Chapter 1 My husband couldn't forget his "one that got away." In the VIP room of a club, drunk out of his mind, he confessed his truth to his friends: "I've loved her for years. It killed me that she got married before I could confess. And now that she's finally divorced, it kills me that I'm married." I wasn't angry. I still stayed by his side. My husband despised me. He saw me as a pathetic, clingy doormat with no personality, an obstacle standing between him and his true love. He desperately wanted to divorce me. But every time he brought it up, I refused. What he didn't know was that he was just my assigned target. I only needed to reject his demand for a divorce three times, and the system would forcibly terminate my mission. ... When I rushed to the club through the pouring rain, I arrived just in time to hear Arthur Sterling's confession: "I've loved her for years, but before I could tell her, she got married." "And now that she's finally divorced, I'm the one who's tied down." One of his frat brothers teased him, "You could always just get a divorce, man." Arthur's drunken voice dripped with disdain and contempt. "That woman is obsessed with me. She's practically psychotic. Do you really think she'd ever agree to a divorce?" "You guys have no idea. Every time I see her hovering around me, I get sick to my stomach. She has absolutely no personality, no sense of self." "She couldn't even compare to one of Chloe's fingernails." I stood frozen in the hallway outside the open door. Behind me, the sharp click-clack of high heels echoed. It was Arthur's beloved "one that got away," Chloe Vance. "Mia, you're here. Why aren't you going inside?" she asked, her voice light and musical. She flashed me a brilliant, arrogant smile, her pretty eyes glinting with malice. "What are you eavesdropping on?" The men inside suddenly noticed me. The color drained from their faces, and they shot guilty, panicked looks at Arthur. For a split second, Arthur looked sober and terrified, but his expression instantly hardened into ice. "You heard all of that?" There were too many people in the room. To save Arthur's face, I played dumb. "Heard what? I just got here." Arthur let out a cold, disgusted laugh and turned his head away, refusing to look at me. I walked into the room to help him up. "It's really late. Let's go home." Arthur violently shoved me away without a shred of hesitation. He snapped impatiently, "Didn't I tell you I wasn't coming home tonight? Why did you track me down? Do you have any idea how annoying you are?" He was drunk, so he didn't bother hiding his temper. His expression was a terrifying, vicious scowl I had never seen before. It made him look like a complete stranger. Actually, maybe not a stranger. He had been treating me like this for a while now. Ever since his "true love" announced her divorce. "Arthur, don't talk to Mia like that. She only came to pick you up because she cares about you," Chloe chimed in with sickeningly fake sweetness. "How about this: Mia and I will take you home together. Is that okay?" Arthur looked at Chloe's face, and his features softened visibly. "Okay." So, I ended up driving, while Arthur and Chloe squeezed into the backseat together. I don't know if Arthur was actually blackout drunk or just doing it on purpose, but he laid his head directly on Chloe's lap, resting there intimately like they were deeply in love. It made my eyes burn. Chloe offered a sickly-sweet apology. "Mia, please don't misunderstand. Arthur is just drunk. I really hope you two don't fight because of me." I didn't say a word. I had absolutely zero desire to waste my energy interacting with a manipulative homewrecker. But Chloe just wouldn't shut up. "You really do have a boring personality. No wonder you and Arthur haven't developed any real feelings after being married for five years." Chapter 2 Those words actually stung. Yeah. Once upon a time, I had genuinely fantasized about the whole "arranged marriage turning into true love" trope with him. But at the end of the day, Arthur always loved his "one that got away" more. When the car pulled up to the estate, Chloe completely ignored me and practically carried Arthur inside by herself. I didn't stop her. I just sat in the driver's seat, looking at the photo I had just taken on my phone. The next day, when Arthur sobered up, I shoved the photo in his face. It was a picture of him sleeping peacefully on Chloe's lap, while she gazed down at him with profound affection. Arthur stared at the screen, stunned. Then, a subtle wave of joy washed over his face. I knew exactly what he was thinking. He was absolutely thrilled that Chloe was looking at him with love in her eyes. So, I intentionally threw a massive tantrum, screaming at him, "What exactly is going on between you and that homewrecking slut, Chloe Vance?!" Arthur's brow furrowed instantly. "Mia, watch your mouth. Have some class, will you?" I yelled back furiously, "Even if I have no class, I am still your wife! I have every right to control what you do, and I have every right to curse out the homewrecker you're messing around with!" I used the ugliest words I could think of. Just as I hoped, Arthur's expression turned pitch black. He glared at me with absolute freezing hatred. "What? Am I not your wife? Do I not have that