Seven-Day Countdown To Leave His Unfaithful Love

On the night of our fifth wedding anniversary, Tristan slipped my wedding ring off my finger and slid it onto the hand of his childhood friend, Isla.

I reached out to take it back, but he placed his hand over hers, holding her still.

It is just a ring. What is the big deal if she tries it on?

Isla said softly, "If Evelyn is upset, I will take it off right now."

Tristan frowned. "Don't be so petty, Evelyn. Isla is just trying it."

The cold chime of the system rang in my head.

[Target Favorability: 100.]

[He is waiting for you to get jealous.]

[Please comfort him immediately.]

In the past, I would have swallowed my pride, pushed down my hurt, and walked over to soothe him. After all, I was a system task completer. As long as his favorability remained at max, I would be allowed to stay in this world forever.

But this time, I looked at my bare ring finger and spoke softly in my mind: "System, I abandon the mission."

[Confirm abandonment of all rewards?]

"Confirmed."

[Departure sequence initiated.]

[Countdown: Seven days.]

As the cold voice faded, a row of semi transparent numbers floated before my eyes: Seven days. This was all the time I had left in this world.

Tristan was still holding Isla's hand. Perhaps sensing that I was unusually quiet, he finally looked up at me.

"Evelyn, what is with that look on your face?"

The system screen glowed above his head.

[Favorability: 100.]

[Current Emotion: Anxious.]

[Inner Desire: Wants the host to snatch the ring back.]

Staring at those maxed out numbers, a sudden wave of absurdity washed over me.

Seven years.

For seven years, I relied on those three digits to endure Tristan's endless cold shoulders.

He abandoned the birthday dinner I spent all day preparing just to go to Isla. He told his friends that marrying me was nothing more than a habit. Every single time, I comforted myself with the thought that his favorability was at one hundred.

But no matter how high that number was, it couldn't warm my bare finger.

I drew my hand back. "It is nothing."

Tristan's frown deepened. "If you really dislike it, I will tell Isla to take it off."

Isla's eyes instantly welled with tears. "Tristan, it is fine. Really." She reached up to slide the ring off.

But Tristan held her hand, his voice growing even colder. "Keep it on. I want to see just how long some people can pretend to be generous."

The system chimed again.

[Target safety levels dropping.]

[Host is advised to show possessiveness immediately.]

I stood in silence. A flash of triumph crossed Isla's eyes. I picked up my glass of warm water and took a quiet sip. Tristan's expression darkened by the second.

In the past, I would have demanded answers with teary eyes. He would have mocked me with biting words, and when I turned to leave, he would say something even harsher to force me back. Through this game, he reassured himself of my love, and I reassured myself of his favorability. We wasted seven years in this endless loop. But today, I was simply tired.

When the dinner ended, Tristan walked ahead. Isla followed closely at his side, wearing my wedding ring. Walking a few paces behind them, I heard the system whisper:

[Departure countdown: Six days and twenty three hours.]

Tristan turned to look at me. "Aren't you coming?"

I spoke softly. "Tristan, she can keep the ring."

His steps came to a sudden halt.

When we got back to our apartment, Isla followed us inside. She claimed the ring was too valuable and wanted to return it to me face to face. Yet, as she stood in the hallway, her fingers kept stroking the band. It was obvious she didn't want to take it off.

Tristan sat on the sofa, watching me with cold eyes. "Evelyn, stop throwing a tantrum and take the ring back."

Isla bit her lip. "Evelyn, Tristan was just teasing you. Please don't be mad at him because of me."

I walked into the closet and pulled out my suitcase. Tristan's face paled instantly.

The system's warnings blared in my mind.

[Target Favorability: 100.]

[Current Emotion: Panic.]

[Host must stop packing immediately.]

Yet when Tristan spoke, his voice was like ice. "Who are you trying to threaten by packing? If you leave me, do you really think you can survive in some cheap rental outside?"

I folded my clothes one by one.

Actually, I didn't own much. Our home was filled with items Isla had brought over. The scented candles, the paintings, even Tristan's ties were all chosen by her, cluttering up half our space. My belongings were tucked away in a single corner drawer. I used to pick fights over this. Tristan would call me dramatic, and the system would whisper: [He loves seeing you jealous for him.]

And so, I swallowed my hurt over and over again. But I didn't want to swallow it anymore.

Seeing me ignore him, Tristan lunged forward and grabbed the handle of my suitcase. "If you want to leave, fine. But you leave behind everything I ever bought you."

