The day I was pushed down the stairs and miscarried, Marcus Sterling called me, his breath hitching over the line. "You dead yet? If not, bring a fresh set of sheets over and sign the divorce papers while you're at it." "Mia’s pregnant. I won't let our child be a bastard. I have to marry her." I looked at the address he sent. For the first time, I didn't rush over with a group of people to catch him in the act. Instead, I simply replied: Okay. Marcus doesn't know that he was originally a minor character destined to die of a terminal illness years ago. The only reason he’s still breathing is because I, a transmigrator, shielded him with my "Guardian Halo." And his precious lover? She’s nothing more than a "virus" sent by the System to break my protection and force the world’s timeline back on track. Now, the halo is shattered. Marcus, you are finally going to die. 1 I arrived at the address Marcus gave me. Because I had just come from the operating table, my legs were shaking uncontrollably. My pale face was slick with cold sweat. The door opened, revealing Marcus’s visibly impatient face. He glanced at my crudely bandaged elbows and knees, where blood was already seeping through the gauze. There wasn't a hint of concern in his eyes. He just frowned. "Why are you so late? You didn't pick up your phone, and these sheets aren't the royal blue Mia likes." "I was worried she’d catch a cold lying on the damp ones, so she’s been forced to nap on the sofa." I wiped the sweat from my brow and forced a faint smile. "My phone died. The malls are closed, and these were the only new ones at the house." "I could have been faster, but I miscarried after Mia pushed me. The surgery took some time." I hadn't decided whether to tell Marcus about the baby. But that afternoon, I had run into them at the mall, coming out of a maternity store hand-in-hand. Before I could even speak, Mia screamed. "Oh, Mrs. Sterling, I’m pregnant! Please don't hit me!" In the chaos, I was shoved down the flight of stairs. Mia sobbed an explanation as I tumbled. "Marcus, I’m sorry! I didn't mean to, I was just so scared. I know I’m just the 'other woman' and I deserve to be beaten, but I didn't want our baby to get hurt, even if he has to live in the shadows." Because of my history of confronting his mistresses, my reputation as a "vicious wife" was well-established. As blood pooled beneath me, I clutched my stomach and screamed Marcus’s name. But he didn't even look back. He just pulled Mia into his arms. "I understand. Don't be afraid." "I’ll give you and the baby a legitimate name." I watched him pull out a massive diamond ring and drop to one knee in front of the crowd to propose to her. In the middle of their tearful kiss, the life inside me flickered out. A bystander eventually called the ambulance. When Marcus finally remembered me, it was only to demand I vacate my position for his lover. I took the divorce papers from him. As I turned to go inside to sign, my weakened legs gave out, and I tripped over the threshold. "Sss—" The pain turned my face even whiter. Large drops of sweat rolled down my forehead. I couldn't get up. Marcus immediately looked back at the sofa. Seeing that Mia hadn't been woken up by the noise, he turned back to me with a scowl. "What now? This isn't your first miscarriage. Don't try to use it for sympathy. Even if you died right here, I wouldn't change my mind about the divorce." "Besides, it's better this way. Mia wouldn't want anyone competing with our baby for the inheritance." "Don't worry. Since you’ve been with me for so many years, I’ll give you enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your life." I froze, my gaze falling on the jagged scar on my wrist. I felt strangely calm. Marcus wasn't wrong. We had a child once before, right when I first discovered he was cheating. The pregnancy hormones made me unstable, and I foolishly thought dying would make him regret. As blood turned the bathtub water crimson, the maid, Mrs. Gable, frantically called Marcus home. He simply leaned against the doorframe, exhaling a casual smoke ring. "Elena, it’s useless. When I loved you, a single sneeze from you felt like a knife to my heart." "But looking at this blood now, I’m just annoyed. I’m mostly worried you’ll stain the coat I bought for my date with Mia." "You get the point. I just don't love you anymore." That night, I lost the baby. Marcus spent the evening at a rooftop garden restaurant, playing the piano and singing love songs to Mia to celebrate their 100th day together. That was the day I stopped trying to stop him. Marcus has no idea that he was a minor character who should have died of brain cancer years ago. I gave him my "Guardian Halo" to save his life. But Mia was a virus sent by the System to correct the timeline. Every time they slept together, the halo weakened. As I lay on the operating table today, the System’s voice rang in my head: "The Guardian Halo has been completely destroyed. In one month, Marcus Sterling will die of brain cancer." 