I sat there on the ground, numbly picking up the trash haphazardly strewn around me, not even stopping when shards of glass drew blood from my fingers.

When I first started dating John, everyone around us told us what a good match we were, and we were admired by everyone around us.

His family background was unimaginably elite, to a point where I couldn't even reach it even if I had a ladder that stretched up towards the heavens.

I could have never imagined that someone that shone as brightly as him would fall for a girl from a regular background like me. That being said, his appearance in my life truly did save me, back then.

When someone as prideful as him was willing to do anything for me, it spoke to me more than any love letters ever could.

When I first arrived in this world, I didn't want to pursue him. I didn't want our relationship to start with lies and calculation, my life being filled with deceit as-was, ever since I was a mere child.

I hated that world, yet had no choice but to surround myself in lies and mistruths to survive, wearing a mask that hid my true nature every day.

I hated what I had become, and hated everything in the entire world.

However, John was different. He genuinely loved me, encouraged me, and showered me with the affection I always yearned for but never had.

I had always dreamed and hoped of building a family with him, to create a harbor where I could finally rest, a family filled with love.

But now, looking at the wrecked house around me, I couldn't help but think how it was similar to our relationship. Nothing but a wreck.

Our wedding photo hung on the wall of the bedroom, a smile radiating with happiness on my face, while his eyes held none of the disdain and disgust that he did now.

Since when did things become this way?

Burning with hatred and frustration, I stood up slowly and glared at the wedding photo, before throwing the glass of water in my hand at it. The glass shattered, along with any lingering hopes of being together with John for the rest of my life.

"How long until I go back, System?"

"Seven days. You have one week to bid farewell to this world."

I lowered my gaze, understanding.

Even if I didn't like my original world, I had no other choice. It took true betrayal from John for me to realize that there was no one more reliable in this world than myself. Rather than placing everything in someone else’s hands, it was better to take control myself.

Meanwhile, a trending topic suddenly appeared on social media.

It was footage of John and Ivy travelling together in Franconia. In the video, the two of them were inseparable, like newlyweds, their faces full of happiness.

John looked especially gentle, indulging the faux anger of the girl beside him as he whispered sweet nothings to her.

Evidently, one of the things he said worked, because the girl's angry expression soon melted into a smile. She hugged John closely, her smile as bright as the sun.

Watching this video, I felt nothing in my heart but a dull, ironic throb.

I was the only one he'd treated like that in the past, and now he had handed over that privilege to another woman.

At this point, I was already past having hopes for him.

A few moments later, John called me, ordering me to speak up and clear the air on his behalf. As the CEO of his company, the footage that was leaked impacted his shares greatly, so he wanted me to help me deflect the negative repercussions.

What a joke. He only thought of me when his interests were affected.

"I already told you that Ivy and I are just fooling around. If anything happens to the company, you wouldn't be able to continue living rich either.

"I want you to clear things up for Ivy as soon as possible. She's sobbing her heart out right now. Don't do anything unnecessary."

Even now, his tone was still filled with impatience.

How considerate of him to immediately go to another woman after arguing with me.

"I understand."

Perhaps it was because I reacted too calmly, or because it was the first time I hadn't fought with him over anything regarding Ivy, he seemed stunned for a moment.

"That's… That's good. If you'd always been so obedient, I wouldn't have fought with you in the first place. See, was giving in and being good really so difficult?"

His voice was filled with smug satisfaction.

I hung up on my end, not willing to continue talking with him. At this point, just hearing his voice was enough to remind me of how he cheated on me.

How disgusting.

Back then, after he got together with me, he announced it to the world. Our marriage was celebrated with a grand wedding, making many people believe that he was a rare man, one who was devoted and deeply affectionate.

I was one of the people who believed.

But the very first year we were married, Ivy came knocking at our doorstep. She looked at me smugly, her face girlishly sweet, and her eyes filled with provocation.

"Hi, I'm Mr. Linde's assistant. He said that he left one of his documents in his study, so he asked me to come fetch it."

Then, she looked down at me, almost judgingly.

I frowned, but still let her into the study. She, however, told me to wait outside.

"Mr. Linde said that it's a confidential document, and that outsiders can't see it. Sorry, but you're going to have to wait outside. I'll come out as soon as I'm done. He's in a hurry, see?"

Her words triggered a sense of unease in me, and when John came back, I couldn't help but complain to him.

