I Gave Up on Her, and Now She’s Afraid to Lose Me

My mission to win her love had failed, and the system told me I could leave this world in fifteen days. As soon as I heard the news, I agreed to the divorce my wife wanted. I stopped making a scene whenever she left me behind to take care of her childhood friend. I stopped screaming myself hoarse when she spent my money on vacations with him. At first, she even praised me for being understanding. Then she smiled and told me she planned to marry him, and I still didn't react. She began to panic. Chapter 1 "The divorce is only temporary. It’s not like I’m leaving you. This is all Tristan wants. Can't you be a little more generous?" Jasmine Reed frowned at me with her arms crossed. The system's words still echoed in my ears. In an instant, I regained much of my composure. My mission failed, so I had no reason to keep arguing with Jasmine. I knew how unreasonable Tristan's request was. Tristan was Jasmine's childhood friend. He dreamed that she was married and woke up in such a panic that he begged her to get a divorce. But Jasmine and I had been married for three years already. His tears came a little late. It was ridiculous. What made it even more ridiculous was that Jasmine came home and brought it up without a second thought. She really was his loyal little lapdog. Now, my silence only made Jasmine more impatient. "It's just a divorce. Do you really have to make such a fuss?" I no longer thought it was worth making a fuss, either. Throughout my mission to win her love, she kept up her ambiguous relationship with Tristan. Tristan even caused a scene when we were about to get married. I was afraid my mission would fail, so I paid people to keep him away and did everything I could to keep the wedding on track. The system told me I would succeed if Jasmine's affection for me reached 100 percent within the allotted time. Now my time was up, and my mission was officially a failure. I came back to the present. I nodded. "All right. I'll agree to the divorce." Jasmine's eyes lit up, and she immediately took me to the courthouse. In the car, she fastened my seat belt for me, the picture of a loving, devoted wife. My friends in this world used to envy me for being with Jasmine. They all praised her devotion, ambition, and ability to make money. But only I knew that I paid for everything, from the food she ate to the roof over her head. After I arrived in this world, I was forced to take over the company that belonged to this body's original owner. I struggled to keep it going and worked from dawn until late at night on my own. Only this year did I finally have time to rest. Yet they gave her all the credit, as though I would be nothing without her. The system told me that a successful mission would earn me a two-hundred-million-dollar reward to take back to my own world. So, I never cleared up their misunderstanding. Six years passed in the blink of an eye. Jasmine never loved me enough to reach 100 percent. I stared at the divorce certificate in front of me, still a little dazed. It took so much to get us married, yet ending it was this easy. At least I could go home in fifteen days. I would never have to exhaust myself trying to please a woman who didn't love me. Jasmine looked calm and showed no intention of driving me home. She spoke as soon as she opened the car door. "Oh, Jensen, Tristan wants to take a vacation soon. I..." I knew that look. She wanted money to spend on Tristan. Whenever she looked at me like that, I knew she had used up all the money I gave her. She acted as though she was entitled to it. "It's pocket change to you. Surely you wouldn't refuse to give me that much. "Don't start blaming him again. I found out what he wanted and decided to ask you myself. If you want to yell at someone, yell at me..." I cut her off coldly. "Fine. How much?" Jasmine named an amount without thinking, then froze. Chapter 2 She hadn’t expected me to agree without a fight. Her tone softened considerably. “If you’d been this understanding from the start, we wouldn’t have fought so much.” I took out my phone and transferred the money without hesitation. Three years together, and all I got in the end was praise for being understanding. When I first arrived in this world, I knew nothing. I did everything with an open heart. I loved her. I didn’t want her to see Tristan, and I drove myself half mad trying to stop her. All it did was bring them closer. She grew more impatient with me too. Now we were divorced. The first thing she wanted to do was see Tristan. But after she got into the car, she took the trouble to explain herself for once. “You’re strong enough to manage on your own. Tristan isn’t. He gets scared so easily...” Tristan’s family died in a car accident a year ago. Since then, he called Jasmine to come stay with him more and more