Life After You

The moment I finished tidying up the house, the system's notification chimed.

"Fran, you'll be going home in five days," it said.

Tears began streaming down my cheeks again. I forced a smile and whispered, "Alright... Thank you."

For a second, I thought I heard the system sigh. The next thing I knew, my ears were filled with the sound of fireworks going off.

Elijah had lit them up outside for Abigail.

I took a deep breath, turned around, and gathered all my belongings—wedding photos included. I then crouched in a tight corner of the garden and burned all that junk in a heap.

In the flames, one item kept catching the light and flickering. It was the necklace Elijah had given me that year. I'd always carefully displayed it in the most prominent spot in my room, even polishing it once a week to keep it dust-free.

That was until I learned that Elijah had recently gone to an auction and bid on a necklace, declaring in front of everyone that it belonged to Abigail.

It was then that I realized our old memories had all but rusted away.

Watching the flames slowly shrink—just like my marriage to Elijah—I felt an unprecedented sense of joy. I could finally leave.

The next morning, as I opened the door and prepared to leave, I found Elijah standing outside. His eyes held a strange mix of emotions that made me somewhat afraid.

He asked, "Where's the necklace?"

Those few words made my eyes widen. After we got married, he'd never once asked about my affairs. In fact, he used to threaten to throw that necklace away simply because it stood out too much.

Before I could even respond, his phone rang. Elijah deliberately looked at me as he put the call on speaker. Then, I heard a sweet, coquettish voice.

"Eli, you were so rough last night. I miss you! Come back soon, okay?"

I watched as Elijah replied in a gentle voice, a tenderness that had vanished after the switch years ago. I bit my lower lip hard, trying to use physical pain to numb the ache in my heart.

Elijah soon hung up and pulled a gift box from his pocket, handing it to me. His tone was casual, smug even. "I bought you a new one. Since that necklace is gone, wear this instead."

I opened the box to find an exquisitely crafted snake-shaped necklace. This was the first gift he'd given me since we got married.

That said, I knew this was something he'd received from another rich heir after taking Abigail out in his sports car yesterday. It had probably passed through several women's hands before landing in mine.

My expression soured, but Elijah didn't seem to notice as he leaned close to my ear. He whispered, "Abby's pregnant. I'll be taking care of her, so I won't be coming home."

I felt a wave of nausea and tried to struggle. However, Elijah held my hands down firmly, leaning in to kiss the corner of my eye with a tenderness I'd always longed for. Yet, this time I felt nothing.

I bit my lower lip and said nothing in response.

Met with my silence, Elijah slapped me across the face, instantly leaving a bright red handprint on my cheek. "Why aren't you saying anything? Congratulate me. Who knows? Maybe you can even help babysit later."

I whipped my head around. My eyes were bloodshot as I glared at him in disbelief. "Elijah, are you doing this on purpose?"

Elijah revealed a mocking smile, nodded, and left soon after.

I had once been pregnant with Elijah's child, conceived before Abigail drugged him. A month after our marriage, I discovered it when I suddenly felt nauseous.

When I found out about the child in my belly, I was like an excited teenager. I ran straight to Elijah's office to tell him the good news.

As soon as I entered, however, I saw him embracing his secretary in a very compromising position.

Seeing me arrive, not only did Elijah not stop, but he even thrust harder into the woman beneath him, as if deliberately provoking me.

He succeeded, of course, and I stumbled down the stairs in a daze, falling from the tenth floor to the eighth.

Just like that, the baby was gone. I lost not only my ability to have children, but also the love I once had for him.

Elijah only knew that I'd lost my fertility and ability to conceive. After learning this, he'd remind me of it every so often. He constantly made me feel like it was my personal curse to suffer.

After Elijah left, I didn't hesitate before leaving that house. I wanted to visit my parents' cemeteries in this world first, to say goodbye to them.

Elijah and I had chosen that location together, wanting to give my folks a peaceful resting place. The graves were also built with the money he'd earned from his first project after establishing his business empire. It was compensation he owed my parents.

The graves were luxurious and grand, and he'd said this was the first step in repaying me for all I'd done. But apparently, it was also the last step.

When I arrived at the cemetery, I did not expect the graves to look completely unrecognizable.

Now, a mansion stood where my parents lay.

I stumbled out of my car and frantically pressed the doorbell, desperate to know what had happened. The next second, I heard a familiar, sweet voice.

"Eli, you're back already? Did you get them already?"

Abigail was barely clothed, and only after seeing me did she smile and put on a men's dress shirt. I knew it was Elijah's, having seen that very shirt yesterday.

She raised an eyebrow, her eyes full of mockery as she asked, "What's wrong? Didn't expect me to be more important than your parents? This is the mansion he spent a fortune building just for me. I think he used all of last year's company profits on it. Your parents' graves? They were bulldozed long ago."

I gripped the railing tightly, growling like a wild animal. "How could you do this? If you're angry, you can come at me. Why treat my parents this way?"

Abigail snorted and deliberately walked toward me, still smiling as she looked at me. "I always thought a cemetery gave this place bad vibes. Who cares about your parents?"

I stared at her, searching for signs of shame on her face, a crack I could dig into. Yet, I found nothing.

I could only shout weakly, "You'll never be Elijah's wife! Do you think he'll accept you? You're too naive!"

Hearing my words, Abigail showed no fear whatsoever, and I could not help but feel like a complete clown. From beginning to end, I'd been nothing but a pathetic loser.

She said flatly, "I'm pregnant with his child, and I'm his first love. If I don't marry him, who will? You, the woman he sees as a walking joke?"

I froze for a moment. Suddenly, Abigail reached out to grab my throat tightly, and I couldn't breathe.

Then, I heard her running her mouth.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Elijah running toward us. In that instant, I stopped resisting.

"Let go!"