Chapter 5

The last time I saw Declan with that look was four years ago.

That was also before Christmas.

The streets were filled with the tune of Jingle Bells, and Declan coldly said to me, "Genevieve said you came to her in my name, asking her to stay away from me?"

No matter how much I explained, Declan wouldn’t listen. To the extent that when Genevieve’s family moved abroad, he blamed me.

"Hazel, you’re great, but compared to Genevieve, you’re nothing."

His decisive words echoed in my ears, and my eyes reddened.

After a long silence, Declan said, "It’s exactly what you see; I don’t want to explain anything."

"Hazel, if you want a divorce, you can have it. Thank you for letting me be with Genevieve."

The pain was overwhelming, like being engulfed by endless darkness, each breath feeling like a thousand tiny needles.

I never realized so clearly that Declan doesn’t love me.

He didn’t want me to carry his child, yet he couldn’t wait to be with Genevieve. In just two months, she was pregnant.

Thinking of how proud I was of my 80% strategy completion, it seemed laughable. As long as Genevieve is 100%, what does my 80% even mean?

[It does mean something], the System’s voice suddenly echoed in my mind: [Host, please don’t be overly sad. I’ve secured a benefit for you. You can choose to let "Hazel" die physically and leave this identity.]

[But don’t worry, your soul won’t perish. I’ll give you a suitable identity to be reborn.]