With a smile, he explained, "She's the daughter of a business partner who asked me to take care of her."

Then, he told me that if I minded having her around, he could tell her to leave.

His voice was sincere, and our relationship had been smooth sailing up till that point, so I only thought about it briefly before shaking my head.

"It's alright. If she's related to a business partner, having her leave might affect your business. I'm fine, don't worry."

But I never imagined that this would be my first encounter with the woman he was keeping outside our marriage.

Later, I discovered that the two of them often went out behind my back. It wasn’t until I saw them kissing passionately in the underground parking garage that I finally realized how foolish I had been.

I never once doubted the lies he spun for me, wholeheartedly believing that he was working hard for our family.

One night, when John came home drunk, he hugged me tightly and muttered in my ear, "Ivy, why did you become so thin? Did you change your perfume?"

I felt as if I’d been struck by lightning, unable to believe it.

The man who once understood me and loved me sincerely was now holding me intimately while calling another woman’s name.

That was the first time we'd fought. It was heart-wrenching, and every frame of that fight was preserved in my memory. Even now, I couldn't forget a single moment.

After I found out, he started messaging Ivy while I was there, as if he was deliberately rubbing it in my face now that his lies were exposed.

He mocked, "If you were half as obedient as Ivy or half as passionate, I wouldn't have cheated in the first place."

From that moment on, I was completely dragged into the abyss.

After realizing that I would be leaving this world very soon, I stopped caring about how John treated me.

Whether he loved me or not was the least of my concerns. The answer to that question was not important to me anymore.

He and Ivy were probably together. He'd already been away from home for four days, and it would be three days until our fifth wedding anniversary, and also the day I would leave this world.

I didn't have many belongings, and I couldn't take them with me anyway. As for what John had asked of me, I still hadn't said a word, leaving it for the system to handle.

When he left, John took away the first necklace he had given me. It was something I treasured deeply. It was a gift from when he confessed to me at an amusement park, taking out the necklace as fireworks filled the sky.

"Elodie, I haven't officially taken over my family's business yet. I could only use my allowance to buy you something affordable. But in the future, I'll replace it with something better, something more expensive! Will you be my girlfriend?

"I'll treat you well in the future, and love you even more than I do now."

The boy's gaze back then had been sincere, full of love.

It had been the comfort I clung to day and night amid the pain of betrayal, the only cure I held onto through this unfortunate life of mine.

But now, hatred grew wildly like unrestrained poison ivy, and everything from the past became thorns that wrapped around me, aimed for the kill.

When he took away the necklace, I didn't say a thing.

"Ivy said she liked it. She never wants much, so I'll give her whatever I can. Besides, this necklace is already quite old, and you have better ones anyway."

I nodded quietly, the light within my eyes extinguishing.

He smiled. "Look at you, being sensible for once. I like it when you're like this."

Sensible. That's all he had to say after all the years I'd stayed by his side.

He claimed he didn't love Ivy, yet his actions made it clear that he had already fallen for her.

Did he really not understand what that necklace meant?

Meanwhile, the system notified me that it was done clearing the air.

"Do you really love him that much? When I contacted you, you didn't seem to want to leave."

The system's words made me smile bitterly.

It was true that I didn't want to leave back then. Our relationship was genuine, once, and even though our experiences weren't what you would call earth-shattering, what we had was real.

I had relied on him for so many years, and my entire life was filled with nothing but him. I had no one to rely on in the other world, so I clung desperately to the warmth he provided me.

I had tried to numb myself, telling myself that even like this, I still wanted to hold on to the light of my youth. But things had already slipped beyond my control.

I cared. I cared so much it hurt.

If I were to live that way for the rest of my life, I would die.

When John called again, he was furious.

"Elodie, I never imagined you could be this cruel! Just you wait, if anything happens to Ivy, you'll be sorry!

"You're just as disgusting as that mother of yours! Honestly, what was I to expect from something that crawled out of the slums, and from the womb of that disgusting woman, no less!

"I should have seen you for what you truly were ages ago! You acted all pure and innocent while you were with me, but you're nothing but narrow-minded and petty!

"Your mother was a cunning, sly prostitute who sold her body, and you're exactly just like her!"

My heart lurched violently, my entire body trembling uncontrollably.

"John!"

"Elodie Rose, I'll make this clear right now—you'll bear the consequences yourself!"

After John hung up the phone, I remained frozen for a long time, unable to recover.