right?!" "Then let's get a divorce," Arthur said, his voice dripping with profound exhaustion and disgust. "Mia, we're getting a divorce." I forced myself to look hysterical and screamed, "I will not agree to that! Arthur Sterling, I will never divorce you!" Arthur gave me a look that practically said, I knew it. As if he had predicted exactly how pathetic and desperate I would be. Sick of my presence, he slammed the bedroom door and left. The second he was gone, the furious mask melted off my face. I calmly pulled out a chair and sat down at my desk. Finally. He initiated the divorce. Six years ago, the System pulled me into this dimension and assigned me the mission of capturing Arthur Sterling's heart. For six years, I played the role of the devoted, deeply-in-love woman flawlessly. I sacrificed everything to marry him. At one point, I even actually fell for him. But Arthur still didn't love me. I failed the mission. Now, the only way out was the fail-safe: if Arthur explicitly demanded a divorce three separate times, the mission would be forcibly terminated, and I could finally return to my own world. That was strike one. Just two more to go. When Arthur returned home later that day, I was in my study, organizing my illustration drafts. After marrying Arthur, I became a full-time housewife, but I also worked as a freelance illustrator. I had actually built a pretty solid following online. Right now, I was finalizing my very first original comic series. It had taken me over two years to conceptualize and draw. Originally, I planned to publish it in this world, but since I was leaving soon, I decided to take the intellectual property back to my original dimension with me. Hearing the front door open, I closed my sketchbook and walked out to greet him, pretending our massive fight never happened. "You're back?" I asked softly. Arthur looked incredibly stiff and awkward, like he wanted to say something but couldn't get the words out. I walked toward him, knowing exactly what was coming, but feigning ignorance. "I made your favorite soup. Let me go heat it up for you." The second I stepped out of the study, I saw exactly why Arthur looked so guilty. Chloe was standing in the foyer, holding a massive suitcase. "Hi, Mia," Chloe said, flashing me a gentle, apologetic smile. "I've been getting harassed by some crazy stalker fans lately, so I can't stay at my place. Would it be okay if I crashed here for a few days until things cool down?" I stared at her, my face completely blank. I didn't say a word. Arthur, clearly feeling guilty, spoke up softly to defend her. "It's true. Some fan leaked Chloe's address. They've been banging on her door every night and following her." Seeing my continued silence, Arthur started to lose his patience. His brows drew together in an irritated scowl. "There is absolutely nothing going on between me and Chloe. We've just been friends for years. She's in trouble, and I can't just leave her out on the street." "Mia, there has to be a limit to your irrational jealousy. Stop testing my patience. We've been married for five years; can you please grow up and stop acting like a dramatic teenager?" "Fine," I said, breaking my gaze away from Chloe and looking directly at Arthur. "She can stay." Chapter 3 Why wouldn't I let her stay? Having her living under the same roof was the fastest way to detonate the remaining tension between Arthur and me. It was the quickest way to get him to demand a divorce for the second time. The sooner I could leave this world, the better. Arthur looked at me in genuine shock. His eyes flickered with something unreadable—almost like he was still unsatisfied. "What? I said yes, and you're still not happy?" Arthur frowned, pointing a warning finger at me. "Don't try anything stupid. If I find out you're secretly bullying Chloe while I'm not around, I won't let it slide." I actually wanted to laugh out loud. I was his legal wife, yet he was bending over backwards to protect an outsider from me. I really wanted to ask him: Arthur, after all these years together, have you honestly never felt a single shred of genuine affection for me? But I didn't. Arthur ignored me and hurried down the stairs to help Chloe with her luggage. While he was setting up the guest room, I heard him cheerfully say to her, "Mia made this incredible herbal soup earlier. Once we're done unpacking, I'll bring you a bowl." "Mia has a lot of flaws, but her cooking is top-tier. Your health hasn't been great lately, so we'll have her cook some nutritious meals for you while you're here." I rolled my eyes and scoffed. Arthur, do you really think that just because we're married, I'm your personal maid? Do you honestly believe that no matter how much you degrade me, I'll never leave you? I can't wait to see the look on your face when I'm finally gone. I walked downstairs, went straight into the kitchen, drank one bowl of the soup myself, and poured the entire rest of the pot straight down the garbage disposal. I spent all day simmering that soup. I'd rather pour it down the drain than let this trashy duo have a single drop. I went back up to my study and resumed organizing my comic drafts. Not ten minutes later, Arthur violently shoved the study door open, glaring at me. "Where is the soup?" I kept my eyes on my tablet and answered