After the Countdown のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 10

I gasped for air and lifted my hand in terror.Out of instinct, I reached for the glass of water beside me, trying to use it to steady myself. But my fingers passed straight through the solid glass.With a sharp crash, the glass fell to the floor and shattered.[Warning! Detected: bound target Victoria Quinn's love value has fallen below the critical threshold.][The contract has been breached. Penalty activated. Erasure protocol officially launched.][Death countdown: 71 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds...]A string of blood-red numbers appeared out of thin air above me.All strength left my body. I collapsed onto the tile floor, surrounded by shards of glass. The pieces cut into my calves, but all I felt was a chill running up my spine.Seven years.I thought I would never hear that alarm.Back then, when she spent thirty million dollars to fill the city sky with drones and propose to me, she looked at me with burning eyes and said, "Julian, in this life, I don't want anyone b

Victoria did not arrive until nine.After sitting down, she did not even take off her coat. The entire time, she was distracted, frowning, and checking her phone every thirty seconds.I forced down the taste of blood rising in my throat and pushed the poured glass of red wine toward her."Victoria, have some. You used to love..."Buzz.Her phone suddenly vibrated.The moment she saw the caller ID, the perfunctory expression on Victoria's face disappeared. In its place was undisguised urgency.She answered right in front of me without the slightest hesitation. Her voice was so gentle it sounded like a different person."Noah, what's wrong?"From the other end, Noah's slightly rushed voice came through."Victoria, my assistant asked for leave. I'm alone at the hotel... I don't feel well. Can you come check on me?""Don't be scared. Stay right there. I'm coming now."Victoria's face changed. She shot to her feet, grabbed her car keys, and headed for the door."Victoria Quinn!

Accompanied by the horrifying sound of bone and nerve snapping, Victoria's legs instantly lost all support.She screamed and collapsed to her knees in front of Julian's cold body like a heap of mud.In terror, she reached down and pounded her legs, but below the knees, she had already lost all feeling.The despair from seven years ago, when she could only sit in a wheelchair like a useless wreck, came crashing over her like a tidal wave.Only then did she finally understand.What Julian had said in the restaurant last night, "You will never see me again," had not been a threat."Julian... I was wrong... I was really wrong! Come back!"Victoria struggled desperately on the floor, trying to hold Julian's body, but she could only crawl miserably through the blood.In the vast villa, only the shrill cries of a crippled woman remained.Julian's funeral was painfully bleak.There was no media, no family, no friends. Only endless cold rain and a lonely gravestone.Victoria sat once

"Julian... is it you? Is it really you?"Victoria pushed the wheels of her chair like a madwoman, rushing toward me with everything she had.She was frighteningly thin. Her once stunning face had caved in, and the red veins in her eyes spread like spiderwebs. Her whole body carried a lifeless madness."Julian!"She charged up to me and stretched out her bony hand, gripping my wrist tightly.Her strength was shocking, almost enough to crush my bones."Let go."Out of instinctive rejection, I shook her off.Looking at this withered, crippled woman in front of me, I felt no ripple in my heart. Only a strong disgust."Ma'am, you have the wrong person," I said coldly."No! I could never mistake you!"Tears burst from Victoria's eyes. She pointed at me incoherently."The way you adjust your collar, the way you narrow your eyes when you see the sun... You are my Julian! You didn't die, did you?""You're just angry with me, so you changed your identity, right?"As she cried, she

Three days later, Elise drove me to the century-old grand theater in the city center.Victoria had bought the place, and it had been closed to the public for years.But Elise had used some connections and gotten the key.When we pushed open the heavy theater doors, an old rose scent mixed with dust washed over us.On the enormous stage, the setting from Victoria and Julian's wedding seven years ago was still preserved. Thousands of withered white roses covered the steps, and at the center stood a crystal piano coated in dust."Julian, don't be afraid. I'm right here with you."Elise held my hand tightly, her warmth flowing into me through her palm.I took a deep breath, let go of her hand, and walked step by step up the stairs covered in dead roses.The instant my toes touched the center of the stage, it was as if I had triggered a sealed switch.The memories of my previous life flooded into my mind like a burst dam, crashing in with brutal force.I saw myself pressing the sy