My husband is a Player in a deadly game. His System told him that if he didn't end up with the side character, she would die. But he fell in love with me, the heroine, at first sight. He spent all his points just to stay in this world with me. Then the backlash hit. Every month, I die. I've been crushed into a pulp by a car, decapitated by a falling object from a skyscraper, and had a home invader violate and tear me apart. I’ve even been kidnapped, tortured, and bled dry. As I lay dying this last time, I watched my tormentor pull off his mask. The face beneath it was my husband's. Seeing my mangled state, his System couldn't help but sigh. You’ve killed her 99 times. If you keep this up, you'll destroy her body completely! Liam’s expression was calm. "Elara is the heroine of this world. Only by her death can the timeline reset and Rina be revived." "This is the last time," he said. "Once all of Rina's wishes are granted, I'll make it up to Elara." It all clicked into place. He was killing me over and over again, just to bring a side character named Rina back to life. But he didn't know something crucial. I'm a Player, too. My heart felt like it was being shredded. I called out to the System in my own mind. "System, I want to go home." A familiar electronic voice, one I hadn't heard in years, echoed in my thoughts. Host's mission completion is at 100%. Do you wish to confirm your departure from this world? I closed my eyes, a tear tracing a path down my bloody cheek. "Confirm." Understood, Host. You will depart from this world upon your 100th death. Liam's System overheard our exchange. Its cold, mechanical voice was tinged with something like pity. Host, you will regret treating her this way. "You think I don't regret this now?!" Liam shot to his feet, unable to look at me. This time, he had tortured me for thirty-six hours straight. He had personally shattered my kneecaps, ripped off my fingernails, and peeled back my scalp before hanging me upside down to drain every last drop of my blood. "For the past three days, Elara wasn't the only one in pain..." He clutched his chest, his eyes a bloodshot red. His System fell silent. You could have made it quick. You didn't have to torture her like this. "I had no choice," Liam whispered, wiping away a tear. "Only by being this cruel to Elara could I ensure she wouldn't suspect it was me. If I hadn't fallen in love with her, Rina would never have died. This is a debt we both owe her. Once I grant all of Rina's wishes, I swear I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to Elara." He left me in the abandoned factory without a backward glance. I was nothing but a heap of ruined flesh lying in a pool of my own blood. "System," I whispered, "I want to use my points to redeem Liam's memories." The moment the transaction was complete, the memories of the past ninety-eight deaths flooded me like a tidal wave. He ran me over with his car, crushing me into a pulp, so he could take Rina to ride the Ferris wheel at the amusement park. He dropped a sheet of glass from a skyscraper, slicing me in half, so he could go bungee jumping with Rina. He disguised himself as a burglar and stabbed me to death so he could spend the day volunteering with Rina at an animal shelter. ... Every single time he killed me, he was thinking of her. The overwhelming pain was suffocating. The agony of ninety-nine brutal deaths was nothing compared to the despair of knowing the truth. I laughed, tears of blood streaming from my eyes. "System, I want to use the rest of my points to buy one more thing..." If Liam was going to destroy my life, I wasn't going to let him have a happy ending. The next time I opened my eyes, I was met with Liam’s anxious face and swollen, red-rimmed eyes. "Elara, you're finally awake!" he cried. "I'm so sorry you have to go through this. I never knew the System's backlash would get this severe. Don't worry, I'll find a way to save you." He lied without flinching, as if the words could erase the truth of what he’d done. Every time I'd woken up before, seeing his tears would break my heart. I thought this was the price I had to pay for defying the world's rules to be with him. I accepted every death willingly. Now I knew I was just a fool. When I didn't comfort him like I usually did, a visible tension seized him. "Elara, what's wrong? Are you in pain?" I stared numbly at the ceiling and whispered, "Liam... it hurts so much." He stroked my face, his voice thick with emotion. "I'll never let you hurt again, Elara. I promise." Those words, once so comforting, now sounded utterly vile. I wanted to ask him: when you were killing me, were you hurting for me, or were you worried about Rina? But as the question rose to my lips, I found I didn't want to know the answer anymore. "Here, Elara. Have some porridge." He picked up a bowl of lily porridge from the bedside table to feed me. Just as I was about to open my mouth, his phone rang. "She's awake? I'll be right there." He hung up and gave me a careless excuse. "Elara, one