No More Strategy, Only Love

A Man's Love Does Not Last Forever

I was wheeled into the guest room, and just a few minutes later, Frank stormed in.

"Why did you come out?" His voice seethed with anger. "Dad and Irene were perfectly happy until you showed up, and then she faints. Why must you always ruin everything?"

The last time I saw Frank, he was just three years old and starting kindergarten.

He would rush into my arms every day after school, bubbling with stories from his day. Whenever his teacher handed out snacks, he would secretly save some and bring them home to me.

"Mom, I love you the most! Even more than Dad!"

I was away for only three years, and yet, everything had changed.

The disdain on his face now mirrored his father's perfectly.

"I don't want to see you! Go back to the basement!" His eyes brimmed with frustrated tears, and as he spoke, he shoved my wheelchair toward the door.

Before we reached it, Vincent stepped in front of us, blocking the exit.

"Where are you taking her?" he asked, his voice sharp.

Frank faltered, his anger wavering for a moment. "I… I hate her! I don't want her around!"

"Frank!" Vincent's voice was stern, his face set in a grim line. "Go back to your room. You are not to be involved in this."

He then turned to the housekeeper. "Jolene, keep an eye on Frank. He's not to leave the house for the next week."

…

Vincent drove me to the hospital.

As I watched his profile, I couldn't stop myself from asking, "Three years ago… Irene didn't go through with the surgery, did she?"

The car swerved slightly at my words.

After a long silence, he responded, "Kelsey, this is what you owe her."

It became clear then. Irene had suffered significant cardiac damage three years ago, and a heart transplant had been imminent. However, the surgery was aborted due to a public outcry after the plans were inadvertently leaked.

Now, I was released from the basement to have my heart transplanted to Irene.

Numb as I was, a sharp, quiet pain still spread through me. So, he had known everything all along, yet he still chose to send me to her.

"Then do you know that I'm going to die?"

Suddenly, the car screeched to an abrupt stop at the roadside. He turned to look straight into my eyes. "Kelsey, no! I won't let anything happen to you. Trust me!

"But Irene saved my life once. How could I just watch her die? And besides…" His voice trailed off.

"You're healthy," he muttered, almost as if to convince himself. "Dr. Wilkins said you're fine. This will be the last time, I promise!"

'But Vincent, can't you see the wounds covering my body? Taking me to the operating room now is as good as signing my death sentence,' I mused.

The system in my mind couldn't hold back any longer. 'Host, we've got to get out of here! Why are you wasting time arguing with this scumbag? If you don't run now, you'll be nothing but a cold corpse soon!'

At that, I wondered, 'His love for Irene… It never really wavered, did it?'

I had foolishly believed that, at some point, I had succeeded in winning his heart.

I still remember the moment I first arrived in this world.

Vincent was being held down at the mop sink, forced to drink the filthy water, while Irene stood by, watching with a cold smile. "Look at me with those disgusting eyes one more time, and I'll gouge them out!" she had threatened.

That day, I called the dean, but it only made things worse. The group of bullies turned their attention to me instead.

But none of that mattered. My mission was to win Vincent's heart, to protect him from Irene and from becoming evil.

So, after school, I persuaded him to join me for taekwondo practice.

By the time he could fend off ten men single-handedly, the way he looked at Irene had lost all its tenderness.

Yet, he would still bring me breakfast, walk me home, and blush uncontrollably at the slightest thing I said. After we graduated, he rented out an entire building just to propose to me.

"Kelsey, all I can afford right now is to rent this place for a night. But believe me, one day, I'll buy it outright and put your name on it for everyone to see!"

That night, under a vast sky of stars, I drowned in the depths of his eyes and was completely captivated by him.

At that moment, the system chimed in, notifying me that Vincent's love for me had reached 100%. The strategy was successful, and I had to leave quickly.

I laughed it off. 'How could Vincent's love for me ever change?'

But, as it turned out, the system was right. A man's love doesn't last forever.