But the words Peter spoke next shattered the last of my hope.

“Don’t delude yourself. I didn’t come here for you. I was only fetching a set of jewelry for Faye.

“Who would have thought I’d find you acting like a lunatic?

“I’m warning you, Luna—don’t use such tactics to get my attention. Don’t even try to win my sympathy.”

I smiled sadly as I looked at his vicious expression.

So I had been foolish enough to believe he had truly come out of concern for me.

It was nothing but another hollow dream.

Hadn’t I long known that Peter was hopelessly in love with Faye?

For years, he groveled at her feet, yet she had only ever loved Michael.

So he had stood by, willing to watch her fall into another man’s arms, and still busied himself with her wedding, striving for perfection.

He loved her down to his very bones.

I no longer wished to endure this.

I turned and walked toward the railing.

Still convinced I only sought his attention, Peter leaned against the car with arms crossed, his voice dripping with scorn.

“Get on with it so I can collect your corpse.

“Faye won’t be pleased if I’m late!”

I hastened my walk at his words.

I let the river water rise over my nose, my ears, my eyes.

I felt the air slip away as suffocation closed in, and I surrendered myself to it.

If I were to leave this world like this, surely they would feel at least a trace of regret.

Just then, someone yanked me out of the water.

A sharp, ringing blow landed across my face.

Peter had struck me again.

“What are you trying to achieve?

“You’re not to die unless I tell you to!”

He dragged me upward as he spoke, his voice harsh and commanding.

“I’m warning you—your mother did not give you life so you could just throw it all away!”

Mother had been the only person in this world who had ever treated me kindly.

But she was gone, and with her death, I had no attachments left.

It was time for me to leave as well.

Since I had failed to die this time, and the system had yet to get back to me, I found some excuse to send Peter back home.

Yet he continued to lecture me incessantly.

“All this just because Michael got married? If you truly loved him, then you should wish him well. Just like I did to Faye.

“That is what real love is!”

But I had never loved anyone in this world.

Every approach I made was born of purpose.

Every target I pursued was nothing more than part of my mission.

I returned home and picked out a knife.

I didn’t want to wait any longer.

If I was going to die either way, it seemed better to go on my own terms.

After all, there was no one else at home, so I wouldn’t be disturbing anyone.

Lying on the bed, I stared at the ceiling.

I traced imaginary lines in the air with the knife in my hand and couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at myself.

I had spent twenty years playing this game, always hoping for an escape.

Time, when you looked at it closely, wasn’t all that long.

It passed in the blink of an eye, like a needle through fabric.

But it wasn’t short either.

I had experienced so many unexpected events.

I remembered when Mother remarried, and I was brought into a stranger's home.

Peter had been the one to approach me first, making me trust him completely.

For the first time, I felt I had someone to rely on in this world.

With him, I could live freely, carelessly, and he always had my back.

So, to repay that kindness, I did everything I could to be good to him.

To craft the image of a devoted younger sister, I would skip meals in elementary school and save my pocket money, all so I could buy him limited-edition figures.

When he schemed against others, I covered for him.

When he had stomach pains at 3 a.m., I would buy him medicine while enduring my own menstrual cramps, staying up all night to take care of him.

When he wanted the newest limited-edition watch, I worked through the summer, saving every penny to buy it for him.

I thought, with us so dependent on each other, this was a bond no heroine could ever take from me.

But unfortunately, the heroine’s effect was far too powerful.

Even Peter, a mere supporting male character, was drawn to Faye.

The moment she appeared, she stole the only family bond I had left in this world.

In the end, I didn’t care.

I was a person destined to die.

Everyone dies eventually. It’s just a matter of time.

I cut my wrist and watched as the blood trickled slowly.

I felt the life drain from my body, dizziness overtaking me.

I just wanted to die quietly.

I didn’t want to be a burden to anyone.

To make it look like a suicide and avoid any investigation by the police, I left a note.

[I willingly take my life. Please don’t mourn for me.]

But I doubted anyone would care.

After all, I was far too annoying.

My mind grew increasingly foggy as I reflected on my miserable life.

