He Stole My Sixty Years Of Hard Won Lifespan Chapter 01

He Stole My Sixty Years Of Hard Won Lifespan Chapter 01

Everyone in this world had a Time Account.

Complete Time Tasks, and you earned extra lifespan.

For eight years, I’d taken nothing but High-Risk Tasks.

I’d been buried alive, fallen off cliffs, and ended up with one hundred and thirty-seven stitches across my body.

After all that, I’d finally saved up sixty extra years.

Then overnight…

Every last second disappeared.

The system showed one name under the transfer record.

Evan Pierce.

My boyfriend of eight years.

He told me to come over Saturday. Said he’d explain everything over dinner.

The moment I walked in, I saw him gently blowing on a tiny burn mark on a girl’s hand.

He looked completely focused.

The last time I had fallen off a cliff, I had shattered nearly every bone in my body.

He’d claimed work was too busy, stopped by the hospital long enough to sign a form, and left.

Mrs. Pierce smiled as she took my hand.

“Mira, this is Lena. Evan’s childhood friend.”

“Thankfully, your lifespan saved her.”

“I didn’t know anything about that,” I said.

Evan frowned.

“She only had six months left. You’re healthy, and earning lifespan has never been that hard for you.”

I glanced down at the stitches that still hadn’t been removed from my forearm.

I said nothing.

Lena lowered her head and spoke softly.

“If Mira doesn’t want to… I’ll give the life back. I’m not afraid to die.”

Every eye in the room landed on me.

Like I owed her my life.

Evan’s face darkened.

“Mira, enough. Lena’s right here.”

That was when I finally understood.

It wasn’t that Evan didn’t know how to care about someone.

His compassion just had a waiting list.

And I was done waiting.

…

“Mira, why aren’t you saying anything?”

“You can’t seriously just watch Lena die, can you?”

Mrs. Pierce tightened her grip on my hand, smiling as warmly as ever.

“You and Evan are going to spend your whole lives together. Lena’s like your little sister. We’re family. Why talk about paying anything back?”

I looked at her.

Then at Evan and Lena sitting together on the couch.

Lena’s shoulders trembled as she cried into her lap.

Evan had one arm around her, gently rubbing her back.

When he looked at me, his expression was filled with patient indulgence.

“Mom, don’t pressure her. Mira just got back from a mission. She’s exhausted and needs time to process everything.”

He walked over, reaching to ruffle my hair.

I turned my head away.

He didn’t seem bothered.

Instead, his hand settled on my shoulder, and his voice softened into the same gentle tone he’d always used whenever he wanted to calm me down.

“I should’ve told you beforehand.”

“Lena only had three hours left. I panicked and used our Time Account Sharing Permissions.”

“I know you better than anyone.”

“You’re too kind to let someone die. If you’d been there, you would’ve done the same thing… wouldn’t you?”

That was always his specialty.

He always wrapped theft in the gentlest words imaginable.

One casual “we,” and suddenly crossing the line became a decision we’d supposedly made together.

I slowly pulled my arm free from Mrs. Pierce’s grasp.

The movement tugged at the wound that still hadn’t healed.

A sharp pain shot through my arm.

I’d barely survived that cliff mission.

I’d spent three days in the ICU.

The stitches covering my body hadn’t even been removed yet.

I crossed the room and sat on the couch opposite them.

My voice trembled from the pain.

“When did I ever say I agreed?”

Evan froze.

Then he smiled.

There was even a hint of helpless affection in it.

“I know you’re upset.”

“But it’s only sixty years.”

“We’ve got our whole lives ahead of us.”

“Lena’s only twenty-three. Without those sixty years… she would’ve had nothing left.”

“You’re amazing.”

“You’ve survived every impossible mission before.”

“A few more Time Tasks, and you’ll earn it all back.”

“When you’ve recovered, I’ll go with you.”

“Okay?”

He made it sound effortless.

As if the three days I’d spent trapped underground, surviving on worms while waiting for rescue…

As if the six months I’d lain in a hospital bed with shattered bones, unable to even turn over without screaming… were nothing more than taking “a few extra jobs.”

A stabbing pain suddenly tore through my chest.

It felt like an invisible hand had wrapped itself around my heart.

It was the warning sign.

My lifespan had been overdrawn.

And my body was finally beginning to fail.