On my birthday, Xie Rongyu left me for the 99th time to find the one that got away, who threatened to end her life.

I informed the system, "I'm giving up on this mission. I'm exhausted."

For twelve long years, I had tried every possible way to warm Xie Rongyu's heart, but it was all in vain.

The system told me that if I died in this world, I could return to my original one.

The first time, I slit my wrists in the bathroom. Xie Rongyu kicked the door open, rushed me to the hospital, and scolded me for playing the victim to seek attention.

The second time, I swallowed a bottle of sleeping pills. He broke in at the last moment, holding me and crying, admitting his mistake.

But don't worry.

There will be a third and fourth time.

On my birthday, Xie Rongyu finally had some time to spend with me.

Just as I was about to cut the cake, his phone buzzed.

"Let me take this call, " he said, flashing a smile that still held traces of tenderness.

I nodded, watching him pick up the phone.

"Hello?" I heard Gao Ting's voice on the other end, filled with panic and tears.

"Rongyu! Mingwei is threatening to jump off the building! She's emotionally unstable and insists on seeing you. No one can get close to her... "

The phone crackled with sharp noises, followed by Xue Mingwei's hysterical cries.

"Rongyu... Are you with Shen Zhiyuan? Have you abandoned me?"

Her voice was piercing, as if it could shatter eardrums. "I knew it... I knew that wretched woman... "

Xie Rongyu's face turned pale instantly. He spoke frantically into the phone, "Mingwei, calm down, I'll be there soon... "

I instinctively grabbed his wrist, "Rongyu, the Xue family has professional help available at all times, and their security system... "

Xue Mingwei suddenly screamed, and the sound of glass shattering came through the background.

"Why did Shen Zhiyuan take you away? Today marks our fifteenth anniversary of knowing each other!"

On the phone, Gao Ting's voice rose sharply, "Is Shen Zhiyuan stopping you from coming? Mingwei is about to die, and she still... "

"Enough!" Xie Rongyu frowned, his tone displeased. "Mingwei is in real danger now!"

But he softened his tone immediately, reaching out to touch my face.

"Please understand, I'll be back soon."

I turned my head to avoid his touch.

Gao Ting's voice came through the phone again, "Rongyu, hurry up!

Mingwei is already at the edge of the rooftop! She said... she said if you don't come soon... "

Xie Rongyu's eyes turned red.

"Zhiyuan, we'll talk about your birthday later. Mingwei is more important now. If anything happens to her, I'll never forgive myself."

He rubbed his forehead wearily, "I promise, after this, I'll spend quality time with you."

I sneered, "That's what you said last time, and the time before that."

"This time it's real."

He grabbed my shoulders, but his eyes kept darting to the door.

"I swear, once Mingwei is stable, we'll go on a romantic getaway... "

Before he could finish, angry curses from Gao Ting erupted over the phone.

"Shen Zhiyuan, you shameless woman!

Why do you have to antagonize Mingwei at this moment?"

This was followed by violent coughing. "Rongyu... I... I feel so dizzy... "

"Mingwei! Hang in there!"

Xie Rongyu shouted into the phone, losing all his usual elegance and composure.

On the other end, Xue Mingwei's heart-wrenching screams were followed by a heavy thud.

Gao Ting's voice was urgent, "Mingwei has slit her wrists!

Blood is everywhere! You need to come quickly!"

"Rongyu... save me... " Xue Mingwei's voice suddenly weakened.

Xie Rongyu took a deep breath, "Stay home, I'll be back as soon as I'm done."

As the door slammed shut, I heard myself say, "If you walk out now, it's over."

The only response was the "ding" of the elevator descending.

"System, " I stared at the mess covering the table, "I give up."

There was a time when he would feel guilty all night for breaking a promise, rushing back just to apologize.

When did even pretending to care become too much of a bother for him?

It seemed to start when Xue Mingwei returned to the country.

She began to appear frequently in Xie Rongyu's life.

I grew anxious and insecure, leading to arguments with Xie Rongyu and becoming increasingly neurotic.

Xue Mingwei intentionally provoked me, exploiting the depression that had already left me shattered.

She poured salt on my wounds, fully aware of my illness, yet she intensified her provocations.

She sent photos of her and Xie together in bed, flaunted the diamond ring he gave her, and even called during my worst episodes to boast.

"Your dear Rongyu spent the night at my place last night, " she taunted.

"He said you're not even worth a penny compared to me."

Each word felt like a poisoned dagger stabbing into my heart.

I confided in Xie about my illness, but he dismissed it as me "throwing a tantrum."

When I broke down and threw things, he labeled me "emotionally unstable."

