As I walked toward Abigail's villa, the night air was calm, but my mind was anything but. My grip tightened, and my jaw clenched as a thought resurfaced—the one question I had avoided asking until now.
I exhaled sharply and murmured, "System, tell me the truth. How did Samuel die?"
The System flickered for a moment before responding.
[Processing… Accessing Memory Archive…]
Then, the blue screen in front of me changed, and suddenly, I was there. Watching the final moments of Samuel Gebb's life unfold before my eyes.
---
Three Months Ago – Samuel's Last Night
The villa was silent, except for the sounds coming from her bedroom.
Samuel sat alone in the guest room, his hollow eyes staring at the wall. His body was frail, his hands trembling as he held a small bottle of white pills—his final escape.
From beyond the walls, moans filled the air, the sound of Abigail with another man, laughing, whispering words of affection that Samuel had once thought were meant for him.
He squeezed his eyes shut, his breath shaky.
"How much longer do I have to endure this…?" he whispered to himself.
His heart wasn't just broken. It was shattered beyond repair.
For three years, he had lived through hell—watching his wife bring different men into their home, into their bedroom, and mocking him to his face.
He had begged. He had cried. He had tried to leave. But Abigail had always found him, always pulled him back, just to torture him more.
And yet, despite everything, he held on.
For Kayla.
His little sister—the only person who ever loved him unconditionally. She was sick, and as long as he was alive, he had to stay strong for her.
But then… he saw the novel's future.
A horrific vision.
No matter how hard he tried, Kayla would die.
Abigail would never let him have the money to save her. She would keep spending it all on Joshua, on gifts, on luxury, on other men.
Kayla—his only reason for enduring this hell—would suffer and die alone.
And at that moment, Samuel Gebb lost his final reason to live.
His fingers trembled as he unscrewed the lid of the bottle of pills.
A slow-acting poison.
One that would let him fade away painlessly while the sounds of his wife with another man filled the air.
A bitter smile stretched across his lips as he placed a single pill on his tongue and swallowed.
Then another.
And another.
His heartbeat slowed.
His breathing grew faint.
But just as his vision blurred, he heard Abigail's voice from the next room, laughing breathlessly.
"Ahhh, you're so much better than my useless husband~"
Something inside Samuel snapped.
A choked, bitter laugh escaped his lips. "Even at the end… she's still mocking me."
His hand shook as he grabbed the bottle, dumping the entire contents into his palm.
Without hesitation, he swallowed them all.
His body collapsed onto the cold floor, his heartbeat slowing to a crawl.
Darkness began to consume him, his final thoughts a twisted mix of relief… and hatred.
"Goodbye… Abigail."
And then—
Silence.
----
Back to the Present
I stood frozen, my breath uneven as the vision faded.
A cold rage settled deep within me.
Samuel hadn't just died. He had been destroyed.
Not in an instant. Not by a villain.
But slowly, over the course of three years of pure hell.
He had suffered, alone, broken, suffocating in pain, until he finally gave up.
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. Abigail…
She hadn't just hurt him. She had killed him.
And yet, she still had the audacity to cry over my change.
I exhaled, my smirk returning—only this time, it was colder, darker.
"Don't worry, Samuel."
I wasn't you.
I wouldn't suffer.
I wouldn't beg.
And most of all—
I wouldn't break.
I looked up at the villa, my eyes gleaming with a new purpose.
"Let's see how she likes being the one who suffers."
As I stood in the kitchen, the cool hum of the villa's surroundings making the silence feel almost unnatural, I decided to grab a glass of water. The events of the day had left me with a dry throat, and I needed to clear my head.
I filled the glass, the clear liquid shimmering in the light. As I took a sip, I couldn't help but notice something…
The effects.
I paused, the glass halfway to my lips, as I felt the water sliding down my throat. It was subtle at first—a gentle buzz of energy coursing through my body. But it quickly escalated, as if the simple act of drinking water was somehow amplifying the power within me.
I could feel my muscles tighten and relax in a way that was almost unnatural. My body felt more alive, more attuned to the environment around me.
I blinked, setting the glass down. "That wasn't just normal water."
The system responded almost immediately, its voice neutral but laced with curiosity.
[Affirmative. Due to the current status of your body and abilities, hydration is enhancing your physical and mental state.]
I looked down at my hands, flexing my fingers. "So, drinking water is now improving my body. Interesting."
The system continued,
[As your willpower and connection to the Heavenly Demon grow, your body is adapting to become more efficient. Hydration, rest, and nutrition now directly influence your strength, agility, and other stats. The more you focus on your body's needs, the stronger you will become.]
I smirked, feeling the power settle in my muscles. "So, everything I do now... even drinking water, is an opportunity to increase my power."
[Correct. The more you feed your body, the more it responds.]
I took another long sip of water, the sensation intensifying, and this time, it felt like my body was practically pulsing with potential.
It was as if I could sense every muscle fiber in my body, every beat of my heart syncing with the world around me. I felt… invincible.
"This body is a machine." I chuckled to myself. "Abigail's going to regret ever thinking she could control me."
With a final glance at the water, I set the glass down, already thinking of the next step. "If drinking water can make me stronger, just imagine what I can do when I'm fully in control of everything around me."
My grin widened, and I turned to leave the kitchen, ready to take the next step in my unstoppable rise.