The Irretrievable Past, The Unreachable Love

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On my wedding day, Lucian Vance played my sex video publicly. The whole room stared at me with pure contempt.

He looked down upon me and said,

You filthy slut, you think you're worthy of entering the Vance family?

He pulled Isabelle Riley, who was supposed to be my maid of honor, into his arms.

He announced she was his real bride.

My heart broke. My brother, Elijah, charged onto the stage and threw a punch.

"You bastard! You son of a bitch!"

I fought back the tears, pulling him away.

"Elijah, let's go. We're leaving."

He was the only family I had left in this world. The only one who would fight for me like that.

Until Isabelle got "sick," and Elijah held me down on that operating table.

He forced me to give her my heart.

"Sis, Isabelle has suffered so much. Please, save her. You love me, you'll do this for me, right?"

The sex video of me kept playing on a loop on the big screen.

Those intimate sounds echoed through the grand hall.

The guests looked at me with disgust, and some men's eyes even roamed over me with lust.

Looking at Lucian's face twisted in revulsion, I knew for certain.

I had been reborn.

The next moment, he was supposed to humiliate me, then embrace Isabelle, my bestie and maid in honor.

[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully lowered the female lead's reputation points. Reward: One-time selective memory erasure opportunity.]

[New Task: Rapidly advance your relationship with the male lead.]

I looked around, startled.

What was that voice?

Had I... awakened some kind of system?

That's when I saw the flicker of triumph on Isabelle's face.

So she was the one with the system.

I processed the mechanical voice's words instantly.

Female lead: me. Male lead: Lucian.

And Elijah...

wasn't even named.

As Lucian was about to insult me, I cut him off.

"That video is fake. I'm filing a police report. The person who created it and the one who spread it should prepare for a lawsuit."

In my past life, I was too timid.

I panicked when I was there.

But the truth was, that wasn't me in the video.

I wasn't the one who should be afraid.

Hearing me mention the police, the crowd's skeptical looks wavered when they saw my conviction.

[Female lead's reputation points have recovered. Host task deemed a failure. Reward revoked. As punishment, one beauty aura is withdrawn from the host.]

I watched, right then and there, as Isabelle's flawless complexion dulled.

Her once dewy skin suddenly broke out in pimples!

It confirmed everything. Isabelle had a system. And that system... was targeting me.

Lucian seemed startled by the sudden change in her, his brow furrowing.

Isabelle instantly buried her face in his chest, tears welling up.

"Lucian, seeing this scandal at your wedding... and now Sienna wants to take it to court? Think of the damage to you, to the Vance name!"

Lucian was instantly swayed. His gaze turned icy as it landed on me.

"Stop lying, Sienna Crawford. If you know what's good for you, you'll walk away. A shameless whore like you doesn't deserve to be a Vance."

I looked at him and felt sick.

In my past life, he'd humiliated me just like this at our wedding.

The video spread online. Everyone called me a cheap, promiscuous slut.

That's why, when I walked home alone one night, some people dragged me into alley.

They ripped at my clothes, their laughter filthy.

"Hey, we know you, famous slut from the internet. I bet you want it. Stop playing hard-to-get, we'll take good care of you."

I fought. They slammed my head against the pavement.

I blacked out. But they didn't stop.

When Elijah found me and got me to the hospital, I was already torn and severely injured.

Back then, Elijah held my hand, like a wounded animal ready to tear my attackers apart.

I'd believed then, even if the man I loved was garbage, at least my family truly cared for me.

Lucian tightened his arm around Isabelle.

"Today, Isabelle is my bride! Sienna Crawford is just a pathetic joke."

Elijah rushed the stage again, his fist connecting with Lucian's jaw.

"Lucian Vance, you bastard!"

I watched it all coldly.

How ridiculous!

Last time, I thought he was protecting me, his sister, from public shame.

Now I saw it clearly.

He did nothing when Lucian viciously insulted me.

He only lost his mind when Lucian held Isabelle, when she was about to become Lucian's wife.

As the two men fought, Isabelle hopped on the sidelines.

"Stop! Please, stop fighting!"

But I saw the smile she couldn't quite hide at the corner of her mouth.

[Congratulations, Host. Task 'Advance relationship with male lead' completed. Bonus triggered: Second male lead's jealousy activated once. Rewards: False Pregnancy Potion*1, False Illness Potion*1.]

False Pregnancy Potion.

In my past life, after Isabelle got "pregnant," she came to me.

She grabbed my arm and wouldn't let me leave. Then she threw herself backward, tumbling down the stairs.

A pool of blood spread beneath her.

Lucian came running. He slapped me so hard that my ears rang. She lost the baby.

Lucian was so mad that he had my uterus forcibly removed.

"A vicious bitch like you doesn't deserve children! Since Isabelle lost hers, you'll never have one either!"

