Chapter 1

"The contract has taken effect. Your soul will now be extracted," the system said.

The next moment, I felt a sudden sense of weightlessness, and my soul drifted out of my body.

The entire royal court burst into laughter.

"Ms. Finch is truly devoted. She spent three whole years setting things up just to marry Mr. Ingram."

"Exactly. They really put on a convincing show. Oscar and Cameron were completely in the dark."

Mom patted Abigail Finch on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Abigail, your plan was brilliant."

I stood frozen in place as a chill ran through me. It turned out Dad and I had never actually traveled through time. All the grievances, pain, and torture we suffered over the past three years were never accidents; they were a punishment Abigail and Mom had deliberately put us through.

I lowered my head and looked at my own body kneeling on the floor. Blood dripped from the corner of my mouth onto the ground, yet nobody noticed.

Abigail frowned and said impatiently to my lifeless body, "Oscar Howard, are you still putting on an act? I only had them give you 50 lashes. Who are you trying to fool?"

Mom walked over to Dad and said gently, "Cameron, stop making a scene. You and Oscar brought this on yourselves for bullying Kenneth back then. The punishment is over now. Let's go home."

Just as Mom was about to bend down, Joel Ingram suddenly rushed over, looping his arm through hers while pulling Abigail with his other hand.

He said with a hint of resignation, "Oscar and Mr. Howard must be sulking. Mom, Abby, it's all my fault. If only I hadn't been so petty back then—"

The slight concern on Abigail's face vanished in an instant. "It's already been three years, and Oscar is still so good at acting. He caused you to break your leg three years ago, and Cameron made your dad so angry that he ended up in the hospital. This is merely a small punishment for them."

Joel's eyes immediately filled with tears as he pleaded softly, "Abby, my dad and I let that go a long time ago."

Abigail shot my body a vicious glare and said coldly, "Since they love acting so much, let them keep acting. Let's leave."

With that, she turned and walked away without looking back, not even sparing my body another glance. I instinctively reached out to stop her, but my hand passed straight through her body.

I spun around abruptly. The system had already gathered Dad's soul and was preparing to leave. Dad looked at me, his eyes filled with reluctance and heartache.

I wanted to rush over, but an invisible force held me back. The system looked at me and said flatly, "Oscar, your attachment runs too deep. It is not yet your time to leave."

Overwhelmed with despair, I could only drift beside Abigail alone. She and Joel had already gotten into the car. A label that read "Reserved for My Husband" was stuck to the back of the passenger seat.

Once, Abigail had leaned against my chest and sworn that she would never let any other man sit there. Now, the label had long since faded.

Joel pulled Abigail into his arms with practiced ease and said with a hint of hesitation, "Abby, are we really just going to leave? Doesn't that feel wrong? Oscar looked like he was in so much pain."

Abigail let out a cold laugh, her tone flat and indifferent. "Oscar and his dad aren't children. What could possibly happen to them? I was too lenient with them before, and that's exactly why he became increasingly out of control."

A trace of smugness flashed through Joel's eyes, though he still pretended to look troubled. "But—"

Abigail scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain. "He's just gotten better at acting, nothing more. He's playing hard to get again. Don't worry. In a few days, he'll come home on his own to admit he was wrong."

I drifted over the back seat, watching them cling to each other. Bitterness and despair washed over me in an instant. I parted my lips, my voice barely a whisper.

"Abigail, I'll never be able to come home again."