06
The next day was a day off, but when I woke up, Cedric was already gone.
Thinking about last night, my face flushed slightly.
Nothing had happened between us, but he had held me in his arms as we slept through the second half of the night.
Spending time with him, I slowly come to see his good qualities.
He wasn’t romantic and never spoke sweet words, but after I cooked, he would clean the table and wash the dishes until they sparkled.
He always left the house earlier than I did, yet he never forgot to take out the trash. When he didn’t have to work late, he would help clean the apartment. If he had an early morning after a late shift, he would bring me breakfast.
He was steady. Reliable. He made me feel safe.
“So, Vivian, do you really know what you’ve gotten yourself into?” I thought.
Just as my thoughts wandered, a loud pounding on the door snapped me back to reality. Startled, I slipped on my slippers and went to open it. The moment I did, Vivian’s wailing accusations filled the air. “You’re going to get me killed!”
Vivian’s injuries were lighter than I had expected.
One of her eyes was bruised, five clear red finger marks streaked across her cheek, and her lips were split. She was wearing long sleeves and pants, but even without seeing underneath, I could imagine the bruises covering her body.
Still, compared to when I had my ribs broken and spent three months bedridden in a hospital, the fact that she could still walk, run, and stand here crying was already a blessing.
“Jeanette, what kind of hellish life were you living? That man is insane!
The moment he saw me, he made me step on a scale. When he saw I had gained ten pounds, he ordered the maids to stop giving me food starting tomorrow. When he noticed the pimples on my forehead, he immediately scheduled a skin treatment at the hospital!
He’s a lunatic! I refused, so he slapped me! Then he found out I opened one of his bottles of wine, and he beat me like he was trying to kill me! If I hadn’t run fast enough, I’d be dead by now!” Vivian sobbed uncontrollably, her whole body shaking as she recalled the horrors of last night. She looked up at me, as if suddenly remembering something, and lunged forward, grabbing my hand in a death grip.
“Let’s switch back! Herbert just texted me saying that once he catches me, he’s going to beat me to death… I don’t want this anymore! You can have your ‘Mrs. Yates‘ title back! Jeanette, you’re Herbert’s wife! Not me!”
Vivian clung to my hand, her nails digging into my skin.
“Vivian, isn’t this the life you wanted? The one you earned with your own ability?”
I
Expressionless, I pulled my hand away.
“I asked you before.”
D
Vivian froze. Her eyes turned red again. her mouth opening as if to argue but no words cams
11:57 Mon, 17 Mar
MO
beat me to death… I don’t want this anymore! You can have your ‘Mrs. Yates title back! Jeanette,
you’re Herbert’s wife! Not me!”
out.
Vivian clung to my hand, her nails digging into my skin.
“Vivian, isn’t this the life you wanted? The one you earned with your own ability?”
Expressionless, I pulled my hand away.
*I asked you before.”
Vivian froze. Her eyes turned red again, her mouth opening as if to argue, but no words came
She had been the one who agreed to switch. Back then, she thought she was stepping into
a life of luxury, a dream existence in the Yates family. Never once did she imagine that reality
would be nothing like she expected.
“He’s going to kill me! Jeanette, you’re used to being beaten, so you’re not afraid, but I am!
Herbert isn’t human! What’s the point of all that money if I don’t even live to enjoy it?”
Vivian stared at me desperately. When she saw I wasn’t moved, she made a split–second
decision and dropped to her knees, clutching my legs as she wailed. “Jeanette, I was wrong. I was really wrong! Please, let’s switch back. As long as you agree, we can do it! I swear, I won’t ever try to take anything from you again.”
She raised her hand in oath.
But my expression remained calm. I simply looked down at her and said, “You already tried last night, didn’t you? And you found out that without my consent, you can’t switch back.
You came to me because the System told you that body–switching requires both parties to agree, didn’t it?”
agree, didn’t it?”
