Chapter 1

A sharp, unbearable pain shot through Olivia' s body, jolting her awake. It felt like every bone was being ground into dust, every nerve set on fire. She gasped, curling into a ball on her bed, her knuckles white as she gripped the sheets. The cold sweat on her forehead felt like ice against her skin.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to breathe through the agony, but it was relentless.

A cold, mechanical voice suddenly echoed in her mind, devoid of any emotion.

[Mission failed. Host's remaining life is now on a fixed countdown. Terminal illness will result in death upon countdown completion.]

The voice was a familiar terror, a constant presence since she had woken up in this world. It was the System, the entity that had given her this second chance, a chance she had now officially lost.

The announcement brought a wave of dread that was even worse than the physical pain. It was the confirmation of her deepest fear. Her efforts, her struggles, her brief moments of happiness-they had all been for nothing.

[Countdown initiated: 30 days.]

Thirty days. A death sentence.

Olivia fumbled for the bottle of painkillers on her nightstand, her hands shaking so badly she almost dropped it. She poured a handful of pills into her palm, far more than the prescribed dose, and swallowed them dry. She didn' t care about the consequences anymore. She just wanted the pain to stop, even for a little while.

She lay back, waiting for the medication to kick in, her breaths coming in ragged gasps.

"How much time do I have left?" she asked the empty room, her voice a hoarse whisper.

[29 days, 23 hours, 58 minutes, and 12 seconds remaining.]

The System was cruelly precise. Each second ticking away was another step closer to the end.

[A new mission can be initiated. Recapture the affection of Daniel and Ethan. Each point of affection gained will extend the host's life.]

A sliver of hope, a lifeline dangled before her. But Olivia felt nothing but a profound, hollow despair. She shook her head, a bitter laugh escaping her lips.

"No," she whispered. "It's impossible. Not with her here."

Clara. The name itself was a source of pain. The long-lost family member who had returned like a fairy-tale princess and systematically dismantled Olivia' s life. Trying to win back Daniel and Ethan' s affection now was a fool's errand. Clara had them wrapped around her finger.

Olivia stared out her window, her gaze falling on the family living across the street. The father was pushing his young daughter on a swing, the mother watching with a warm smile. Their laughter drifted up to her room, a sweet, painful sound.

It felt like a lifetime ago, but she remembered what that was like. She remembered the warmth in her older brother Daniel' s eyes, the easy, protective way he would ruffle her hair. She remembered the shared jokes and comfortable silence with her childhood friend, Ethan, a bond that felt unbreakable.

When she first woke up in this body, she was a soul from another world, trapped by a mysterious System. Her mission was simple but daunting: survive. To do that, she had to mend the fractured relationships with Daniel and Ethan, who had become distant after a tragic accident plunged the original Olivia into a deep depression.

For a while, she had succeeded. She slowly broke through their walls of guilt and concern. The laughter returned. The shared meals, the late-night talks, the casual touches-they all came back. She had earned their affection, and with it, she had earned more time. She had felt true joy, a sense of belonging she had never known.

Then Clara arrived.

She was introduced as a distant cousin, a girl who had endured a difficult childhood and had finally found her way back to her family. She was charming, fragile, and masterfully manipulative. Almost overnight, all the love and attention Olivia had painstakingly earned was redirected to Clara.

Daniel' s protective instincts, once for Olivia, were now solely for Clara. Ethan' s loyalty, once unwavering, now belonged to Clara. Olivia tried to hold on, to remind them of their bond, but every attempt was met with misunderstanding and accusations. Clara was a master at playing the victim, twisting Olivia' s words and actions until she was cast as the villain-jealous, petty, and cruel.

Her affection points from the System plummeted. Her health, tied directly to the mission, began to deteriorate. The pain started as a dull ache and grew into the monster that now consumed her.

She had lost. It was over.

Acceptance settled over her, cold and heavy. There was no point in fighting anymore. All she could do was prepare for the end. She picked up her phone, her fingers hovering over the screen. She needed to contact a lawyer, to settle her affairs, to make arrangements for her own funeral. It was a surreal, grim task for someone so young, but it was her only remaining responsibility.

Just as she was about to make the call, a knock sounded at her door.

"Olivia?"

It was Daniel' s voice, laced with an impatient, questioning tone.

"What are you doing in there?"