A Countdown on Camera

In my seventh year of trying to win the favor of mafia Don Ethan Larsen, the system declared my mission a failure. I was set to be erased in one month.

I did not cry or make a scene. I accepted the death countdown with calm detachment and started a livestream called My Last Wishes Before I Die.

The first thing I did was throw the multimillion-dollar wedding ring into the drain, right in front of Ethan and his first love, just to hear it clatter out of sight.

Ethan's expression hardened.

"Nina, what kind of trick are you trying to pull this time? You begged me in order to wear that ring and stood there for three days."

I smiled, lifted my middle finger, and replied, "Pfft As if you deserve it."

Chapter 1

The chat in the livestream went wild in an instant.

[Whoa! Is the host serious? That's a million-dollar diamond ring!]

[She's so awesome for tossing it! It's about time!]

[Is this just for show? Who'd actually throw away a ring that pricey?]

"Nina, have you gone crazy?" Ethan Larsen scowled as he spoke.

"Go get that ring back now, clean it, and put it on. Then we can act like this never happened."

Before this, I would have been scared and quickly moved to fetch it.

Even if I ended up all dirty, his happy nod would make my day.

However, this time, it just made me laugh.

I did not tell the livestream who he was. I just crossed my arms and looked at him with my head tilted.

"Ethan, are you the one who's lost it? If you want the ring, go get it yourself."

Ethan was shocked.

He had not seen my response coming.

For seven years, I had been like a quiet servant around him.

I never fought back or talked back.

Seeing that, Winter Johnson stepped up in front of Ethan, her eyes teary.

"Sis, don't talk to Don that way.

"Don made that ring just for you. It's supposed to show how much he cares.

"If you're mad, be mad at me, not at his gift."

She reached out to grab my hand, but I stepped back with a grimace. "Don't touch me, it feels gross."

Winter's hand hung in the air, and she started crying. "Don, sister, she..."

Ethan hugged Winter and pointed at me, yelling. "Nina! Apologize to Winter!

"Why do you think you can call her gross? You, who'd do anything for money, are nothing!"

I watched him stand up for Winter, and I could not help but smile a little.

He was the guy I had spent seven years trying to impress.

For him, I had lost friends, given up my pride, my sense of self, and any chance of living a normal life.

However, to him, I was just someone who would do anything for money.

The countdown in my head was ticking away.

Only 29 days and 23 hours to go.

I took a deep breath, trying to ignore the ache in my heart.

"Apologize?

"Ethan, you'll never hear that from me, not in a million years."

After that, I showed them my middle finger one more time.

"Take your precious Winter and get lost."

Ethan was so mad his face turned the color of storm clouds, and his chest started rising and falling like he could not breathe.

He marched over and grabbed my wrist so hard it hurt.

"Nina, you're really asking for it!"

I bit back the pain and stared him down.

"Yeah, I am asking for it. So go ahead. If you're brave enough, do it now."

The look in my eyes made Ethan freeze.

He let go without meaning to.

I rubbed my sore wrist and let out an icy laugh.

"If you're not going to do anything, then zip it.

"Get it straight, Ethan.

"As of today, I quit."

Chapter 2

I stepped into the bedroom.

The closet was full of dresses Ethan had bought for me.

However, they were all the same: white dresses, just like the ones Winter used to wear.

I yanked one off the hanger it was a birthday present Ethan had thrown at me last year.

He had said, "Wear this. Winter's got anemia, so go donate blood to her."

I spent three hours in that dress at the hospital, donating 400cc of blood, and all he said was, "You're kind of useful, I guess."

I grabbed the scissors and cut into the dress with all my might.

"Rip"

One after another, they all got the same treatment.

I was like a robot that never tired, wildly tearing apart everything in sight.

All the "presents" I had once thought were treasures were now just torn fabric on the floor.

The livestream started up again.

Viewers zoomed up to a hundred thousand.

[Did something upset the host? Why cut up such nice clothes?]

[This is so satisfying to watch! Gifts from a jerk like that should be torched!]

[Hey, that's all money! Why not send it to me instead?]

I kept snipping away and flashed a smile at the camera.

"Money? To me, these things might as well be burial wraps."

Right when I was really getting into the cutting, the door was kicked open with a bang.

Ethan stormed in, emanating a cold aura.

