The night of our engagement gala was supposed to be the pinnacle of my life. Instead, Hudson Montgomery left me standing alone under the crystal chandeliers in front of the most powerful families in Manhattan. Thirty minutes later, a viral video shattered the internet. [Billionaire Heir Proposes Outside ER: A Love for the Ages] The diamond ring that was meant for my finger was glinting on Nora Whitlock’s hand. When Hudson finally called, his voice was thick with a calculated kind of guilt. "Jade, listen to me. Nora tried to take her own life. The ring, the proposal—it’s just a temporary measure to keep her stable. It’s medical, essentially." "She saved my life years ago. She’s like family to me, but I swear, you’re the only woman I actually love." I had spent eight years piecing him back together. I stayed by his side from the gutter of his reputation to the top of the Montgomery empire. I believed his "extenuating circumstances." I believed in us. A year later, I was four months pregnant. Nora’s old "condition" flared up again. This time, she demanded I terminate my pregnancy. She used her life as the ultimate bargaining chip. Hudson knelt before me, his eyes cold and desperate. "Jade, she’s relapsing. If she hadn't pulled me from that burning car years ago, she wouldn't have this psychological trauma. I owe her my life." "I’m begging you. Get the procedure. Don't trigger her. Please, just this once?" I was forcibly wheeled into the operating room. When I opened my eyes, the world felt hollow. My baby was gone. Suddenly, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in my mind: [Warning: The target of your redemption mission has intentionally harmed your offspring. Mission failed.] [Identity Erasure Countdown: 72 hours.] ... [Once the 72-hour countdown concludes, the system will match you with your true soulmate as compensation.] I stared at the sterile white ceiling of the hospital room, a bitter, helpless smile tugging at my cracked lips. The door creaked open. Hudson walked in. He sat on the edge of the bed, reaching for my hand out of habit. The moment his fingers brushed mine, I flinched, pulling away as if his skin were acid. His hand froze in mid-air. A flash of irritation crossed his face, quickly masked by a practiced look of remorse. "Jade... about the baby... I’m so sorry." His voice was raspy. To anyone else, he would have sounded like a man in mourning. "Nora developed PTSD because of what happened to me. She slit her wrists tonight. The doctors said the only way to keep her from doing it again was to... I couldn't just watch her die, Jade." I turned my head slowly, looking at his tear-streaked face. My voice was a dead calm. "Hudson, that was your child, too." His eyes turned a bruised red, his fists clenching so hard his knuckles turned white. "I know! But I owe her! My life belongs to her!" "Jade, once she’s fully recovered, we’ll make this right. We’ll have a life together. I promise." Always the same promise. To wait for her recovery, I had to sacrifice my wedding. To keep her stable, I had to kill my child. I didn't say a word. Hudson took my silence as submission. His posture relaxed. "Get some rest. I’ve ordered the best recovery supplements. Nora is still unconscious, and I’m worried. I need to check on her, but I’ll be back later to sit with you." He left quickly. His steps were hurried, frantic. He didn't look back once. The system voice chimed again: [Countdown: 71 hours remaining.] [Due to the male lead’s extreme malice toward the host, the system will now begin reclaiming the 'Fortune' granted to him.] I sat up, my body screaming in pain, and ripped the IV needle from the back of my hand. Blood trickled down, blooming into dark red stains on the white sheets. It was a haunting sight—it looked exactly like the shattered remains of the life I’d lost on that operating table. Hudson’s secretary pushed the door open, carrying a glossy boutique bag. "Mrs. Montgomery, Mr. Montgomery asked me to bring this. He said it’s a... token of his appreciation for your understanding." I opened the bag. Inside was a Harry Winston sapphire necklace. It was the piece he had promised me for our first anniversary—a promise he’d "forgotten" until now. I tossed it into the trash can next to the bed without a second thought. "Where is he?" The secretary stammered, shifting his weight. "He’s... he’s in the next suite. Ms. Whitlock woke up. She mentioned she wanted the sea bass broth from that place in the Hamptons. Mr. Montgomery went to fetch it personally." I nodded, slid out of bed, and put on my shoes. I brushed past the secretary and walked to the room next door. Through the crack in the door, I saw him. Hudson was sitting by Nora’s bed, carefully blowing on a spoonful of broth before feeding it to her. Nora sniffled, her eyes wide and innocent. "Hudson... Jade won't hate me for this, will she?" Hudson paused, his expression softening into a tenderness he hadn't shown me in years. "Don't overthink it. She’s a rational woman. Besides, she’s strong. She’ll bounce back. You’re different, Nora. You’re fragile." I leaned against the cold corridor wall, listening. I expected to feel a sharp pain, a stabbing in my heart. But there was nothing. Only a vast, echoing emptiness. Hudson came out to discard some trash and nearly ran into me. He froze, his face darkening instantly. "Why are you out of bed? I told you to stay put." I looked up at him. For the first time, I realized how shallow his eyes were. How thin his love truly was. "Hudson, you wanted to pay Nora back for saving your life. Well, I just paid the bill for you." He frowned, his lips parting to say something. I cut him off. "So, we’re even. You and I? We’re