitude was exactly like the lost love she couldn't forget.

I spent eight years with her, turning a spoiled heiress into a devoted girlfriend who texts back instantly and apologizes at the first sign of trouble. We were about to get married.

My friends envied how well I had trained her and thought we would live happily ever after. But on the day we were supposed to get our license, I waited for her at the city hall for hours—only to find out she had married her first love instead.

When I arrived at the wedding, Emily looked at me with complicated eyes and apologized.

"You should know you were just a stand-in. I never loved you. Now that my one true love is back, it's time for you to go."

As I walked toward the altar, the guests backed away in fear, worried I might lose control.

I looked at my system screen, which showed they had already gotten married, and calmly handed her the bouquet.

"Got it. Wish you happiness. Have a good life."

No one knew that all my jealous tantrums and drama were just me completing missions assigned by the system.

Now that she and her first love are finally married, my mission is complete. I can finally go home. This game is over.

The moment I finished speaking, the atmosphere didn't ease up—it only got more tense.

The guests, who knew my personality well, huddled together anxiously, whispering among themselves.

"Chris loves Emily to death. He has a terrible temper and holds grudges. One time, just because I had a few extra work-related words with her, he threw a glass of cold water on me in public and warned me that if I ever did it again, he'd have me fired."

"In the past eight years, forget about other men around Emily—even the cat in her office got swapped for a female one."

"He's been a stand-in for so long that he's started seeing himself as the real thing. Now that someone has taken his place as her husband and is even having a wedding with her, there's no way he's just going to let it go."

"Just because he's not angry now doesn't mean anything. This is the calm before the storm."

Everyone was worried. Emily was no exception. In her wedding dress, she stepped protectively in front of her first love, Kyle Walter.

"Chris, I'll give you whatever compensation you deserve for what I owe you. But I won't let you hurt Kyle."

All eyes were on me.

But instead of losing my temper as they expected, I just calmly waved my hand.

"Forget it."

With that, I put down the bouquet, turned around, and left without a second's pause.

They didn't know that I was a traveler from another world. Getting close to Emily was just a mission the system assigned me so I could eventually go home.

Emily had loved Kyle since childhood and had chased him obsessively. Kyle couldn't stand her clingy, persistent ways, so he ran off abroad to study and work. He was gone for eight years.

Over that time, Emily went through countless Kyle stand-ins. I was the one who lasted the longest.

She wasn't bad to me. Aside from not loving me, she never mistreated or tortured me. I even started getting used to that life and thought I might have a future with her.

But today, after waiting for her at the city hall for most of the day with high hopes, all I got was the news that Kyle was back and they had reconciled and gotten married.

At first, I was angry. I wanted to confront Emily.

Why did she stand me up? Why did she lie to me?

But when the system announced the mission was complete, and Emily coldly told me it was over between us, I suddenly understood.

I was never anything more than a stand-in. I had no right to demand answers.

My disappointment came from wanting something I should never have wanted. I also forgot that my original goal was just to go home.

I had truly let go. But Emily didn't believe me. She lifted her gown, hurried down from the stage, and forcefully shoved a card into my hand.

"There's one million on here. Take it."

The system would send me home in three days. I couldn't take anything from this world with me. There was no point in taking her money.

I raised an eyebrow and was about to refuse again when Emily guessed what I was going to say. She cut me off without room for argument.

"Chris, I've known you for years. I know exactly what schemes you're hiding. If you don't take this money, it's because you're planning to go behind my back and hurt Kyle, aren't you?"

"I won't—"

"I don't believe you. Unless you take the money and swear in front of everyone here that you will never harm Kyle."

I looked at the burly bodyguards surrounding me.

Emily's face grew colder and colder.

I understood. Unless I said what she wanted to hear, she wasn't going to let me leave.

And making a scene only works on someone who loves you. Now that the person she truly loved was back, all my tactics were useless.

"Fine. I swear I won't hurt Kyle. Emily, are you satisfied now?"

I didn't call her by her nickname "Em" like I used to.

My cold tone made Emily frown uncomfortably.

She looked uneasy, thinking I was being sarcastic and hadn't truly given in.

"If you think this compensation isn't enough, we can keep talking—"

"How about I talk with you?"

Before anyone realized it, Kyle had walked off the stage and was standing in front of me, cutting Emily off.