He saw the mess everywhere, and his expression turned super dark.

"Nina! What are you going crazy over now?"

I stopped and looked at him, scissors in hand.

"I'm just cleaning up garbage, Mr. Larsen. Can't you tell?"

The scissors reflected some of the light, causing him to blink.

He stepped back without thinking, then grew even angrier.

"Put those scissors down!

"You think that wrecking this stuff will make me notice you? Nina, you're playing games, and you're not good at them!"

I tossed the scissors away.

They hit the floor with a loud "clang" right by his foot.

Ethan was used to weapons, so he did not flinch, but my act of throwing the scissors was akin to throwing down a challenge, and it made him look even angrier.

"When will you stop this nonsense? Winter's sick and needs peace and quiet. How can she stay with the house looking like this?"

Oh, so he was in a rush to clear the space for the new person.

I dusted off my hands and pointed to the mess. "Don't worry, I'll clean it up. I think it's gross here too."

Ethan squinted at me, trying to figure me out. "What do you really want? If it's money, just tell me. If you apologize to Winter and treat her well, I'll give you a credit card with no limit."

It was the same old game.

Harsh words, then a sweet promise.

I used to give in and receive these little "treats," but not anymore.

"Ethan, do you think I'm broke?"

Ethan snorted.

"Not broke? What about your dad who loves to gamble, and your mom in the hospital? They both need money. Without the Larsen family, you wouldn't even have enough to eat!"

When he talked about my mom, it hurt a lot.

Yeah, she was still in the hospital.

That was why I had been too scared to leave him.

However, the system was now about to get rid of me.

If I was gone, who would look after my mom?

Right on time, the system reminded me.

[Complete your daily live broadcast task, and you can make a wish come true after you're gone.]

With that, the last of my worries was gone.

A wish? I would wish for my mom to get better.

I gave Ethan a smile.

"Really?"

"Let's see who really needs who, you or me, the mafia Don."

Ethan was so mad he balled up his fists, but he did not swing them.

He just waved his hand, and his guys cut off my card.

"We'll see how tough you are now!"

Chapter 3

Ethan cut off my card.

He even told everyone not to hire me.

As a mafia Don, his word was law, and suddenly I was all alone.

He thought he could make me beg like I used to.

However, I did not.

I took the last of my cash and hit the fanciest club in town.

This was my second-to-last wish to dance the night away.

Ethan never liked loud places like this.

As such, I had always played the part of the perfect wife, so much so that I had never even stepped foot in a bar.

However, tonight, I was going to catch up on the seven years of fun I had missed out on.

I slipped into a bright red dress with thin straps.

I put on makeup that made me look bold and beautiful.

The music was so loud it almost hurt, but I danced like crazy anyway.

The drinks made me forget the pain, and I let loose, ignoring everything around me.

Then I saw him upstairs in a VIP area

Ethan.

He was with Winter, laughing and drinking with friends.

She was cuddled up in his arms, looking so happy.

Ethan, he was touching her waist and whispering things to her with a kind expression I had never seen.

I stopped dancing. Through the flashing lights, I watched them, my heart aching so bad I could not breathe.

I realized Ethan could be kind, just not to me.

Suddenly, he looked down and saw me.

Our eyes locked.

He looked upset, pushed Winter aside, and came down quickly.

People moved out of his way.

He grabbed me and pulled me out of the crowd. "Nina, have you lost your mind?

"What are you trying to show off dressed like that?"

Outside the bar, he pushed me against a wall, and it hurt.

I was dizzy from the drinks.

I leaned against the wall and laughed. "Don, it's a bar. Should I dress like a nun instead?

"And if I want to show off, it's for me, not you."

Ethan was speechless from what I said, looking at me with an expression full of disgust.

"Look at yourself! You're no different from those who sell their dreams for money.

"You're just messing up your life to make me mad?"

I grabbed his tie, my breath heavy with the smell of alcohol.

"Ethan, you're not that important. I'm doing this because it makes me happy.

"You have nothing to do with it."

Ethan pushed my hand away with a look of disgust. "Nina, you're gross.

"If you like this place so much, stay here as long as you want.

"If you even think about coming home tonight, I'll make sure you regret it."

With those words, he turned and walked away.

I called out to him, "Ethan!"

