6
I remembered back to when the system first assigned me to “win over” Adrian Bennett. Back then, Bella had run off with her love, leaving Adrian, the “tragic second lead,” to drown his sorrows in alcohol every night.
The system had pointed to the drunken man passed out in the corner and said he was my target. I needed to reach 100% affection to return home.
I didn’t understand why love from a man was the only way to succeed, but I tried. If going home meant this was the path, then I’d play along.
I started with the basics. He drank himself sick at the bar, so I’d apologize to everyone, clean up his mess, and even help him get home. He’d talk about Bella’s favorite desserts, so I took baking classes to learn his tastes. But he never even looked at the treats I painstakingly made – they went straight to the trash.
He warned me never to imitate Bella, that I wasn’t even worthy of standing in her shadow. I never made desserts again, though I did start learning to cook. Adrian’s stomach couldn’t handle late nights, so I made balanced meals and brought them to his office. Maybe my food wasn’t bad because he eventually started tolerating me around him.
Those were the most peaceful days we had together. His affection climbed all the way to 98%.
Just as I thought I’d be able to go home soon, one night of reckless drinking ended in my pregnancy. And Adrian, pressured by his family, married me. His “affection” plummeted. He believed I had tricked him, that I’d gotten pregnant on purpose, trapping him.
Funny how he conveniently ignored who didn’t bother to use protection that night. He and Bella were alike in that way, both needing to lay blame on others.
Did that make their guilt easier to bear?
How ridiculous. I’ll never understand it.