Isla quickly intervened. "Tristan, don't. Evelyn will be heartbroken."

Tristan's jaw tightened. "She was acting so generous a moment ago. Let her return everything then."

I nodded. "Okay."

I reached into the suitcase and pulled out a pale gray scarf. It was the first gift Tristan had given me when his favorability reached max.

Years ago, he had been burning with a fever so high he couldn't recognize anyone. I carried him on my back through a snowy night for two blocks before I managed to hail a cab. When he woke, he scoffed and said I was being nosy, but the next day, he sent me this scarf.

The system had told me: [Target Favorability: 100. He is thanking you.]

I cherished that scarf for years. Even when the edges began to fray, I couldn't bear to throw it away. Now, I placed it gently on the sofa.

Tristan's eyes flickered with a sudden tremor.

Next, I took out my watch and an old keychain, placing them all before him.

Finally, I unclasped the necklace from around my neck. The small silver pendant contained the screenshot of the system's first notification of a successful milestone, my only physical proof of existence in this world.

Tristan's voice went hoarse. "Evelyn, what are you doing? Are you really trying to draw such a clean line between us?"

I kept my eyes down. "It was always meant to be clean."

A brief smile touched Isla's lips before she quickly masked it. She picked up the scarf. "This is so old and worn out, Evelyn. Tristan, you really had terrible taste back then."

She gave it a careless tug, causing the loose threads along the edge to unravel. I watched the scarf I had protected for seven years get ruined in her hands, yet my heart remained perfectly still.

Tristan frowned. "Isla, put that down."

Isla gasped, her eyes turning red. "I just thought since Evelyn doesn't want it anymore, there is no point keeping it around."

Tristan looked at me. He seemed to be waiting for me to explode with anger. The system flashed: [Target is waiting for the host to show that she cares.]

I simply zipped my suitcase shut. "If she likes it, she can have it."

Tristan's face drained of color. In that exact moment, the system screen flickered: [Departure countdown: Six days. Host emotional connection severed: 20%.]

The next morning, I went to the office to finalize my transfer documents. The relocation order to the southern branch had been approved two weeks ago.

I had planned to tell Tristan on our anniversary, but then he slipped my wedding ring onto Isla's finger. There was no longer any need to discuss it.

The HR manager looked at me with concern. "Evelyn, are you sure about this transfer? The southern branch is just starting up. It is going to be incredibly difficult."

I signed my name. "I am sure."

The system chimed: [Host signed long term relocation agreement. Departure sequence stable.]

I packed my files and stepped out of the meeting room. Tristan's name flashed on my screen. I let it ring until it stopped. He called a second time, then a third, until the phone finally fell silent.

Staring at the screen, I felt a strange sense of detachment. Usually, the system would warn me: [Target safety levels dropping. Please reply immediately.]

I used to be so afraid of his mood swings, terrified he would lose control or lock himself in his study again.

But later, I realized he knew perfectly well how to care for someone. He could speak softly to comfort Isla, he remembered her fear of the dark, and he would hand her water the moment she frowned. All of his gentle, human warmth was reserved for others. For me, there was only that hollow one hundred favorability score.

In the afternoon, Isla sent me a photo. In the picture, she was sitting on our marriage bed, wearing my wedding ring on her finger and my silver pendant around her neck. Evelyn, please don't misunderstand. Tristan said these things were just eyesores, so he asked me to put them away.

I stared at the silver pendant. That was my system anchor. If it was destroyed, the physical pain of my departure would be severe. I typed back a simple reply: Put it back.

Isla sent a voice message almost instantly, her tone dripping with distress. "Evelyn, I had no idea this was so important to you. I will take it off right now."

The next second, my phone rang. As soon as I answered, a sharp shattering sound echoed from the other end. My chest tightened.

Isla sobbed, "Tristan, I am so sorry. I just wanted to return the necklace to Evelyn, but the chain snapped."

Then, Tristan's voice cut through the receiver. "Evelyn, is there no end to this? It is just a cheap necklace. Did you really have to terrify her over it?"

I held the phone, my fingertips turning cold. Red warning screens flashed in my mind: [System anchor damaged. Departure pain index rising. Host must retrieve the fragments immediately.]

I spoke quietly. "That necklace is very important to me."

Tristan let out a harsh laugh. "What of yours isn't important? The ring is important, the scarf is important, and now this cheap necklace is important too. Evelyn, does the entire world have to revolve around you before you are satisfied?"

