In the seventh year of my mission, Tim Stan’s first love killed herself. He cashed in his entire lifetime of good fortune, begging the System for the power to turn back time. He returned to the fateful moment he chose me over her. “This time,” he vowed, “I won’t let Willow suffer again.” He abandoned his wife and child, all for a second chance with the woman he truly loved. But he didn’t know— The System sent me back with him. And as compensation, my mission was over. I no longer had to be anyone’s wife or anyone’s mother. This time, I could just be me. 1 The System found me while I was in the kitchen, making a hangover cure for Tim. The familiar electronic voice echoed in my mind. [Host, it has been a while.] [The second male lead, Tim Stan, has petitioned the Overlord to rewind time, offering his life’s fortune in exchange. We are required to seek your consent.] [As your mission is already complete, you have the right to veto his request.] Crash. The glass slipped from my hand and shattered on the floor. I turned, stunned. The living room was a disaster zone, littered with empty liquor bottles. There, beneath our family portrait, sat Tim, slumped in defeat. In his hands, he clutched a worn photograph of her—Willow Hayes. He stared at the smiling girl in the picture, his eyes bloodshot and wild with grief. “If I had known… I never should have let you go to him,” he choked out. “I should have stayed by your side, protected you, made sure you lived a happy life.” “How could you be so cruel? Why didn’t you think of me? Why didn’t you think of your big brother?” He was laughing and crying at the same time, a wounded, animalistic sound tearing from his throat. I watched him, a cold realization dawning on me. All this time. Even after all the years I had devoted to winning him over, even after marrying him and giving him a child… To him, I was still just the consolation prize. A convenient, laughable shield he used so Willow could chase her own happiness without guilt. 2 After a near-fatal car accident, I was bound to a Transmigration System. The world I entered was a novel, a classic romance about a neglectful hero who has to grovel to win back the woman he wronged. The hero, Damian Thorne, and the heroine, Willow Hayes, had a torturous love story that, after countless trials, ended in reconciliation. And Tim Stan was the devoted second male lead, the one who watched over her from afar and never married. The conflict between Tim and Damian exploded midway through the story. Damian was in the groveling phase of his character arc, clumsily trying to win Willow back. At the same time, Willow had become aware of the unspoken love her adoptive brother, Tim, held for her, and she was trapped in a painful state of guilt and indecision. The System told me my mission was to earn 100% of Tim’s affection. So, in the tenth year of my mission, when Tim set off a city’s worth of fireworks for me, got down on one knee in front of both Willow and Damian, and asked me to marry him… When I heard the System’s voice announce, [Congratulations, Host. Mission complete.]… I wept with joy. I chose to tell Tim everything—about the System, about the fact that his world was a book. And I chose to stay, to live out a new life with him, free from the novel’s plot. I had no one in my original world. As long as I could live, it didn’t matter where. Besides, somewhere along the way, I had truly fallen in love with him. I still remembered his trembling hands as he held out the ring, the frantic beating of his heart, the love that filled his eyes under the cascading fireworks. But it was all a lie. Tim had deceived everyone, including the System, all to free his precious girl from her guilt so she could run into another man’s arms. Now, seven years later, the novel’s plot had concluded. Willow discovered that Damian had cheated on her, that her happily-ever-after was a sham. She fell into a deep depression and jumped from a building. Her white dress had blossomed into a crimson flower in the wind. Only then did Tim finally feel regret. And in his desperation to go back and save her, he tore open the bloody, horrifying truth. How laughable. From beginning to end, Willow was his only destination. 3 “Tim, when you decided to go back, did you think about me and Caleb? Even for a second?” I asked him, clinging to one last sliver of hope. Caleb was our son, born in the first year of our marriage. He was premature, and his condition at birth was critical. Tim had the world’s best medical equipment and specialists flown in. He stood vigil outside the ICU for a week straight, without sleep. Only when our son was out of danger did he finally collapse from exhaustion, sleeping for three days and three nights. When he woke up, he bought three minor planets and named them after the three of us. He held our son and placed a soft kiss on my forehead, his eyes overflowing with love. “My love,” he’d whispered, “thank you for choosing to stay in this world for me. I swear, I, Tim Stan, will never let you down. From now on, our family will be like the stars in the sky, together forever.” It was because of Caleb that both Willow and I believed he had truly moved on, that he was wholeheartedly devoted to me. It was Caleb who sparked in Willow a longing for marriage and family of her own. After a few more rounds of drama with Damian, she finally accepted his proposal, and the story officially reached its grand finale. And now… Tim looked up at me, his eyes a terrifying, inhuman shade of red. He wasn’t surprised the System had told me. “You don’t have to worry,” he said flatly. “Just like you transmigrated into this book, when I turn back time, it will be like going to a parallel universe. Time in this world will freeze. Once I’ve helped Willow live a long and happy life, I’ll come back. You and Caleb will be fine.” As he spoke, his gaze drifted back to the photograph, tender and full of longing. He seemed completely oblivious to how utterly insane he sounded. My voice was hoarse. “You mean, after you go back, save Willow, and grow old with her, you’re just going to come back here and continue living with us?” Perhaps the raw despair in my voice finally got through to him. He tore his eyes away from his memories and looked at me, confused. “But I already helped you complete your mission, didn’t I? I gave you a second chance at life. How can you ask for more from me and Willow?” That single look sent a chill through my bones. I couldn't stop shivering. His meaning was simple. I was the one who had stolen the love that rightfully belonged to Willow. I was a thief. And as a thief, I had no right to stop him from returning what he had stolen. It’s hard to describe the feeling. Before I could even process the grief, another blow landed. The phone rang. Our son, Caleb, was missing. 