Emily panicked. She quickly shoved me hard, terrified that I might suddenly attack and hurt her Kyle.

But in that moment, Kyle's hidden hand came out. A bottle came crashing down on my head.

The bottle shattered. Blood streamed from my head.

"A stand-in daring to make demands? Who do you think you are?"

Kyle's face twisted with rage. As I stood there dazed, he grabbed another bottle and kept smashing it against my head.

The bodyguards just watched as red wine soaked my entire body. They even took a step back, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.

Within moments, I collapsed unconscious in a pool of blood.

Right before I blacked out, I heard Emily's frantic, tearful screams.

"Useless idiots! Why didn't any of you stop Kyle? Now his hand is cut by the glass!"

I closed my eyes.

She not only let Kyle hurt me, but she also ignored my split-open, seriously injured self and ran to fuss over a tiny scratch on Kyle's hand.

Kyle was the only one she ever loved. Every bit of affection and indulgence I had received was just because I reminded her of Kyle.

When I woke up again, I was lying in a hospital bed.

Emily's face was full of smiles. She bustled around my bedside, personally taking care of me. It was as if everything I had just been through was an illusion.

But the sharp pain throbbing from my forehead made it painfully clear that it had all been real.

Emily looked at me guiltily and handed me two sets of keys.

"You can smash the car for fun. You can burn the house if you want…"

Back when I smashed her car and burned her house, those were missions assigned by the system.

The goal was to win Emily's affection and make Kyle jealous, thereby pushing their relationship forward.

I never expected Emily to see it as a way for me to blow off steam.

Without the system controlling me, I'm not that crazy.

I know who to blame. If I wanted revenge, I'd only go after the one responsible.

"Where's Kyle?"

Hearing this, Emily completely panicked and quickly explained, "He just acted out of impulse. He didn't mean to hurt you. And he was seriously injured too. He even asked me to apologize to you on his behalf.

"Chris, since he's shown such a positive attitude in admitting his mistake, can you forgive him?"

She looked flustered, as if I were some kind of unforgivable monster.

But the one who beat me to a pulp was Kyle.

I looked at Emily speechlessly.

"I just want him to come apologize to me in person. I'm not going to do anything to him."

Emily still refused.

"What do you want me to do to make you leave him alone?"

He was the one who hurt me, yet she made it seem like I was the one targeting him.

When I let out a dismissive laugh, Emily sighed heavily.

"Chris, remember how I saved your life back then? Let me cash in that favor for your forgiveness, alright?"

I froze and stared at her.

Three years ago, I got into a bad car accident. I was seriously injured and nearly died on the operating table.

Emily stood outside the operating room, so grief-stricken she almost fainted from crying.

To save me, she donated 1,000 milliliters of her blood.

If she hadn't passed out, she would have kept going and nearly lost her own life.

I once promised that she could use that favor to ask for anything.

Back then, she just smiled and shook her head.

"All I want is for you to be safe and well. I don't want anything else."

She didn't ask for it, but I never forgot that debt.

I had even planned to use half of my system rewards after I left to help her rise to the top of the world's richest list.

But I never expected this.

Just to keep Kyle from having to lower his head and apologize, she used up that favor.

Right. I almost forgot. Emily loved Kyle so pathetically that she spoiled even me, his stand-in.

I nodded and agreed.

Emily breathed a sigh of relief, a happy smile finally returning to her face.

"Don't worry. I punished him with house arrest. He's gotten what he deserved. If you want anything else, just say it. As long as I can do it, I will.

"I also promise I won't kick you out anymore. I can't give you the title of husband, but I'm willing to give you one-tenth of my love."

She looked as if she were granting me a great gift.

I just smiled and said nothing. I don't want anything less than one hundred percent of someone's love.

When Emily saw that I wasn't talking, she assumed I had agreed. She said cheerfully, "You're badly hurt. Just focus on resting in the hospital. I've cleared my schedule for the next few days. I'll stay here with you."

I was about to leave soon. I didn't want any more ties with her. I was just about to refuse when Emily's phone rang.

It was Kyle's special ringtone. I knew it well.

Emily answered excitedly. But not long after, her face changed completely.

"What? You got into a car accident? Don't be scared. I'll be right there!"

Without a second thought, she turned to leave, completely forgetting the promise she had just made.