Your Secret s Safe with Me

I was appointed to finish a mission in a novel, which was to make the aloof, domineering CEO fall for me.

It took me eight years to get close to Ethan. I even ruined my own face to save him.

On the day the bandages came off, he got down on one knee to propose to me.

He said I was his true love and that he would never let me down in this lifetime.

But after we got married, he found a stand-in for me and spent every day being lovey-dovey with her.

He wouldn't even spare me a glance.

I confronted him.

He looked at me with disgust. "Sophia, do you think any other man would want you besides me? Not only did I not mind your ugly face, but I've married and been supporting you, which so many girls covet. You should be grateful for this!"

So, desiring to leave this world, I chose to end my life in front of him.

Later, it was said that the always composed CEO, Ethan Carter, went mad, setting himself on fire for his wife's forgiveness.

1

"Ms. Turner, are you sure you want to leave this world?" The system, which had been gone for so long, finally appeared before me again.

It looked at my scarred face, a hint of guilt in its voice. "Due to system maintenance, I failed to protect you. So your mission has been canceled. You're free to return to the real world. But you've lived here for nine years. Can you really bear to let it all go?"

I was about to answer when my phone chimed with a notification.

A social media account I followed had just posted something new. "What is love? Love is being together for every meal and every night."

The photo showed a woman hugging a man from behind as he cooked.

The woman was positively beaming, her eyes full of happiness.

Her radiant face bore a faint resemblance to mine before I was disfigured.

The man at the stove was tall, wearing an apron with cuteness that seemed uncharacteristic.

Only his silhouette was captured.

Despite his usual aloofness, his expression in the picture was gentle, radiating deep affection.

The two of them looked so in love, just like a loving newlywed couple.

But who would have guessed that the man in the photo, cooking for his beloved, was actually my newlywed husband?

I stared at the wedding ring on Ethan's finger in the picture.

Then I turned my own ring around my finger.

Ethan spent over two weeks searching the whole Aldoria to carefully select our wedding rings during my hospital stay, after my face was disfigured.

He said he wanted to propose to me the day my bandages came off, so the diamond ring for me wasn't perfect enough.

He promised that after we got married, he'd get me a bigger, better one.

But after our marriage, he never mentioned replacing the ring again.

His hands with the matching ring were now cooking for another woman.

Early this morning, Ethan sent me a message. "I'll be on a business trip for a few days. Don't wait up."

The coldness in his words was unmistakable.

He hadn't come home all night and couldn't even be bothered to offer an explanation.

Well, what was Ethan thinking?

Did he really think I was so foolish that I'd believe anything he said without suspicion?

Or did he simply not care whether I found out he was cheating?

I looked at the dishes and birthday cake on the table and let out a bitter laugh.

In this world, I was an orphan.

Ethan once promised me no matter how busy he was, he'd celebrate my every birthday with me for the rest of my life.

It was because he wanted me to know he would love me forever, and I'd never be alone again.

Back then, his eyes were full of tenderness when he looked at me.

But yesterday was my birthday. I cooked a special meal, waiting for him to come home and celebrate it with me.

I waited until midnight, hungry and exhausted.

All I got in return was his cold, distant message.

He'd already forgotten the promise he made to me.

While I sat alone, staring at my birthday cake, what was he doing?

He was flirting with another woman.

The gentle look on Ethan's face in that photo made him feel like a stranger to me.

I'd known him for nine years.

He was always aloof and reserved.

To help him recover from his stomach problems, I, who had never cooked before, made him new dishes every day, trying new recipes.

No matter the weather, I would send him his meals without exception.

Pampered by me, he only needed to use his hands for paperwork, so his fingers were always smooth.

All these years, Ethan had never cooked a single meal for me.

Well, whatever.

I turned off my phone, took the ring off my finger, and closed my eyes.

I spoke to the system, weary. "Take me away."

There was nothing left in this world worth holding on to.

2

The system said it would arrange for me to fall seriously ill, and once I died, I could leave this world and return to my original one.

Before that happened, I began putting my affairs in order in this world.

Ethan never contacted me again. Only Chloe's social media kept updating with their daily displays of affection.

I went to the hospital to pick up my checkup results.

The system was efficient. I was diagnosed with late-stage cancer, with less than a month left.

My attending doctor, Grace Hill, was a close friend. She stared at the report in disbelief, her eyes red and swollen.

I saw her hands shaking uncontrollably and tried to comfort her. "It's okay, Grace. This is fate. I've come to terms with it."

Grace wiped her tears away, not daring to say anything that might upset me. She glanced down the hallway behind me. "Ethan didn't come with you? This is huge, and he's not by your side?"

I forced a smile and put the report away. "He's busy, still on a business trip."

Grace furrowed his brows with displeasure. "What a lousy husband he is. He was all tears and promises when he proposed, but now he's nowhere to be found in such a dire state. No matter how busy he is, he should be here for your checkup. Nothing can be more important than family."

My smile started to falter, and for once, I fell silent.

Grace seemed to understand something in my silence.

She'd always had sharp instincts.

"What a jerk. You've given him everything all these years. You even ruined your face to save him. How could he..." Grace couldn't hold back anymore. She hugged me and burst into tears.

She insisted on seeing me off when I left, afraid I'd disappear the moment she let go.

But I never expected to run into Chloe outside the OB-GYN department.

She was the woman Ethan had an affair with.

She was waiting in line with a friend, her features faintly resembling mine.

Grace couldn't help but cast a glance at her.

As we passed by, I overheard Chloe whispering to her friend. "That's the ugly woman Ethan married."

At her words, her friend looked up and openly sized me up, then curled her lip in disdain. "How ridiculous it is you're said to be her stand-in! She looks old and ugly. You're way prettier than her."

Chloe pouted in feigned disagreement. "Don't say that. I heard she chased after Ethan for eight years. All of Ethan's friends say she's his true love."