coldly, "I dumped it." "What?!" Arthur looked like a completely different person. His voice exploded with rage. "Mia, what the hell is your problem?! If you didn't want Chloe to stay here, you should have just said no! What is the point of agreeing to her face and then playing these passive-aggressive, petty little games behind my back?!" I looked up at him, my voice freezing cold. "If I had said no, would you have gracefully accepted it without throwing a fit?" Arthur glared at me, struck speechless. I stared right back at him, holding my breath, waiting for him to drop the D-word for the second time. But to my immense disappointment, he didn't. He just slammed the door and stormed out again. Late that night, after washing up, I got into bed. Downstairs in the living room, Arthur and Chloe were drinking wine and laughing. The atmosphere sounded incredibly cozy and romantic; their laughter echoed all the way up to the master bedroom. I don't know how much time passed. I was deep in sleep when I suddenly felt heavy arms wrap around me from behind. It was Arthur. His breath was scorching hot and reeked of alcohol. He started pressing wet, sloppy kisses against the back of my neck. A wave of absolute revulsion washed over me. I violently shoved him off. "What are you doing?!" The shove sobered him up slightly. He scowled in annoyance. "You're my wife. What do you think I'm doing?" Seeing me physically recoil from him, his face darkened into a menacing glare. "This is your duty as a wife. Mia, if you're going to keep acting like a prude and refuse to let me touch you, then get the hell out of my house." Ever since I discovered he was emotionally cheating with Chloe, I hadn't let him touch me. It had been almost three months. "Your house?" I asked, my voice flat. Arthur looked at me with smug, absolute superiority, fully convinced I was about to yield. "When you married me, you had absolutely nothing. I paid for this house entirely by myself, so yes, it's my house. Did you forget, Mia? You literally begged me to marry you." "If you aren't going to let me touch you, then get out!" Chapter 4 I was so utterly speechless that I just went quiet, and then a bitter laugh escaped my lips. Back then, he was my assigned target. To complete the mission, I really had begged him to marry me. I couldn't deny it. I just never expected that the man I had actually developed real feelings for would weaponize my vulnerability to obliterate my dignity. "Fine. I'm leaving." I opened the closet and haphazardly threw a few essentials into a duffel bag. Before walking out the door, I paused for a second. I was waiting for him to deliver the killing blow—to say something cruel, like, If you walk out that door, we're getting a divorce. But Arthur completely misread my hesitation. He ruthlessly mocked me. "I thought you were leaving? Go on! Walk out!" His tone made it painfully obvious that he thought I was just throwing a theatrical tantrum for attention, and that I'd never actually leave him. I realized the fire wasn't quite hot enough yet. I needed to push him over the edge. So, I pivoted, marched straight to the guest room where Chloe was sleeping, and started violently pounding on the door. I wanted to manufacture a catastrophic, explosive argument to force Arthur to say the word 'divorce'. Arthur sprinted down the hall and grabbed my arm, yanking me back. "What the hell are you doing, Mia?! Have you lost your damn mind?!" I thrashed against his grip. "Let me go! Arthur, don't think I don't know exactly what you're planning! You're obsessed with Chloe, aren't you?! I'm going to ask her right now if she actually wants you!" I thought pushing this specific button would guarantee he demanded a divorce. But I never, in a million years, expected his reaction. He raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face. The sharp crack echoed in the hallway. I froze, completely stunned into silence. Arthur looked equally shocked. He stood there, staring at his trembling hand, his lips parting slightly. He looked like he wanted to apologize, but his pride wouldn't let him. Finally, he just gritted out, "Get back in your room." I felt a profound, bottomless disappointment in him. Staring at his bloodshot eyes, I felt tears threatening to spill. Arthur couldn't maintain eye contact. He looked away and muttered, "Mia, if you pull a stunt like this again, I really will divorce you." Finally. I finally heard the words I had been waiting for. Even though every fiber of my being was screaming YES! Let's go sign the papers right now!, I had to play my part. I forced myself to look devastated, choking back tears of "anger and betrayal." "I will never agree to that!" I turned and practically sprinted out of the villa. Finally. Just one more strike, and I could permanently evacuate this nightmare. I wandered the empty streets for hours before finally stopping. Staring at the desolate roads and the flickering amber streetlights, a heavy wave of existential dread washed over me. Six years ago, I was dropped into this world. My entire existence had revolved around one single objective: Arthur Sterling. I had spent so much time orbiting him that I had never bothered to build a life or a social circle of my own. Thank God I had never given up my career as an illustrator. Once I