The System informed me that my mission had failed when the proposal was interrupted.

Harlan's affection meter had peaked during the proposal, but before I could properly accept, he left.


After that night, with Vanessa's interference, my mission officially failed.

I requested to stay in this world a while longer before moving to my next assignment.

I had one last gift to deliver to Harlan.


A gift that would make him wish he were dead.

Vanessa settled into our home like she owned it. Mrs. Sawyer visited daily.


They went shopping together and had lunch dates—things Mrs. Sawyer had never once done with me in three years.

Harlan worked long hours, but the moment he returned home, he'd check on Vanessa first.

Occasionally he'd make token gestures—cooking dinner or suggesting we go out—but his heart wasn't in it.

I knew these were just guilt offerings.

When someone knows they're wrong but continues anyway…

They're truly despicable.

And I would use that guilt as a weapon, making him pay dearly for what he'd done.

Saturday marked our third anniversary.

Harlan had booked a fancy restaurant, promising me a surprise.

He took me to an exclusive restaurant in the countryside, filled with all my favorite dishes.

Soft jazz played as we clinked glasses across the candlelit table.

Maybe it was the wine, but his eyes seemed full of love again—as if the man who'd betrayed me days earlier was someone else entirely.

I shook my head to clear the dangerous thoughts.

"Will you always love me, Harlan?" I asked quietly.

Harlan smiled softly. "Forever and always."

His smile was breathtaking. For one dangerous moment, I almost believed him.

After dinner, we walked quietly along the deserted road.

The road was empty except for occasional passing headlights.

Harlan kept checking his phone, constantly pulling it out to reply to messages.

I gripped his sleeve tightly.

I knew exactly who was texting him.

I poked his arm. "Let's catch a movie after this."

He barely glanced up. "Yeah, whatever."

Then immediately went back to his phone.

His phone rang moments later.

Harlan looked sheepish. "I need to take this."

I nodded, already knowing who it was.

I could hear Vanessa's tearful voice through the speaker, whining about something in that practiced helpless tone.

The call dragged on for five minutes while I silently pulled at roadside weeds.

When he finally hung up, his expression was anxious and apologetic—I knew what was coming.

"Vanessa's at my mom's place tonight. She's upset and wants cake from that bakery across town. She'll have a meltdown if she doesn't get it. I need to go buy it for her. You should head home."

I pointed at the darkening sky. "It's about to storm."

He ran his hand through his hair, clearly annoyed.

"Jesus, can't you just call an Uber? Why do you always make everything so difficult?"

His words knocked the wind out of me.

This was the man who once refused to let me walk home alone after dark—now abandoning me for another woman's cake craving.

Wind whipped around us as the first raindrops hit my shoulders.

I bit my lip to keep from crying.

"It's our anniversary…"

He didn't even let me finish before turning and rushing back toward the restaurant parking lot.

The moment he turned his back, the heavens opened.

The sudden downpour barely slowed his stride.

Without a single glance back, he disappeared into the rain.