She Became The Perfect Wife So She Could Disappear Forever Chapter 01

She Became The Perfect Wife So She Could Disappear Forever Chapter 01

After the mission failed, I became the impeccable Mrs. Vance.

I no longer hysterically drove away every one of Dominic Vance’s mistresses. I even took the initiative to bring Maeve Hayes, the one he could never forget, back into our lives.

I stopped riding my son Justin about his grades, and I silently stood by as he dropped out of school to chase his “artistic dreams” with Maeve.

I abandoned my true self and became exactly what they always wanted me to be.

All I had to do was wait quietly for the system to take me away from this world the moment the New Year’s bells rang.

But with only three days left in the countdown, Dominic and Justin threw themselves in front of me, eyes red and swollen, begging me to go back to the way I was before.

***

Three months ago, Dominic locked me in the attic yet again.

As the last sliver of light was swallowed by the dark, my nyctophobia flared up.

My breath hitched, growing shallow and frantic, and my palms were instantly drenched in a cold sweat.

This was an old struggle of mine, and Dominic knew it better than anyone.

During our first year of marriage, I woke up in the middle of the night to find him gone.

Trembling, I curled up in a corner, terrified. He held me in his arms and soothed me all night long.

Back then, he told me, “Callie, I’m never going to leave you alone in the dark.”

Now, it was his favorite way to punish me.

It was on that very day that the system officially declared my mission a total failure.

But unlike its usual mechanical tone, the system’s voice this time carried a touch of human-like fury.

It told me I had done more than enough, that the failure wasn’t my fault—it was theirs for not being worthy of being my family.

It said it had applied for an emergency extraction protocol. As long as I could hold out until the New Year, it could finish charging and take me home.

And so, for the past three months, I became the impeccable Mrs. Vance.

When I got home, Justin was parked on the living room sofa playing video games.

He shot a glance at me before quickly looking back down, his fingers flying across the screen.

“Maeve is coming back,” Dominic said suddenly when he saw me, “Her assistant mentioned that you were the one who reached out.”

“Yeah,” I nodded, “You’ve always wanted to see her, haven’t you? I figured I’d help make it happen.”

Dominic’s brow furrowed into a tight knot. “What’s the angle here, Callie?”

“There is no angle,” I explained, “I was wrong to keep you two apart all these years. I’ve finally come to my senses. You two are truly in love, and I shouldn’t be the one standing in the way.”

He took a few steps forward, closing the distance between us, “Callie, what kind of game are you playing?”

I tilted my head up to meet his gaze.

“I’m not playing games,” I said slowly, making sure every word landed, “Dominic, you’re free.”

“From now on, you can see whoever you want and love whoever you want. I won’t ask questions, and I’m not going to make a scene.”

His pupils contracted slightly.

“Oh, and I’ve already talked to Justin,” I continued, “He’s done with academics; he wants to study art instead, and I’ve agreed to that.”

“Isn’t Maeve a dancer? She’ll be perfect to mentor him. A child’s happiness is what matters most, don’t you think?”

I brushed past him toward the stairs, hearing him call out behind me, “Where are you going?”

“To shower and get some sleep,” I didn’t bother looking back, “I’m just tired.”

“Callie!”

I stopped on the stairs and turned around.

Dominic stood there as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only managed to squeeze out, “…Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said, “Better than I’ve ever been.”

Then I turned and went upstairs, never looking back again.

After showering and changing into my pajamas, I climbed into the cold bed and counted the days in my head.

Only three days left until the New Year.

In three days, when the bells rang, I would finally be able to go home.

The moment I closed my eyes, I heard Justin’s voice drifting up from downstairs.

“Dad, did Mom really say I could drop out? She’s not messing with me, is she?”

Then came Dominic’s somewhat muffled response, “Yeah.”

“When does Maeve get here? Mom really isn’t against you two being together anymore?”

“…She said she’s not against it.”

“That’s awesome!” Justin’s cheer was filled with undisguised excitement. “I told you Mom would come around eventually! What’s the point of making a scene every single day? It’s so much better like this!”

Dominic didn’t say another word.

I buried my face in my pillow and smiled softly.

Yeah. So much better.

If I had known that loving them would turn me into this, I never would have taken that umbrella Dominic offered me on that rainy night ten years ago.

Not in a million years.