Chapter 3

I didn’t just know I was the female lead.

I also knew that six months after the wedding, I would suddenly die of bone cancer, leaving Ethan to mourn me for the rest of his life.

My death came without warning or clues. In the original novel, it was a rushed ending that forced a tragedy on the readers.

Vanessa had deliberately let me learn how I was destined to die.

She wanted me to know she had come to save Ethan from being abandoned by the woman he loved twice.

She thought I loved Ethan so much that, once I learned I was dying, I would voluntarily bow out of our love triangle.

She never expected me to keep following the plot even after I knew the truth.

That day at the bridal boutique, when she tried to make me pity her, I refused to indulge her. Still smiling politely, I took my bone cancer diagnosis out of my bag and showed it to her.

“Since you brought up bone cancer, I should thank you, Vanessa.”

Ever since reuniting with Ethan and learning my ending, I had gone to the hospital for a checkup every two weeks.

The first few months of tests showed nothing wrong.

Then Ethan proposed, and I was diagnosed with bone cancer.

Yet I felt perfectly fine.

Vanessa stared at my diagnosis. Realizing there was no point pretending we were on friendly terms, she laid her cards on the table.

“Claire, do you think I don’t know you’re stalling? You want to drag this out until you marry Ethan and I have to leave this world, don’t you?”

“Well, sorry to disappoint you. I traded my life for the chance to stay here forever.”

My eyes widened. I covered my mouth and stared at her in disbelief.

“You actually… You’re insane!”

She really was.

God knew how much I envied her healthy body.

I knew I was going to die, but there was nothing I could do. I could only wait as the date crept closer.

She glared and advanced on me.

“You forced me to do this. If it weren’t for you, why would I have to suffer through bone cancer every day?”

“Do you have any idea how much it hurts?”

How interesting.

Hadn’t she volunteered for all of it?

I was this world’s female lead. It was perfectly reasonable for me to hold on to my male lead, yet she blamed me for not stepping aside.

Then she suddenly smiled, looking relieved. “At least it’ll all be over soon.”

“Why don’t you take a guess? If I have an attack during your wedding, will Ethan abandon you for me?”

Of course he would.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t have answered that call for him.