The Wedding of His Century's Collapse

Boyce Collier and I made a promise on our deathbeds: we would find each other again in the next life.

When we were truly reborn, back in our college dorm, a cold voice gave us a choice of one gift for our new life.

Without hesitation, I wanted to give him the choice, but he snatched "The Midas Touch" first, all so he could marry the East Coast socialite he had long coveted.

He grabbed my chin, his hot breath ghosting across my face as he spat out each word, calling me "some broke lab rat." In that moment, I realized our decades of mutual support had been nothing more than a story I told myself. I saw that on his wrist, the constellation tattoo we once shared had been covered by a cursive "S".

A week later, he became the sole heir to a mysterious tycoon; two weeks later, he proposed to his dream girl. He even had my research grant revoked. Later, at a charity gala, he caught sight of me in my waitress uniform and sneered, "How pathetic."

He even sent me an invitation to his wedding of the century, inviting me to see for myself the gap between our worlds.

On his wedding day, I stood in the crowd, my fingertips brushed the faded tattoo on my wrist. I could feel the hum of the new power the system had given me: "The Karmic Trigger."

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1

I loved Boyce for a lifetime. Before we died, we made a vow—if there was a next life, we would find each other again.

When I opened my eyes, we were back at twenty-two, standing in a dorm room at Bridgewater University. A cold, mechanical voice echoed in my mind, its words sharp and clear.

[Host detected. You may select one gift for your new life—for yourself or for your partner.]

I didn't hesitate for a second. I loved him. Of course I’d give the gift to him.

But Boyce spoke first.

"I choose 'The Midas Touch'," he said, his voice firm, with a sharp edge of impatience.

"This time, I want to stand on the same level as Sloane Montgomery. I'm going to marry her."

"Move," he sneered, shoving me aside like I was trash. "You're just some broke nobody."

For a second, my brain went blank. The quiet nights, the shared sacrifices, the love I thought we had… It was all just a story I’d been telling myself.

I didn't argue. I didn't question. There was nothing left to say.

I turned and walked away.

The system spoke again, this time only to me.

[Partner has selected 'The Midas Touch'. Available gift for Host: 'The Karmic Trigger'.]

[Once activated, this ability will trigger a cascading collapse of the target's fate at the moment of their peak success.]

[Activation is irreversible. Will only engage at the optimal critical point.]

I almost laughed. What a sick joke. A weapon for someone who'd already lost the war.

But I accepted it.

Because I had no other choice.

After that, things moved shockingly fast.

Within a week, Boyce's life was transformed. A long-lost grandfather—the reclusive billionaire Donovan Blackwood—publicly announced that Boyce was his sole heir. Overnight, he went from an unknown student to the future head of Blackwood Holdings.

One week. A tailored suit. A new sports car. The kind of social circle that only materializes around money.

He strode through campus like he owned the place. In a way, he did now—the Blackwood family had just donated a new building to the business school.

Two weeks later, he proposed to Sloane Montgomery.

Not me. Her.

The Montgomery family was East Coast old money—prestigious, well-connected, and impossibly discerning. Before "The Midas Touch," they wouldn't have given Boyce a second glance. Now, the media dubbed the union of Blackwood and Montgomery the merger of the century: new money meets old.

Sloane said yes. Of course she did.

And I watched. From the back of the crowd, from behind a screen, from every angle imaginable.

I watched, and I felt nothing.