Olivia Penn was the only daughter of the Penn family. She was born into privilege and status. People often called her the holy maiden of high society. She was untouchable and devout.

The system gave me a mission to win her heart, but I ended up losing mine to her.

After we got married, the mission was successfully completed. I should have left this world immediately, but I chose to stay for her. The cost was constant, bone-deep pain every single day.

One day, I saw her being intimate with my younger brother in a church. The rosary she never took off was teasingly caught between his lips, then removed and tossed aside. Even our son wanted my brother to be his father.

So, I gave them what they wanted. However, if this was what they wanted, why did they regret it after I died?

I stood at the door of the church chapel and watched my wife, Olivia Spencer, lean into the arms of another man. That man was my younger brother, David Spencer.

David complained, “This rosary really digs into the skin.”

“Then, take it off for me.”

Olivia had always treasured her rosary. She would not even let me touch it. Yet, my brother was teasingly lifting it between his lips and pulling it from her neck. He tossed it to the floor like it was worthless.

There was no pain sharper than comparison.

At that moment, the world I had held together for six years completely fell apart. My years of persistence and devotion suddenly became a joke.

Back in my room, I clutched my chest and sank to the floor. My face was drained of color.

“System, I request to exit the mission world.”

After saying that, I tried to get up, but my stomach churned violently. The taste of blood surged up my throat.

Then, I coughed it up.

At the same time, I heard the system’s familiar mechanical voice in my mind.

“Termination request received. Host will be transferred to the next mission in seven days. Please prepare accordingly. The romance mission has concluded. The system will no longer penalize the host for forcibly remaining in the mission world.”

As the blood left my mouth, the unbearable pain that had plagued my body disappeared almost instantly.

I let out a bitter laugh. So, this was what it felt like not to be in pain.

I had been in this world for ten years. The system gave me a mission to win over Olivia, the holy maiden of high society. However, I ended up losing my heart to her.

After we got married, the mission was complete. I should have left this world.

However, I chose to stay for Olivia, who was already pregnant with our child. For that, I had endured six years of constant pain.

The penalty imposed by the system was unceasing pain, day and night, far beyond what any human could bear. All these years, I treated that pain as a bittersweet burden. I never once regretted it.

I had felt that way until I saw what happened in that chapel. My heart was broken.

I regretted it.

Fortunately, it was not too late. I still had a way out. I could still cut my losses.

I would die on our sixth wedding anniversary as revenge for Olivia’s betrayal.

I composed myself and opened the door. My son, Bryan Spencer, was standing there holding David’s hand.

I had just witnessed my wife cheating on me with him. The sight of him stirred an immediate sense of disgust within me.

I frowned and said coldly, “What are you doing here?”

The cheerful and easygoing smile on David’s face dimmed at once. Looking hurt, he lowered his head and said, “You don’t want to see me, Hugh? If that’s how you feel, I can leave now.”

Before I could respond, Bryan reacted first. He clenched his fists and threw himself at me, hitting me as hard as he could.

He shouted with every strike, “I hate you, Daddy! You are always so mean to Uncle!”

My heart ached. I could feel a chill spreading through my limbs.

He was the boy I had raised since he was a baby. He had been a soft, sweet little thing who used to wrap his arms around my neck and say, “I love you the most, Daddy.”

However, as he grew older, he became more and more impatient with me.

Somewhere along the way, the boy I loved with my whole life stopped making room for me in his heart. There was only Uncle David.

He preferred David over his own father, the father who had been there every single day.

A sudden sting rose in my nose, but I forced back the urge to cry.

Bryan was the one I had worried about the most. I had even considered staying for him.

It seemed I had only been fooling myself.

When she heard the commotion, Olivia hurried upstairs. When she saw what was happening, she quickly pulled Bryan in front of her.

“Bryan, what are you doing? How can you hit your dad? What have I always taught you? You’re supposed to respect him and behave. Why are you being so disobedient? Apologize to your father right now. And today is your dad’s birthday too. Why won’t you let him cut the cake with you?”

Bryan puffed up his cheeks and shouted, “I did nothing wrong! Today is my birthday. If Uncle hadn’t told me to come get him, I wouldn’t have come at all. He was mean to Uncle too. He’s the bad one. It’s his fault for not spending my birthday with me. I did nothing wrong!”

After saying that, he turned to look at David. “Good thing I have Uncle. I’m cutting the cake with him this year. I don’t want Daddy to do it with me anymore.”

I watched my son scream, cry, and refuse to admit any fault. My heart was filled with disappointment. This was the child I had loved for five years.

Olivia looked at our son, then turned to me with a hint of awkwardness. “Hugh, it’s Bryan’s birthday today. Just let it go. I’ll discipline him later.”

As I gazed at her, I understood perfectly. She probably agreed with what Bryan said.

