System Countdown to Betrayal Chapter 1

[System Alert: Critical deviation detected in Decade Vow core mission.]

[Marriage milestone: FAILED.]

[Host termination: 48 hours.]

The warnings pierced my mind just after Richard asked, with cruel gentleness, if I still wanted to try on my wedding dress.

Minutes earlier, he’d been adjusting my veil.

“I was next door keeping Wendy company,” he chuckled.

Then it clicked—that’s how he knew I’d gone to the club last night.

“She was so scared when she heard your voice, she had to sit on my lap the whole time,” he said, each word a blade.

I followed his gaze to Wendy, the girl I’d sponsored for years, now holding my crystal heels, eyes red with tears.

Moments before, she’d crouched at my feet, gushing, “If he ever breaks your heart, I’ll make him pay.”

Richard brushed my bodice, his tenderness now a mockery.

All the joy drained away, leaving only the System’s countdown and the weight of betrayal.

* * *

I stared at Richard, my throat tight and burning.

"Say that again."

And he actually did. This time, he sounded even more composed.

"I was with her last night."

"I was planning to keep it under wraps a little longer. But seeing her hold your wedding shoes just now... it hit me. She deserves an explanation too."

I stood frozen, the words trapped in my chest.

Today wasn't just my final fitting.

Today was the absolute deadline for the System to verify the success of my Decade Vow mission.

Ten years ago, I bound my soul to this System. The price was ten years of my lifespan. In exchange, I gave Richard a meteoric rise to power and saved the Prescott family from absolute bankruptcy.

The System only gave me one condition. I had to fulfill my marriage pact with Richard within ten years.

Today was supposed to be the finish line.

Instead, he chose today to shove me off a cliff.

I heard my own voice shaking.

"Why today?"

"Why did it have to be the day I put on my wedding dress?"

Richard remained silent for a heartbeat, but his gaze drifted right past me, landing softly on Wendy.

"Because she's been by my side for a long time. She never asks for anything. She doesn't even dare to ask for a title."

"I refuse to let her suffer in silence anymore."

A bitter, broken laugh escaped my lips.

"And me?"

"What about my last ten years? What was all that for?"

His expression didn't waver. It was as if he had rehearsed these answers a thousand times.

"It's not like I'm backing out of the wedding."

"It's just that Wendy needs some closure, too."

I looked at the man I loved, feeling my heart sink into a bottomless pit.

But I didn't realize he could stoop even lower.

He met my eyes, his tone completely flat.

"When you took that fall down the stairs at the new house last month? That wasn't an accident."

"I took her to see our bridal mansion that day. She spilled some champagne and didn't mop the floors properly. When you went up to check the lighting fixtures later, you slipped."

My blood ran cold. My entire body turned to stone.

I nearly had a miscarriage that day. I spent the entire night clutching my ultrasound scans, too terrified to sleep, sobbing because I thought I had overworked myself with the wedding prep and failed to protect my baby.

Richard had held me tightly that night, kissing my forehead, telling me it was okay, begging me not to blame myself.

He wasn't comforting me.

He knew exactly what happened. He just sat back and watched me tear myself apart.

I raised my hand and slapped him across the face with everything I had.

The sharp smack echoed off the mirrored walls. The entire boutique went dead silent.

Richard's head jerked to the side, but he didn't blow up. Instead, he let out a breath, looking almost relieved.

"Are you done?"

"If you're done, try to calm down. We're skipping the fitting today."

"The wedding can be pushed back."

He turned on his heel to leave.

Inside my head, the System's alarm screamed to life.

[Decade Vow System detects critical mission deviation.]

[Marriage milestone confirmation: FAILED.]

[Host termination countdown: 48 hours.]

I stood glued to the floor, my hands and feet turning to ice.

Right on cue, Wendy rushed forward, her eyes brimming with fresh tears. She grabbed one of the bridal heels and lobbed it at Richard, acting like she was standing up for me.

"You promised me you wouldn't say anything!"

"Why did you have to hurt Audrey today of all days?"

The pointed heel clipped Richard's forehead. His very first reaction wasn't to check his own bleeding skin, but to grab her hands and ask if she had hurt her fingers.

I stood in the distance, letting my tears fall and stain the pure white silk of my gown.