Chapter 3After My Mom and I Met Our Deaths, They Were Driven Mad With Regret

The system gave Mom one month.

If she could make Dad change his mind within that month, she could avoid the fate of being erased.

But Mom firmly refused. Her feelings for Dad had completely died. She didn't want to cater to him, not even a little.

Dad took his young secretary to Mangria for business, but I saw on Irene's social media that their location was tagged on Santo Island.

They were clearly out there enjoying themselves, hiking and sightseeing, with no word from them.

On the day Dad left, he never came home.

I stayed by Mom's side until dawn, watching as her breathing slowed and stopped. Her warmth faded bit by bit in my hands.

Tears blurred my vision.

That night, after Mom passed, I called Ronnie, my voice choked with emotion.

"Hello?"

There was no immediate reply, just the sound of his labored breathing.

I knew that sound all too well. Ronnie only breathed like that when he was making love.

After a long pause, he finally sighed and said, "Babe, I know you're hurting, but I really can't leave right now. Tomorrow, first thing in the morning, I'll be there to help you make all the arrangements for your mom."

Then, the call ended abruptly.

When I tried calling Dad, it was the same busy signal.

Holding back my grief, I made all the arrangements with the hospital and the funeral home on my own.

Later, I saw Ronnie's chat logs with Judith. She told him she had severe depression and thought about ending her life every day.

This trip back home was, she said, to spend time with him and check off 100 things she wanted to experience before she died.

She had sent him a long, detailed list, including talking with someone all night, drinking until blackout drunk, watching the sunset on an island, making love seven times in one night with someone she loved, going skydiving...

Ronnie had promised her with utmost sincerity.

[Judith, I'll help you fulfill every item on your list. I just hope, after completing these 100 things, you'll find the courage to keep living.]

Her 100th wish was to wear a wedding dress and hold a wedding with her one true love.

Tonight, they were probably working on the third item.

I spent that night alone at the funeral home, keeping vigil over Mom. I watched as she was reduced to ashes.

But my mind was startlingly clear.

By the time I left, the sky had fully brightened.

I received a call from the contact I had reached out to a while ago.

"Ms. Gardner, congratulations. You've secured permanent private residency on this uninhabited island, along with a custom-designed partner service. It will be activated once you arrive."

Using the money Mom left me, I spent 100 million dollars creating a private island for myself.

On this deserted island, no one would ever find me again.

If no one in this world loved me, then I would love myself.

"Alright, I'll head over as soon as I'm done here."

Outside the funeral home, I finally saw Ronnie rushing toward me.

He noticed my red, swollen eyes and pulled me into his arms with a pained expression.

"Andrea, I'm so sorry. I came back too late. How could Brynlee pass away so suddenly?"

In his hurry, Ronnie hadn't noticed that he still smelled faintly of another woman's perfume, a detail someone as careful as him would never usually overlook.

I stood there, cold and unmoved. These hypocritical people and their lies disgusted me.

What Ronnie didn't know was that soon, Andrea Gardner would no longer exist in this world.