Chapter 2

2

The hands on the living room clock struck midnight. My birthday was over, and my mission had officially failed.

When the system spoke again, its voice seemed to hold a hint of pity.

I had been with Silas for five years. I had spent five years trying to win his heart.

I was a transmigrator. I thought that as long as I married Silas, my mission would be complete.

I never wanted to go back to my original world. Back there, I was an orphan with terminal cancer. The hospital bills were a mountain I couldn't climb, so I ended it all by jumping from a roof.

In this world, I at least had the hope of a family.

But Silas's heart was never mine. No matter how much I did, if Ria needed him, he would leave. Even if I were hospitalized, he wouldn't come back for me.

They say you can melt a heart of ice, but Silas's eyes never lingered on me for a second.

And yet, I still couldn't let go.

The punishment began. I felt something being ripped out of my soul. Memories flashed through my mind like a movie on fast-forward.

I saw Silas's rare smiles. I saw him playing in the sunlight. I saw us holding hands at the altar, reciting our vows in front of everyone.

Those moments of warmth and beauty made me cry without realizing it.

Then, a heart-wrenching pain exploded in my chest, and I lost consciousness.

When I woke up, my throat was parched. I stumbled into the kitchen to grab a glass of water, only to run into Silas, who had just returned looking exhausted.

Right behind him was Ria, wearing a smug, triumphant grin.

I knew this man was my husband. But for some reason, when I looked at him, he felt like a complete stranger.

Silas sneered the moment he saw me.

"Weren't you making a fuss about dying last night? You look pretty alive to me. Your little dramas are honestly nauseating."

I looked at him, confused. His words were sharp, and my heart felt a reflex of pain, but it was distant.

I couldn't quite remember why I had married such a cruel man. I stood there, dazed, my hand frozen on the glass of water.

Silas led Ria to the sofa and told her to sit. Ria looked at me with a fake, troubled expression.

"I'm so sorry for disturbing you this late, Yara. It's just that I'm not feeling well, and Silas was too worried to leave me alone. You don't mind, do you?"