Chapter 1: The Heart Given Away

Sera had always been possessive—a force of nature driven by a relentless, stubborn will.

As the only daughter of the prestigious Sterling family in Rivercrest, she was a princess spoiled since birth. Anything she desired, she seized—by force if necessary.

At her fifteenth birthday gala, her gaze fell upon Julian, and she made a public declaration that chilled the room:

"This man is mine. If anyone touches him, I’ll destroy them."

She was a woman of her word. She married beneath her status, pouring the entire wealth and influence of the Sterling family into Julian’s ascent to the top.

After their marriage, she kept him under a suffocating watch, forbidding any woman from coming within half a meter of him.

Julian became known throughout Rivercrest as the "tamed husband."

If Sera said "east," he wouldn't dare head "west." She forbade him from speaking to other women, and he was so cautious he even had his assistant handle reports from female employees to avoid her wrath.

Later, when Sera was diagnosed with chronic cardio-pulmonary failure, Julian searched the globe for a matching donor.

But when a heart finally became available, he gave it to another woman: Bianca.

"Sera, Bianca’s condition took a sudden turn for the worse. She couldn’t wait any longer... I gave the heart to her."

All of Rivercrest held its breath, waiting for the inevitable explosion.

How could the vengeful Sera, who viewed Julian as her personal property, tolerate her husband giving her life-saving organ to someone else?

Yet, she merely looked up, her gaze calm as it settled on Julian’s handsome, guilt-stricken face.

There was no screaming, no shattering of glass, not even a furrow of her brow. She simply replied, "I see."

Julian froze, stunned by her lack of reaction. His guilt flared instantly.

He stepped forward, reaching out to stroke her cheek with a soothing tone. "Sera, don’t be angry. I’ve already contacted hospitals abroad. We’ll find another donor soon. I promise, I won't let anything happen to you."

Sera watched the worry in his eyes and offered a faint, hollow smile. She didn't speak.

She didn't need to. The System had already informed her: she had seven days left to live.

Seeing her silence, Julian’s fingers tightened. "Bianca knows you're upset. She had her people brew some herbal medicine from her hometown. It's supposed to help strengthen your heart and lungs."

At his signal, a servant brought forward a bowl of dark liquid. The pungent aroma made Sera’s throat tighten. A familiar itch rose in her chest, but she forced back the urge to cough.

The System’s voice rang in her mind again:

[Warning: Stimulant components detected in the herbal tonic. It will accelerate organ failure.]

Sera traced the warm rim of the bowl and asked internally, "Will it speed up the death process?"

[Yes. Highly likely to shorten your remaining lifespan.]

Without a moment's hesitation, Sera raised the bowl and drained the bitter tonic in one gulp.

The liquid burned as it slid down her throat, but it was nothing compared to the deathly chill in her heart.

Julian watched her finish it, his guilt easing slightly, only to be replaced by a look of hesitation.

"Sera, there’s an emergency at the office. I have to go pull some overtime. I’ll come back to be with you later."

Sera knew there was no overtime. He was simply going to the hospital to stay by Bianca's side.

She nodded slightly. "Fine. Go ahead."

Julian was completely taken aback. "You’re letting me go?"

The Sera of the past would never have allowed him to leave at a time like this.

She would have locked him in the house or insisted on following him, refusing to let him out of her sight.

Sera smiled softly.

"I can lock up your body, but how can I ever lock up your heart?"

The words were light, yet they hit Julian like a sledgehammer, making his chest tighten with a sudden, inexplicable panic.

Before he could say another word, Sera braced herself against the sofa and stood up, turning toward the stairs.

Her silhouette was heartbreakingly thin. Each step looked like she was walking on knives, yet she moved with steady resolve, never looking back.

Julian stood frozen, watching her disappear around the landing. His unease grew stronger, but it couldn't outweigh his concern for Bianca.

After a few seconds of hesitation, he turned and walked quickly out the door.

The moment the door clicked shut, Sera collapsed against the bedroom doorframe. She broke into a violent fit of coughing, and a splash of crimson blood spilled from her lips, staining the white cashmere rug.

In her mind, the System’s cold announcement rang out again:

[Host’s physical deterioration has accelerated. Life countdown updated: 5 days.]

Sera wiped the blood from her mouth, her expression vacant.

No one knew that she didn't belong to this world.

She was a transmigrator, sent into the body of a cannon-fodder villainess in this tragic novel. Her sole mission was to save Julian, the "gloomy male lead."

She was meant to prevent him from meeting the original heroine, Bianca, to save him from betrayal, bankruptcy, and a lonely death on the streets.

For the sake of this mission, she had set traps at every possible meeting point from the original plot, forcefully rewriting the story for years.

But her relentless interference angered the readers outside the book. Dissatisfied with the deviation, they petitioned the author to punish the "annoying villainess."

And so, the author "corrected" the plot, saddling her with the setting of terminal cardio-pulmonary failure.

While she was being resuscitated in the ER, Bianca had literally fallen into Julian’s arms. The original plot began its fierce backlash, and all her efforts were rendered useless.

The irony was that Bianca had been diagnosed with the exact same illness.

And Julian, returning to his scripted destiny, gave all his tenderness and hope for survival to Bianca.

The specialized imported medicine meant for Sera? He gave it to Bianca without a second thought.

The mountain villa prepared for Sera’s recovery? He handed it over to Bianca.

And now, even her life-saving heart had been served to Bianca on a silver platter.

Sera leaned against the doorframe and closed her eyes, remembering what the System once told her:

[Complete the mission, and you will earn a chance at rebirth in the real world, along with endless rewards.]

But at this moment, she only whispered in her heart:

"Mission abandoned. I don't want the rewards anymore."

She was tired. She didn't want to save him anymore.

From now on, Julian’s ending had nothing to do with her.

Chapter 2: Five Days Remaining

[But Host, if you abandon the mission, your body in the original world will die completely. There will be no chance of survival.]

The System’s mechanical voice lost its usual coldness, sounding almost urgent.

Sera leaned against the doorframe, her fingertips still stained with blood. Her tone was devoid of emotion.

"Without the transplant, can I live anyway?"

The System remained silent for a long time before speaking:

[No. Host is in the late stages of heart failure. Without a donor, you will not last more than five days.]

"Then what’s the difference?"

Sera let out a soft laugh, her eyes overflowing with exhaustion.

"Whether I abandon it or not, the result is failure. Death is the only end. The only difference is which world I die in."

She had guarded Julian for years, exhausting herself to change the plot, only to be defeated by destiny.

She had even ended up with a terminal illness and her only lifeline stolen. There was no point in holding on.

[Mission abandonment confirmed. The System will no longer intervene in the plot. Remaining lifespan: 5 days.]

As the System’s voice faded, it went completely silent.

Sera slowly slid down to the cold floor, her back against the door, and stayed there through a sleepless night.

Julian did not come home.

It was the first time he had ever stayed out all night.

In the past, even if he worked until dawn or traveled to another city for business, he would find a way to rush back—even if just to sit outside her room for ten minutes—simply because he was afraid she would overthink things.

When the foyer finally echoed with movement in the morning, Sera was sitting at the dining table, sipping warm porridge.

Julian pushed the door open, carrying the scent of hospital disinfectant and the morning chill. His eyes were bloodshot, and heavy dark circles hung under them. He looked utterly drained.

When his eyes met Sera’s emotionless gaze, a flash of guilt crossed his face.

"An emergency came up at the office last night. It was too late, so I just crashed in the lounge."

He spoke first, his tone gentle and laced with a deliberate attempt to please her.

This was how he always coaxed her, but his shifty eyes made the words feel hollow.