He Chose Her, I Ruined Him & Went Home

After I, Loretta Flood, finished my Redemption Quest, Mario Farrell grew tired of our mundane life. He developed a crush on the new assistant, Lynne Gale. The second time he took Lynne abroad behind my back, I summoned the system. I said, "I want to go home." The system's voice was flat and emotionless. "It's been thirteen years. You even have a child together. Can you really bring yourself to leave him?" I tilted my head and smiled. "No one is that irreplaceable." Still, he was the man I'd saved with my own hands—I was going to destroy him myself before I left. "You've finally given up at last?" The system's tone sounded slow and distant. "Once you leave this world, there's no way to ever come back." It drew out the last word on purpose, clearly mocking me. I held no resentment toward it. Back in the very year I finished the Redemption Quest, it had tried hard to persuade me not to stay in this world. "Do you really believe men can be faithful, or do you trust me as a king?" But I'd looked into Mario's eyes—they were shaking with nervousness when he confessed his love—and I'd caved in. "Then get ready. In seven days, I'll send you away." The electronic voice faded away. Dusk fell over the bedroom, sinking the room into a dead silence—just like the day I'd found out Mario was cheating. I had been checking the food delivery progress on his phone when a message suddenly popped up. It was a selfie from a contact named Lynne, in which she pouted and touched her ear. Lynne: Mr. Farrell, I got the designer stud earrings you gave me. They're so pretty, I love them so much. I stayed quiet for a moment, then looked up at Mario as he walked back from the bathroom. I felt no grievance, no desire to endure it all silently. I only wanted a straight answer from him. Mario caught sight of the phone screen, and panic flashed across his face in an instant. "Loretta, I..." He opened and shut his mouth several times, then closed his eyes tightly and let out a sigh. "She's a new employee at the company. I admit I grew curious about her—but that's it." I'd traveled into this world at fifteen, with the mission to redeem Mario, the story's villain. We got married when I turned twenty-three. Now I was already twenty-eight. I knew I could never easily let go of thirteen years of shared memories and feelings. So I looked him straight in the eye and forced him to make a clear choice. Either we broke up, or he cut off all contact with her for good. I said, "Let's spend some time apart until you make up your mind." He gripped my wrist tightly, but I pulled my arm free. "You know how I am." That night, I went back to my own house. Mario parked his car downstairs and stayed there all night long. Dim orange streetlights shrouded his car in soft glow. The next day, before dawn, he knocked and woke me up, then walked into the bedroom. He looked determined. "Loretta, I swear I will never make this mistake again in my life." We held each other and cried. I yelled at him for lying to me, for breaking his vow. He held me so tight, like he wanted to absorb me into himself. How ridiculous. I actually believed him again.