Matt and I were the it-couple in Northside's elite—childhood sweethearts and a perfect match of beauty and brains, both from old money. It was like I had saved the galaxy in my past life to deserve a fiancé like Matt.

But, on the very day of our wedding, Matt left me at the altar.

He blurted out, "Ava, Summer's tried to off herself. I can't just turn my back on her."

Little did he know, without this wedding, I was the one who wouldn't make it.

We were at the hotel entrance, greeting our guests, when Matt seemed miles away. His phone started to ring. He ignored it, probably overwhelmed by the noise, so I nudged him, "Matt, your phone."

Suddenly, he killed the call and faked a smile, "Just a telemarketer."

I bought it. After all, in the Northside circles, I was his ride-or-die, his childhood sweetheart and moonlight.

Standing outside the chapel, we soaked in the officiant's blessings about our love. Matt checked his phone, his face turned ghostly. He bit his lip, looking like he wanted to say something. Just as we were about to make our entrance, he dropped the bomb, "Ava, Summer slit her wrists. I can't stand by and do nothing."

The words hit me like a truck. My Matt, who was supposed to love me more than anything, was ditching our wedding for another woman.

I could hear the officiant through the closed doors, "Please welcome the bride and groom."

I clutched at Matt's suit, begging, "Can't you stay?"

He shrugged off his jacket, breaking free from my grip with a look of sorrow. "Ava, it's not right to be so selfish. You're just losing a wedding; if I don't go, Summer could lose her life."

His words were like daggers to my heart. I felt ice in my veins.

As the doors swung open, the guests were greeted not by a happy couple, but by me standing alone, devastated, as Matt's figure receded into the distance.

There was an immediate murmur among the guests; the news was out—Ava Lockwood had been left high and dry by Matt Hayes.

My head spun, and I collapsed, a cold, mechanical voice in my mind announcing, "Alert, alert, host rejected by Matt Hayes, termination in 48 hours."

Matt, if only you knew that without this wedding, my life was on the line.

Coming to in a hospital bed, the doctor mentioned I had passed out from shock. But it was the system's punishment I had actually felt.

The system's countdown had begun; I had 48 hours left.

Having known each other our entire lives, I never thought I'd lose Matt to someone like Summer, a mere placeholder.

Summer Julius had come into his life three years prior.

That's when I was diagnosed with lung cancer. Doctors doubted I'd see another year.

Matt and I had planned to get married post-grad but then came my cancer report.

Matt was such a rock; I couldn't let him see me crumble. So, I chose to end things. My excuse? His overbearing ways. I decided to study abroad, leaving everything behind.

I sent the breakup text just before boarding my flight and then switched off my phone.

I dreaded a call from him that might make me waver.

Upon landing, I switched my phone back on to find a barrage of messages from Matt, pleading for space but begging me not to cut ties.

His words were desperate, unlike anything I'd seen from him before.

Tears streaming down my face, my mom suggested, "Ava, maybe you should just tell him the truth."

Drying my eyes, I refused, "Let him believe I left for my career."

Despite his attempts, I ignored all his texts and calls.

My brother broke the news to me later: Matt had moved on with a new girlfriend, Summer, who was eerily similar to me.

He described her as a stand-in, a bartender Matt had paid to keep around. He reassured me, "Don't sweat it, she won't ever replace you."

He even sent a photo of her.

Seeing her, someone so much like me, felt strangely comforting. If she could love Matt for me, maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't forget me even in death.

My treatment was hellish. Despite enduring the pain, my condition only worsened. Chemo had robbed me of nearly all my hair.

As time painfully dragged on, I found myself lucid less frequently, with doctors bracing my mom for the inevitable.

Eventually, the truth about my sickness reached Matt.

When my brother Jack saw me, reduced to skin and bones and tethered to machines, he broke down—just like when we were kids.

After my mom broke the news that I didn't have long, Jack rushed to tell Matt everything.

Matt wasted no time, catching the next flight with Jack to be by my side.

Seeing him there, I froze. I wanted him to leave, but even speaking took too much effort.

Tears filled his eyes as he whispered, "Ava, did you leave me because of this? Our time is running out. I don't want to waste these last moments angry at you."

His plea was a wake-up call. Yes, my days were numbered. If I had to choose where to spend them, it had to be with Matt.

I opted to come back home for treatment, but my luck ran out the next day when I fell into a deep coma. All I could hear was Matt's agonizing cries, but I couldn't respond.

Time lost all meaning, but eventually, that mechanical voice echoed in my mind, "Vital signs critical. Initiate system binding? The Host has to marry someone within two years, and failure results in termination. System's existence must remain secret, or immediate termination will follow."

Driven by a will to live, I tied my fate to the System, selecting Matt as my objective. Miraculously, I began to recover.

