- 05.
‘T’m sorry, sister. But Tristan has always loved me.”
“Even if you married him, he wouldn’t have been happy…”
Her message popped up on the screen, followed by a photo.
It was a close–up of her hand, adorned with a stunning engagement ring
The ring was beautiful–two diamond butterflies intertwined, with brilliant shades of blue and red sparkling in the light.
A single tear slipped from my eye, trailing down my cheek and landing on the image of the ring.
“This is the ring Tristan bought for me. Do you think it’s pretty, sister?”
“Before y
you ever came into the picture, Tristan promised he’d buy me this ring
More messages followed as Rachel continued.
I felt dizzy, like I was drowning in a fog so thick that I couldn’t see my own hands in front of me.
That ring….
I remembered it from just a week ago.
Back then, Rachel hadn’t shown up yet. Back then, Tristan hadn’t left me.
I was so happy, excited about our upcoming wedding.
I dragged Tristan through every bridal shop in the city, trying on every wedding ring.
Eventually, I found the one I loved.
ed by a classic love story, symbolizing two souls bound together, never to part.
The saleswoman told us it was called “Butterfly Promise, inspired
I had begged Tristan to buy that ring for me.
But he turned me down, his face cold and unreadable.
He didn’t give me any reason. He simply frowned, dragged me out of the store, and later bought a heavier, more expensive diamond ring.
At the time, I hadn’t thought much of it.
But now I understood.
Tristan didn’t reject the “Butterfly Promise” ring because he disliked it.
He rejected it because he didn’t love me.
Maybe he was the romantic lover, but I had never been the one he wanted.
Rachel Whitmore was.
As for me, I was nothing. Just a temporary stand–in, Insignificant
My fingers trembled as I stared at the messages in the chat.
Rachel continued:
“Don’t blame me, sister.”
“Tristan doesn’t love you. What’s the point in forcing it? A forced love will never be sweet.”
“Maybe… I did you a favor after all.”
sent another screenshot.
It was a conversation between her and Tristan.
I could see the pain in every word.
His familiar profile picture appeared above lines that cut straight through my heart:
“Baby, you know I’ve always loved you. If Lana didn’t look so much like you… I would never have been with her. Even while I was with her, all i thought about was you…”
How cruel.
Those words were the final straw, the last bit of weight that broke my spirit.
I hadn’t realized until now that, in Tristan’s eyes, I had always been just a disposable substitute.
Rachel sent one final message:
“Sister, our wedding is in three days: You’ll come, right?”
7 really hope you’ll see how happy Tristan and I are together…”
I nodded slowly, typing out a short reply: “I’ll be there.”
I already had a plan..
Since the system had given me the chance to choose how I’d die, I was going to make my death meaningful.
I would die at Tristan’s wedding.
Let him witness, in the happiest moment of his life, my death.
A dead first love holds more power than any living one.
I would make sure Tristan spent the rest of his life haunted by
by my memory.
“I want to die at Tristan’s wedding. The cause of death? Myocarditis, from that night three years ago when I stood in the rain all night…”
Lying in bed, I whispered my plan to the system.
