The System Patched the Bug, Sending Me Home and Leaving Him in Ruin Chapter 10

The System Patched the Bug, Sending Me Home and Leaving Him in Ruin Chapter 10

Three days wasn’t a long time. But to Finn, it felt longer than all seven years combined.

He watched Chloe work, live, visit friends. He finally saw how much she loved sweets. How she loved to joke around.

How her eyes crinkled at the corners whenever something made her happy.

He watched her rescue stray cats and dogs, buy meals for homeless elderly people, and stand her ground and argue firmly for herself, shutting arrogant opponents down in just a few cutting sentences.

He’d once thought of Chloe as a declawed kitten. Now he saw how wrong he’d been.

Chloe was a real person with real feelings. She felt hurt when rejected, sad when stood up. The kind of partner she deserved was someone like Jasper—someone who always gave her closure and reciprocated every bit of her effort. Not a man who’d stripped away her dignity the way he had.

The longer Finn watched, the quieter he became. At first he could manage a few words with her. Eventually, he couldn’t speak at all.

He’d crossed into this strange world only to see himself clearly in the mirror. And the reflection staring back at him was nothing but rotten, worthless filth.

Midnight was approaching. They walked one behind the other along Oak Tree Promenade.

Finn felt his existence starting to fade.

The classic near-death life flash he’d had when he jumped from the bridge came rushing back.

Seven years of memories raced through his mind, finally settling on the back of the woman walking ahead of him.

The distant town clock began to chime. Finn stopped.

Chloe sensed it and paused too.

Finn asked the question he’d been holding back.

“Did it hurt? The day you died?”

Chloe didn’t turn around. Her voice was soft.

“It hurt plenty. He drove three stab wounds into me, and all of that suffering landed squarely on my shoulders because of you… it hurt more than you could imagine.”

The wind swept past them with a low howl.

Finn couldn’t cry, even though overwhelming grief threatened to tear him apart from the inside out.

“I don’t deserve a single ounce of your forgiveness, not after everything I put you through.”

He sank to his knees.

“Chloe, arrange a grave marker with my name carved upon it. If there is another life beyond this one, I want to be born into your world.”

Silence answered him.

Then a flat, mechanical voice cut through the night.

“System upgrade complete. Bug resolved. Initiating dimensional transport for unauthorized entity. Countdown: 3—2—”

Chloe never turned back.

She paused for just a few seconds, then kept walking forward without hesitation.