My mom's tears of relief flowed as she mused that the talisman Matt had prayed for must have worked.

Holding that talisman, I felt a surge of warmth. Matt had knelt for every step of the 999 he climbed to secure it.

Little did I imagine that Matt would be the one to bring about my downfall.

The door creaked open, snapping me back to reality. My mom, seeing me awake, smiled through her worry. "Ava, you gave me such a scare. Are you okay? Should I get the doctor?"

The concern in her eyes was unbearable, knowing the pain my death would cause. But I hated the hospital's sterile smell more than anything.

I'd spent almost a year in a hospital three years ago, constantly haunted by the shadow of death. I refused to spend my final moments in such a place.

"I'm feeling better, really. I just want to go home," I said, craving the comfort of my own space.

My mom hurried to pack my things, calling the driver and soothing me, "Ava, just focus on getting better. As long as your dad and I are here, Matt doesn't get a say in the wedding plans."

A wedding? What wedding? My life was ticking away. I responded vaguely.

Walking through the hospital corridor, there was Matt, locked in a kiss with the pale-faced Summer. It was only the second time I'd ever laid eyes on her.

My mom's hand shook with fury as she yelled, "Matt Hayes!"

Startled, Matt pushed Summer away, and she staggered. He quickly steadied her.

Turning to me, guilt written all over his face, Matt stammered, "Ava, what are you doing here?"

My mom, icy and furious, shot back, "Matt, you've embarrassed Ava enough today. She passed out because of you. And for another woman? Consider our families' alliance finished."

Matt opened his mouth to speak, but my mom cut him off, pushing him away. Summer, standing behind him, gave me a defiant look. She'd never had the nerve to confront me before, but clearly, Matt had given her the courage to face me now.

I'll never forget the first time I met Summer; it was right in Matt's office.

Though I was on the mend, I still needed some downtime, so after half a year at the wellness center, my first stop back in Northside was a surprise visit to Matt.

I swung open the door to Matt's office to find a girl crying her eyes out while Matt looked like he was at his wit's end.

The creaking door caught their attention. Matt's face broke into a smile when he saw me, then quickly turned to panic as he snapped at the girl, "Aren't you gone yet?"

She kept her head down, avoiding my gaze, as she walked past me, her scent of rose perfume trailing behind her. It didn't take me a second to realize it was Summer.

Once Summer was gone, Matt seemed to breathe easier. "Ava, you're back! Weren't you due back tomorrow?"

As Matt approached, the wrinkles in his suit and the faint smell of roses became noticeable.

I recoiled slightly, "I missed you, so I came back early. That was Summer just now, wasn't it?"

Matt paused, then decided not to hide it. "Yes, but you won't be seeing her again. I've just had her resign."

I hugged Matt, trying to overlay his scent with mine, murmuring a soft "Okay."

I had once hoped Summer could look after Matt in my absence, but now I wanted to erase all traces of her. The way Matt had looked at her in that photo chilled me to the bone.

Just like that, Summer was erased from Matt's company. Our friends all sent their well-wishes for my recovery and our rekindled romance, never mentioning Summer again—as if she'd never existed.

But if she had really left before I got back, why then would Matt have called off our wedding for her?

When I arrived home, Dad and Jack immediately checked on me. Hearing I had fainted, Jack raged, "That jerk Matt hasn't come back to his house yet, no clue where he's run off to. Don't worry, Ava, I'll set him straight as soon as I find him."

Mom and I exchanged looks; it seemed Matt had kept his hospital visit from his family. Worrying Jack might do something rash, we kept silent, and Mom suggested I rest.

My room was spotless, all signs of the morning's wedding prep gone, yet Matt's presence was everywhere.

The mug I used was made by Matt, crafted from a series of failed attempts, with our initials engraved on it. I can still recall how proud he was when he handed it to me: "Ava, as long as you have this mug, we're together for life."

Funny, isn't it? Porcelain just shatters when dropped. How could it last a lifetime?

Most of the stuffed animals in my room were prizes from our arcade claw machine adventures.

Matt was a claw machine wizard. We'd snagged ninety-nine toys, swearing to make it last forever. Sadly, those promises fizzled out like soap bubbles.

I found my phone dead. After charging it, I saw numerous missed calls—from friends, family, and Matt.

Matt's message was just a terse text: [Ava, I'm sorry.]

Matt's cruelty was clear; he betrayed me without even a reason.

The pain swept over me again and worn out, I closed my eyes and drifted off into a restless sleep, filled with nightmares.

My dream swirled with sweet memories of times with Matt, interspersed with Summer's timid face and Matt pushing me aside to go to her. It ended on my birthday a year ago, with Matt getting a call and rushing out saying it was urgent. That same heart-shaped icon next to today's call—it was the same number.

I woke up with a start, my heart pounding.