Until the Thousandth Command

We were together for six years when Victoria betrayed me without hesitation.

At first, I was ready to rage, but then strange reader comments flooded my mind. Voices claimed shed been injected with a neurotoxin and warned that if I confronted her, Id die homeless on the streets. They told me to stay silent for our daughters sakeor Id lose them both forever.

Fearing those prophecies, I buried my anger and stayed quiet.

From then on, I watched Victoria and Ben together in our own home. I even cleaned their sheets like a servant.

Then one day, I overheard Victoria and her friend laughing. Her friend said the mind-control drug worked perfectlyit made me believe I was in a novel, turning me into an obedient dog. Victoria blew out smoke, smirking. She said that because Id embarrassed Ben at his party a year ago, shed strip me of all dignity and make me feel a hundred times the humiliation.

When her friend asked what if I snapped, Victoria just flicked her ash. Hes too well-trained to leave now.

Their footsteps faded. Hiding in the shadows, my heart felt dead.

They didnt know this really was a novels world.

Id already completed 997 of Victorias demands. Just three more, and I could escape this nightmare for good.

1 In a daze, a sharp stone smashed hard into my forehead.

Blood instantly gushed out.

I hissed in pain and immediately covered the wound. Two centimeters lower, and that rock would have popped my eyeball right out of its socket.

I looked toward where the stone came from.

That tiny figure used to hug my neck every night and sweetly call me Daddy.

But now, she tilted her chin up, copying Victoria's exact posture, her eyes filled with chilling apathy.

"Is your brain busted or are you just deaf? Uncle Ben is waiting for you to draw his bath. Hurry up!"

Once upon a time, her eyes were full of pure adoration. She used to follow me around, saying I was her favorite person in the whole wide world.

She was terrified of dogs, but whenever a stray barked at me, she would instantly throw her arms wide open and stand in front of me.

"Don't be scared, Daddy! I'll protect you!"

On the day Victoria cheated and shamelessly brought Ben into our marital home...

Laura acted like an angry little beast, grabbing everything she could get her hands on and throwing it at Ben.

"Get out! This is my Daddy's house!"

But as the drug and the system forced me into total submission, I became a bowing, scraping shell of a man.

The way she looked at me shifted from confusion to blatant, unfiltered disgust.

She despised me for being a spineless loser who would not even squeak when stepped on.

So she banned me from attending her parent-teacher conferences, claiming I embarrassed her. Instead, she held Ben's hand and showed him off to her classmates, saying he was elegant and much more suited to be her real Dad.

A sharp, stinging pain radiated from my forehead.

Warm blood mixed with something unexplainable slid down the corner of my eye, feeling exactly like a tear.

I looked at her blankly.

"We have maids for that. It is not my job."

Laura frowned deeply. "But Uncle Ben asked for you specifically, so you have to do it!"

She raised her slingshot, pulling the rubber band back and aiming right at me.

I obeyed Victoria's orders because the system forced me to.

That did not mean I had to take orders from a spoiled brat.

I stood my ground. "Go get a maid."

I turned around, intending to go clean the blood off my face.

But I never expected Laura to actually let go of that rubber band.

The second stone sliced through the air and hit the back of my knee with pinpoint accuracy.

Blinding pain shot up my leg. My knees buckled, and I crashed heavily onto the hard marble floor.

I landed horribly. A sickening crack echoed through the hallway. I knew right then my wrist was broken.

Laura clearly froze for a second. The slingshot slipped from her hand. She took a step forward, seemingly wanting to help me up.

But a slender hand pressed firmly onto her shoulder.

"Great job, Laura. That is exactly how you deal with a disobedient dog. You have to be ruthless."

Ben had walked downstairs at some point. He stood there, looking down at me, enjoying the pathetic sight of me sweating in agony.

Hearing his praise, Laura instantly swallowed whatever pity she had. She looked up at Ben, her eyes practically begging for a treat.

Just then, Victoria walked through the front door and took in the scene. Her face darkened instantly.

The deep, bleeding hole on my forehead was obviously the work of a slingshot. Her eyes flashed red. She marched over and grabbed Laura's wrist.

"Who taught you to raise your hand against an elder? You are completely out of control. Where are your manners!"

Laura flinched. Ben reacted with lightning speed, his eyes welling up with tears.

"Victoria, don't blame Laura. Nolan started it. He was running his mouth, cursing me to die a horrible death, saying awful things about our future baby... Laura just got so mad she couldn't help it."

