Chapter 2

The couple's tattoo on my wrist had faded, too.

The letters "Gideon" were barely visible now.

Looking at the blurry, bluish ink, my mind drifted back to when we first met.

I was so young then, fresh into the corporate world.

Coming from a small town, I dressed plainly and didn't fit in.

My colleagues mocked my cheap clothes and isolated me.

Only Gideon stayed by my side.

He never got tired of me.

He would cheer me on before my big presentations.

He patiently helped me practice my pitches until I sounded confident.

Naturally, as time passed, we fell for each other.

The day we made it official, Gideon dragged me to a tattoo parlor.

We got each other's names inked on our wrists.

"Kelly, from now on, you are my everything," he had said, his eyes shining. "I'm going to work so hard. I promise I'll give you a life everyone envies!"

To keep that promise, Gideon quit his job to start his own company.

We went through countless ups and downs.

He suffered so much back then just to build our future.

Now? We had the money, but our home was shattered.

A sigh escaped my lips.

It carried the weight of all those beautiful, lost memories.

A cold, mechanical voice echoed in my head. "Emotional fluctuation detected. Host, are you still unable to let go of the target?"

The System sounded genuinely confused.

Ten years of love.

The best years of my life. How could I just drop it in a second?

But it was fine.

I tilted my head back and gently wiped away a stray tear.

I was going to forget it all anyway.

Once I got through this phase, Gideon and I would have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

Twenty-four hours later, my observation period was over.

I processed my hospital discharge all by myself.

Thinking about the baby I had just lost—that tiny, sudden absence—made my chest ache terribly.

But the pain faded fast, washed away by a strange, numb feeling.

Forgetting was actually easier than I thought.

When I finally got back to the house, I froze at the door. I couldn't remember the passcode.

I had to scroll through the notes app on my phone to find it.

October 12th. Our anniversary.

When we were deeply in love, we wanted to carve every detail of each other into our souls.

We swore we'd never forget.

But now? The love was dead. The past was just blowing away like dust in the wind.

I pushed the door open and made myself a cup of Earl Grey tea.

The moment I sat down, my phone started buzzing non-stop.

I unlocked the screen.

It was the company Slack channel.

Talia Vale had just posted a photo.

She was showing off a vintage sapphire bracelet—an Ashford family heirloom—and a massive engagement ring Gideon had given her.

The notifications flooded my screen, each message feeling like a slap to the face.

"Omg, Talia! That sapphire is stunning! The future Mrs. Ashford! 😍"

"Boss really knows how to spoil his true love."

"Right? So... anyone taking bets on when the current wife gets officially kicked to the curb? I give it a week max. 😂"

I stared at the screen.

These were the same colleagues I used to buy coffee for, now ruthlessly cheering for my replacement.

I ignored the chats.

Right after Gideon and I got married, I accidentally awakened that System.

My main quest was simple: "Capture Gideon Ashford's heart and spend the rest of your life with him."

I had laughed so hard when I saw that.

We were already married.

Gideon was so madly in love with me back then, he would have ripped his own heart out to give it to me.

There was nothing left to "capture."

According to the System's rules, the better Gideon treated me, the more reward points I earned.

I took every single point and traded them for Wealth, Luck, and Charm stats, pouring them all into Gideon.

Every time his business hit a wall or he faced a crisis, I used the System to pave the way for him.

The day I drained my very last point, Gideon's Wealth, Luck, and Charm had all hit 90%.

If everything went as planned, he was set for life.

He would be wildly rich, successful, and untouchable forever.

Too bad he met Talia Vale.

His betrayal killed our ten-year marriage.

It also killed the perfect future we were supposed to have.

I called out to the System in my mind. "How much of Gideon's Wealth and Luck stats are left?"

A translucent, cold blue screen flickered to life in front of my eyes.

[System Alert: Memory 'The Tattoo Parlor Promise' permanently erased.]

[Target: Gideon Ashford]

[Luck Value: Plummeting... Current: 50%]

[Wealth Aura: -30%. Current: 50%]

[Bond Severance Progress: 50% / 100%]

[Countdown to Complete Erasure: 48:00:00]

[Critical Warning: Target's stats are experiencing a catastrophic drop. Estimated time until total asset liquidation and bankruptcy: 2 Days.]

I stared at the glowing red numbers.

The empire I had bled to build for him over the last decade was collapsing right before my eyes.

At this speed, it wouldn't just be a minor financial hit.

In two days, Gideon Ashford would be left with absolutely nothing.