Sure enough, she continued a moment later. There was a complaining edge to her tone as she said, “But you’re at fault too, Hugh. Bryan is still so young. This is when he needs people around him the most. How can you keep leaving him on his own? It’s a good thing David has been there for him. No wonder the boy sides with his uncle instead of you.”

Even though I had long since stopped expecting anything, sadness still settled in my chest.

The system’s punishment was already unbearable. On top of that, I had to devote what little strength I had left each day to caring for Bryan. He demanded constant attention. The only times I ever stepped back were when I simply could not stay on my feet any longer. I would ask him to let me have a moment to myself.

I never expected that I, the father who had raised him since he was born, would be judged for taking the occasional moment to rest. In an instant, I became the most irresponsible father, while David, who had only ever spent a little time playing with him, was treated like the one who had done everything right.

How absurd.

Perhaps my expression looked really dark, so Olivia tried to smooth things over.

She gave Bryan a final warning, saying, “Bryan, apologize to your father. No matter what, hitting him is wrong. After you apologize, you can cut the cake together with your father and your uncle.”

Bryan pouted. He looked like he had been wrongly accused, but he mumbled an apology anyway.

“I’m sorry, Daddy. You can cut the cake with Uncle and me, but you can’t bully Uncle anymore. If you do, I’ll hit you again.”

Bryan still looked just as adorable as ever. In the past, just looking at him made my heart melt. I would have given that boy the moon if I could.

However, at this moment, all I felt was a coldness spreading through my limbs. This was the child I had loved for five years.

My voice came out very soft, like I was suppressing something. “It’s fine. You can cut the cake with your uncle.”

I had no intention of eating that cake. Besides, I would not be at any of his future birthdays. It did not matter who cut the cake anymore.

Bryan cheered in excitement as he cut the cake with David, while Olivia watched them with all the warmth in her eyes, as if they were the perfect family of three.

None of them spared me a glance.

In the past, seeing that would have left me feeling despondent. However, there was no longer any sorrow left within me.

After the cake was cut, Bryan started demanding to open his gifts.

Olivia’s gift to him was a limited-edition toy sports car.

Then, she turned to me. Her eyes still held that soft affection as she handed me a box.

“Hugh, this is your birthday gift. Open it and see if you like it.”

Inside the box was a luxurious Rolex watch. At one glance, I could tell that it cost a fortune.

However, the same watch had appeared in David’s social media feed just a few days ago.

She really made things easy for herself, keeping everything fair and equal. She gave her husband and her lover the same gift.

I closed the box with a neutral expression and said politely, “Thank you for the gift.”

When she heard my indifferent tone, Olivia’s heart skipped a beat.

She looked at me as if she wanted to say something.

At that moment, Bryan suddenly turned to David with an expectant look on his face. “Uncle, what is my birthday gift? Can I open it now?”

David responded gently, “Of course, you can.”

Bryan tore open the gift and let out an excited cheer. It was the latest smartphone model.

“Wow, this is amazing! Uncle, I love it! This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten.”

He was about to unlock the phone, then he paused. He seemed to remember that his father was still standing nearby.

I had always been strict with him, especially when it came to using his phone. I had set clear rules that he could only use it for half an hour after finishing his homework.

“Daddy, this is a gift from Uncle David. You can’t take it away.”

As he said this, he looked at me warily.

I said indifferently, “I’ll no longer stop you from playing on your phone. You can play as long as you want.”

Olivia looked at me in surprise. “Hugh, what are you saying? Bryan is still young. He can’t be glued to a phone all day.”

A flicker of darkness passed through my expression.

So, she did know that limiting his screen time was something I did for his best interests. However, whenever I tried to discipline Bryan, she would always step in as the “good guy.”

Whenever Bryan was not happy about finishing his screen time allowance and went to her crying, Olivia would always say, “Just let him play a little longer.”

Maybe that was how I became the bad dad in Bryan’s eyes.

As I thought of that, I sneered and repeated the very words she used to say to me. “So, he wants to play a little longer. What of it? If Bryan wants to play, just let him.”

Olivia frowned, displeased. “Hugh, how can you say that?”

Seeing that his gift had caused an argument, David quickly stepped in to mediate. “I should’ve been more considerate when I bought it. Hugh, what did you get for Bryan? Let’s see your gift.”

I gave a hollow smile. “As a father, I clearly don’t matter as much to my son as his uncle. It doesn’t matter what I give him. Bryan, I’ll just give you money. You can buy whatever you want.”

In the past, every year for Bryan’s birthday, I would carefully choose a gift. However, no matter what I gave him, he would always toss it aside and praise only the gift from his uncle.

I used to think it was simply because I did not choose the right gift for him, but the truth was, it was not about the gift at all. It was because I was never truly appreciated.

No matter what I gave him, the result was always the same.