often. I lost count of the nights she never came home. Their families were close when they were children, and everyone treated the two of them like siblings. To Jasmine, Tristan was both the older brother she wanted to protect and the love she kept on a pedestal. A flicker of concern crossed her face as she spoke. Even her voice softened when she said his name. She never spoke about me that way. At least it would all be over soon. Of all people, I fell for someone like her in my first relationship. I could admit now that I gave my heart to the wrong person. Jasmine went on. “I’ll be home tonight. Make me something to eat when I get back, and...” I cut her off and forced a smile. “Got it. Drive carefully. I’ll make you a late-night snack and wait for you. If you can’t come home, that’s fine too. Stay with him a little longer.” Jasmine’s grip tightened around the steering wheel. I thought she would be pleased, but she frowned at me instead. “What are you up to this time?” She had it all wrong. I really didn’t plan to do anything. I didn’t even plan to get angry. Once, Tristan hurt his finger at home, and she was so worried that she left me stranded on the road to rush to him. Another time, Tristan took a liking to a stuffed toy I made, so she insisted on giving it to him. I spent three months making it by hand and even injured my fingers, but she didn’t care. Things like that happened too many times. I knew better than to get angry now. But Jasmine didn’t believe me. She gave a cold snort. “You’d better mean it. If you hadn’t kept getting in my way, Tristan might not have come so close to dying.” She glared at me as though I had driven him to attempt suicide. I refused to take the blame for that. “He stopped taking his medication, and his depression took a turn for the worse late at night. What does that have to do with me? I didn’t take his medication away.” I even paid for the better antidepressants he took now and his occasional therapy sessions. I barely took a day off the whole time I lived here. I rested a little over the holidays, but I still dealt with work documents. Jasmine loved painting but had no steady income, so I supported her every month. She spent all that money on Tristan’s trips and treatment, then asked me for more. Jasmine looked at me with disappointment. “Tristan got sick because he lost his family. How can you have no sympathy for him? How could you be so heartless?” I took a deep breath. I couldn’t be bothered to argue anymore. She had already decided I was unreasonable. Anything I said would sound like an excuse to her. “I understand. Go spend more time with him. If he needs money for a trip, I’ll give it to you.” My response left Jasmine with nothing to say. After a moment, she said, “Just don’t be angry anymore. It’s not like I’m never coming home. Once he gets better, I’ll remarry you.” “No, thanks,” I thought with a bitter laugh. I knew Jasmine wouldn’t come home tonight. The first time she went to see Tristan, I stayed up waiting for her. I waited until dawn, but she never appeared. All I got for my trouble was a scolding. “If you were tired, why didn’t you go to bed? How is that my fault?” Now I watched her drive away. I turned and took a cab home. I was poor in my own world, but at least I didn’t have to endure this emotional torment. The thought that I could leave in fifteen days made me happy. As for Jasmine and her dear Tristan, I wished them well. May they stay together forever. Chapter 3 Sure enough, Jasmine didn’t come home that night. I was going back to my own world soon, so I didn’t feel like working. I picked up my phone and started scrolling. I happened to see a post from Tristan. He was apologizing to Jasmine. “I’m sorry, Jas. You wouldn’t have been hurt if it hadn’t been for me.” It turned out they took my money and went on a trip to another state. They got into a car accident on the highway. Jasmine was knocked unconscious while protecting Tristan. Her head was wrapped in bandages, and she lay in a hospital bed. I raised an eyebrow and scrolled past the post. In the past, I would have rushed to the hospital to take care of her. The first time she got hurt, she was touched by my concern and told me I didn’t need to do so much. But the more I took care of her, the better I got at it—and the more she took it for granted. Sometimes she even scolded me for doing something wrong and upsetting her. Once I returned to my world, I wouldn’t have this kind of money anymore. I would rather donate it all than leave it for Jasmine and Tristan to enjoy. I started planning to sell the company. The price didn’t matter. I just wanted to hand it over quickly. I contacted my assistant, grabbed my car keys, and headed out. I hadn’t gone far when Jasmine called. “Jensen... I’m hurt. How could you, my husband, not even come to see me? Tristan said you saw