The plot had finally run its course. I went home, thrilled to celebrate, only to accidentally overhear my son say: "Daddy, do we still have to pretend for Mommy?" "I want Auntie Chloe to be here for real." Arthur stood nearby, his face showing a kind of relaxed relief I had never seen before. "Yeah. Let's just get rid of Mommy, okay?" My son nodded emphatically. I turned around and threw the celebration gift I had bought right into the trash. I was even more thrilled. After all, the only reason I came to this world to play the role of the tragically abused female lead... Was to save my real husband and daughter back in my own world. 1 Holding the cake box, I stood just outside the half-open door of the nursery. The crack in the door couldn't block out the conversation happening inside. "Daddy, am I really not going to get sick anymore?" My son, Leo's, voice drifted out. "No." Arthur only ever softened his tone when speaking to Leo. "The plot is over. There's no risk of deviation anymore, so you won't be punished with illness." "What about Auntie Chloe?" Leo asked eagerly. "It's all Mommy's fault that Auntie Chloe always had to sneak around!" "If we didn't have Mommy, we wouldn't have to do things we hate." "And you could be with Auntie Chloe for real, Daddy." "Daddy, now that the plot is over, can you divorce Mommy?" The thin ribbon of the cake box was digging painfully into my hand. In the gift bag, there was a discontinued Lego set I had spent an entire month hunting down for him. The nursery was quiet for a moment. Arthur seemed to be considering it. "Okay. I'll divorce your mother." "Today is your birthday, so let's just celebrate. Daddy will talk to her in a few days." 2 Leo's cheer slipped through the crack in the door and pierced my ears. A freezing chill washed over my entire body. Eight years ago. To save my husband and daughter who were in a horrific car crash, I agreed to the System's demands. I transmigrated into this angsty romance novel. My mission was to strictly follow the plotline until the very end. If I deviated from the plot, the System would issue a "plot penalty." Mild penalties meant illness; severe ones meant fatal accidents and forced extraction from this world. If I completed the plot smoothly, I would be rewarded with points to wake my husband and daughter from their comas. I wasn't a very good host. From meeting Arthur at nineteen, stumbling through our relationship, to marrying him and giving birth to Leo at twenty-two... I had managed to drag us through more than half the plot, but the male lead, Arthur, eventually grew sick of me. I started getting sick frequently. At its worst, my vision blurred, and my hearing faded. Because I gave birth to Leo, he was also affected by the penalties, experiencing one-tenth of my pain. Leo cried day and night, his tiny body growing weaker and frailer. Risking total mission failure, I confessed the existence of the System to Arthur. I told him that if he left me, I would die, and Leo would die too. The only way out was to wait until the plot ended. At that time, there were only five years left. Arthur started forcing himself to stay by my side. Occasionally, we would fight, and Leo and I would both fall ill. I felt immensely guilty towards Leo. But Leo was always so understanding, taking his medicine and eating his meals on time. Gradually, we grew very close. Finally, just a few days ago, the System announced that the plot had concluded. I excitedly shared the news with Arthur. From now on, we were no longer shackled by the plot system. We could live freely. And I had a choice: I could either leave this world or stay. Selfishly, I didn't want Leo to be lonely. So I planned to stay until he was an adult. But reality just delivered a brutal, crushing blow to my selfishness. 3 I turned around and dumped the cake and the toy straight into the trash can. Then, I pushed the door open and walked in. "I agree to the divorce." I looked at Leo, my emotions a tangled mess. "Leo... Mommy didn't know you liked Auntie Chloe so much. I also didn't know... that you hated being my son so much." "Making you suffer the plot penalties with me... that was Mommy's fault." A flash of embarrassed anger crossed Leo's small face. He had been caught. He didn't know how to lie yet, nor how to hide his true feelings. He just stuck his neck out and accused me: "Mommy was eavesdropping! Bad Mommy! This is exactly why I don't like you! You're bad!" Even though I was mentally prepared. Hearing the child I carried for nine months say he hated me with his own mouth... It still made my nose sting. Arthur looked surprised, but he didn't stop Leo. He seemed to gather his thoughts, finally just nodding. "Fine. Sorry for keeping it from you for so long." "I'll have my lawyer send you the divorce agreement. Whatever you want as compensation, just name it." "Let's get this over with quickly... I owe Chloe too much. I can't