1 Seven years into my mission to win Andrew Hayes’s heart, I carried his child. He’d once vowed to love me for a lifetime. But three years into our marriage, he held our son, his face a mask of pure hatred. “Sweetheart,” he cooed, “how about we get you a new mommy?” A cruel smile spread across my son’s face. “Yes! I hate that woman.” My mission failed. A System I was bound to stripped me of all my feelings, and I vanished. But Andrew found me again, our son in tow, his face etched with desperation. “I was wrong. Please, Caroline, can you come back?” But I couldn't. I was already married, building a life that had nothing to do with them. — “I hate you! I don’t want you to be my mom!” With a violent shove, a dish of sizzling food crashed, splattering scalding oil on me. My son, Leo, screamed at me, his eyes burning with his father’s hatred. A sharp pain shot up from my wrist. From the living room, Andrew’s voice cut through the air, cold and impatient. “Are you that useless? Can’t even hold a damn plate? It’s pathetic. Even your own son can’t stand you.” He didn’t even look up, a contemptuous smirk on his lips. He never asked if I was hurt. He never helped. He didn’t love me. I had always known that. Today was the final day. If I failed my mission, the System would take away my ability to feel. I trembled as I pushed myself up, only for Leo to shove me back down. “Stupid woman!” Hearing this, Andrew sauntered over, a glint of amusement in his eyes. “Come on, son. We’re not eating this garbage. How about we go find Aunt Selena?” He scooped Leo into his arms, his gaze a flash of chilling indifference toward me. “Yes! Daddy, I love Aunt Selena!” Leo clapped. “Can Selena be my mommy?” A genuine smile broke through Andrew’s cold exterior. “We’ll see, kiddo.” He shot me a look of pure provocation. I forced my lips into a smile that felt more like a grimace. As I watched them walk away, my heart felt as if it were being stitched with a thousand searing needles. The housekeeper, Mrs. Davis, rushed to help me. I just shook my head. The front door clicked shut. In that silence, the System’s voice echoed in my mind. “Host mission failed. All emotional and sensory faculties will now be revoked.” It was a real goodbye. Time to let go. I set a silent alarm on my phone, a secret countdown to my departure. Seven days… I started cleaning the greasy floor, my mind flashing back to when he’d fired the staff. “Only pathetic housewives ask so many questions,” he’d sneered. “You want to be a housewife? Fine. Do the work of one.” He never cared. But it didn’t matter anymore. Soon, I would be gone. I walked to the bay window, watching the rain. My fingers found our family portrait—Leo frowning, Andrew looking down, only me smiling like a fool. A family that hated being a family. Useless. I tore it to pieces and tossed it in the trash. Just then, a black Maybach pulled up. Andrew stepped out, his face handsome and sharp. From his good mood, I knew who would be next. A moment later, a woman with glamorous curls and a stunning black dress emerged. 2 It was Selena. The new mother my son longed for. The woman Andrew had always loved. She held Leo’s hand, his eyes shining with a light I’d never seen. He adored her. Just like his father, he’d stare at her picture for hours. With me, it was always the same refrain: “Just go away! No wonder Dad doesn’t love you.” I looked away. A quiet thought—how happy they look—drifted through my mind, carrying no sting. I knew with liberating clarity: I didn’t love Andrew anymore. And I no longer loved my son. Selena swept in, her eyes meeting mine with the cool confidence of a victor. This was the first time he’d brought a lover into our home. She probably saw it as a final triumph. But she wasn’t my rival anymore. I moved like a hostess, washing fruit and placing it on the coffee table. “Please, help yourself.” Selena’s eyes narrowed. In the past, this would’ve been my cue to run and cry. My composure was suspicious. Andrew grabbed my arm, his voice a low growl. “You’re washing fruit for her? Caroline, are you insane?” So this was love. He thought the fruit I touched was tainted. I looked into his cold eyes and saw a universe with no star for me. “If you don’t like it,” I said evenly, “I can take it away.” His jaw clenched. “Don’t you dare regret this.” His voice dripped with malice. “You like washing fruit so much? Fine. Wash every single piece of fruit in this house. You’re not sleeping until it’s done.” I nodded. “Okay.” I washed the fruit over and over. “Selena can’t eat things too cold,” he’d snap. “Or too hot.” I just nodded. Somehow, I still angered him. He hurled a bowl against the wall, stormed over, and grabbed me by the neck. “Caroline, are you done with this act? Don’t think this little show is getting my attention.” But I wasn’t acting. I no longer loved him. “The fruit… I washed it very carefully,” I blinked up at him. “Don’t you regret this,” he hissed. He let me go and pulled Selena into a devouring kiss, a performance meant to break me. I placed a hand over my chest. The familiar ache was gone. Even when Leo cheered, “Yay! Aunt Selena is going to be my new mommy!” I felt nothing. I had truly let go. A small smile