My sleepless nights of agony were brushed off as "overthinking."

In a moment of despair, I picked up a blade and slashed my wrist, feeling utterly detached from life.

Lying in the bathtub, the warm water turned a pale red.

The phone screen remained lit, playing the last voice message from Xue Mingwei aloud: "Rongyu said no one would care if a woman like you died."

Her laughter was like nails on a chalkboard, grating on my nerves.

Staring at the water stains on the ceiling, I hallucinated they resembled a mocking face.

The wound on my wrist was deeper than I anticipated, with blood droplets spreading like dark flowers in the water.

Strangely, I felt no pain, only a sense of release.

The phone vibrated again.

I struggled to lift my eyes and saw it was a photo from Xue Mingwei: Xie was embracing her, whispering something in her ear.

The caption read: "He said even if you were gone, he wouldn't care enough to look back."

My fingers twitched involuntarily, knocking the fruit knife off the edge of the tub.

It clattered to the floor, startling the maid into a scream as she ran out.

As consciousness began to fade, I heard the front door burst open.

When Xie kicked open the bathroom door, his pupils constricted instantly.

The glaring red blood painted a shocking trail across the tiles.

He stumbled, his knees hitting the floor without him noticing, his trembling fingers pressing hard against my bleeding wrist.

"Wake up... Zhi Yuan... look at me!"

His voice was hoarse beyond recognition. "Call an ambulance! Hurry!"

He shouted toward the door, yet his arms gingerly cradled me as if I were his most precious treasure.

In the ambulance, he clutched my hand tightly, refusing to let go even as the doctor attempted to examine my wound.

"Hold on, Zhi Yuan... I beg you... I can't live without you... "

In the hospital, Xie Rongyu sat by the bedside, his fingers absentmindedly tracing the edge of the medical chart.

"Why do you insist on doing this?" he began, his voice calm and unwavering.

"Is this your way of crying out for help?"

I watched the slight furrow of his brow, a look as if he were regarding a child who didn't understand.

"Mingwei's situation is different from yours, " he continued, his tone carrying a weary patience.

"After losing her memory, I'm the only one left in her world."

"Mingwei and I grew up together. Her parents are abroad and rarely have time for her, so she's always considered me her only family."

He paused, his gaze falling on my bandaged wrist. "And now, she doesn't recognize anyone but me... "

"After the car accident, she only remembers me... "

His fingers absentmindedly traced the IV tube, though his eyes were fixed on the window.

"The psychologist says... this shows she's feeling very vulnerable... "

After speaking, he looked at me, his brow furrowed.

I saw the same expression, a mix of helplessness and fatigue.

"There is really nothing between us like you imagine, " he went on, his tone slightly urgent. "She's like a sister to me. Do you understand?"

"You know, " he looked at me, his expression indifferent, "you know she's a patient.

Why do you still compete with her?"

He looked at me and sighed.

"Please, stop being upset, okay?

You will always be my wife. That will never change."

His fingers lightly brushed my hair, then quickly withdrew.

"When Mingwei recovers, I'll make it up to you.

We'll go on that honeymoon we missed, okay?"

I looked at the tips of his ears turning slightly red, a small gesture he only makes when lying.

"Now... " his voice softened, "can you... be a little more understanding?"

His eyes held a hint of pleading.

"She really needs me right now... just for this period, okay?"

I listened quietly to Xie Rongyu's explanation, my gaze blankly fixed on the ceiling.

Each word felt distant yet unavoidably drilled into my ears.

"Okay, " I replied softly, my voice dry and unrecognizable even to myself.

The numbness brought by severe depression left me without the energy for anger.

He asked me to wait, to be patient, to understand...

His words felt weightless and insubstantial, unable to move me a bit.

I watched his eyes constantly flicker to his phone, his feet unconsciously moving toward the door.

Suddenly, it all seemed so ridiculous.

Three years, and he always used the same excuses, and I foolishly believed them every time.

"Go, " I said, my voice so calm it surprised even me.

The relief on Xie Rongyu's face pierced through my already numbed nerves.

He quickly walked to the bedside, wanting to touch my hair, but I instinctively turned my head away.

"You... " He paused, then gave a resigned smile, "Don't take it to heart. I'll be back soon."

I watched his back as he left, listening to the instant tenderness in his voice as he answered the phone. Suddenly, I realized:

I was already emotionally numb, perished with each choice he made.

It died with each of Xue Mingwei's flaunts, died in my own foolish expectations.

The sound of the hospital room door closing was soft, yet it felt like a lock, forever separating him and me into two worlds.

I slowly closed my eyes, allowing the darkness to swallow the last glimmer of light.