Chapter 3

Alan's POV

Before I slipped into darkness, I woke the system.

"Confirm my departure. I want to leave this world forever!" I said.

[Departure route activated. Host, you must die and leave this world within 48 hours.]

The system's cold, robotic voice woke me up.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a huge family portrait hanging on the wall across from me.

Cody stood in the center in a sharp suit, surrounded by all of the Leywood family's relatives and friends. Hannah was by his side.

So they had already celebrated Hannah's wedding.

I just wasn't the groom.

I slowly turned my head and looked around.

The watch Margot gave me hung in the closet, covered in scratches.

On the bookshelf sat the trophy my friends and I won at a basketball tournament, but the name "Alan" had been scratched off and replaced with "Cody".

This house had been Mom's gift to me when I turned 18, but now it was Cody and Hannah's home.

Everything here still showed signs of my life, yet someone else had taken over every part of it.

Just then, the door opened. Hannah walked in carrying a bowl of warm soup.

"You're still recovering. Don't get too worked up," she said.

She scooped up a spoonful of soup and held it to my lips.

I turned away.

My voice was hoarse as I said, "The kids…"

Hannah sighed, speaking to me as though she were doing me a favor.

"Cody feels sorry for you, so he's letting you see the kids once a year. But know your place. Don't talk about being their biological father again. You're just their uncle."

My chest felt tight, and I struggled to breathe past the ache.

But this was my only chance to spend time with the kids before I left this world.

I pushed down my grief and nodded.

After washing up, I went downstairs.

Five of the children sat in a row on the couch.

The moment I saw them, tears welled up in my eyes.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and asked carefully, "I'll make you something to eat, okay?"

Shawn stared at me for a moment, then said quietly, "I want fish sticks."

Even such a simple request filled me with a small, desperate sense of happiness.

I quickly nodded. "Alright. I'll make it for you right now."

I turned and walked into the kitchen, then heated some oil in a pan.

The oil grew hotter, sizzling as I held the fish sticks over the pan.

Suddenly, one of the children rushed up behind me and knocked over the pan of scalding hot oil!

The hot liquid spilled all over my forearm.

Blisters formed across my skin at once. The pain made me shake so badly that I could barely stay on my feet.

Hannah rushed in at the sound, and she immediately pulled the kids out of the kitchen. Then she turned to me with anger in her eyes.

"How could you be so careless? What if you hurt the kids?"

Cody followed close behind, looking just worried enough.

He pretended to give Shawn a few light swats on his palm. "Did you hurt Uncle Alan because you were being naughty? Is this how I taught you to behave?"

Cody gave Shawn a push. "Go apologize to Uncle Alan."

Tears welled up in Shawn's eyes. "But Uncle Alan was going to make fish sticks for us."

The other kids began shouting too. "Uncle Alan is a bad man. He's trying to poison us!"

Mom strode over, her expression dark.

"They're allergic to fish, and you still made it for them on purpose," she said. "Alan, would you really hurt even children?"

She turned and pulled Shawn into her arms, then unwrapped a piece of candy for him.

"You did the right thing, Shawn. If someone tries to hurt you again, fight back just like you did."

Shawn popped the candy into his mouth and smiled at me smugly.

Hannah looked at my injured arm for a moment and rubbed her forehead.

"Alan, go back to your room for now," she said. "They've grown up with Cody, so it's only normal for them to be wary of someone they don't know.

"Take it slow. You still have plenty of time."

I looked at the children gathered around Cody, and my chest ached.

The system's voice spoke up softly in my head. [32 hours remaining until your departure.]

I whispered, "There isn't enough time."

"What did you say?" Hannah didn't hear me.

I shook my head and walked away without explaining.

A little while later, Hannah came in with a first-aid kit and treated the burn on my arm.

Her touch was gentle and careful. For a moment, I almost thought we were back in the first few years of our relationship.

But moments later, her detached voice shattered the illusion I had been holding onto.

"Don't blame Cody. Taking care of the kids isn't easy. He barely has a life of his own and spends every day looking after them.

"Besides, you never had to go through pregnancy or childbirth. No matter how many times you were hurt, your pain was only temporary.

"You won't understand how hard Cody works day after day."

The past eight years flashed through my mind.

I had helped Hannah prepare for each pregnancy, staying by her side through each one. I waited outside the delivery room all night and suffered the loss of our children again and again.

I had wanted those children with all my heart, but Cody took them away from me for eight years.

And now I was supposed to feel sorry for how hard he had it?

I closed my eyes, swallowed my emotions, and said calmly, "Hannah, let's end this."