done." He must have heard the finality in my tone. Panic flared in his eyes, and he grabbed my shoulders. "Jade, don't be like this. I just... I didn't have a choice." He tried to pull me into a hug, but his phone vibrated violently in his pocket. I saw the screen. NORA. Hudson looked at the phone, then back at me, his indecision written all over his face. "Go," I said softly. "She needs you more than I do." Hudson bit his lip, turned, and started walking away. "Wait for me. I’ll explain everything when I get back!" I watched his retreating back until he disappeared around the corner. I slid down the wall, my strength finally giving out. "System," I whispered. [I’m here.] "Since my identity is being erased... does that mean everything of mine will vanish too?" [Correct. Every trace of your existence will be purged once the countdown ends.] Good. I didn't want to leave a single scrap of myself for him to hold onto. Hudson stayed by Nora’s side all night. The next morning, looking haggard and exhausted, he entered my room. "Jade, Nora was having nightmares all night..." He stopped when he saw me sitting by the window. I didn't even turn around. He sighed, his voice dropping into that "gentle" tone again. "Look, I bought those dumplings you like from the city. Eat them while they’re hot." "No thank you, Mr. Montgomery," I said coldly. Hudson’s patience snapped. "How long are you going to keep up this act? I already explained about the baby!" I looked up at him, flashing a polite, distant smile. "I’m strong, remember? I’ll bounce back. So, you don't need to feel guilty anymore." Hudson looked lost for a moment, but before he could process the shift in my demeanor, a scream erupted from Nora’s room. In a heartbeat, he was gone. [Countdown: 60 hours remaining.] [Target’s malice level is rising. System is now seizing 20% of Montgomery Group’s shares.] I ignored the voice. I packed my small bag and took a car back to our penthouse. The moment I pushed the door open, I saw several pairs of designer heels scattered in the foyer. I walked into the living room. Hudson was on the sofa, Nora curled up in his lap as they watched a movie. Nora was wrapped in the cashmere shawl Hudson had given me for my last birthday. Hudson’s grip on her shoulder tightened when he saw me. "I thought you were staying in the hospital for a few more days. Why are you back so early?" Nora trembled like a frightened kitten, burying her face in his chest. "Hudson... am I in her way? Maybe I should leave..." She made a show of trying to stand, only to stumble back into his arms. Hudson’s heart clearly bled for her. He held her down and barked at me, "Jade, for God's sake, grow up! Nora is weak. She can't be alone right now." I walked past them toward the stairs. "I’m just here to get my things." I pushed open the master bedroom door. The room that was supposed to be mine smelled of her perfume. Worse, my scrapbook—eight years of our memories—was lying on the floor, discarded. We had filled those pages together. Every photo, every concert ticket. I bent down to pick it up, but Hudson stormed in. He stepped heavily onto my hand, pinning it to the floor. The pain was blinding. "Leave it," he snapped. "Nora gets upset when she sees that stuff. It reminds her of... things. I’ve already called the junk removers. It’s all going to the landfill." I looked at his shoe on my hand, my voice a broken whisper. "Hudson, these are our photos. Our whole life." He looked down at the book with pure annoyance. "Jade, you’re always clinging to the past. Is this your way of reminding me how poor I used to be? Or how much I 'owe' you for your help?" "Nora saved my life. You? You just gave me a hand with business. There’s a difference." "Besides, I gave you the title of Mrs. Montgomery as payment. Isn't that enough?" He kicked the scrapbook into the corner like it was trash. "Move your things to the guest suite. Nora feels more comfortable in this room." I looked at the man I had been married to for a year. He was a stranger. When I first arrived in this world, I thought Nora was his "North Star"—the one beautiful thing in his dark life. The system told me she died in that car wreck saving him. He became cold, cruel, and broken. My job was to save him. I spent eight years pulling him out of the darkness. I thought I had made it into his heart. But a year before our wedding, Nora "came back from the dead." And suddenly, my eight years of devotion were worth nothing compared to the "White Moonlight" who had returned. At 2:00 AM, a post-surgical infection set in. I was burning up with a fever. I tried to use the wall for support to get downstairs for medicine. As I passed the master bedroom, the door was slightly ajar. I saw Hudson sitting on the bed, holding Nora. She was rubbing her feet against his legs, her voice a coy purr. "Hudson, my feet are so cold." He looked at her with such agonizing tenderness. He pulled her feet into his lap. "I’ll warm them for you. Sleep now, my sweet Nora. Your health is everything." That was a level of patience I had never received in nearly a decade. My vision blurred. I lost my balance and knocked over a vase on a pedestal. Nora shrieked. Hudson surged out of the room, throwing the door open. Nora cowered behind him. "Hudson! She was making faces at me through the door! Her eyes... she looked like she wanted to kill me! She wants revenge for the baby!" Hudson’s face was a mask of fury. He lunged forward and shoved me. I was already weak. I hit the corner of the wall hard. "Jade! When will you stop this insanity?" "Losing the baby was just bad luck. We can have another. But you? You’re taking your bitterness out on an innocent woman?" I struggled to stand, cold