Chapter 1: The Birthday Wish

The moment the System announced that the mission was complete, Cheryl Bennett's face lit up with undisguised delight.

She sprang to her feet, grabbed our son, Jasper Ford, and cheered along with the System.

"Great! It's finally over! I was starting to think I'd be tied to him for the rest of my life!"

Cheryl had no idea I could hear her conversations with the System.

She grabbed Jasper and headed straight for the door without even sparing me a glance.

Even though I had prepared myself for this, I still couldn't help trying to stop them. "Cheryl, where are you going? Aren't you staying for dinner?"

The only answer I received was the sharp, echoing thud of the door slamming shut.

I chased after them, but by the time I reached the doorway, Cheryl and Jasper were already at the elevator.

They could finally return to their real world, and they would never have to see me again. So, they didn't even bother making up excuses to fool me anymore.

The two of them no longer had to whisper behind my back. Even with me standing right behind them, they spoke openly about the perfect dad from another world.

Jasper excitedly tugged at Cheryl's hand. "Mommy, are we going back to find my real daddy now?"

Cheryl's voice brimmed with delight and smug satisfaction. "That's right. I secured your daddy a lifetime of good fortune. From now on, we're going to have a wonderful life with him."

Jasper asked, "Mommy, is my real daddy super cool and handsome? Will he like me?"

"Of course, he will. He's a million times better than Kevin Ford. He loves me so much, so naturally, he'll love you too!"

I was the "Kevin Ford" she spoke of. That was how she had always done it—never once referring to me as Jasper's dad in front of him, always just calling me by my name.

She kept filling Jasper's head with stories about his real dad in another world, promising him that they would leave to find him once the mission was complete.

I stood silently in the doorway, watching Cheryl's retreating back.

Unfortunately, I couldn't see the smile on her face at that moment—that familiar, impossibly sweet smile. I guessed this time it was actually genuine.

She had plotted and endured for years, all just to win a lifetime of good fortune for her true love in the real world.

Now that the mission was a success, she could finally rid herself of me and run back into his arms.

If I were her, I would be smiling too.

I tried to force a smile, wanting to mirror her, but my eyes stung. The corners of my mouth felt like lead, too heavy to lift.

I gave up, turned away, and shut the door.

The food on the table was still steaming. The candles on the cake, the ones Jasper hadn't even had the chance to blow out, were still flickering.

I leaned over, blew them out myself, and ate the cake alone.

So, making wishes really did work. After all, the wish I had just made came true the moment I opened my eyes.

My wife and son had decided long ago to abandon me and return to their real world.

That was fine. Because what I had wished for was not to want them anymore.

I didn't hate Cheryl, and I didn't blame Jasper either. I just chalked it all up to my own rotten luck.

The day I first met Cheryl was the day I heard her talking to her System.

That was when I realized my world was nothing more than a tragic novel. I was the pariah male lead destined to die a miserable, lonely death at 25 years old.

Cheryl had only signed up to win me over in exchange for a lifetime of good fortune for the man she loved in her real world, so that when she returned, they could enjoy wealth and glory together.

She had complained to the System, "I must really be blinded by love. Gavin wanted me to win him good fortune, and I actually agreed to come here and romance a guy like him."

The System had reassured her. "This target is easy. He's desperate for love. Just sweet-talk him a little, and you'll have this mission wrapped up in no time."