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.

When I woke, it was deep into the night. I logged into all my social media and finally found that familiar icon among Matt's followers on Twitter named "OneHeart."

I opened her profile and scrolled back to my last birthday, finding a telling post: "My hero has come to my rescue."

The picture was of a hand, one I'd held countless times.

That day, my 25th birthday, Matt and I had planned to ride the Ferris wheel—a tradition since he first kissed me there when we were both 18.

We had just reached the amusement park when Matt received that call. He said work was calling him away urgently and left, promising to return soon.

I waited until the park gates closed, but Matt never returned. Later, he called: "Ava, work's a mess. Go on home without me."

That was the moment 25-year-old Matt broke a promise made to 18-year-old Ava. Even then, I was no longer his priority.

The deeper I dove into Summer's Twitter, the more pathetic I felt. Although I couldn't see Matt, his traces were everywhere in her posts.

Everything I had, Summer had too—the mugs, the stuffed animals, even not being the sole recipient of kisses on the Ferris wheel.

And what I didn't have, Summer did—he shared street food with her, and wandered through night markets with her.

And to think, I had believed Matt loved only me.

Tears overwhelmed me, and exhausted, I fell back to sleep.

When I next awoke, it was already morning, and the System notified me, "Host life expectancy now 24 hours."

After breakfast, my parents, Jack, and I went to confront the Hayes family about yesterday's debacle—we needed some closure, to not let the issue slide.

Mr. and Mrs. Hayes welcomed us warmly, their house still decorated with the festive red wedding banners that now seemed to mock the situation.

Mrs. Hayes took my hand immediately, her guilt evident as she apologized, "Ava, our son messed up, but don't worry, you're the only daughter-in-law we acknowledge."

I calmly withdrew my hand, fully aware that the Hayes family valued me more for what I represented than for who I was.

Mom looked at me, concern etching her face, "Ava, what are you thinking? Do you really want to stay tied to that jerk, Matt?"

I wanted to—not for love but to survive.

The System had hinted that marrying Matt before my termination could give me a second chance at life.

So, I nodded, "Yes, I still want to marry Matt, but I need him to go with me to get the marriage license today."

Mrs. Hayes initially smiled at my decision, but her face fell when I mentioned getting the license today. "Ava, Matt hasn't come home yet. Maybe give him a moment to think? You two have over twenty years of history. Just give him some time, and he'll see sense."

Just then, the butler announced, "Young Master is home."

Mrs. Hayes's face lit up, "Ava, see? Matt's back. I'll get you two down to the courthouse right now."

A wave of relief washed over me—maybe I had a shot after all. But as Matt entered, so did Summer, right by his side.