2 A pen was tossed at my feet, snapping me back to the present. Marcus looked down at me with a mocking smirk. "What, do you expect me to carry you up so you'll sign? Forget it. Honestly, every time I touch you, I feel a bit dirty." "When you were pregnant the first time, I never even wanted that kid. Who knows whose it actually was?" He was referring to the time I worked multiple jobs at night clubs to pay for his medical bills and save up capital for his first business. I ended up in this book because of a System glitch. It promised to send me back once it was fixed and gave me the Halo for self-preservation. But I was penniless. When I was cornered by thugs in a dark alley, Marcus—then just a local construction worker—saved me. He took me back to his cramped, run-down apartment and cooked me a bowl of noodles. He took me in. He wore patched clothes but bought me beautiful dresses. He’d save the meat from his work lunches in a thermos to bring home to me. One day, he used months of savings to buy me a simple ring. "Elena, you have no family, and I’m an orphan. But together, we’re a family. I’m going to give you a good life." I already knew then that he was destined to die. His health was failing; he fainted constantly. I lied and told him it was just low blood sugar, while I worked myself to the bone to pay for his secret treatments. At the clubs, customers would paw at me. I endured the nausea for the tips. But Marcus grew weaker every day. Finally, I exploited a loophole and gave him my Halo permanently. The punishment was that I could never return to my world. At the time, I thought it was fine. As long as Marcus was alive, I was home. He recovered, and I used my knowledge of the book's plot to help him rise from a laborer to a CEO. But as soon as I got pregnant again, he cheated with his assistant, Mia. When I caught them, he didn't even flinch. "Elena, before I had options, you were the best I could do. But now that I have everything, the thought of men touching you at those clubs makes me sick." "Don't give me that transmigrator crap. You really think I'd believe that? You had no money or status—how else would you get business info out of those clients if you weren't sleeping with them?" "Mia is different. She's pure. Clean. Being with her makes life feel beautiful." So that was what he really thought of me. I stopped caring when he missed our anniversary to be with her. I ignored the lace underwear and used condoms in his car. I just waited for the Halo to break. Because the System made a new deal: if Marcus dies and the timeline resets, I can go home. As compensation, I can take all his assets with me. I used the doorframe to pull myself up and signed the papers without a word. The moment I finished, the power went out. Mia woke up and lit a candle, walking over with a smirk. "Oh, Mrs. Sterling. We made such a mess of the sheets, thanks for bringing the new ones. Too bad about the power, though. You'll have to take the stairs down from the 46th floor." "I’d give you a flashlight, but Marcus and I bought everything in this room together, and I’d hate for you to take anything of ours. Sorry~" She picked up the sheets and traced her finger over Marcus's chest. "Marcus, I’m awake now... and I want you again." Marcus’s breathing grew heavy. He scooped her up and kissed her, slamming the bedroom door shut. In the dark, accompanied by the sounds of their passion, I limped toward the stairwell. When I finally got back to our old house, I was covered in new bruises from the dark trek. Mrs. Gable helped me to the sofa and rushed for the first aid kit. As soon as I plugged in my phone, the hospital called. "Mrs. Sterling, your husband's check-up results are in. It’s bad. Early-stage brain cancer." "Strange... I looked at his charts this morning and he seemed perfectly healthy..." 