Happily Ever After… With Another

In the tenth year of my marriage to a genius pianist, I came down with a strange illness.

A month ago, my husband missed my birthday party to care for his ailing sister-in-law. Night after night, I had waited for him to return home. But that night I forgot to wait at all and went to bed early.

Half a month ago, he attended an important performance with his sister-in-law. I had always been petty and prone to jealousy, yet this time I didn't get angry. I simply went home in silence.

Three days ago, I fell seriously ill with a burning fever. My husband rushed back from out of town in a panic—but only to tend to his sister-in-law, whose hand had been scalded.

When we ran into each other at the hospital, I was strangely calm. I, who used to be fiercely jealous, felt nothing at all. I forgot the promise we had made to grow old together. I even forgot how he once fretted over me for days when I'd scraped a bit of skin.

It wasn't until he said he wanted to bring his sister-in-law home and take care of her for the rest of his life that I—my memories riddled with holes—summoned the system at last.

"I want to go home."

"I have something to deal with in another world. I'll come back the day after tomorrow to take you home."

The system's familiar mechanical voice sounded again.

My vision blurred, my face drained of color. I forced a faint, bitter smile and answered softly, "I'll wait for you."

Ten years ago, I chose to stay. I believed I could walk hand in hand with Jonathan Elroy until old age. I believed I would never again have anything to do with the system. Who would have thought that ten years later, we would still lose to reality?

The door opened. Jonathan was back.

The moment he saw me, the cold lines of his face softened, a gentle smile spreading across his features. He strode over and pulled me into his arms.

"Natalie, why didn't you bring me food today? I'm starving."

There was a hint of coaxing in his voice. "You always used to."

As I watched him put on that mock-hurt expression, I lowered my eyes and said, "I forgot."

Jonathan was always busy with work and often forgot to eat. He ended up with stomach problems, and it was I who studied recipes day after day, slowly nursing him back to health. Even so, he was left with the old habit—skip a meal, and his stomach would ache.

I couldn't bear to see him suffer, so I made soup and delivered meals to him every day, rain or shine, for ten years straight. And yet today, I forgot.

Forgetting to bring him food was a small thing. There were many other things I had forgotten too.

Back then, the system had said that no one who chose to stay could grow old with their assigned target. I didn't believe it. So it made a bet with me: if Jonathan ever changed his heart, I would gradually lose all memories related to him, my body would grow weaker and weaker, and I would die in the end.

In truth, my memories had already begun to fade. I had just only realized it now.

Jonathan lowered his gaze, pressed his forehead against mine, and looked at me intently. "Did you really forget? Or are you doing this on purpose to let me go hungry because I went to the hospital to take care of my sister-in-law a couple of days ago and didn't have time for you?"

I shook my head. "I really forgot. Because the system—"

"That's enough." Jonathan sounded a little helpless. He sighed, straightened up, and said, "Natalie, we've been married for ten years. Haven't I treated you well? I know there's no such thing as a system in this world. Please stop using this excuse to threaten me, okay?"

At his words, I sat there stiffly, staring at him in a daze.

So he had never believed me. He had always thought I was lying.

If this were the old me, I might have tried desperately to explain. But now, it didn't matter anymore. The day after tomorrow, I would be leaving. Whether he believed me or not was no longer important.

Just then, Jonathan took out an exquisite box, placed it in my hands, and opened it. Inside was a ruby-studded brooch.

"Honey, don't be mad, okay? I'm sorry.

"This brooch is a custom limited edition. There are only two in the world. It'll definitely look good on you. Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary—how about we take Sam to the Peach Blossom Park in the suburbs?"