After successfully seducing the brooding male lead in my favorite novel, I chose to immediately exit the simulation. Even though he begged me to stay, I didn't hesitate for a second. Back in the real world, my life was a mess. The System approached me again. It offered me five million dollars to return to the book and make him fall in love with me again. Just as I was about to agree, a stream of comments floated across my vision: "Ugh, the ex-wife who abandoned him is back." "Does she seriously think the male lead still loves her? Delusional." "The second transmigrator didn't just fix his trauma; she stayed. She gave him a home." "They're about to get married. Can the ex-wife just have some dignity and leave them alone?" Chapter 1 It took me a long time to realize they were talking about me. "Ex-wife." Beside me, the System was still pitching the deal. "You just need to make Julian Vance fall in love with you again. Five million dollars, cash. Even if you fail, you get fifty thousand for your trouble. Good deal, right?" It was a good deal. I desperately needed the money. But remembering the comments, I hesitated. I told the System I needed to think about it. So, the System sent me back into the book first. Specifically, to the small apartment Julian and I used to share. It was tiny, worn, but cozy. Exactly as I left it three years ago. Julian hadn't moved a single thing. Even the dress I stained right before I left was hanging in the closet, clean and pressed. I remembered that dress. It was a designer piece, way out of our budget back then. When Julian secretly bought it for me, I scolded him for spending so much. He didn't argue. He just stood there, eyes downcast, waiting for my anger to pass so he could coax me into wearing it. I touched the silky fabric, my chest tightening. If Julian had truly forgotten me, why keep this apartment exactly as it was? I looked around the small room. My gaze landed on a piece of white paper taped to the window. FOR SALE. URGENT. PRICE NEGOTIABLE. The handwriting was sharp and familiar. Julian's. Chapter 2 The floating comments appeared again: "Haha, look at her face. She thought he was sentimental? He just hasn't gotten around to selling the place yet." "She probably thinks he still loves her. Jokes on her. Since he met the new girl, he doesn't give a damn about his ex." "The System only brought her back to be a villain for the main couple to overcome. Just wait for the humiliation." I pressed my lips together. So that was it. The System offered five million because it knew I would fail. My real role was to be the evil ex-wife who tries to ruin the relationship. The fifty thousand "consolation prize" was my actual payment for being a plot device. Fifty thousand. I laughed bitterly. Being a clown for fifty thousand wasn't bad. It would cover a week in the ICU. I called the System and accepted the deal. It happily transferred me a large sum of "in-world currency" for expenses. Since Julian was so eager to sell this place, I might as well buy it. I dialed the number I knew by heart. It rang for thirty seconds before someone picked up. "Hello?" A crisp, cheerful female voice. I paused, checking the number. It was definitely Julian's. "I saw the for-sale sign on the window..." "You want to buy the apartment?" The voice brightened. "That's great! We've been wanting to get rid of it." I asked cautiously, "Are you the owner?" "I'm the owner's girlfriend. You can call me Sophie." So she was the second transmigrator. There was a muffled sound on the other end, like whispering. A moment later, a cold, familiar voice came through the line. "Hello? Can we meet to discuss the details?" It was Julian. Chapter 3 I waited nervously in the cafe. A sleek luxury car pulled up outside. A stunning couple stepped out. Three years had changed Julian. The boyishness was gone, replaced by the polished confidence of wealth and power. He leaned against the car door, smiling as he ruffled Sophie's hair. From a distance, his gaze swept over the cafe window where I sat. It lingered for a split second, then moved on as if I were a stranger. When Sophie sat down opposite me, I was still dazed. She smiled apologetically. "My boyfriend has a meeting, so he just dropped me off. I'll handle the sale." I nodded. "You two look very happy." Sophie's smile widened. "Yeah. He runs a tech company now. Profits are insane. We don't really need the money from this apartment, we just... want it gone." Her tone held a hint of superiority. I asked to see the apartment, as was standard procedure. Sophie hesitated. "I don't have the key. If you want to see it, Julian has to take you." I frowned. "He didn't give you the key?" Sophie sighed, lowering her voice. "I asked, but he wouldn't give it to me. He's never even taken me there. To be honest, he lived there with his ex-wife when he was poor. It makes me uncomfortable, so I just want to sell it ASAP." "Oh," I said. "Then I'll just sign. I don't need to see it." Sophie was thrilled. She pulled out the contract immediately. But since she didn't have the deed, we couldn't finalize it. We had to wait for Julian. While we waited, I got curious about my successor. "So, how did you two meet?" Actually, I wanted to know how she managed to fix him. The System told me that after I left, Julian relapsed. He became self-destructive and dangerous. His "Darkness Level" spiked so high it threatened the stability of the simulation. Sophie arrived during that chaos. She not only saved him but replaced me completely. Julian was a tough nut to crack. She must have suffered. But Sophie smiled breezily. "Oh, his ex had just dumped him. He was depressed. I comforted him for a bit, and we got together." That simple? I couldn't believe it. The comments flooded my vision again: "Look at her face! She's so jealous. Julian just can't resist our Sophie." "The ex-wife spent ten years trying to fix him. She practically begged him to love her." "Sophie just said a few nice words and boom, true love. That's the difference." I read the mocking words in silence. They were right. My journey with Julian had been brutal. So brutal I never wanted to relive it. Chapter 4 Julian's parents hated him. They threw him into a mental institution as a child, where he was abused by the staff. Even with the System's help, getting him out of there almost killed me. I took him to a new city. I made him go to school. I paid for expensive therapy. I did everything to earn his trust. But Julian was too smart. He figured out the world was a simulation, and that I was on a mission. When he became the top student in the state, I threw him a party. He pulled me aside, his eyes cold and mocking. "You did all this just to complete your mission, right?" I choked back tears and admitted it. "My mission is to make you love me. Because I like you." He scoffed, not believing a word. I buried my face in his chest. "Julian, stop overthinking. Life has been hard. I just want us to be happy. I really like you. Please stop doubting me." After college, he started his company. We moved into that tiny apartment. There was no heating in the winter. My feet were always freezing. Every night, Julian would warm my feet with his hands, his eyes red with silent guilt. By then, we were married. His life goal shifted from "destroy the world" to "make money to buy my wife a house." I shielded him from business rivals, taking hits that sent me to the hospital. I endured humiliation from investors so he wouldn't have to. It took ten years of blood and tears for him to love me. But Sophie? Three weeks. She lowered his Darkness Level to -100 and maxed out his Love Meter in three weeks.
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