3 Marcus hated dealing with administrative chores, so I always handled his records. "It’s lucky we caught it early," the doctor continued. "Tell him to come in for a consultation immediately. There might be a chance." I’ve waited too long for this. I wasn't going to tell him a thing. I hoped he’d sleep with Mia ten times a day to speed up the spread. And he did. Marcus stopped coming home entirely. He was either flying Mia to Paris for custom wedding gowns or spending millions at auctions for pink diamonds he designed into rings himself. He made me a laughingstock. I stayed silent, listening to the System’s daily updates on his declining health. Until his assistant called. Marcus had assaulted a major client at a gala because the man had called Mia a "homewrecker" and said she wasn't fit to be there. The client's wife was furious, threatening to sue him into the ground. When I reached the station, Marcus was shielding a sobbing Mia, glaring at the client’s wife. "Sue me then. I’d rather rot in a cell than let my woman be insulted." I paused. Years ago, at the club, he had taken a beating to protect me from a group of handsy clients. "I don't care if I die," he had said then. "My Elena will not be mistreated." The man he wanted to protect had changed, but the lines stayed the same. I stepped forward to apologize to the client's wife, Mrs. Higgins. She didn't give me any face. She splashed her tea directly into my face. "Elena, have you no dignity? Your own man treats you like trash, parading his mistress around, and you’re here playing the martyr? You’re lower than she is!" "My husband is in the hospital. If he and this little slut don't issue a public apology, we’re filing charges." Marcus watched the humiliation with cold indifference, a smirk on his lips as if mocking my interference. But the moment she insulted Mia again, he lunged forward, only stopped by the officers. I wiped the tea from my face and leaned in to whisper to Mrs. Higgins. "Mrs. Higgins, if this goes to trial, it ruins both families' reputations. Marcus isn't a pushover." "If you trust me, give me one month. I guarantee he and his company will vanish from this city." She looked at me with contempt. "You? A woman who can't even handle a mistress?" I showed her Marcus’s digital medical report. "You know Sterling’s success came from his uncanny market intuition. I was the one who gave him that info. I know a project right now that hasn't been valued yet. If your family takes it, your net profit next year will be nine figures." "Sign the settlement, and the info is yours. You choose: a messy legal battle with a dying man, or a guaranteed fortune." Mrs. Higgins was smart. She agreed. Before leaving, she looked at me meaningfully. "Marcus is blind for throwing a gem like you away. When you divorce him, call me. I’ll introduce you to a real man." I smiled and said nothing. She only valued me now because I was useful. I remember Marcus looking down at me once. "Elena, if I hadn't given you a home, you would have been used up and discarded in some alley. You think you can control me?" I didn't need him to give me a home anymore. A home is just a building. With money, I could buy a thousand of them. As I drove back to the villa and unbuckled my seatbelt, a pair of headlights blinded me. Marcus’s car slammed into mine. 4 The crash echoed through the night. Even with the airbag, I felt blood trickling down my temple. My body ached as if my organs had shifted. Marcus ripped open the car door and dragged me out by the collar. "Elena, you’re more disgusting than I thought! You sign the papers and then go behind my back to have Mrs. Higgins humiliate Mia? She cried so hard she almost miscarried!" "How did you hook up with the Higgins family? Sleeping with him too? You think if Mia loses the baby, I’ll come back to you? You're a joke. A woman like you... the thought of touching you makes me want to puke!" "I’m marrying Mia regardless. We will grow old together. Give it up." Mrs. Gable ran out, horrified by my bloody face. "Oh my god! Ma'am, come inside, let me help you—" "Don't call her ma'am!" Marcus roared. "Mia is the only lady of this house now!" "This is my house. She has no right to be here. Mrs. Gable, Mia had a rough day and didn't eat. Go make her some soup. If I catch you helping Elena, you’re fired too!" Mrs. Gable looked at me helplessly, clutching her apron. I smiled at her, signaling I was fine. I tried to call 911, but Marcus snatched my phone and hurled it into the lake. "Elena, I got here on my own merit. I didn't need your 'info.' Don't flatter yourself." "Since you want to be difficult, I’m keeping the phone and the car I bought you. You're leaving with nothing. That’s your punishment." He marched inside, and I heard the electronic lock chime as he changed the code. The cold wind cut through me. I remembered