sweat pouring down my face. "Hudson," I gasped. "I have an infection. I’m burning up. It’s 103 degrees." He let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "You? You’re as strong as a horse. You don't get 'fevers'." "Even if you are warm, it’s a normal reaction to the procedure. Stop faking for sympathy. It’s pathetic." "Nora is hyperventilating because of you. Go back to your room and stay there. Don't come out until I tell you to." I curled into a ball on the floor, my voice barely audible. "I just... needed medicine." He didn't listen. He grabbed my arm and dragged me down the hall, tossing me into the guest room. I stumbled, nearly falling again. He pulled his hand back as if I were a leper. "Jade, if you keep using these 'illness' theatrics to compete for my attention, I’ll move you out of this house entirely." As he turned to leave, I called out his name one last time. "Hudson... do you still love me? Do you realize that without your love, I will literally disappear from this world?" He froze, then turned slowly. He started to laugh. It was the most soul-crushing sound I’d ever heard. He walked back, gripped my chin, his nails digging into my skin. "Disappear?" "You’ve finally lost it. You’re making up sci-fi stories to keep me around?" His eyes were full of pure, unadulterated loathing. "If you actually disappeared, it would be a goddamn relief. One less headache for me and Nora." "A woman like you—who stayed for eight years just to get a piece of the Montgomery fortune—you wouldn't have the heart to die." "I bet you targeted me back then because you saw me as a 'growth stock' to invest in." He let go, wiping his hand on his trousers in disgust. "Stop disgusting me with these stunts." I watched his silhouette vanish. My heart didn't break; it simply stopped feeling. "Fine," I whispered to the empty room. "As you wish." The fever took over. I curled up on the guest bed, listening to the muffled sounds of Hudson singing a lullaby to Nora in the next room. One wall. On one side, a fake romance. On the other, the end of a world. His love hadn't disappeared. He just never intended to give a single drop of it to me. Beep. [Host, 25 hours remaining. Please hold on.] The next day, Hudson kicked my door open. He was radiating cold fury. "Jade, get up." He marched to the bed and ripped the duvet off me. "Hudson, I’m really sick," I croaked. "Save it. Mr. Zhang just pulled out of our biggest merger. Did you talk to him? Did you sabotage me?" "I’m hosting a yacht party tonight. You’re coming. You’re going to fix this." The Zhang project was one I had secured. The system was clearly working, stripping away the luck I’d given him. "Hudson, I just had a procedure. I can't be in the cold wind. I can't drink..." He cut me off, pulling a gaudy, revealing red dress from a shopping bag. "God knows what you did to make Zhang listen to you in the first place. What, are you the 'social butterfly' people say you are? Are you a professional 'companion' now?" "You’re just going to have a few drinks with him. Stop acting like a saint." He threw the dress in my face. "Seven o'clock. Be there." I looked at the scraps of fabric. My eyes burned. Beep. [Countdown: 12 hours remaining. Prepare for extraction.] 7:00 PM. The yacht was filled with the elite of the city. The ocean breeze was ice-cold. My abdomen throbbed with a dull, persistent ache. Hudson was there, his arm wrapped around Nora’s waist. They looked like the perfect power couple. When I arrived, Hudson grabbed my arm and pushed me toward Mr. Zhang. Zhang looked at me with a predatory glint. Hudson laughed, a sound like glass breaking. "If you find Jade’s company 'stimulating,' Mr. Zhang, feel free to keep her busy tonight." The crowd chuckled knowingly. Nora hid a smirk behind her champagne flute. My blood felt like slush. Nora drifted toward me. She leaned in, whispering into my ear, "Look at you. Eight years of playing the loyal wife, and he treats you like a common escort. How does it feel to be trash, Jade?" Suddenly, she grabbed my hand and threw herself backward. "Help! She pushed me!" Splash. The freezing water engulfed me. I struggled to breathe, my eyes snapping open under the surface. I saw Hudson dive in, a look of pure panic on his face. He swam toward me. I reached out instinctively, desperate for a lifeline. But just as his fingers were about to touch mine, Nora shrieked from a few yards away. "Hudson! Help me! I’m drowning! I can't breathe!" Hudson didn't hesitate. He looked at me with a flash of pure annoyance—as if my drowning were just another 'stunt.' He used my shoulder as a stepping stone, shoving me deeper into the dark water to get a better launch toward Nora. I lost my last bit of air. My lungs felt like they were exploding. I watched him pull Nora to the surface. I watched the people on deck frantically tossing life rings—all in the wrong direction. Nobody even remembered I was in the water. I closed my eyes. I let the cold embrace of the Atlantic take me. [Countdown: Zero. Identity erasure initiated.] On the deck, after Hudson had hauled a shivering Nora to safety, he turned back to the dark water, his face twisted in anger. "Jade! How long are you going to play dead in the water?" "Get up here and apologize to Nora right now!" The surface of the water was perfectly still. Not even a ripple. Mr. Zhang looked at him, confused. "Hudson? Who the hell are you screaming at?" Hudson froze. He pointed at the spot where I’d just been. "Jade! She was right there! She fell in with Nora!" The guests exchanged looks of pity and confusion. "Who is Jade? Hudson, only Ms. Whitlock fell in. There was nobody else."
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