returned to my original world, I could use my new comic series to establish myself as a successful artist. The thought of my comic made me instantly regret storming out so fast. I had forgotten my manuscript drafts in the study. I'd have to find an excuse to go back and pack them up. I checked into a nearby hotel. Days passed, and Arthur didn't reach out once. I didn't want to waste any more time, so just as I was hyping myself up to go back to the villa and force the final confrontation, disaster struck. Chloe Vance uploaded my entire comic series to her massive art account. She had digitized my hand-drawn drafts, but the character designs, the plot, the storyboards... it was all a 1:1 stolen copy. I was so furious I nearly blacked out. I immediately called Arthur. I called five times. He ignored every single one, and eventually just turned his phone off. I forced myself to calm down. I logged onto my own art account, tagged Chloe, and publicly accused her of plagiarism. Chloe and I were both illustrators, but our careers were vastly different. I focused entirely on the art, while she operated more like an influencer. She had recently monetized her highly publicized divorce to farm massive amounts of sympathy and traffic, so her follower count was currently explosive. Chloe immediately released a statement denying the allegations, calling me a liar and demanding I produce hard evidence or issue a public apology. My original physical drafts were locked in the study at the villa. I obviously couldn't produce them on the spot. Within minutes, her rabid fanbase swarmed my account, flooding my comments and DMs with so much toxic abuse that my phone literally crashed. Chapter 5 I hailed a cab back to the villa while simultaneously redialing Arthur's number. This time, he finally picked up. His voice was laced with undeniable guilt. My instincts kicked in, and I immediately hit record on the call. "Did you give my manuscript to Chloe?" Arthur didn't answer the question. Instead, he deflected, "Where are you?" "Answer the question, Arthur! You know damn well that comic is the culmination of years of my hard work!" Arthur's voice turned impatient and defensive. "I said I'd compensate you! What do you want? I'll buy you a house, okay?" I ground my teeth together, absolutely livid. "I am asking you why you gave my life's work to Chloe Vance! That is my intellectual property!" "Didn't I just say I'd pay you back?! When Chloe starts making revenue from the comic, she'll give you a cut!" Arthur's sheer audacity completely shattered my understanding of human depravity. "Just delete those accusations you posted online. If you do that... I promise I will never bring up divorce again." "Hah." I actually laughed out loud. Never bring up divorce again? The absolute only thing I wanted from him right now was for him to demand a divorce. "In your dreams," I snarled into the phone. "Arthur, I am getting my work back." The second I hung up, I uploaded the raw audio recording directly to my social media. It acted like a nuclear bomb. The internet exploded. A significant portion of the hate comments vanished, replaced by a massive wave of skeptics demanding Chloe provide hard proof of her ownership, since audio recordings could easily be faked or taken out of context. The cab pulled up to the gate. I threw cash at the driver and sprinted toward the villa. Arthur and Chloe were sitting in the living room. Chloe's face was streaked with tears. She was leaning weakly against Arthur's shoulder, sobbing a pathetic, tragic picture of victimhood. The second she saw me, her eyes widened in a desperate, pleading gaze. Arthur, on the other hand, glared at me like I had just murdered his family. I only cared about one thing. "Where is my manuscript?" Arthur didn't answer. He closed the distance between us in three massive strides, violently grabbed my wrist, and snatched my phone—which was currently recording video—right out of my hand. He hurled it onto the marble floor, shattering the screen. He stared at me with pure, unadulterated venom. "Mia, you are a profound disappointment. You spent years claiming you loved me, claiming your entire life revolved around me. But the second I ask you to make one tiny sacrifice for me, you refuse, and then you leak our private phone call to the internet?!" His face was a mask of furious disappointment, placing the entirety of the blame squarely on my shoulders. "Are you trying to destroy my life?! You never used to be like this! You used to be obedient. You bent over backwards to make me happy. That was the version of you I actually tolerated." "Now? Looking at you right now makes me sick. I have absolutely zero interest in you." "We are getting a divorce, Mia." Arthur stared intensely into my eyes, his expression radiating absolute certainty and expectation. He was entirely convinced that I would instantly crumble. He thought I would panic, reject the divorce, and immediately agree to all his demands just to stay by his side. But what he didn't know was... this was the third strike. He had formally demanded a divorce three times. I no longer had to reject him. Because the System had just pinged in my brain: the forced termination sequence had been initiated. I was finally leaving.
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