Chapter 3

3

They had changed their clothes with looks of pure disgust on their faces.

It was only today that I realized they didn't hate the flour―they hated me.

The oven dinged, and Summer moved to grab the cake.

Zane stopped her immediately. "Be careful, it's hot. Let me do it."

I looked down at my own hand.

I had a scar in the exact same spot from a burn I got while taking a cake out for them.

Back then, Zane only had words of criticism for me.

I didn't know he could be this gentle.

"Mom, Aunt Summer is talking to you!"

My son's voice snapped me back to reality.

I looked over and saw the three of them sitting at the table, each with a slice of cake.

Summer cut another piece and asked me to come over.

I didn't respond immediately, which made Xander very unhappy.

"She made a cake for you, and you're just ignoring her. You're so immature and annoying!"

His little face was twisted in genuine irritation.

My heart stung as I managed to say, "I'm allergic to mangoes."

They both knew that.

But in this moment, they cared more about Summer's feelings.

Xander was just a child, so his words were blunt and cruel.

"It's just an allergy. One bite won't kill you. Mom, you're just doing this to make Aunt Summer sad, aren't you? You're so mean!"

Zane also looked annoyed. "Summer worked hard on this. Just come and eat some."

It was like they had amnesia.

Last year, I ended up in the ER in the middle of the night because I accidentally ate a piece of mango.

Yet here they were, pushing me to eat it again.

It felt like they were literally asking me to die.

I felt completely drained.

Xander ran over and pushed me toward the door.

"If Mom isn't going to eat, she should stop ruining the mood."

The night air was cool, and I sat in the garden downstairs for a long time.

Summer didn't leave until nearly ten. Zane and Xander walked her down, looking like they didn't want her to go.

I walked back up with them. As soon as we stepped inside, Zane said, "Let's talk about the divorce."

Even though I knew it was coming, hearing it still felt like a physical blow.

"Is it for Summer?" I asked.

Zane was honest. "I owe her too much. I want to make it up to her as soon as possible."

"I'll have the lawyer send you the agreement. You can make your demands, and I'll fulfill them if I can."

His impatience made my years of sacrifice look like a total joke.

I looked him in the eyes. "If I told you that I'll disappear after the divorce, would you still do it?"

Zane frowned, his eyes filled with intense disgust.

"Jade, you're even copying Summer's lies now? Isn't that pathetic?"

"Are you going to say you came here with a System and that you'll go to another world if we divorce?"

I was stunned. "How do you know that?"

Xander answered for him. "Mom, Aunt Summer is the real Traveler. Can't you come up with something else? This is so annoying!"

I froze and asked the System in my head, "Is what he's saying true?"

The System replied, "No. You are the only Traveler in this world."

Then how…

Suddenly, a loud alarm blared in my mind.

"Warning! Warning!"

"Host, for unknown reasons, the plot has been forcefully altered."

I clutched my ears in pain, not understanding what was happening.

Images began to play in my mind.

It was from when I first arrived in this world.

Due to a system glitch, I was dropped into a car accident.

Summer and I were hit at the same time.

While in the hospital, she chatted with me, and in my dazed state, I told her about the System.

She laughed it off at the time, and I didn't explain further.

I never expected her to go straight to Zane and tell him everything.

She framed her past abandonment of him as a deep, sacrificial love.

She claimed that once her mission was successful, she would be sent to another world and leave him forever.

She said she acted distant because she couldn't bear to leave him.

And Zane, wanting to keep her here, decided to fake a life with me. He married me and had a child just to pass the time until her "story" was over.

No wonder Zane said Summer's storyline was done.

No wonder he sneered at my words.

They had already made up their minds.

In their eyes, my truth was a clumsy lie.

And Summer's clumsy lie was the truth they had always dreamed of.

It was so ironic.

I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Xander pointed at me. "Mom, stop acting crazy. Just sign the divorce papers. I don't want you! I want Aunt Summer!"

The knives twisted by those closest to you hurt the most.

He was my own flesh and blood. He should have been on my side.

Yet here he was, trying to kick me out for a woman who did nothing but lie.

I pushed down the bitterness in my throat. "Fine. I agree to the divorce."

Zane blinked, seemingly surprised by how quickly I gave in.

But a second later, that look of disgust returned.

He led Xander back to their room and shut me out.

I could faintly hear their conversation.

Xander said, "Mom is such a liar. I'll never like her as long as I live!"

Zane replied, "We spoiled her too much. That's why she doesn't know her place."

Spoiled me? When had they ever spoiled me?

"Warning! Main plot has deviated. Please find a way to fix it."

The alarm in my head continued to ring.

In the original script, I wasn't supposed to get divorced. My end was supposed to be a peaceful death from illness.

Before, I might have tried to suck up to them just to finish the story for Xander's sake.

But now, I didn't care anymore.

Let this trashy story rot.

I just wanted to go back to my real world.