Chapter 1

Isabella's POV

For six years, I had worked as a contract killer to pay for my brother's leukemia treatment.

Today, I had finally saved enough money to cover his surgery.

But he casually rejected the operation.

"Actually, I'm not sick. And Mom and Dad aren't dead, either. I planned that car accident six years ago."

My husband, Damian Blackwood, followed his confession with one of his own.

"I never went bankrupt, either. Every time I told you I had to work overtime, I was actually staying at our mansion because I couldn't stand squeezing into that filthy basement apartment with you."

"I originally planned to make you suffer for another three years, but the stench of blood and gunpowder on you has become unbearable."

My hand froze as I was about to swipe my card to pay the medical bills.

My brother snatched the bank card from my hand and tossed it into the trash.

"There's no money left on it. I gave away everything you earned from those assassination contracts to beggars. Money earned by taking lives is cursed. We don't want anything to do with it."

My blood ran cold.

Why were they doing this to me?

It wasn't until I saw my parents standing before me that I completely broke down.

They stood at a distance, their faces twisted with disgust, as though I were something contagious.

"If you promise never to bully Vivian again, you can still be our daughter. Otherwise, we'll cut all ties with you!"

Just as despair consumed me, a familiar mechanical voice sounded inside my head.

[Host, would you like to abandon this mission and leave this world?]

...

"Leave!"

I bit down so hard that I tasted blood.

[Request received. Departure countdown: 24 hours.]

Damian noticed my silence and reached out to wipe the tears from the corner of my eye.

"Have you finally realized your mistakes? If you hadn't kept fighting Vivian for attention and hurting her over and over again, our family of three could have been happy."

I slapped his hand away.

"You have no right to talk about our family! Vivian caused that car accident. She's the reason my child died!"

Damian answered casually, "Our son never died. I handed him to Vivian immediately after he was born. Stop making up stories about her."

My throat tightened.

For several seconds, I couldn't force out a single word.

"What... did you just say?"

Damian looked at me as though his decision had been perfectly reasonable.

"He's my heir. How could I possibly let him follow you around on assassination jobs? Vivian is gentle and caring. She's much more qualified to raise him."

I stood frozen, unable to stop myself from trembling.

Six years ago, when I woke up after the car accident, I had multiple shattered bones throughout my body.

Damian had been standing beside my hospital bed, his eyes bloodshot.

He told me the accident had happened because I had recklessly insisted on going out. I had lost our baby, and my parents had died because of me.

My brother, Sebastian, had even developed leukemia after falling into alcoholism over the tragedy.

Back then, the system had asked whether I wanted to abandon this world.

After all, my designated targets were missing, and completing the affection missions had become impossible.

But looking at Sebastian suffering from leukemia and Damian grieving the loss of our child, I couldn't bring myself to abandon them.

So, despite my broken body, I struggled to support them for six miserable years.

And now I discovered it had all been a joke.

My voice trembled as tears gathered in my eyes.

"Why didn't you just lie to me until the day I died?"

"Because Vivian wants a daughter."

Sebastian spoke with unmistakable affection.

"But she's been afraid of childbirth since she was little. So you'll have to give birth to one for her."

I stared at them as though I were looking at a group of lunatics.

"Vivian has already suffered enough. We simply want to fulfill her wish. Be good. You can always have another child later."

Damian gently stroked my hair, as though comforting an unreasonable child.

"Besides, this is your chance to prove to Mom and Dad that you're willing to accept Vivian and won't bully her anymore."

Who exactly were they calling pitiful?

I would never forget that tiny, dark room from my childhood.

The red-hot iron poker pressed against my skin as I screamed and writhed in agony.

Every time I cried for my mother, my adoptive mother would curse at me.

"Who the hell are you calling Mom, you little bitch? My daughter is the one enjoying all the love from your wealthy parents!"

I rolled up my sleeve, revealing the horrifying scars covering my arm.

"Who is the one who deserves pity? You promised those kidnappers would pay for what they did. You promised I'd never have to suffer again!"

"Isabella! Can you stop lying for once?" Sebastian knocked my arm away.

His sudden shove sent me stumbling into the corner of the table.

"The woman who raised Vivian admitted everything before she died. Nobody ever abused you. Those scars came from your teenage years, when you ran around with street thugs and got into fights!"

My parents curled their lips in contempt.

"Children who aren't raised by their biological parents really do turn out different. Looks like our decision six years ago was right. A compulsive liar like you could never raise a child properly."

I stared at them, feeling blood rise in my throat.

"If I can't raise a child, then what makes the daughter of a kidnapper qualified?"

"Shut your mouth!"

Sebastian's expression darkened.

"How dare you say something like that? Have you ever considered how heartbroken Vivian would be if she heard you?"

He grabbed my arm roughly.

"Looks like six years of punishment still haven't taught you anything."