of my patients just woke up. I have to go check on them." He didn't wait for a reply. He shot up so quickly that he knocked over the bowl, and the scalding hot porridge spilled all over me, raising an angry red welt on my skin. But Liam didn't even turn back. His retreat was almost... joyful. I knew. He was rushing off to grant Rina's one-hundredth wish. Even knowing the truth, some stubborn part of me had to follow. I didn’t feel the peace I expected until I saw it with my own eyes: Liam, sitting by Rina’s bedside, feeding her porridge spoonful by spoonful. "Rina, I learned how to make this just for you. Try it." "Liam, you're such an amazing cook. I'm so jealous of Elara; she gets to eat your food every day." He smiled and ruffled her hair. "Why be jealous of her? I made this especially for you." I stood outside the door, my fists clenched so tight my nails dug into my palms. So even the porridge was for Rina. "Liam," Rina said, "I've decided. For my one-hundredth wish, I want Elara's heart." "What?!" Liam shot to his feet. "Rina, I can't do that." "Why not?" Rina burst into tears. "You said she's the heroine, right? She can't die. But I'm different. Liam, can you really bear to watch me die?" Seeing her cry, Liam hesitated. He called out to his System. "System, is it true the heroine can't die, no matter what?" The System paused for a few seconds. Theoretically, yes, but... Before it could finish, Liam smiled and took Rina's hand. "Don't worry, Rina. I promise." A wall separated us, but it might as well have been a chasm. I collapsed onto a chair in the hallway, the pain in my chest so intense it was turning into numbness. I knew what his System hadn't finished saying. I had already requested to leave this world. Soon, I wouldn't be the heroine anymore. I pushed myself up, using the wall for support, but Liam's surprised voice stopped me. "Elara? What are you doing here?" After we got married, I had promoted Liam to Deputy Director of the Institute. I handed over all major responsibilities to him while I stayed home to rest and prepare for a family. Seeing my cold expression, he rushed over to take my hand. "Elara, don't misunderstand. I was just here to warn her to stop bothering me." He always told me how much he hated Rina's endless clinging, how he despised the way the System forced their encounters. Even after our wedding, he would complain about how annoying she was. Looking back now, I realized that every time he mentioned her name, his eyes would soften with a tenderness I had refused to see. I couldn't lie to myself anymore. I said nothing, just silently pulled my hand away. From inside the room, Rina cried out, "Liam, I twisted my ankle! It hurts!" Liam looked at me, torn. "Elara, she's still my patient." I didn't stop him. I just watched as he rushed back into the room. His concern for her was so painfully obvious. How could I have been so blind, so lost in a fantasy of love that I never saw it? A bitter smile touched my lips as I turned and walked to my office. I called in my assistant, Alex, and handed him stacks of data on dozens of different viruses. Alex’s eyes widened. "Director... are you leaving?" I smiled but didn't answer. "After I'm gone, give this research to the main institute. They'll take over my work." Alex looked at me with a new respect and gave a deep bow. ... Ten years ago, this world was ravaged by a deadly plague. As the director of a 21st-century medical research institute, I was bound by a System and sent here. My mission was to save this broken world. The day the cure was announced, I could have left. But Liam fell to his knees before me and confessed everything about his System. He told me he was supposed to pursue Rina, but he had fallen in love with me. For me, he was willing to defy his mission, accept any punishment, even use all his points to stay in this world forever by my side. Lost in thought, I was startled when my office door burst open. Liam stormed in, his face contorted with rage. "Elara, why did you order them to stop Rina's medication?!" I motioned for my assistant to leave, then raised an eyebrow at him. "Evidence?" "Who else could it be?" He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Elara, I know you're jealous that I'm taking care of Rina, but I've told you a million times, she's my mission target! I have a responsibility to her. She has a heart condition. Do you really need to be so petty?" He looked like a stranger to me. I swallowed the bitter acid rising in my throat. "And?" I asked, my voice flat. "Are you going to kill me now? For her?" Tears welled in my eyes, a wave of grief I couldn't suppress. Seeing my tears, Liam froze. "What? Of course not. I just want you to apologize to her." Apologize? A harsh, broken laugh escaped my lips. Then who was going to apologize to me? For the ninety-nine brutal deaths? For the endless days and nights spent in terror? Just then, a delicate female voice came from the doorway. "Liam, please don't fight with your wife because of