No matter how hard I tried to pursue my mission, every time Faye made an appearance, everyone was instantly drawn to her and repelled by me.

Just as I thought I could finally leave this dreadful world, I heard the slam of a door.

I felt someone carefully bandaging my arm, and with great effort, I forced my eyes open.

“Have you lost your mind, Luna?”

The man in front of me was Collin Compton, my former tutor. He was seven years older than me.

He had been one of the system's assigned targets.

I remembered when my grades were poor in high school, and my so-called father hired a student from a prestigious university to be my tutor.

At the time, I was desperate to improve my studies, and the system had suggested he was a potential suitor.

So, I used my desire to learn as an excuse to get close to him.

I knew his primary focus was academics, so I crafted a strategy.

I designed a persona as a clumsy beauty, and I clung to him every day.

He even introduced me to his parents.

He said I was the first girl he had ever taken home to meet them.

As expected, his affection for me grew quickly and steadily.

Just when I thought I might finally survive, Faye appeared before me once again.

She shared all of Collin’s interests.

The moment she saw me, she trembled in fear and curled up in his arms, crying.

“I don’t know what I did to make Luna dislike me so much.

“She’s been leading the bullying against me at school. I need to take meds every day just to fall asleep, and I’ve even developed depression.”

Collin had held Faye tightly as though they were long-lost lovers reunited.

“Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you,” he had said heroically.

That day, Collin had slapped me across the face in front of Faye.

He told me to leave and that from then on, I should treat him like a stranger.

He warned me never to bully Faye again.

And so, my mission was doomed to fail once more.

I felt as though fate were toying with me.

Just as I had decided to leave, one after another, they came to harass me.

A sense of irritation suddenly welled up inside me.

“You should have been drinking and celebrating at Faye’s wedding. What are you doing here?”

I looked at Collin impatiently, wanting him to leave as soon as possible.

He looked refined, his voice cool and calm.

He was always polite and gentle with women.

It was Collin who had first given me hope, making me think I could survive.

But then, he shattered that hope, plunging me back into despair.

“I’m just feeling down. Is it so wrong to go for a walk and clear my mind?”

It seemed my question had annoyed him, and his face hardened.

Oh, right.

After all, he was one of the male leads, and he loved the heroine as if she were his life.

For Faye, he had given up on further studies, staying in Halewick just to be near her.

Today was Faye’s wedding, and that was why Collin seemed so down.

“What’s wrong with you? Are you trying to kill yourself?

“Or do you just want to get our attention, cause a scene, and ruin Faye’s happiness?

“Don’t pretend to have depression just because Faye does. This act is getting old.”

If I had heard these words before, perhaps I would have been heartbroken, but now I had long since numbed myself to it.

After all, I had heard such hurtful words countless times before.

Collin always thought I was pretending.

It was all about competing with Faye. Their love had blinded them all.

This was the difference between love and callousness.

They couldn’t understand me.

I wasn’t planning to defend myself.

I stood up, intending to find a quiet place and wait for death in peace.

Perhaps he had never seen me so calm, as if my heart had already died.

For the first time, Collin seemed frightened.

He grabbed my wrist and dragged me to Peter’s house.

Then he made a call to Peter, asking him to return home and watch over me.

When Peter arrived, he was followed by two other people.

The moment Faye saw me, she shuddered, as if she had encountered her greatest fear, clutching Michael’s sleeve as she hid behind him.

Michael couldn’t even pretend anymore.

He stared at me, clearly annoyed, and said, “Is this amusing to you, Luna? Always competing with Faye for everything, and now pulling this stunt.

“Do you realize today is supposed to be my wedding day? What the hell are you doing here, causing trouble?”

“Isn’t it enough that you bullied her before? Now you’re still making a scene?”

It was always like this.

No matter what I said or did, they never believed me.

They always saw me as a malicious, scheming woman, trying to steal everything from Faye.

I felt nothing. I looked at everyone in the room, all their faces showing undisguised disdain.

I smiled bitterly.

“Everything she says is a lie. She’s only pretending to be a delicate flower in front of you.

“What if the roles were reversed, and she was the one bullying me?”