Historias cortas de Tragic Love y novelas con Simp ambientadas en Regret

Thirty days into our argument, my girlfriend kissed her first love passionately right in front of me. I quietly asked my boss for a transfer to the Northern City branch, which was thousands of miles away. Her friends clapped and teased me. “Ivan, your girlfriend’s getting a new boyfriend. Aren’t you going to win her back?” I held her hand and sincerely said, “I’m sorry.” She looked down at me with a proud smile. “Okay, I forgive you. Tomorrow, pack your things. We’re going to see my parents.” I smiled and agreed. But she did not know I was leaving for Northern City that night.

Everyone said I was Liam Reed's simp. He suffered from congenital hyperalgesia—a condition that made even the slightest bump send waves of unbearable pain through his body. So when his enemies attacked him, I took a knife meant for him. When his family subjected him to brutal punishment, I endured ninety-nine lashes in his place. Each time I suffered for him, Liam would hand me a point card. "Mathilde, every time you take the pain for me, you earn 0.1 points. Once you reach 100 points, we'll get married." For five years, I accumulated points, nearly dying more than once. Finally, my score reached 99.9 points. One day, I went to the hospital for a follow-up appointment. Years ago, I'd shoved Liam out of the way of a speeding car and taken the full impact with my legs. My injuries had never fully healed, and lately, the pain had grown worse. While waiting for my appointment, I happened to see him accompanying his first love, Victoria Adams, who had disappeared years ago, to a prenatal checkup. As I waited, I overheard Victoria say she wanted Liam to experience labor pains for himself. I knew Liam better than anyone. Even a routine injection made him clench his fists and grit his teeth. There was no way he'd agree to something like that. Yet, without a moment's hesitation, he lay down in the simulator chair and let them turn up the intensity. I stood frozen behind the glass partition, watching him writhe in agony. He was in so much pain that he nearly lost consciousness, yet he never once asked them to stop. By the time he came out, my old injuries had flared up so badly that my legs had gone completely numb. "Victoria just came back after all these years. I can't abandon her now. If you keep making a scene, I'll wipe out every point you've earned," he told me, his face pale from the pain. I smiled faintly. "Forget it. I don't want that final 0.1 point anymore."

A fierce storm erupts on a mountain peak at 25,561 feet, trapping me in the mountain camp under heavy snow. My husband, the leader of the mountain excursion squad, ignores my desperate pleas and hands the last oxygen tank to his beloved true love. "You're a professional climber—you won't die from missing a few breaths," he snaps. "Olivia has always been frail. Without oxygen, she's done for!" I watch as the two of them lean on each other, making their way down the cliffside, and I fall into complete despair. He's already forgotten that my body hasn't been able to survive without oxygen at high altitudes since saving him two years ago.

Everyone says Zachary Suffold is hopelessly in love with Madison Fulmer. He's stayed by her side at her poorest, working three jobs a day to support her so she can focus on playing the piano. He's drunk himself into the hospital with a bleeding stomach just to secure performance opportunities for her. Over the last three years, he has poured his heart and soul into turning her into a renowned pianist. He's especially protective of her hands, the very hands she uses to play the piano. Once, a rival deliberately threw boiling water at Madison's hands. Without a second thought, Zachary threw himself in front of her, using his own body to shield her from the scalding water. Madison walked away unharmed, but Zachary suffered third-degree burns. Even now, an ugly scar remains on his arm. Later, someone from the orchestra asks Madison, "When do you plan to marry Zachary?" She merely frowns in displeasure. "When did I ever say I'd marry him? He's not even my boyfriend. He's just a loyal little simp who does whatever I tell him. He's not good enough to marry me." Little does Madison know, she's not good enough for him, either. After all, she's nothing but a stand-in.