All Chapters of The Stand-In Walks Away: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

The moment I finished speaking, the atmosphere didn't ease up—it only got more tense.The guests, who knew my personality well, huddled together anxiously, whispering among themselves."Chris loves Emily to death. He has a terrible temper and holds grudges. One time, just because I had a few extra work-related words with her, he threw a glass of cold water on me in public and warned me that if I ever did it again, he'd have me fired.""In the past eight years, forget about other men around Emily—even the cat in her office got swapped for a female one.""He's been a stand-in for so long that he's started seeing himself as the real thing. Now that someone has taken his place as her husband and is even having a wedding with her, there's no way he's just going to let it go.""Just because he's not angry now doesn't mean anything. This is the calm before the storm."Everyone was worried. Emily was no exception. In her wedding dress, she stepped protectively in front of her first love,

Chapter 2

At first, I was angry. I wanted to confront Emily.Why did she stand me up? Why did she lie to me?But when the system announced the mission was complete, and Emily coldly told me it was over between us, I suddenly understood.I was never anything more than a stand-in. I had no right to demand answers.My disappointment came from wanting something I should never have wanted. I also forgot that my original goal was just to go home.I had truly let go. But Emily didn't believe me. She lifted her gown, hurried down from the stage, and forcefully shoved a card into my hand."There's one million on here. Take it."The system would send me home in three days. I couldn't take anything from this world with me. There was no point in taking her money.I raised an eyebrow and was about to refuse again when Emily guessed what I was going to say. She cut me off without room for argument."Chris, I've known you for years. I know exactly what schemes you're hiding. If you don't take this mon

Chapter 3

Emily looked at me guiltily and handed me two sets of keys."You can smash the car for fun. You can burn the house if you want…"Back when I smashed her car and burned her house, those were missions assigned by the system.The goal was to win Emily's affection and make Kyle jealous, thereby pushing their relationship forward.I never expected Emily to see it as a way for me to blow off steam.Without the system controlling me, I'm not that crazy.I know who to blame. If I wanted revenge, I'd only go after the one responsible."Where's Kyle?"Hearing this, Emily completely panicked and quickly explained, "He just acted out of impulse. He didn't mean to hurt you. And he was seriously injured too. He even asked me to apologize to you on his behalf."Chris, since he's shown such a positive attitude in admitting his mistake, can you forgive him?"She looked flustered, as if I were some kind of unforgivable monster.But the one who beat me to a pulp was Kyle.I looked at Emily sp

Chapter 4

Just before Emily left, the corner of her eye caught sight of me, and she felt a brief pang of guilt.She instinctively explained, "There's an urgent matter at the company. I need to go deal with it. I'll come back to be with you later."Without waiting for me to respond, she fled.I didn't try to stop her. I was just a little surprised that she bothered to explain.Probably just a habit I had drilled into her over the years. She hadn't been able to shake it yet.And wasn't Kyle supposed to be under house arrest? How did he end up outside and get into a car accident?It seemed that punishment was just something she made up to fool me.I couldn't be bothered to expose it. None of it had anything to do with me anymore.When my friends heard I was hurt, they came to visit me.In the past, even a minor bruise would have filled my hospital room with visitors. But now, even though I was seriously injured, only a handful of people showed up.I understood. Emily used to spoil me, and

Chapter 5

But I didn't want it."No need. Your husband is Kyle. Aren't you afraid he'll get the wrong idea if you throw me a birthday party?"Emily didn't care."I told you before. No matter what our relationship is, I will celebrate your birthday every year. This year is no different."Seeing that she insisted, I didn't refuse. After all, I was leaving soon. Consider this a farewell—a proper ending to this relationship.Once we got in the car, Emily cheerfully pulled out a blindfold."Put this on. I've prepared a surprise for you."Emily always loved these little romantic gestures. I didn't think much of it and put it on right away.The car drove quickly and soon became bumpy.When the blindfold was removed, I was out in the wilderness. Not far away, a group of burly men with clubs were staring at me menacingly.Emily whispered apologetically in my ear."Kyle hit someone with his car. The other party won't settle for money. They insist on handing someone over, or else they'll report