him saying he was nothing without me. That everything he had was mine. Since his word was garbage, I suppose I could take back the life and money I gave him. The door opened again. Mrs. Gable hurried out and pressed a stack of cash into my hand. "Ma'am, this is my salary from this month. Take it. Get a cab to the hospital. Mr. Sterling is just... he’s confused. He'll come to his senses." Just then, the second-floor window opened. Items began raining down: our wedding photos, my clothes, every gift I’d ever given him. "Marcus... we've never done it in your house before," Mia’s voice drifted down, high and playful. "I want to do it in the bedroom, on the balcony, on the stairs... I want every corner of this place to smell like us, okay?" "Anything you want, baby," Marcus’s voice was husky. "This is your home now. We’re going to be happy forever..." As he spoke, the final item was tossed out. My heart twinged. It was a small wooden plaque. Before I gave him the Halo, he had carried me on his back up three thousand steps to a mountain shrine to pray for our marriage. He had carved our names into it himself: May Elena and Marcus love each other until their hair turns white. Now, the wood was splintered, the names gouged out by a knife. Mrs. Gable fell silent. I patted her hand. "Thank you, Mrs. Gable. I’ll pay you back. A thousand times over." Good people deserve rewards. And traitors? They don't live long enough to see their hair turn white. Six hours after I left the hospital, as Marcus tried to be intimate with Mia on that very balcony, he was hit by a blinding headache. His vision went black, and he tumbled over the railing. 5 I slept in the next morning before casually strolling into the VIP wing of the hospital. The doctors and nurses were standing outside the room with grim expressions. Suddenly, a fruit platter flew out of the room, followed by a roar. "Bullshit! How can I have brain cancer?! It’s impossible!" "Get me real doctors! The best specialists in the country!" The doctor looked at me helplessly. "Mrs. Sterling, he’s hysterical. He refuses chemo and surgery." "It's okay. I'll talk to him." I walked in. Marcus was holding a paring knife, but he lowered it when he saw me. He hadn't died from the fall, but both his legs were in casts, and his face was a mottled mess of purple bruises. He looked hideous. He grabbed my sleeve like I was his only ally. "Elena, tell them. I’m just tired. It's low blood sugar. I’ve had this before, right?" "These idiots say I have mid-stage brain cancer. They want to shave my head for chemo! It’s a joke, right?" I took the knife and started peeling an apple. "I saw the report. it’s real. Fear won't help; you have to face it." "The doctor said with chemo and surgery, there’s a chance." Marcus stared at my calm face for a long time. Then he spoke, his voice cracking. "You knew. You already knew." "The doctor said he told you two weeks ago that my check-up was abnormal. He told you to bring me back for a follow-up. It was early stage then." "Elena, why didn't you tell me? You're my wife! You could have stopped this!" I placed a slice of apple on a plate and let out a soft laugh. "Marcus, could I even reach you?" "Phone, email, even your assistant—you blocked me on everything, remember?" "Even if I had told you, wouldn't you have just called it another 'vicious lie' to stop you from seeing Mia? That’s what you always did." Marcus froze. He seemed to finally remember. That anniversary, I had booked the ballroom and invited the guests. He took Mia to a hot spring in Japan. I sat there like a clown while people looked at me with pity. I called him a hundred times. He responded by putting me on his blacklist. He even made his assistant block me so I couldn't track him down. We only ever spoke when he decided to call me. I stood up. "I know you're scared. I'm still your wife for now, so I'll sign the consent forms you're too afraid to sign." "I'll handle the company so we don't lose a cent. And since you can't be without Mia, I’ll arrange for a cot to be put in here so she can stay with you. For her sake, you have to fight this." Whether it was my confrontation or my "generosity," Marcus’s eyes filled with guilt and tears. "Elena... thank you for helping me even now." "I was out of line yesterday. I’m sorry. My offer still stands—I’ll give you enough to live a good life." I smiled but didn't answer. Once I was outside, the smile vanished. I spoke to the System. "Why mid-stage and not terminal?" "How long until he dies?"
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