His words were like a sharp dagger, stabbing deep into my heart without any trace of affection, only humiliation.

I couldn't understand why the person who once cherished me above all else now spoke to me with such malice.

That unbearable pain crashed over me like massive waves, tearing me apart again and again.

From the system, I found out that Ivy and John got into danger when they went out together. Ivy was hit by a drunk driver, who didn't know heads or tails of what happened.

Ivy insisted that I had bribed the driver, that I had intended to harm her and the child she was carrying.

This accident enraged John completely. Blinded by fury, he hadn't stopped to think before calling to demand answers from me.

The blow was so heavy that my mind reeled. I had long been unwilling to admit that whatever feelings John once had for me had already been worn away completely by his repeated lies. I chose to deceive myself, trying to maintain this marriage that was already on the verge of collapse.

Again and again, I lowered my bottom line and accepted everything in silence.

In the past, I hated nothing more than lies, yet I started to lie to myself to cling onto the warmth that I'd desired for so long, hurting myself in the process.

But now, I no longer wanted anything to do with it.

In the two days John left on the trip, I packed up all my things, throwing every single photo of us, filled with sweet memories, straight into the rubbish bin.

Then, it was my clothes, then my luggage, until I was the only thing left in the villa.

Over the years, John had regularly transferred money into the card he gave me. I rarely even used it, and now that I was leaving this world, there was no use leaving it around anymore, either.

I donated all the money to the orphanage in John's name, doing the same thing I'd done in the past. I wished both for the children to benefit and lead better lives, and for it to aid John's business.

In any case, this was the last thing I would do for him.

On the day of our fifth wedding anniversary, I calmly prepared a table full of dishes for myself.

I had learned how to cook these dishes all by myself, especially for John. He'd always had to drink a lot while attending banquets and social functions, and I wanted to learn how to create some dishes that would nourish his stomach.

But now, I was the only one who sat there in front of the table, eating by myself.

Before I could even take a bite of the food I meticulously made, the door was kicked open with a bang, showing John's subdued expression.

Seeing the food on the table, he scoffed, before flipping the entire table over and crashing everything on the floor. Glass was sent flying, and some shards even cut the top of my foot.

Then, he grabbed me by the neck, almost suffocating me as Ivy walked in behind him, her expression smug and provoking.

His face was inches away from mine, and he bit out every word. "Ivy lost her baby, all because of you! How could you be so cruel?!

"If it weren't for me, do you think you could have everything you do now? How else did you escape that pathetic life of yours?

"Since when did you become this cruel? You make me sick!"

I struggled under his grip, opening my mouth, but I couldn't force out a single word.

Ivy sneered at me. "Elodie, no matter how much you hate me, you can't take it out on a baby! This was the only kid John and I had. Do you know how much I cherished it?

"I don't want status, I don't want money, I just want to give birth to John's kid. That's all I ever wanted."

She made a show of speaking with anguish, and I could feel John's grip on my neck growing stronger and stronger.

Finally, when my face grew red and I almost suffocated to death, he let go.

I coughed violently, gasping for air.

It took a long time before I could steady myself.

"Elodie, you hurt Ivy. I'm divorcing you."

Those words felt like they were dragging me straight into hell. I had never imagined that John would be the first one in this marriage to give up.

I looked at him, despair filling my eyes.

"You're right, I did everything, and I really am that cruel. What, did you only realize that now? Are you disappointed?

"Didn't you notice it during the entire time you've been with me?"

Then he probably also forgot everything he promised me, too.

John's anger reached its peak, and he slapped me hard across the face.

For a moment, flashes of the past came to the forefront of my mind.

Once, he told me, "No matter what you become, I'll always love you. Don't worry, you'll always have me."

But now, seeing him protect another woman and call me a cruel woman, I couldn't help but laugh. Crazed, wild, and uncontrollable.

"I regret nothing more than falling for you, getting married to you, and believing every word you said!"

I grabbed a shard of glass from the ground, and pointed it at my neck.

"Since you love Ivy so much, I hope you two live a long, happy life together.

"It's been boring, hasn't it? Living a life trapped by me, I mean.

"Well, now you're free."

At that, I stabbed the glass shard into my neck, blood splattering from my artery onto John.

Ivy screamed in terror.

At the edge of my consciousness, I saw John at eighteen, smiling brightly as he ran toward me.

"Elodie! Come on, let's go home together."

Alright.

Let's go home.