Chapter 6

The door opened. A group of people rushed in, flustered."I can't believe Emily showed up early. Hurry up and change his clothes. Get rid of all these torture devices.""Boss, he knows way too many of our secrets. What if he tells Emily?""This was just a small punishment. If he dares to talk, next time, he'll lose his life.""If Kyle didn't want a murder charge hanging over his head, the guy would already be dead. He should be grateful he's still breathing and get the hell out of here."As they spoke, they quickly stripped off the bloodstained clothes.Chris's body was covered in dense, horrible wounds. They were hidden under his clothes. Unless someone lifted the fabric, they wouldn't be found.These men were just following orders. They weren't real killers. They were also afraid that if they actually killed someone, they'd pay with their own lives. So even though the injuries looked severe, they were all superficial—painful but not fatal.Still, as they changed his clothes,

Chapter 7

"But believe me, this is the last time. I will never let him hurt you again. I won't let anyone hurt you," Emily said."I bought a villa for you. From now on, that will be our home. I also had a pair of wedding rings made for us. When we're together, I'll wear mine. I know what I'm giving you isn't as much as what Kyle gets, but I won't treat you poorly either."She went on and on. But the person in front of her still didn't respond at all.Emily panicked."I can give you as much money as you could ever spend. Just don't ignore me, okay?"Still no response.She finally couldn't wait any longer. She reached out and turned Chris to face her.But the moment she touched him, Emily knew something was wrong. When she saw his face, pale as a sheet of paper, she let out a terrified scream."Chris, don't scare me. You're fine, right?"The place was too remote. It took a long time for the ambulance to arrive.Emily felt like she had gone back three years to the time Chris got into that

Chapter 8

Emily wasn't very happy either. Instead, she felt unaccustomed to everything.In the past, she had always treated Chris as Kyle's stand-in. But as time went on, she realized they were two completely different people.Kyle's arrogance was natural and showed up no matter the occasion.Chris knew how to behave. He just had a strong possessiveness over her and didn't like her being around other men. As long as that point wasn't crossed, Chris was a gentle and considerate person.Another day, she came home. The living room was filled with the smell of cigarette smoke. Even when she walked in, the person in the room didn't react at all.Kyle didn't care at all that she was pregnant. He smoked right in front of her whenever he felt like it.She had mentioned it several times. Every time, Kyle would say, "Alright, alright. I'll change right away, babe."He was great at admitting fault. But the next time, he would do it again.Chris was different.She had only mentioned once that she d

Chapter 9

At first, Kyle didn't take it seriously. After all, he knew Emily's personality too well. Her need for control was too strong.If he actually went back, he would never escape her grip for the rest of his life. He still wanted at least a little freedom.But a while ago, when news broke that Emily was going to marry Chris, he started to feel uneasy.Even though he looked down on Emily, she had chased him for so many years that he had long since come to see her as his possession. The only reason he refused to go back was that he wanted to play around for a few more years.But if Emily was going to marry someone else, and he still didn't go back this time, he would never get another chance.So he went back.Emily was exactly as he had expected.The moment he came back, Emily was overjoyed. When he suggested they sleep together, she didn't refuse.But he also noticed that afterward, Emily didn't kick Chris out. She went about her days as usual.Kyle assumed Emily was just trying to

Chapter 10

The assistant was so frightened that he trembled before finally speaking."As soon as they found out Chris was dead, they confessed to everything. They said Kyle put them up to all of it."Kyle faked a car accident, fled the scene, and told them to refuse any settlement, no matter what."Kyle knew you wouldn't be willing to hand him over, so in the end, you would send Chris to take his place. Then they would lock Chris up for three days, beat him, and threaten him into never coming near you again."They just never expected Chris to actually die…"Hearing this answer, Emily felt all the strength drain from her body. She never expected that the lost love she had longed for all this time would turn out to be the one who killed Chris.She had thought that, given her years of devotion, she would surely forgive Kyle. But in that moment, she felt nothing but overwhelming rage.After all the time they had spent together recently, she had also realized something. She didn't love the real

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