Chapter 3

3.

My phone chimed. It was a notification that Zane's new otome game had launched, inviting me to try it.

The game was titled "Jade's Heart," named after me.

For the past two years, I had poured every cent of my earnings into the bottomless pit that was Zane's dev team.

This game was his masterpiece. He had burned through millions to perfect it.

I never blamed him for not having an income. I worked myself to the bone in research to fund his dream.

To stay by his side, I turned down a PhD track at an Ivy League and ignored invitations from top global labs.

My mentor once asked me with total frustration, "Is it worth it?"

I had answered with absolute certainty, "Yes! Zane is worth it!"

I truly believed he would never betray me.

My high-stakes gamble on love had lost to the most primitive of urges.

I opened the game. The tutorial NPC was a flirtatious fox-girl.

A speech bubble hovered over her head: "I'm Master's favorite girl. You can call me Nadia."

This NPC wasn't in the original design. He had told me the characters were set in stone months ago.

He had even coldly rejected my best friend when she asked if he could add a minor character for her.

It turns out he could add characters―it just depended on who was asking.

The scenes and stories in the game were all based on my relationship with Zane.

The first meeting under the cherry blossoms. Studying side-by-side in the library. Sweet dates at the carnival.

I mechanically controlled the character until I reached the "Home" in the game.

The layout was an exact replica of our real-life house.

I even saw the throw pillows I had hand-stitched sitting on the virtual sofa.

Then, the fox-girl Nadia appeared, wiggling her hips and speaking in a high-pitched, sugary voice.

"Master, welcome home! What do you want to do today? Nadia can keep you company~"

I fought back a wave of nausea as I clicked the interaction options.

The list included "Kiss," "Embrace," and "Shared Bath."

I couldn't fathom it. He took our memories and our home and turned them into a playground for Nadia.

What about reality? Had he already brought her into our actual house?

I slammed the phone shut, my entire body trembling with cold.