me..." Rina leaned against the doorframe, coughing weakly. "I'll be fine." Liam immediately turned and wrapped his arms around her. Those eyes, which I had kissed countless times, now held nothing but Rina. "Elara," he said, his voice cold with disappointment, "you've let me down." I wiped away my tears and looked out at the blood-red sunset. The sun always sets in the end. After arranging the handover, I left the hospital. When I passed Rina's room, I saw they were already gone. Not wanting to go home and face Liam, I decided to spend the night at a bar. But as I crossed an intersection, a car came speeding toward me. The world spun, and then everything went black. When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Rina. SMACK! A vicious slap stung my cheek. Rina's usual delicate demeanor was gone, replaced by a twisted, snarling mask as she grabbed a fistful of my hair. "You bitch! You're finally awake!" I swallowed a mouthful of blood and stared at her. "What do you want?" I glanced around. We were in a derelict, unfinished building, surrounded by a dozen masked figures dressed in black. Rina sneered. "This place looks familiar, doesn't it, Elara? You've died here so many times, after all. It's really quite pathetic. For my sake, your husband killed you ninety-nine times." I felt nothing. I just laughed coldly. "So what? You've been reborn ninety-nine times, and you still haven't convinced him to marry you?" As if I'd stepped on her tail, Rina exploded. "What do you know?! Liam doesn't love you anymore! He promised to give me your heart! Then the heroine's position, your System, and Liam—they'll all be mine. Today, I'm going to show you who's more important to him." On cue, Liam burst in, looking disheveled and out of breath. "Let them go!" he yelled. "Liam, help me!" Rina shrieked. The leader of the masked men pressed a knife to each of our throats. "Dr. Evans, remember me? My brother died because of your mistake during the outbreak. If it weren't for you, he'd still be alive!" He gestured with the knife. "Today, you get on your knees and bow three times, and I'll let you take one of them." Liam’s eyes darted between us. Rina was sobbing hysterically, trembling with fear. I remained calm, refusing to even look at him. He made his decision in an instant. He dropped to his knees and slammed his forehead against the concrete floor. "Please," he begged, "let Rina go!" Seeing this, I couldn't help but throw my head back and laugh. The proud, arrogant Liam, now kneeling for another woman. My laughter seemed to fill him with guilt. He rushed to Rina's side, holding her close while whispering reassurances to me over his shoulder. "Elara, you can't die, but Rina can. Don't worry, once I get her to safety, I'll come back for you." As I watched him carry Rina away, even the kidnappers seemed to pity me. "The esteemed Mrs. Evans, worth less than some nobody." "But hey, that's what you get for crossing the wrong people." They took off their jackets, revealing identical tattoos on their shoulders. And I finally recognized them. They weren't former patients. They were members of this world's most feared terrorist organization. For a day and a night, they beat me, electrocuted me, and drove spikes through my body. They tied me to a chair, a humiliating spectacle as my body was used and broken by dozens of men. The tearing, searing pain eventually silenced my screams, my struggles fading until my heart was nothing but ash. "System, where is Liam now?" The System sounded reluctant, but it told me the truth. He's at the amusement park with Rina, buying her ice cream. He had already forgotten me. Forgotten that I was here, waiting for him to save me. Just because I couldn't die, he felt no pain for me. The System showed me the scene. Rina was licking an ice cream cone. "Liam," she asked, "don't you think we should go back and save your wife soon?" Liam snorted. "She stopped your medication. She's being a brat. She needs to be taught a lesson." So he knew. He knew I was being tortured. He just didn't care. I closed my eyes, numb, as one man replaced another on top of me. I don't know how much time passed before the warehouse doors were finally thrown open. Liam rushed in with a team, kicking the man off me and pulling me into his arms. "Elara, I'm sorry I'm late." Seeing my bruised and broken body, a flicker of guilt crossed his face. The embrace I once craved now only filled me with terror and disgust. I tried to push him away, but my vision went black, and I passed out. When I woke up, Liam was sitting by my bed, his face haggard. I thought that seeing me like this, he would finally feel something. But his first words were like a blunt knife, carving open my heart. "Elara, the doctors did a full workup. They found a problem with your heart. It needs to be replaced immediately." He squeezed my hand. "But don't worry. I had my System create a state-of-the-art artificial heart for you. You'll be perfectly fine."
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