Chapter 2The Ninety-Ninth Abandonment

The next second, panicked footsteps thundered down the stairs.

Caleb rushed down and slammed into me, knocking me to the floor.

"Why weren't you watching her?"

He quickly scooped Bella into his arms, carefully placing her on the sofa to tend to her wounds. His eyes were cold as he interrogated me.

"Don't you know she has severe depression? She has suicidal tendencies at any moment!"

My palms were pierced by the glass shards on the floor, stinging sharply, but I didn't dare say a word, terrified of triggering Bella again.

Bella hooked her arms around Caleb’s neck, burying her face in his chest. She sobbed and whined in a baby voice, unable to hide the smugness in her tone.

"Caleb... it hurts so much. Bella hurts."

Caleb sighed. The look he gave her was full of heartache. He gently wiped the tears from her face, held her injured hand, and softly blew on the wound.

"I’ll blow on it, and the pain will fly away. Bella is the best girl."

In that moment, Caleb didn't even notice that I was bleeding profusely on the floor.

I kept comforting myself. Because Bella is sick, it’s only right that Caleb pays more attention to her.

But later, Caleb’s first choice was always Bella.

Bella threatened suicide ninety-nine times.

And he abandoned me ninety-nine times.

In the silent, deep mountains; in the biting winds of a blizzard; on the busy highway; in the desolate suburbs late at night; at the weddings we tried to hold over and over again...

Because of Bella’s depression, every time Caleb left me to find her, I had no right to say "no."

This time, I really didn't want to compromise.

No matter what Caleb said, I held onto his sleeve, refusing to let go.

Because last night, the System warned me repeatedly.

If Caleb abandoned me for Bella one more time, my mission would be a failure.

And I would be erased.

To help me let go of my moral burdens and fight Bella with everything I had, the System even secretly told me: Bella’s depression is fake. She would never actually kill herself.

Caleb looked anxious.

"Bella is my sister. I can't just ignore her."

"Besides, I’m a doctor. I have to be responsible for my patients. We can have a wedding any day, but if something happens to Bella today, my conscience will never be clear."

"I promise, next time, I’ll give you a perfect wedding."

I shook my head, my voice raspy.

"Caleb, if you leave this time, there won't be a next time."

Caleb’s patience finally ran out.

He forcefully pried my fingers off his sleeve. His handsome brows furrowed, and his tone grew colder.

"I will marry you, and I must save Bella. These two things don't conflict. Why do you have to be so difficult?"

"This is a matter of life and death. Do you have to be so unreasonable right now?"

The atmosphere froze.

Mocking gazes from the guests shot at me from all directions.

I opened my mouth, wanting to tell him that Bella was faking it, that she wouldn't die.

But I couldn't get the words out.

The System said I couldn't tell Caleb what it told me. That counts as cheating the mission.

I opened my mouth again, wanting to tell Caleb the truth about me.

If you leave, I will die.

But before I could speak, Caleb’s phone rang again.

He answered it, gently comforting Bella on the other end.

Then, without hesitation, he abandoned me. He left without looking back.

The next second, the System’s cold, mechanical voice rang out:

"Host, your mission has failed."

"You may freely choose your method of death."

"After you die, you will be sent back to your original world."

Back to my original world?

Suddenly, that sounded wonderful.

In my original world, I was terminally ill, but at least I had my mom who loved me.

In this world, aside from a healthy body, I truly had nothing.

I thought for a moment and said to the System:

"Then let me fall into actual severe depression and die at Caleb’s hands."

I’m going to die anyway.

I want Caleb, the professional psychiatrist, to see what real severe depression looks like.

Because it definitely doesn't look like Bella.