"Ask her if you don't believe me."

A hint of panic flashed through Laura's eyes. Treating Ben as her lifesaver, she nodded frantically.

"Yeah."

She cast a guilty glance at me before raising her voice. "He cursed Uncle Ben first, and he cursed the new baby... That is why I shot him."

The next second, a hand grabbed my hair, jerking my head back violently.

2 Victoria's eyes were as cold as ice.

"Is that true, Nolan?"

I glanced at Laura, who was hiding behind her mother. The girl kept her head down, staring intensely at her own toes, too scared to meet my gaze.

I forced a smile.

"What do you think?"

Victoria let go of me abruptly, shoving me hard against the floor.

"A leopard never changes its spots. You played nice for barely half a month, and now your vicious nature is showing again. I shouldn't have gone easy on you!"

"Now, crawl over to Ben. Bow your head and beg for his forgiveness! If anything happens to Ben because of your disgusting curses, I will make you pay!"

The broken bone in my wrist pulsed with agonizing pain.

I stared blankly at the floor, asking softly, "Is this your demand?"

We had known each other for ten years, loved each other for six. I had never said no to a single thing she asked of me.

In the past sixteen years, I had agreed to and fulfilled nine hundred and ninety-seven of her demands.

Including today, that made nine hundred and ninety-eight.

Victoria did not hesitate for a second. "Yes. That is my demand."

Before she could even rush me, I bent my knees.

With every inch I crawled forward, the broken bone ground against my flesh, sending sharp, knife-like pain shooting through my nerves.

To make things worse, I had to press my upper body close to the ground to show my absolute submission. My broken hand twisted into a horrifying angle.

After just a few steps, I was drenched in cold sweat, my breathing shaky and shallow.

But Ben, sitting comfortably on the sofa, spoke up with a victimized tone. "Victoria, I heard an apology like this has to be perfectly executed. If the posture is wrong, it means he isn't sincere, and God will punish me for it. Nolan is shaking so much. Is he doing it on purpose to curse my lifespan?"

Victoria's face turned pitch black. "Get over here and hold him down! Don't let him shake!"

Several burly male servants rushed over. They were brutally rough, stepping directly onto my back, practically grinding my face into the floorboards.

My broken hand took the brunt of it. Heavy leather shoes stepped right onto my wrist, the bones making a stomach-turning crunch.

In the end, I didn't even know how I survived that torturous punishment.

All I remember is being swallowed by total darkness the moment it was over.

When I opened my eyes again, the harsh smell of disinfectant filled my nose.

Victoria was sitting by my hospital bed, tightly gripping my hand.

Seeing my eyelids flutter, she pulled her hand back like she had been burned.

"I tell you to crawl and you actually crawl. Is my word really that absolute to you?"

"You didn't even make a sound when your bone broke. If the doctor hadn't noticed the severe dislocation, this hand would have been crippled for life!"

There seemed to be a fleeting trace of emotion in her tone, but I didn't have the energy to care. I only focused on one thing.

"Did the punishment count as finished?"

Emotions swirled intensely in Victoria's eyes.

"Yes. It counts."

I let out a long breath of stale air. "Good. Only two left."

Victoria frowned, clearly missing the meaning of my words. She took a deep breath and changed the subject.

"I watched the security footage from the garden."

"Laura was the one who shot you first."

Immediately, she started making excuses for Ben.

"Don't hold it against Ben. He only lied to protect Laura from getting punished."

"At the end of the day, the problem is you. You raised Laura, and now she turns around and throws rocks at you. You are a complete failure of a father. Do you admit it?"

Her words cut like knives.

To wash Ben clean, she had zero problems dumping all the blame on me.

But was she really that blind? Everything Laura did now was a carbon copy of her.

Copying her cold shoulders, copying her creative ways to humiliate me, copying the way she treated me like a disposable stray dog.

I closed my eyes, swallowing every bit of emotion.

"I admit it."

That answer finally satisfied her. In a rare moment of kindness, just like before our relationship shattered, she tucked me in and told me to get some rest.

When her hand reached out to brush my cheek, I turned my head away, dodging her touch.

Victoria's face instantly frosted over. She turned on her heel and slammed the door behind her.

3 By the afternoon, Ben strolled right into my hospital room like he owned the place.

He wore that sickeningly smug smile on his face.

"Victoria is so silly. You're the one lying in the hospital bed, but she insisted that being near your dirty blood brought me bad luck. She specifically gave me an antique pendant to cleanse my aura."