wait to make it up to her anymore." Leo huffed and yelled, "Me too! Auntie Chloe is so nice, but Mommy was so unreasonable and chased her away! I don't want a mommy like this!" My heart turned completely to ash. A few years ago, Chloe had tried to harm Leo several times. Even if the plot hadn't dictated it, I would have found a way to get rid of her for Leo's sake. I thought I had succeeded. But looking at them now. I had been played. "WARNING—" "Abnormality detected in the plot's conclusion! Severe character deviation!" The System's alarm and a piercing siren exploded in my head. "Host, please repair the plot within seven days, or the scenario will be forcibly terminated!" I clutched my head in agony. Wasn't the plot over? "System, what is going on?" I asked frantically. "...Apologies, Host. It seems we were both deceived." "Plot monitoring is conducted solely from the Host's perspective, and characters actively deceiving the System is unprecedented... This was an oversight on our part." The System's mechanical voice hummed slowly. "However, since this System also failed to detect the character anomaly, we will bear a portion of the responsibility." "Even if the plot repair fails within seven days, your points will still be awarded." A wave of relief washed over me. When I snapped back to reality, Arthur and Leo were staring at me nervously. They knew that whenever I spaced out like that, I was communicating with the System. "Is the System back? What's going on? Didn't you say the plot was over?" Arthur's tone was laced with anxiety. "It's not going to punish Leo or Chloe, is it?" Leo covered his mouth, his big eyes darting around. "I-I take back what I just said!" I waited a moment. Seeing that neither father nor son had any intention of showing concern for me, I suddenly laughed. "No, it won't," I said, a bitter smile on my lips. "Also, Leo, happy birthday." "Your birthday present is your freedom." I immediately abandoned any thought of repairing the plot. I just had to wait out the seven days for the failure, and then I would be forcibly extracted. 4 Arthur truly couldn't wait a single second. He completely bypassed the mandatory thirty-day "cooling-off" period for divorce and went straight to litigation. After getting the final divorce decree, I packed a few clothes. As I was about to leave the Sterling mansion, I couldn't help but ask Leo, "Leo, if you never see Mommy again after today... will you be sad?" Leo was playing with his blocks and didn't even look up. "Mommy, why are you starting this again?!" "You used that exact same line to chase Auntie Chloe away and force Daddy to stay with you! Are you trying to force me now too?!" My entire body went rigid. Right. I was the one who told them that if the plot deviated too much, I would die. But I never told them that if the plot became completely illogical, this entire world would cease to exist. Because of that, the Host and the characters were supposed to rely on each other to survive. But I didn't want to burden Arthur and Leo, so I kept that part a secret. "Leo... I'm sorry. Mommy won't say it again," I said softly. "But... Mommy is truly going to disappear." "You're so annoying!" Leo suddenly grabbed a wooden block and hurled it at me. His little face was scrunched up in deep irritation. "Disappear! Disappear! Then just go disappear!" I couldn't dodge in time. The block hit me squarely on the bridge of my nose. A flood of complex, agonizing emotions rushed over me all at once. Clutching my nose, I suddenly felt my body grow light. My five senses blurred for a fraction of a second. The plot had deviated again. I took a deep breath, reaching out to stroke Leo's hair. He dodged my hand, moving to another spot to continue playing with his blocks. I sighed. "Fine. You have Chloe anyway. She'll be with you." Walking out of the Sterling estate, I stood by the curb waiting for a cab. A bright red sports car came roaring down the street. It slammed on the brakes right next to me. The window rolled down, revealing a face remarkably similar to mine, but far more vibrant and beautiful. It was Chloe. Arthur's childhood sweetheart, the 'white moonlight' supporting character. Originally, as the substitute female lead, my role was to erase her influence and make Arthur fall in love with the real me. But obviously, I failed. Instead, I was completely played by their united front. "Elara, long time no see." Chloe's smile was arrogant and radiant. She flashed the massive pink, heart-shaped diamond on her finger. "Arthur and I are getting married the day after tomorrow. You have to come." Seeing that familiar diamond, my heart skipped a beat. When I married Arthur, the plot required me to wear that exact pink diamond ring. But Arthur felt the ring didn't suit me. I thought it was a trivial detail. So I broke the plot rule and wore the square-cut diamond he gave me instead. The very next day, I was hit with