Chapter 2

I could not help but wonder if the protagonist's halo was really that powerful, enough to erase everything I had done. Or perhaps it was simpler than that. Maybe it because I was cast as the villain of this story, nothing I did would ever be right.

When Corinne first brought Malcolm home, I had not thought much of it, not until I discovered they were seeing each other behind my back.

That was when I learned the truth. In her heart, I had always been Malcolm's stand-in.

Once Malcolm arrived at the Cavell household, the protagonist's halo did its work. It did not take long for him to change the way the entire family saw him.

My son and daughter had already grown resentful under my strict discipline, tired of studying, tired of being pushed. Malcolm picked up on it, gave them the right nudges at the right moments, and they turned to him completely.

As for Corinne, she had shown me some degree of respect at first, but shortly after Malcolm moved in, someone slipped him a laxative. Then he was pushed into the swimming pool and nearly drowned. He even had an allergic reaction during a meal.

Every sign pointed to me. Corinne all but tore my room apart, threatening to divorce me if I did not apologize to Malcolm.

I lost my temper and called Malcolm what he was. A homewrecker.

Corinne slapped me so hard I staggered. I knocked a vase over as I fell, and the shards pierced straight through both my legs. Blood was everywhere. Even after I bandaged them, the pain kept me up most of the night.

This morning I had barely managed to drag myself out of bed. All I wanted was a cup of tea and a moment to clear my head, but Elise came barging in, demanding I apologize to Malcolm.

I had been gritting my teeth through the pain since she stormed in, and now it was only getting worse.

The System was out of reach. The medicine I had purchased from the System's shop had all gone to Corinne and the two children over the years. The staff who had looked after me for years had been dismissed by Corinne, and she would not allow anyone to take me to a hospital.

The only person still permitted to enter my room was Lyle, Malcolm's personal attendant, but I did not dare touch any medicine he brought me.

I had been forgotten. The entire morning passed without a single meal.

I dug a rusted ring out from the bottom of a trunk and let out a quiet sigh.

By noon, the staff finally brought lunch. The food was plain, but I was not about to complain.

The moment I took a bite, I spat it out. There was lavender in the dish.

Everyone in the Cavell household knew I was allergic to lavender. Malcolm had done it on purpose.

I was about to tell the staff to take it away when Corinne came storming in. I had no idea where all this fury was coming from. She smashed several vases the moment she walked through the door and turned on me with a deep scowl.

"You nearly killed Malcolm. I told you to apologize, but not only did you put on an act and refuse, you spat out the food he had the kitchen make for you. How can anyone be as heartless as you?"

I lay on my back and looked up at her, perfectly calm.

That only made her angrier. She grabbed my shirt and pulled me close.

"What? Is doing what I say really that hard?"

I had spent eight full years inside this novel, carrying out my role as the supporting character with everything I had, pouring all of it into Corinne and the two children.

If they had fully accepted me, I could have stayed in this world with them forever. Before the protagonist appeared, I had tried to be a responsible father and an attentive husband, hoping that sincerity would be enough to earn their acceptance.

Now I could only shake my head with a bitter smile and look up at the woman who had once been the person closest to me in this world.

"Corinne, I've told you a hundred times. I never laid a hand on him. He staged all of it himself."

She stared back at me, cold and unconvinced.

I drew a deep breath and found that I no longer had the energy to explain.