I closed my eyes. "I am coming back to get it."

Tristan paused. "You are coming home?" His voice softened slightly, and his emotional panel lit up: [Target Favorability: 100. Current Emotion: Anticipation. He thinks the host is willing to turn back.]

I didn't bother to explain.

When I reached the apartment, Isla was crying on the sofa. The broken silver pendant lay on the coffee table. Tristan stood beside her. His eyes lit up for a fraction of a second when he saw me, but he quickly masked it. "Apologize to Isla."

I bent down to gather the fragments. Isla suddenly reached out, placing her fingers over one of the sharp pieces. "Evelyn, it cut my hand." I looked up at her. Tristan grabbed my wrist in a tight grip. "Didn't you hear her? She is hurt. Apologize."

I looked into his eyes. "Tristan, this belongs to me."

Anxiety flashed in his eyes. "Your thing hurt her, so you must apologize."

The system chimed: [Departure countdown: Five days. Host existence index weakened: 10%.]

The framed photo on the coffee table flickered. In the picture, the details of my face grew slightly blurry. Tristan didn't notice. He kept his eyes locked on me, waiting for me to bow my head.

I picked up the last fragment. "I am sorry."

Isla froze. Tristan stared at me, dumbfounded.

In the past, he feared nothing more than this quiet, empty tone.

I clenched the sharp shards in my palm, letting the edges pierce my skin. The phantom pain of the damaged anchor shot straight to my chest, but I didn't even flinch.

By the fourth day, my body began to feel lighter. It wasn't an illusion. Standing before the mirror, I saw that my reflection had faded slightly, looking almost transparent.

The system chimed: [Departure countdown: Four days. Erasure of host existence from this world commencing.]

I packed my transfer documents into my bag and headed to the hospital to pick up my medical records. On my way, my phone rang. It was my doctor.

"Evelyn, your test results are back. The long term use of those physical stabilizers has caused severe damage to your system. If you still hope to have children, you need to come in for a thorough checkup as soon as possible."

I held the phone, standing in the hospital corridor for a very long time.

I had once desperately wanted a child. Spending seven years in this world, I wanted to have a connection that truly belonged to me.

But a task completer's body was altered by the system. To conceive, I had to take bitter, experimental medications. I had hidden them from Tristan, taking them faithfully for two years.

Every time the system told me his favorability was at one hundred, I would tell myself to wait just a little longer. Wait for him to learn how to love me. Wait until we were a real husband and wife. But now, I was leaving. There would be no child.

I tucked my phone away and walked toward the clinic entrance, but Tristan's car screeched to a halt right in front of me.

He stepped out of the vehicle, his face pale and tense. "Where are you going?" "The hospital."

Tristan's gaze darkened. "The hospital again?"

Isla climbed out of the passenger seat, a clean white bandage wrapped around her wrist. She said softly, "Evelyn, I know you are still angry with me, but please don't use your health to guilt Tristan."

Tristan's expression hardened. "Evelyn, you threw a tantrum over a necklace yesterday, and now you are faking an illness today?"

I looked at him, feeling a bone deep exhaustion. "Move."

Tristan grabbed my wrist. "You are going nowhere today. I will call your manager and handle your leave. You are staying home to clear your head."

I met his gaze. "Tristan, I really need to go to the hospital."

The system chimed: [Target Favorability: 100. Target is waiting for the host to yield. Host is advised to comfort him.]

Isla spoke with tears in her eyes. "Tristan, is Evelyn trying to run away again?"

Tristan's breathing hitched. His greatest fear was my departure. He roughly pulled me into the car. "Since you love disappearing so much, you can stay right where I can see you today."

I stopped fighting. I watched the hospital fade into the distance. In four days, I would leave this world. Perhaps I would never need to know the results of those tests anyway.

When we got back, Tristan confiscated my phone and my documents. He locked me inside the master bedroom, his voice harsh. "You can come out when you have learned to behave."

Through the wooden door, I heard Isla's hushed voice. "Tristan, won't this just make Evelyn angrier?"

Tristan snapped, "She has simply been spoiled."

I sat down against the door. The blue screen floated before my eyes: [Departure countdown: Three days and twenty three hours. Erasure of host existence in progress.]

Outside, Tristan's phone lit up. He glanced down. On his lock screen, the wedding photo of us had changed, the outline of my shoulder beginning to dissolve into empty space.