Chapter 1

Ethan’s first love—the woman he’d pined over for ten years—got divorced and came back to the country.

To give her a home again, Ethan decided to divorce me on the spot.

He didn’t hesitate to transfer half of his company's shares to my name.

He was terrified that if he delayed even for a second, I would cling to him.

"We're divorcing by mutual consent. You are not to slander Heather in front of anyone."

"And in the future, if Heather is attending any public events, you’d better avoid them."

Ten years of trying to win Ethan's heart under the System's orders, only to be met with a hundred divorce terms all centered around Heather Bennett.

He cherished her like a treasure. From beginning to end, he never truly looked at me.

I let out a soft laugh.

"You’ve finished your conditions. Now, it's my turn."

Picking up the pen, I wrote the only clause that belonged to me on the final page of the divorce agreement:

【After the divorce, Ethan Vance is forbidden from ever appearing in Nicole Miller's world.】

To celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary, I finished my work overseas early, flying twelve hours just to rush back to the office.

But I never expected to walk into his office and see my husband tightly holding his first love.

The office door was slightly ajar, and Ethan’s voice drifted out clearly:

"Heather, I was wrong back then. I shouldn’t have let you go... Now that you’re back, I’m never letting go again."

"I will give you a home. A home that truly belongs to us."

That gentle tone was something I had never heard in our ten years together.

I stood outside the door for ten whole minutes, until Heather noticed me.

The moment Ethan turned and saw me, the emotion in his eyes wasn't panic. It was relief.

He directly pulled a pre-drafted divorce agreement from his drawer.

"Heather needs me. Sign it."

I clenched my fists, letting my nails dig into my palms.

"Ethan, in these ten years, was there ever a single moment when you..."

"Nicole," he interrupted, his gaze finally landing on my face.

"Our marriage was only because Heather was trying to make me jealous back then."

"Now that she’s back, everything should go back to how it was."

"Don’t worry, I’ll give you half the company’s shares. It's enough for you to live comfortably."

Three sentences. Just like that, he casually erased our 3,600 days and nights together.

Ten years ago, Ethan's startup faced a hostile takeover and was on the brink of bankruptcy.

Heather chose to break up with him during his hardest times to marry a wealthy heir overseas.

And I, bound by a System that required me to win Ethan's heart, stepped into his life when he was at his lowest.

In the early years of our marriage, the company struggled.

I practically lived in the office, researching markets day and night, helping him deal with various investors.

I even used all my savings to help him start a new company and regain control when the board doubted him.

On the day the new company went public, he hugged me tightly at the celebration party:

"Nicole, the greatest luck of my life was meeting you."

He knew I lacked security, so he always reported his whereabouts whenever he had business dinners. His phone password was always my birthday.

Once, a female client tried to get close to him while drunk. He coldly cancelled the partnership on the spot, which became huge gossip in our circle.

I had naively thought that sincerity could be traded for sincerity.

Until today, when I heard with my own ears that he had never loved me.

It turned out his heart was never ours. He had only bowed his head to reality temporarily.

And I was nothing more than a convenient stepping stone during his rock-bottom days.

I picked up the pen and signed my name on that lengthy agreement.

"Ethan, as you wish, we won't bother each other anymore," I said calmly, pushing the agreement back to him.

Looking at the last line on the divorce agreement, Ethan’s brows furrowed tightly.

"Forbidden from appearing in your world?" He sneered, his knuckles tapping heavily on the mahogany desk.

"Nicole, when did you learn to play hard to get?"

Heather was wrapped in his suit jacket, leaning weakly against his shoulder, a hint of smugness hiding in her eyes.

"I'm not playing hard to get."

My eyes swept over Heather’s hand on his arm, and I spoke tiredly.

"Ethan, it’s been ten years. I’m exhausted."

Hearing my words, the anger on Ethan’s face flared even more.

He crumpled the agreement in his grip, almost speaking through gritted teeth.

"Not bother each other? Nicole, I hope you don’t regret this!"

He grabbed the pen, signing his name as if venting his anger, then threw the paper in front of me.

Somehow, a faint glimmer arose in his eyes—one he hadn't even noticed himself.

"Nicole, you’d better really be as carefree as you act."

Ethan had always believed I loved him to the bone. He was convinced my current calmness was just a front.

Once I left him, I wouldn’t survive.

Even if we divorced, sooner or later, I would face reality and crawl back to beg him.

But he didn’t know that the moment he took out the divorce agreement, the long-silent System notification rang in my mind again.

【Target's affection level has dropped to zero. Mission failed. Desynchronization countdown initiated.】

【In three days, the Host will depart this world via natural death.】

Only three days left. Then, I would completely leave this ridiculous world—and him.