his post.” Only then did I realize I accidentally opened her profile and left a trace of my visit. I said, “Tristan’s already there with you. I’d only get in the way.” Jasmine answered quickly. “Tristan doesn’t know how to do anything. How could he compare to you?” I smiled bitterly, but the smile soon faded. In her eyes, I was probably just a useful caretaker. When I said nothing, Jasmine continued. “I’m sure you’re home right now. Make enough food for two and bring it over.” Of course. Tristan couldn’t do anything, while I could do it all. I didn’t want another argument with her, so I ordered takeout, put it into food containers, and brought it to them. As soon as I opened the door to her hospital room, I saw Jasmine gently comforting Tristan as he cried. She frowned when she saw me. “What took you so long? We’re starving. Next time, make the food earlier and bring it at mealtime. Got it?” Jasmine was picky about food. She claimed she could only eat what I cooked. Tristan immediately took the food from my hands. As he opened the containers, he offered to feed Jasmine. She looked touched, though she insisted she could manage. Then she turned a cold gaze on me. “You do it.” I didn’t move. “I have work to do. Mr. Turner can take care of it.” I would be going home soon, and selling the company grew more urgent by the day. I turned to leave. Jasmine frowned and scolded me. “So you are angry now. Can’t you see how badly I’m hurt? Do you have to pick a fight right now?” Tristan looked alarmed and hurried to say, “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have made that post. Now I’ve interrupted Jensen’s work and caused trouble between you two... I’ll feed you.” Jasmine’s expression darkened. “It’s his job to take care of me. He’s still as selfish as ever! He must have been putting on an act yesterday.” I ignored her. Just then, my assistant called. He found a potential buyer who wanted to talk. Jasmine kept talking. “You’re still pretending. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re like. “If you don’t want me to get angry, get over here and take care of me. Tristan can go home.” I ignored her and headed for the door. I needed to sell the company. She panicked and shouted after me to come back. Tristan’s anxious voice rose alongside hers. A loud thud followed. I guessed she accidentally fell out of bed. I couldn’t help laughing. Jasmine never got hurt for my sake. Now she knew what it felt like. Chapter 4 Jasmine and I hadn’t spoken in a while. I drove around on my own, eating wherever I liked and enjoying myself. Once I returned to my world, I wouldn’t be able to afford days like these, at least not for a while. I only found out she was out of the hospital when we ran into each other at a restaurant. Tristan didn’t seem to notice me. He pointed to a table by the window. “Jasmine, I want to sit here.” The server looked uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, sir, but someone reserved this table.” I sat down while all three of them stared at me. Tristan made as if to lead Jasmine away. “Never mind. If Jensen reserved it, I can sit somewhere else.” Jasmine put a hand on his arm and ordered me to get up. Tristan likes this table. Let him have it. There are plenty of others. Pick one.” Tristan hid behind Jasmine and gave me a challenging look, though his voice sounded timid. “It’s fine. I don’t want to upset Jensen.” Jasmine reassured him. “Don’t be scared. I’m here.” Then she told the server, “I’ll pay triple for this table.” The server looked at me helplessly. I shook my head. “Ten times the price, and it’s yours.” Jasmine froze and stared at me. “Why do you have to fight Tristan for it? What difference does it make where you sit?” I glanced at all the empty tables and refused to budge. “I got here first. If you want this table, pay ten times the price. What’s wrong? Can’t you afford it?” Jasmine couldn’t. In the end, she gave up and sat with Tristan at a table beside mine. I finished my meal while they laughed together and kept glancing my way. I knew Tristan was waiting for me to get angry so he could play the victim. I ignored them and watched a show on my phone as I ate. Just as I was finishing, I heard Tristan say, “Jasmine, I’ve never had a wedding. Could you marry me, just once, so I can experience it?” My hand stopped. Jasmine agreed without hesitation. Then she turned to me. “Jensen, don’t get angry. It’ll only be a pretend wedding...” Before she could finish, I turned to them with a smile. “That’s fine. I don’t mind. Congratulations.” I only had ten days left before I could return to my own world. I must have said that last part out loud. They could have whatever kind of wedding they wanted, as many times as they wanted. It had nothing to do with me. Jasmine went still. After a long pause, she asked, “What do you mean, your own world?”