On My Birthday, My Love Disappeared

Willie Deleon, the man I had been infatuated with for five years was absent on my birthday. I made countless calls, all of which he cut off.

With just one minute left in the day, he impatiently answered and asked what I wanted.

I smiled, tears and snot smeared across my face, feeling cold.

I asked him, "Willie, is she as obedient as I am?"

He paused for a moment, seemingly surprised that I knew he had someone with him.

Then his tone turned cold and sarcastic. "No, she's a sweet and pure girl, not a dog."

In his eyes, I was just a dog that could be summoned or dismissed at will.

But Willie, why are you now begging me not to die, lying beside my bed?

***

Willie was the man I had a crush on throughout college.

In my junior year, he tossed a card in front of me and asked if I wanted to be his girlfriend.

To be precise, he wanted me to be his distraction during his leisure time.

The condition was that I had to give up my studies and my life and focus solely on him. In return, he would meet all my material needs.

However, I had no right to interfere in his private life.

"Even if one day I no longer want you, I will give you enough money to ensure you live comfortably for the rest of your life."

He looked down at me, a familiar and teasing smile on his lips, casually scanning my figure as I worked part-time at the library.

I paused while organizing the shelves, a soft smile creeping onto my face. Like every time I faced his unreasonable demands, I nodded without hesitation.

He hesitated, as if worried I hadn't understood, and emphasized his words.

"I said you must give up your studies and have no other men around you. Your entire life will be under my control. Will you agree to that?"

I obediently nodded. "Yes, Willie, I agree."

In my mind, a mechanical voice sounded, tinged with an almost imperceptible urgency.

"Annika, do you really want to choose this path? If you succeed in this game, you will die."

Willie seemed to have anticipated my reaction. He scoffed and turned to leave the library.

"Annika, you're just like a dog.

"But having such an obedient dog by my side is rather exciting."

His tone was cold as he showed no regard for the other people in the library.

He was always like this, never considering my feelings or reputation. Perhaps he simply didn't care about how others viewed him.

People shot me strange looks, but I ignored them, focusing on my work.

[As long as you work hard, you can still live well in this world. But if you drop out, there will be no turning back.]

The system seemed unusually active today.

I lightly brushed off the dust from the book in my hands and returned it to the shelf, a hint of a bitter smile appeared on my face.

[Zoe, you know I have never feared death. Actually, I wish for it to come sooner.]

Compared to never having received love, experiencing it only to lose it again would be a pain a thousand times worse.