touched my lips. I felt like I was watching the end of a movie. “Congratulations,” I said calmly. Congratulations to them. And to me. 3 Selena stayed the night. Andrew told me if I got on my knees and begged, he’d make her leave. I didn’t. I just shook my head and walked to my room. “Caroline, you said it was fine,” he called after me. “Don’t you dare regret this.” I won’t, I thought. I don’t know how much time passed before the sounds started from the room next door—soft moans, gasps, the rhythm of intimacy. I put in my earbuds. Two more days until I’m free. I was up before dawn, pulling out my things. After all these years, a single suitcase was only half full. Leo ran in. “Why are you packing? Don’t think you can threaten Dad by leaving. He’ll never love you!” Andrew appeared behind him, his face a mask of disdain. “Even a child can see through your little tricks, Caroline. Why keep up the act?” For years, his favorite line was, “Stop pretending.” He hated that I had, in his mind, trapped him into marriage. But it wasn’t me who wanted this. The truth didn’t matter now. This time, I wasn’t pretending. He led Selena out, laughing. As she passed, Selena whispered, “You should know when it’s time to leave.” Her face was alight with triumph. I nodded. It was time to go. Back in my room, I took our wedding photo from the wall and smashed the glass. He’d always hated it. It wasn’t until I saw the photo of him, Selena, and Leo on his nightstand that I understood. He didn’t hate the photo. He just hated me. One by one, I burned everything that reminded me of him—the photo, the journal filled with the love I once felt. Mrs. Davis rushed in, alarmed. “Ma’am, what are you doing? You’ll regret this!” I smiled and shook my head. “They were old. Time for something new.” I would never regret this. 4 By nightfall, only one thing remained to be packed: the divorce papers. Andrew’s mother called. “Caroline, our family has wronged you. If you want to leave, we won’t stop you. If it wasn’t for you back then… Andrew wouldn’t be alive today.” I managed a hollow laugh. “Mrs. Hayes, let’s just let the past be the past.” If not for that incident, I never would have stayed so long. “Consider the kidney a debt repaid.” She had a large sum of money transferred to my account. I stared at the numbers. My youth had been bought and paid for. Andrew didn't come home for days. I didn’t call. My phone buzzed. It was a photo from Selena in a hotel room, Andrew likely in the shower nearby. I replied to her: Don’t worry. I’ll be leaving soon. You can have your happy ending. Minutes later, Andrew called, his voice edged with panic. “Are you crazy? Why do you always have to play the saint?” I ended the call. The front door burst open. Andrew stood there, pale and panting. He lunged. “You’re alive, so why didn’t you answer your damn phone?” He grabbed my chin. “I… I didn’t want to bother you…” I stammered. “Bother me?” he spat. “Right, the silent treatment. God, Caroline, you’re such a good actress.” He slammed me against the kitchen door, then threw me onto the sofa. The impact nearly knocked the wind out of me. He pinned me down, his mouth crashing onto mine in a punishing assault. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it?” he hissed, his voice raw. “Fine. I’ll give it to you.” Fear coiled in my stomach. I whimpered his name. He just laughed coldly. His phone rang—a jarring intrusion. He swiped it away without looking. “Still playing the innocent virgin, are you?” I endured the pain and humiliation. I was a puppet in his angry hands, my tears swallowed by the silent night. An overwhelming shame washed over me. So this is what he thought of me. Of course. He had always looked down on me. 5 When I woke up, the sun was high. He was stepping out of the bathroom, a towel on his hips, his upper body bare. The sunlight caught the lines of his sculpted muscles. For a second, I was transported back to the early days of our love. A sharp pain brought me back to reality. “Still not done with the act?” he sneered, tossing a bottle of painkillers onto the bed. “I’m leaving. Don’t call me.” I knew Selena had been calling last night. Twenty missed calls. I struggled to stand and stumbled. For a moment, I thought I saw him reach out to steady me. But his hand never touched me. Instead, he casually plucked his belt from the sofa. “Is that all you’ve got?” My clothes were scattered everywhere. His were neatly folded on a chair. I didn’t speak, just slowly picked up my clothes and clumsily pulled them on. He paused at the door. “What are you doing with that suitcase?” There was a flicker of something in his eyes—alarm?—but it vanished. He couldn't care if I left. “Nothing,” I said. “Just old junk I’m throwing out.” He seemed to relax. “If you’d been this obedient from the start, I might have been nicer to you.” The door slammed shut. Don’t worry, Andrew, I thought. I’ll be quiet soon. So quiet I’ll disappear from your life, just like you’ve always wanted. The day of my departure crept closer. I had to visit the Hayes estate one last time to hand over Leo’s school documents. I took a taxi to the South Hills Manor estates.
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