I Was Replaced by My Substitute

After the mission failed, I was forced back to my original world to fix the storyline.

Seeing my former mission target again, everyone assumed I'd rekindle the romance with her.

Only I knew she already had a replacement by her side.

Seeing Luna Sterling again, it had been exactly three years since I left this novel world.

Time hadn't marked her with any obvious changes.

She just seemed more mature, her eyes no longer holding that same innocent clarity.

I quickly smoothed my expression, walking towards her with the same smile I always wore: "Luna, long time no see."

Luna's eyes flickered away. To an outsider, it might look like shyness, avoiding my gaze.

Only I knew the emotion flashing in her eyes was annoyance.

I glanced down at her designer clothes and expensive jewelry, contrasting sharply with my simple t-shirt and sweatpants. The realization hit me hard.

The ugly duckling who once lived in the mountains, never sure of her next meal, with no future in sight, had transformed into a swan.

"Dusty..." Luna opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

Three years apart. Some things change, and sometimes, they change for good.

I forced a smile, reaching for her hand, trying to pull her into an embrace. "Luna, I'm sorry, I left back then because..."

"Ms. Sterling." Her assistant, who had been standing quietly nearby, glanced at his phone and spoke up. "Ms. Sterling, Silas..."

"Shut up!" Luna snapped, cutting him off sharply, her voice laced with a barely detectable tension. "Can't you see I'm talking to Dusty? Who do you think you are? How dare you interrupt!"

This arrogant, domineering behavior was nothing like the Luna I knew. Had she become this person in just a few years?

I instinctively frowned.

Luna used the distraction to subtly pull her hand back, rubbing it awkwardly against the side of her skirt.

"Dusty, this isn't the place to talk. Let me take you home, okay?" She looked at me cautiously. "I bought the apartment we used to live in together."

I pretended not to see the assistant's shocked look and nodded with a smile. "That would be great, Luna."

The drive from the airport was dead silent.

Luna and I sat in the back seat, a wide gap between us. Her body was tense, her breathing uneven.

Watching the familiar scenery pass by the window, I rested my head on my hand against the window frame, lost in memories.

I'd driven this road with Luna for nearly ten years during the mission. I knew perfectly well it was in the opposite direction from the Sterling estate.

I turned to Luna. "So, after being gone for years, I wonder if Luna found someone else."

"Of course not!" Luna's answer was immediate.

That knee-jerk reaction made me sigh inwardly with relief.

But before I could say more, she looked down, her voice low and challenging. "What if I did?"

"I see." I paused, considering my words carefully. "If you really found someone else, then I would disappear from your world completely."

Luna was silent for a long time. Then, in a soft voice, she repeated, "It's always been you... only you..."

By the end, her voice grew firmer, as if convincing herself as much as me.

Finally, the car pulled up in front of a slightly rundown old apartment complex. Everything looked exactly as it had.

I didn't know how much time or effort Luna had spent preserving this place, but a sudden warmth flooded my chest.

A wave of warmth spread through my chest.

Just as I was about to apologize for my probing questions in the car, a black Porsche Cayenne cut in beside us.

A man, similar in build to me, got out and strode quickly towards Luna.

"Luna, you said you'd come with me today to..." The man stopped mid-sentence, noticing me for the first time. He covered his mouth in surprise. "And this is...?"

"Silas Vance! I told you I had something important today! Stop bothering me!" Luna snapped at him.

The impression she'd always given me before was one of gentle elegance. I'd never heard her raise her voice like this.

"I'm sorry... did I... did I mess up?" Silas's voice instantly became small and weak.

But my own heart sank as I looked at his facea face eerily similar to my own.

The first time I arrived in this novel world, I was only ten.

My mission assigned by the System, was to rescue Luna Sterling, the Sterling heiress, and the kidnapped daughter of the wealthy Sterling family.

My first meeting with Luna was when other kids bullied her, pushing her into freezing water in winter. I pulled her out.

She was already unconscious, a tiny bundle curled in my arms, like a lifeless doll.

I knew for sure that without immediate help, she'd be dead in minutes.

The system claimed she was the heroine, destined to survive.

But Luna was only eight then, stunted by malnutrition, she looked barely five or six.

I couldn't bear it. I begged the system to save her.

Then I ran all over town to find a doctor and buy medicine with what little money I had.

From ten to twenty-five, I spent fifteen years almost never leaving Luna's side.

I never treated her just as a mission target. I genuinely, sincerely wanted her to thrive. I taught her to read, taught her manners, taught her to protect herself.

I helped her escape that bleak environment and brought her back to the Sterling family.

Gradually, during our time together, we fell for each other.

Until one day, the system suddenly announced the mission complete and prepared to send me back to my original world.

That night, Luna and I clung to each other, saying goodbye. I promised her I'd find a way back.

"Dusty, I don't know why you have to leave, but no matter how long it takes, I'll wait for you to come back to me."

Back then, the sweet, soft-spoken girl held me tight, whispering heartfelt promises.

I spent three years studying the system's loopholes, trying to alter its programming.

Finally, not long ago, I found a way back to Luna.

I changed the mission status from 'Success' to 'Failure'. After system verification, it decided to send me back to this novel world.

The system, which had witnessed all my efforts, tried desperately to dissuade me. "I've seen too many players like you, Dusty. Their endings are always tragic."

"I warned you. Falling for your mission target is never good. Do you have any idea the consequences if the Main System finds out?"

Back then, my mind was full of Luna. I didn't care about the consequences.

I had to get back to her.

"I won't regret it," I vowed.

...

"Dusty, something urgent came up at the company. I'll come back later to be with you."

My thoughts snapped back to the present. Luna looked troubled and hesitant. That look stabbed deep into my eyes.

She didn't even wait for my answer. It was just a perfunctory statement before she hurriedly got back in the car and left.

I stood there, watching the car disappear, a bitter smile twisting my lips.

Luna didn't come back that night as promised.

Bored, I scrolled through my phone and landed on Twitter's trending topics,

[Sterling Heiress Attends Charity Gala with Male Companion.]

[A Perfect Match! Wedding Bells Soon for Sterling Group?]

[Sources say the man between was Ms. Sterling' ex-boyfriendd..]

Reading the bold headlines, my heart froze solid.

My heart turned to ice.I stood amidst the bustling city noise but felt utterly, profoundly alone.

I scrolled through the comments, reading how perfect they looked together.

Then the system popped up, dripping with sarcasm. "See? What did I tell you?"

"Feelings are the most elusive, the most hurtful thing. Couples glued together every day can change overnight. And you? You've been gone three years."

I shoved the phone back in my pocket, My voice was ice. "It's just PR spin."

"I just got back. If I confront Luna over this gossip now, I'll only push her further away."

The system didn't argue, just reminded me: "You only get this one shot."

"If you fail, not only can you never go back to your world, but your soul will scatter. No reincarnation. Nothing."