He proudly pulled out the tarnished silver cross necklace hanging around his neck.

Just one glance, and all the blood rushed to my head. My fingertips trembled.

That was the amulet my late mother prayed for on the cold stone floor of our hometown church.

It was the only keepsake I brought over from my original world.

For sixteen straight years, I protected it like my own life. I barely even touched it, keeping it carefully locked in the bottom drawer of my nightstand.

Even when Laura used to cry and beg to play with it, I never gave in.

Victoria actually dug through my things while I was unconscious and casually gave it to Ben to cleanse his aura?

"Give it back!"

Blinding rage made my chest heave with a metallic taste. Forgetting my broken wrist, I lunged at him like a madman.

But before I even grazed the edge of the necklace, a heavy kick sent me flying backward.

"Ben, are you okay?!"

"Uncle Ben!"

Victoria and Laura had appeared at the door out of nowhere. The mother and daughter swarmed Ben, protecting him like he was made of glass.

My back slammed hard against the wall. My vision went black, and it felt like my organs had been rearranged.

Ben buried his face in Victoria's shoulder, whining with fake tears. "Victoria, Laura, Nolan is acting like a psycho! I came to check on him, and he just lunged at me like a rabid dog, trying to strangle me! He even accused me of stealing his necklace!"

Victoria's eyes turned sharp. She stood like an iceberg in front of Ben.

"It is just a piece of junk jewelry. Is it worth throwing a psycho fit over? You never even wear it. What is the big deal if Ben borrows it to ward off bad energy?"

I screamed, my voice tearing. "That is mine! That is my mother's relic!"

"If you want to ward off his bad energy, go pay a bishop at a cathedral to bless him! Why did you touch my things!"

Hearing the word "relic," Victoria frowned slightly, seeming to waver.

But Ben gripped the silver cross tightly, refusing to budge.

"Victoria, I really like this one. It feels perfectly in tune with my soul."

Victoria instantly shifted her stance. "Since Ben likes it, just give it to him. You always used to listen to me. Be a good boy, don't throw a tantrum over something so trivial."

She spoke in that dismissive tone she would use on a pet, entirely certain I would cave in.

I gritted my teeth, shaking my head stubbornly.

"He can take anything else from that house. But absolutely not this cross."

Laura angrily ran over, her small fists raining down on me. "You bad man! You're just jealous of Uncle Ben. You want to make him sad on purpose, don't you!"

She hated me so much now. Her punches weren't strong, but every hit on my chest hurt worse than the stone from yesterday.

Victoria pulled Laura back, stared right into my eyes, and delivered the final verdict. "Nolan, this is my demand."

I froze instantly. Only my pupils trembled violently.

Whenever Victoria said those words, my physical autonomy locked down completely. I literally could not say the word no.

Listening to the sizzling static of the system in my brain.

Hot tears finally spilled over.

"Okay."

"As long as it's your demand, I agree."

Seeing my total emotional collapse, Victoria unexpectedly froze.

"Nolan..."

Her throat bobbed. A highly complex flash of regret passed through her eyes. "Don't be like this. When you get discharged, I'll hire the best silversmith to make you an exact replica."

I didn't waste another word on her.

No matter how expensive the replica was, it wouldn't have my mother's warmth.

For the first few days after leaving the hospital, I locked myself in the dark guest room to recover.

I blocked out all the noise from the outside world.

Until one morning, Victoria kicked my door open. Veins popped on her forehead as she lunged at me like an enraged lioness, choking me tightly.

"Nolan, how can you be so venomous! You actually cursed that cross!"

4 Cursed?

I gasped for air, struggling to speak. "What... what the hell are you talking about?"

She let go, throwing me hard against the floor. "Save the innocent act! I hired a top psychic, and she said you used that necklace to put a vicious hex on Ben!"

"No wonder Ben has been running a high fever and having nightmares every single night. You're the one pulling the strings. I never knew you were this sinister!"

My back hit the hardwood floor with a painful thud. Pale and breathless, I shook my head frantically.

"That is impossible! My mother prayed for that sacred item in a church. How could it carry anything dark!"

"Besides, you guys forced it off me. I haven't even touched it!"

"Exactly!" Victoria's eyes looked like they could burn me alive. "That is why you built up so much resentment and silently cursed whoever wore it. You hated Ben for taking your necklace. But if you're so mad, come at me! Torturing an innocent man is just pathetic!"

