Chapter 1

1. The alcohol burned my stomach, sending sharp jolts of pain to my head.

I numbed my mind until I finally found the courage to dial his number.

"Hello..."

His voice was cold and distant.

"Is there something you need?"

We were supposed to be a couple, yet he spoke to me like I was a telemarketer.

I took a deep breath, my voice sounding raspy.

"Kellan... let's end this. We are over."

After a long silence, I heard a mocking sneer from the other end.

"Fine by me."

He hung up, and I broke down in tears.

The System whispered in my head: "Don't be sad, Lyra. You will be free soon."

My tears dripped into my glass, and I swallowed the bitter drink in one gulp.

Ten years ago, a synthesized electronic voice suddenly appeared in my mind.

"Host, you are the lead in a tragic romance. If you choose to stay with Kellan, he will only love you after you die."

I was young and stubborn. I did not believe it.

Back then, I was barely twenty, and my world revolved around making him happy.

"Even my parents did not want me. Why would you like me?"

Kellan was cold and defensive because of his parents' messy divorce.

I smiled and replied: "Kellan, love does not need a reason. I grew up in an orphanage. I have never had anyone to love."

"If you become my boyfriend, I will give you all the love I have."

My raw, desperate honesty finally melted the boy's heart.

Kellan became mine.

I felt like a victorious general, bragging to the System.

"See? I do not care about your destiny. I will make him love me while I am alive."

I was so caught up in my joy that I missed the System's soft sigh.

History is full of people waiting for love.

But my personal record for waiting for Kellan was nine hours straight.

Bayside was a coastal city, and it was pouring that day.

I stood under a bus stop, soaked to the bone, refusing to take an Uber home.

I was terrified that if I left, Kellan would arrive and be disappointed.

The rain lasted from morning until night, leaving the air heavy and damp.

My heart felt exactly the same.

"System, my heart feels like it is weeping. Why is it so heavy?" I asked on my way home.

"Are you going to give up, Lyra?"

I shook my head.

If disappointment caused pain, my heart was already a roadmap of scars.

Those little things piled up, and now, it was not just damp anymore.

It was a torrential downpour crushing me.

After the breakup, my stomach issues became unbearable.

"Will it be a painful death?"

The System paused before comforting me: "It will be over soon."

I lay on the hospital bed, echoing those words.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed.

It was Kellan.

It was one of the few times he ever initiated contact.

In the past, I would have opened it instantly and typed a frantic, happy reply.

But now, I opened it with a blank expression.

Kellan: "Mrs. Gable wants us for lunch tomorrow. Do not forget."

I smiled bitterly. In my short life, Mrs. Gable was the only person besides Kellan I cared about.

As an orphan, I had no family. Five years ago, Kellan and I were just broke kids starting out.

Mrs. Gable was our first landlady.

She was a kind, gentle soul, but she was also incredibly stubborn once she made up her mind.

Before I died, I wanted to see her one last time.

I sent a short reply.

"Okay."