a plot penalty. I "accidentally" fell down the stairs and was bedridden for three months. I was so confused back then. It was just a minor descriptive deviation; the penalty shouldn't have been that severe. Looking at it now, the pink diamond was definitely a crucial plot point. It wasn't that the ring didn't suit me. It was that I didn't deserve it. "Congratulations," I said coldly. A flash of blinding white light crossed my vision. That uncontrollable sensation of weightlessness hit me again. At this rate, I wouldn't even need seven days. I'd be forcibly ripped from this world much sooner. "Arthur told me you were using that 'disappearing' threat again," Chloe said mockingly. "But since the plot is over, don't you think trying that trick now is a little too fake?" I ignored her. The plot deviation was irreversible anyway. This world was on the brink of annihilation. 5 Day Six of the countdown. I didn't bother renting an apartment. Instead, I booked a luxury hotel suite, planning to just lie there and wait for the plot to collapse. "Plot monitoring is conducted solely from the Host's perspective." The System's notification pinged suddenly. I watched the news about Arthur's upcoming wedding on TV and gave a noncommittal "Mhm." I turned off the TV and opened my phone. The gossip blogs were flooded with pictures of their sickeningly sweet, smiling faces. He must feel incredibly guilty to want the entire world to witness how he was making it up to her. "Therefore, the Host must personally witness the wedding of Arthur and Chloe for this System to accurately assess the degree of plot deviation." I blinked and sat up straight. No wonder I hadn't felt that weightless sensation all day. "System, do you ever think you're fundamentally bugged?" I asked helplessly. The System was silent for a moment. "This System will submit an application for an upgrade." "However, if it weren't for this bug, given your... capabilities, Host, it would have been impossible for you to reach the end of the plotline." I choked on the System's bluntness. "You..." "Host, please witness the plot event as soon as possible," the mechanical voice said, carrying a hint of what sounded almost like pity. "You will be extracted from this world very soon." Day Five of the countdown. I wore a simple, elegant white dress to attend Arthur's wedding. The ceremony was held on a pristine white sand beach. The weather was clear, the ocean breeze gentle. The venue was transformed into a sea of flowers; even the aisle was carpeted with pink petals. The System, worried I might be harassed, suggested I wear a mask and sunglasses to disguise myself. I smiled and declined. I found a crystal chair near the front and sat down, waiting for the ceremony to begin. From this angle and distance, I would have a crystal-clear view of Arthur and Chloe's expressions. "Host, actually, you..." The System was unusually chatty today. I shook my head. "Don't worry about me. Honestly, seeing how little they care about me, I feel relieved." "Of course I'm sad, but I'm much more excited about my life when I get back." Thinking about that, I grabbed a napkin from the table. With a few quick folds, I created a little teddy bear. "Look. Whenever my daughter threw a tantrum back home, I would quickly fold one of these little bears to cheer her up." "Thank goodness I haven't forgotten how to do it." I held the little bear up, inspecting it from different angles. Behind me, a familiar, sweet little voice rang out: "Mommy, why are you here?" I turned around and saw Leo dressed in an adorable pageboy tuxedo. He was holding a flower basket. Inside the basket rested a pink velvet ring box. Instinctively, I wanted to reach out and hug him. My hand extended, then I forcefully pulled it back. Leo's expression was incredibly defensive. He clutched the flower basket tightly, his childish words cutting deep: "Are you here to try and break up Daddy and chase Auntie Chloe away again?!" Everyone around us immediately turned to stare. I smiled. "You misunderstood, Leo. Auntie Chloe invited Mommy to attend her and Daddy's wedding." Leo froze for a second. He clearly didn't expect me to say that. Scratching his head, he noticed the little bear in my hand. "Mommy, what's that?" He reached out to grab it. I dodged his hand and gently pushed him away. "Leo, this isn't your toy. You can't just take it." Leo's eyes went wide. He dropped the flower basket on the ground and lunged at me stubbornly. "Mommy, I want to play with that!" I held the little bear high, but it was suddenly snatched from my hand. I looked up. Arthur, looking immaculate in his tailored suit, had silently appeared behind me. He gripped the little bear, inspecting it. He looked down at me. "Elara, these pathetic little tricks won't win Leo over. It's useless."
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "391696", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel