Chapter 1

The father and his two sons, originally antagonistic figures, were destined to destroy each other over the heroine. But I intervened and altered their fate.

In the end, the elder son took over the family business, while the younger son gained admission to a top university.

Yet, at the company's annual meeting, both brothers implored the Chairman to let their father marry the widowed heroine and make her the family's Heiress.

"Dad and Sister Lydia have already missed over ten years together. Mom, you need to be understanding and generous."

On the day of my husband's wedding, I didn't cause a scene. Instead, I summoned the long-silent System.

"Confirm departure from this wretched place."

I stood in the rain, the bridge already collapsed, with old love songs playing from the speakers by the roadside until the final note faded away.

I leaned forward, letting myself fall into the icy, bone-chilling river.

I was a strategist, tasked with saving the antagonist and his family from tearing themselves apart over the heroine.

What was tragic was that once the original male lead was gone, my husband and sons were eager to bring the widowed heroine into our home.

The System's voice chimed in: [Master, the mission has failed. Once your physical body in this alternate universe perishes, your real-world body will awaken. However, your time there is running short. Are you sure you want to leave here?]

I nodded slightly. With the little time remaining, I just wanted to spend it with my family and friends.

But the expected suffocation didn't come. A strong hand grabbed my arm from behind and pulled me up.

"What are you doing? Today is Sister Lydia's special day, and you're pulling this stunt?"

I turned around to see my stepson, Jasper, panting heavily, his bright eyes aflame with anger.

He was one of my targets in this world and later became the most fervent antagonist in the story.

He would become obsessed with the heroine, turn against his family, and ultimately become someone everyone shunned.

When I became Nolan's second wife, Jasper was just six years old.

His birth mother had passed away, and his father was always busy with work. As a child, he caused trouble in the streets, seeking attention but often ending up bullied.

I brought him home, cleaned him up, and planned his future.

Jasper wasn't interested in studying, so I encouraged him, saying a man could achieve great things in business.

For the first time, young Jasper had a dream. His eyes reddened, and he asked, "Can I call you Mom? They all laugh at me for not having a Mom, saying I'm a wild child..."

With my permission, he hugged me gently.

"Mom, when I grow up and make a lot of money, the first thing I'll do is buy you a big house and give you a good life."

But when he actually achieved his dream, his first request was to make Lydia his new mom.

He stopped calling me Mom. He even hated me because Lydia said it was my fault she got kidnapped by bad people and couldn't come back to see him.

The handsome young man in front of me overlapped with the child who used to call me Mom, but his eyes were now filled with coldness.

"Stop pretending. You're just trying to get our attention, right? If you really wanted to die, why choose the road where I'd be coming home from work, perfectly timed?"

I was speechless. I just wanted to find a not-too-ugly way to leave, in a place with a nice view. I never expected to run into Jasper.

Seeing that I didn't reply, Jasper mocked, "If you really want to die, find a place further away. Sister Lydia loves this river. She takes walks here when the weather's nice, so don't..."

He suddenly stopped.

I quickly dashed to the other end of the broken bridge and jumped off.

Lydia likes this river, right?

Then I hope she never comes here again. Every time she does, I hate it more.