Widowhood and the Price of Betrayal

It’s been five years since my sister-in-law Wendy and I were brought into this world.

I succeeded in my mission, taking everything from the man I targeted.

But Wendy failed in hers.

The day she died,

Evan was at a karaoke bar, holding a beautiful woman, singing, and drinking.

...

"Lorna, this drink is for you, congratulations on becoming single again," Evan said with a smirk.

The KTV room was buzzing with lights and laughter.

The person toasting me was my brother, Evan Vance.

He was handsome, rich, and had sharp, cocked eyebrows. His eyes exuded an air of arrogance, always carrying himself like he was untouchable.

When people get rich, they tend to float above everyone else. He’d been married to Wendy for five years, yet never treated her well, while he lavished his gentleness on women outside their marriage.

Right now, he was hugging a leggy, sultry woman.

The woman was all smiles, clearly thrilled to be in Evan's arms. She practically melted into him.

I took a sip of my drink and teased, "Aren’t you worried that Wendy’s going to find out and cause a scene?"

"Heh, she can’t control me. Unless she wants to stop being Mrs. Vance," Evan scoffed.

After five years of marriage, I knew what Wendy had endured. She’d caught Evan cheating multiple times, but for the sake of their marriage, she had swallowed her pride and kept quiet.

Evan’s gaze turned playful, and under the influence of alcohol, he pulled the woman even closer to him.

"Just wait. She'll be calling soon, like she always does, pestering me. I’m fucking done with it."

Ever since they got married, Wendy had been strict with Evan. She didn’t allow him to drink past 1 a.m. or she’d call nonstop.

But tonight, Wendy wouldn’t be calling to bother him.

Because she was dead.

Wendy and I were both part of a system that sent us into this world as "players" five years ago.

As the main player, I knew all of Wendy’s secrets and mission lines.

My target was the cold, stoic Soren, while Wendy’s was the carefree, promiscuous Evan.

Five years later, I walked away unscathed, holding proof of his infidelity, forcing him to leave empty-handed.

Wendy, however, had fallen for him. She couldn’t bring herself to betray him, and she failed her mission.

Last night, at 11 p.m., she died as punishment for her failure.

By 2:30 a.m., Evan’s phone hadn’t rung once.

He pretended not to care, but I could tell he was starting to get uneasy.

Seeing that Wendy hadn’t called, he angrily downed the rest of his rum.

As he kept glancing at his phone, a message popped up.

"Breaking news: A female body was found on Highway 707 in Crestfall City. The identity of the deceased is under investigation..."

Evan's eyelid twitched, and I knew the body was Wendy’s.

"Evan, isn’t Highway 707 the route Wendy always takes? Do you think something happened to her? Maybe you should call her and check?" I suggested.

Evan just pursed his lips. "Who cares about her? If she wants to die, let her. What does it have to do with me?"

With that, he tossed his phone into his drink.

The cold liquid clung to the phone, and tiny bubbles began to form.

Evan grumbled, "Finding out shit like this in the middle of the night... this is bad luck."

I shook my head in resignation.

Evan, you probably won’t even get to see her one last time.

After a night of playing around with Evan, I opened my eyes to find it was already 7 a.m. I nudged Evan, who was lying beside me.

"Evan, the sun’s up. It’s time to go home."

He groggily opened his eyes, rubbed his aching head, and immediately checked his phone.

But the phone was ruined.

We had no choice but to drive back home.

"Evan, I haven’t lived at home in five years. It feels a little strange," I admitted.

"It’s your own home. There’s nothing strange about it. You’ll get used to it," he replied casually.

I pointed to a nearby dessert shop.

"By the way, Evan, I heard Wendy loves egg tarts. Want to pick some up for her on the way?"

Evan snorted. "You want me to buy her something? Dream on."

I just shook my head.