Prologue
The closer we got to the wedding, the more Tristan picked fights with me.
Little things. Stupid things. He'd push and push until I snapped, then come crawling back, all soft eyes and apologies, begging me to forgive him.
He never got tired of the cycle.
I thought we were just hitting a rough patch. I kept telling myself to be patient. To give more. To love harder.
Then one day, out of nowhere, I collapsed.
Drifting in and out of consciousness, I heard him talking to something I couldn't see. Some kind of system.
Tristan: 【Coraline passing out — does that come with a reward too?】
System: 【New unlock: Sister-takes-damage +1. Younger sister's life extended +2 days.】
He actually said "Yes" out loud. Like he'd just won something.
Tristan: 【So if Vesper makes it through Fate's Eve unharmed, she's safe for the rest of her life?】
System: 【Correct. Seven days remaining until Fate's Eve.】
That's when it hit me.
He'd been using me this whole time. Every flash of my anger. Every bruise on my body. He was trading them in — cashing me out piece by piece — to keep Vesper alive.
He pushed me until I couldn't take it anymore. Until I had my tongue between my teeth, ready to bite down and end it.
And that's when the system appeared in front of me.
"Coraline Sutton. You have one chance to strike back."
"What's your choice?"
Chapter 1
I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was Tristan Locke sitting at my bedside, his face creased with worry.
The second I stirred, he grabbed my hand and pressed it to his cheek like it was something precious.
"Coraline. Thank God you're awake."
I stared at him, numb.
"What happened? Why did I pass out?"
Something flickered across his face — just for a second — before his voice went soft and tender.
"The doctor said you've been under too much stress. Probably nerves about the wedding, baby."
I looked at the man I'd known for over twenty years, and a complete stranger looked back.
I didn't understand. How could the man who looked at me like I was his whole world keep hurting me, over and over again?
All for my sister. All for Vesper Sutton.
He picked up the bowl of stewed bird's nest soup from the nightstand, blew on a spoonful, and held it to my lips.
"The doctor said you're anemic. I had this made specially for you. It's good for your blood."
Right. Build my blood back up. So I could be Vesper's blood bag all over again.
The sheer hypocrisy of it made my stomach lurch. I gripped the edge of the bed and gagged.
Tristan shot to his feet and reached for a glass of water. The cup had barely touched my hand when the door slammed open.
"Mr. Locke — it's Miss Sutton. She just fell out of bed."
The nurse's voice was frantic. Tristan froze. Then he turned and ran out after her without so much as a glance back at me.
I watched him go. The tears came before I could stop them.
The second I'd opened my eyes, I'd seen it — the Emotion System hovering above his head, glowing faint blue.
The display was crystal clear. Three more "deposits" before Fate's Eve in seven days, and Vesper's life meter would be full.
To save his sister, Tristan had bound himself to the Emotion System. And he'd been trading my health to do it.
The blood they drew yesterday, after they drugged me unconscious — that bought her two more days of life.
Every time he'd provoked me before that? He was farming my emotions.
The man who'd been at my side for over twenty years was nothing but an executioner.
Tristan came storming back into the room, breathing hard. He crossed straight to me.
The crack of his palm across my face exploded through the room. My cheek went up in flames.
I jerked my head up, stunned — and saw the system notification floating above him.
【Congratulations, Host. Sister's life extended by one hour.】
Vesper's meter had been seven days from full. Now it was about to drain to zero.
Tristan saw the notification too. He let out a slow, quiet breath.
Then his eyes drifted to my swollen, burning cheek — and something that looked almost like tenderness crossed his face.