She gave me one last look of profound disappointment and sorrow before waving her hand at the bodyguards waiting outside.

A few bulky men stormed in, roughly stripping off my pajamas and forcing me into a ridiculous, mothball-scented clown suit.

Victoria stood at the door, her voice devoid of any warmth. "Tonight is Ben's birthday gala. He said that if you wear this suit and play the clown to entertain everyone, he will be merciful and let the cursing incident slide."

Looking at my reflection, smeared with exaggerated face paint and a stupid red nose.

I finally connected all the dots.

Victoria went through all this trouble just to get back at me for humiliating Ben at his birthday party a year ago.

I made her precious lover lose face, so she was going to make me pay it back a thousand times over.

I looked in the mirror, laughing until tears streamed down my face.

"Is this your demand too?"

Victoria paused slightly before answering coldly, "Yes."

I wiped the tears from the corner of my eyes.

"Alright."

Victoria, this is the very last time.

Dragging my heavy feet, I arrived punctually at Ben's outrageously lavish garden birthday party.

Most of the people in Victoria and Ben's circle knew who I was.

In the past, they used to call me their brother and compliment how perfect Victoria and I were for each other.

Now, they clustered in small groups, holding back laughter while pointing their phone cameras right at my painted face, eagerly recording my humiliation.

I spotted Laura in the crowd, wearing a custom princess dress.

When her eyes met mine, they churned with blatant disgust and furious embarrassment.

A little girl in a pink dress next to her asked curiously, "Laura, who is that clown? Do you know him?"

Laura turned her head away sharply, her voice piercing. "I don't know that freak!"

The paint hid my expression.

This was fine. Since Laura was thoroughly disgusted by me, I could leave without a single shred of attachment.

"Nolan, I can't believe you actually had the guts to show up."

Ben walked up to me holding a glass of champagne, a fake, dramatic look of surprise on his face. He shook my hand, digging his long nails deeply into the soft flesh of my wrist until it bled.

He lowered his voice so only we could hear. "Nolan, a year ago when you publicly called me home-wrecking trash, did you ever think you'd be begging on the floor like a dog today?"

He immediately pulled his hand back, turning to Victoria with his brightest smile.

"Victoria, I want to see the clown dance."

I didn't even wait for Victoria to give the order.

Like a marionette with its soul ripped out, I stiffly walked onto the stage and began to flail around, performing a vulgar, comical clown dance.

Some of the people who knew me looked awkward, while others whistled and cheered at the spectacle.

I treated them all like thin air, mechanically running through the final script.

Until a sticky slice of cream cake hit me square in the face, clogging my nose.

"Enough! Have you thrown away your last shred of dignity!"

Through the gap in the frosting, I looked at the person who threw the cake.

A strong metallic taste rose in my throat.

I slowly wiped the cream off my eyes, ready to continue the dance.

The next second, my arm was yanked hard. Victoria dragged me forcefully down the stairs.

"It is over, Nolan."

She stared at me, her eyes chaotic, like something was choking her.

While planning this party, she fully believed that seeing me act like an utter fool would give her the ultimate high of avenging Ben.

But when it actually happened, all she felt was suffocating irritation and an indescribable panic.

Maybe this absurd punishment game really needed to end.

I looked at her lifelessly, my voice hoarse. "Is your demand complete?"

She froze, nodding instinctively.

"Yes."

Bzzzt...

In that exact moment, the long-lost mechanical voice of the system finally rang loud and clear in my head.

"Ding. Congratulations to Host 508 on completing the redemption side-quest. Please terminate all vital signs within ten minutes to prepare for world extraction."

"Nolan..." Victoria seemed to want to say something else.

But without wasting a single second, I turned around and took large strides toward the roof of the main mansion.

Seeing my resolute back, Victoria's heart skipped a heavy beat. She subconsciously reached out to grab my shirt.

But Ben held her arm tight.

"Victoria, it's time to cut the cake!"

Victoria stood there, her eyes locked on my fading silhouette.

For the first time, she realized that at some point, I had withered down to just skin and bones. Even that ridiculous clown suit hung loosely on my frame.

She made a silent vow right then and there. Once this party ended, she would cut ties with Ben for good.

The massive, multi-tiered fondant cake was rolled out.

Victoria grasped the knife handle, somewhat distracted. Right at the moment the sharp blade pierced the frosting...

Bang!

A sickeningly heavy thud echoed from the courtyard outside.