And now I learned...

even that baby was a lie.

Just a fake baby created by her system.

All for that lie, I lost the chance to ever be a mother.

And the False Illness Potion... I let out a bitter laugh, my eyes landing on my dear brother.

Last time, Isabelle was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Lucian and Elijah searched everywhere for a matching heart donor.

They couldn't find one.

Isabelle told them I'd donated blood for her after a car crash years ago.

Maybe we were a match.

They forced me to get tested.

The day the results came back, Elijah drugged my water.

I woke up strapped to an operating table.

He knelt by the gurney with guilt.

"Sis, I'm sorry... but Isabelle is so pitiful."

I looked at his familiar but strange face and cried.

"I'm your sister, Elijah! Your own flesh and blood! Why? Why would you do this to me for an outsider?"

He hung his head in shame.

"Sis, I love her. Don't you want me to be happy? If Isabelle lives, I'll be happy."

"You love me, Sis. You'll do this for me, right?"

My own brother had my heart forcibly removed while I was still alive, just to save the woman he loved.

And Isabelle was never sick at all.

My heart, which should have been beating in my chest, was just a joke to her.

Watching the absurd scene before me, I couldn't hold back a roar.

"Enough!"

The two fighting men froze.

Elijah, as if waking from a dream, ran to my side.

"Sis, come on. Let me get you out of here. Any woman who marries this scum is cursed!"

He said the words for me, but his eyes were locked on Isabelle.

I scoffed. Isabelle did all this for Lucian.

My dear brother, you're destined for disappointment.

Sure enough, Isabelle didn't even glance at him.

She clung to Lucian, trembling delicately.

I walked towards the exit, hearing the sounds of "I do" from the new couple at my back.

But I distinctly heard the system say:

[Host, the second male lead's emotional fluctuations are high. Find a way to quickly diminish the female lead's importance in the eyes of the male lead and second male lead.]

A chill ran through me. With Isabelle's ruthlessness, I had to be careful.

Her next move came faster and more stupid than I expected.

Isabelle and I were tied up on a cliff edge, listening to the kidnapper calling Lucian and Elijah.

[Host, if both the male lead and second male lead choose to rescue you this time, you will receive a Memory Loss Potion*1.]

[If the task fails, all your beauty auras will be revoked.]

I heard Lucian's voice, without a moment's hesitation.

"Save Isabelle! Name your price! I can give you money or anything! Just don't hurt Isabelle!"

Not a word about me from the man who was almost my husband.

When Elijah's voice came through, I couldn't help but feel a sliver of hope.

This was my brother.

We only had each other for over twenty years.

"Elijah, we're the closest people in this world. Do you really not care about your sister anymore?"

Elijah hesitated. Isabelle immediately started sobbing.

Her weak, pitiful cries for help seemed to shatter his last shred of reason.

I heard his voice, thick with guilt but resolute.

"I'm sorry, Sis. Isabelle has suffered enough. If even I abandon her, she won't make it."

A cold laugh escaped me. This was the brother I'd loved for over twenty years.

Knowing they were useless, I'd already spotted a large boulder near the kidnapper.

While he was distracted, I lunged, throwing my weight against him. He stumbled, crashing into the rock.

The boulder, already unstable, started rolling straight for him!

The kidnapper scrambled to get out of the way. I seized the chance, grabbed the knife he'd dropped, and cut my ropes.

Just then, Lucian and Elijah arrived together.

Seeing me free, and Isabelle still being tied up, they immediately glared at me with rage.

"Sienna! You're free! Why didn't you help Isabelle!"

"Sis, I never thought... you could be so cruel."

I was about to retort, but the boulder changed course, rumbling straight towards me!

Lucian and Elijah instinctively threw themselves over Isabelle, shielding her.

Standing directly in the rock's path, I had to scramble to get away.

"Agh!"

I cried out in pain as the rock grazed my left foot, and agony shot through my toes.

Only then did Elijah run to me.

"Sis! Are you okay?"

I slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch me!"

I called 911 and an ambulance myself.

Sitting in the ER, hearing the doctor say it was just a bad toe sprain, I finally let out a shaky breath.

Lucian blocked my path.

"Sienna, apologize to her. Now."

I rolled my eyes.

"Are you insane? She doesn't have a scratch on her! I'm the one who's hurt. Apologize for what?"

Maybe because I'd never talked back to him like this before.

Lucian stared, then his face darkened with rage.

"This is all your fault! Isabelle is traumatized! Apologize!"

[New Task: Have the male lead abuse the female lead and force her to apologize.]

From the previous times, I'd figured out Isabelle's system.

Success brought rewards, while failure brought punishment.

Before she could start her crying act, I turned and walked away.

Lucian was ranting behind me. I could hear Isabelle's tearful complaints.

I hadn't gone far when I heard his horrified gasp.

"Isabelle! Your... your face!"