4 I called the police. I checked the security footage. I drove around his school all night, searching. He was only six. A little boy so pampered he refused to ride in anything but a sports car, a boy I had to coax into eating every meal. Why? Why would he pack his little backpack and trudge out into the pouring rain, only to vanish into a surveillance blind spot? Panic consumed me. Caleb was so young. It was dark, it was raining… what if he ran into someone dangerous? A tidal wave of regret washed over me. I should have picked him up myself. I shouldn't have been so caught up with Tim. I collapsed onto the floor and finally began to sob. Seeing me in a state of utter breakdown, Tim stood up, a faint sneer in his eyes. “I know where he is.” “I’ll take you.” I didn’t have time to think. I clung to him like a drowning person to a piece of driftwood and followed. He wasn’t lying. He really knew where Caleb was. When we arrived, Caleb was holding his tiny umbrella, struggling through the downpour. He, who was usually so fussy about cleanliness, who had a mild pollen allergy, was covered in mud. He didn't seem to notice. He was carrying a large bouquet of wild daisies, which he placed reverently in front of Willow’s tombstone. His eyes were red as he leaned against the black-and-white photograph on the stone. “Auntie Willow, I miss you so much.” “Daddy said you’re not really his sister. He said… you were supposed to be my mommy.” “I wish you were my mommy…” I couldn’t listen anymore. I dropped my umbrella and rushed forward to take him home. But he fought me, kicking and screaming. “No! I don’t want to leave Auntie Willow! It was you! You took Daddy away from her! You stole me from her tummy! I don’t want a wicked woman like you to be my mom!” He bit down hard on my wrist. Blood trickled down my arm, mixing with the rain. I cried out in pain and let him go. He scrambled away like a wounded animal seeking shelter and hid behind the tombstone, behind the cold, black-and-white photograph that offered him more security than his own living mother. Tim stood by, arms crossed, watching the whole scene with cold detachment, as if I weren't his wife, as if Caleb weren't his son. The only time his expression changed was when I stumbled and nearly crushed the daisies. He strode forward, his voice like ice. “Don’t get dirt on Willow’s favorite flowers.” I shoved him away, my eyes locked on Caleb. “Caleb… do you really not want me to be your mommy anymore?” He nodded without a second of hesitation. “Yes. If I could choose, I would want Auntie Willow to be my mom.” “Fine,” I said, nodding. I turned and walked away without a single backward glance at the father and son mourning their lost love in the rain. 5 Tim’s theory about parallel worlds was correct. What he didn’t know was that as compensation for his time travel, I had a choice. [If the Host chooses to return as well, this world will collapse and reboot.] [In the new timeline, the Host will no longer be bound by any mission and will be free to choose her own path.] The System’s electronic voice sounded almost cheerful. [Consider it a small humanitarian gesture from the Overlord for our returning agents.] [Host, have you decided? Will you stay or go?] I was momentarily stunned. No more missions. Then, a sense of relief washed over me. It made sense. I had already completed my task. The time reversal wasn't my fault, so I shouldn’t have to work again. Out of a final, lingering sense of maternal duty, I asked, “What will happen to Caleb?” The System paused. [If Tim succeeds in saving Willow Hayes, Caleb will be born as their child.] I smiled softly. “Well, that’s the best possible outcome, isn’t it?” I would get health, freedom, and wealth. Tim and his son would get the woman they’d always dreamed of. The System sounded confused. [Are you not sad? You spent almost all of your accumulated points to ensure he could be born within the story’s original timeline, a child who was never meant to exist.] Sad? Maybe a little. But a new beginning was right in front of me. A life free from missions, untethered, completely my own. It was waving at me with open arms. Before, I had no choice. Now, I wanted to be myself. I shook my head. “Let’s go back.” This was their choice. Let them have it. A flash of white light, and I was back, six years in the past. The moment I opened my eyes, a sharp sting exploded across my cheek. Before I could even see who had hit me, I reacted on instinct, my own hand flying out to return the slap. Tim’s furious face came into focus. “Genevieve, are you insane?” Behind him, Willow Hayes was clutching her cheek, tears streaming silently down her face. The grand ballroom buzzed with the chatter of guests. Someone whispered, “Has the Sterling heiress lost her mind?” “Everyone knows Willow is the apple of Tim’s eye. It was just a dress. Was it really necessary to cause such a scene?” I remembered now. This was six years ago, at the engagement party for my arranged marriage with Tim. Willow, in an attempt to stop Tim from marrying a woman he didn’t love, had shown up wearing the exact same gown as me. “Genevieve,” she had hissed at me, “do you really want to spend the rest of your life in a cold, loveless transaction? Marriage should be about love, not business!” That was Willow’s logic. Love conquered all. Even though she hadn’t figured out her own feelings for Tim, she knew he loved her. So, to save him from a loveless, financially motivated marriage, she had come to crash the party. Back then, I had just smiled. “And can you give him that happiness?” I’d asked. “You know you two have no future, yet you come here to play the righteous hero. You give him hope only to snatch it away. Do you really think you’re so noble, Willow?” She couldn’t answer. She had stammered, her face turning crimson, and then shrieked as she slapped me. “This is between me and Tim! It’s none of your business!” The first time around, to protect my image in front of Tim and maintain his fragile affection score, I hadn’t fought back. But things were different now. So I slapped him too, right across the face, for getting in my way. Then, as he stared at me in disbelief, I shook my head slowly, a wild, unrestrained smile spreading across my face. “I’m not insane, Tim.” “I’m calling off the engagement.”
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