The System's Return

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!"