He stopped but did not look back.

"What? Changed your mind? Want to ask for my help?"

I slid down the wall, sitting on the cold ground.

I could not hold back the sick feeling in my stomach anymore.

"Bleh"

Blood came out, turning the ground in front of me red.

Ethan heard the noise and glanced back.

In the faint light, he saw me on the ground, looking like I was throwing up.

He just snorted. "Drink yourself to death. It's what you deserve."

Then he got into his car and drove off, leaving a trail of dust.

I was left alone, in the chilly alley, feeling the world spin as I got sick.

In the live stream, everyone watching got scared.

[Host! You're spitting up blood!]

[Someone call 911, quick!]

[Who's that guy? So mean. He didn't even look back.]

I wiped the blood from my mouth and waved it off.

"It's nothing... just an old problem

"I'm not going to die..."

Not yet, at least.

Chapter 4

The next morning, the cold woke me up.

I was curled up on a park bench, newspapers my only blanket.

My phone would not stop buzzing.

Ethan was calling.

The phone rang, and before I could say hello, Ethan's grumpy voice burst through. "Nina, hurry to Metropolitan Medical Center! Winter fainted from not having enough blood. She needs a transfusion. You've got the same rare blood type, Rh-negative.

"You've got thirty minutes. If you're even a minute late, I'm cutting off paying your mom's medical bills!"

The line went dead. I stared at the blank screen and could not help but chuckle.

Same old Ethan. However, I had to keep going. My mom had to outlive me or my wish would not come true.

Dragging myself out the door, I caught a cab to the hospital. Right at the ER doors, Ethan's guys scooped me up and rushed me inside.

"What took you so long?" Ethan snapped. "If Winter gets worse, it's on you!" He massaged his temples as his men shoved me into a chair for the blood draw.

The nurse, with a big needle in hand, looked worriedly at me. "Mr. Larsen, she looks pale. Maybe we should check her first..."

"No checks!" Ethan cut her off. "She's fine. She was out dancing last night. Just draw the blood, 400cc, now!"

The nurse had no choice but to do as she was told.

As my blood started to flow into the bag, I felt my energy draining away with it. Ethan sat nearby, glued to his phone, too busy to even glance my way.

Once they took enough blood, I was so dizzy I almost fell, but Ethan caught me only to quickly let go as if I had burned him. "Don't be so weak," he said calmly. "Go get Winter some food, she'll be hungry when she wakes up."

He tossed some money at me and disappeared into Winter's room.

Dollar bills danced in the wind, settling by my shoes.

I scooped up the cash and left the hospital behind.

I did not head for a snack.

Instead, I found myself in the lottery store, trading all the money for scratch-off tickets.

The viewers in the livestream were gobsmacked.

[Hey, what's the host up to? I thought you were getting food?]

[This makes no sense. You just gave blood and now you're buying scratch-off tickets?]

[Is this like, totally giving up or what?]

I just kept scratching and chuckling to myself.

"Food? Nah.

"I'm betting these 15 bucks on hitting it big."

However, all I got was a single dollar.

With that dollar, I bought a bottle of water.

Perched on the hospital's front steps, I took my time sipping it.

Then Ethan called again.

"Nina! Where's the food?

"Winter's awake and starving! Where'd you run off to?"

I twisted the cap back on and replied calmly, phone in hand, "Ethan, I don't owe you a thing. I gave blood already. Get your own food and don't bother me with this stuff anymore. It's just annoying."

With that, I hung up.

I got to my feet, ready to go, but a fierce pain in my belly stopped me cold. I doubled over, drenched in a cold sweat. The world blurred and spun.

As I teetered on the edge of consciousness, I saw Ethan, flanked by guards, striding out of the hospital.

He froze when he saw me by the flower bed, then hurried over.

"Nina! What's this act now?"

He tried to help me up.

I mustered all my strength to push his hand away.

"Go away..."

Blood spilled from my lips, trickling onto his crisp white shirt.

Ethan's eyes widened in shock.

He stared at the blood on his hands, his eyes wide with shock and his hands shaking uncontrollably.

"Nina... what's wrong, don't scare me..."

I saw the fear in his eyes and could not help but let out a sly grin.

"Ethan

"This time... I'm really going to die

"Are you... happy about it..."

With those words, darkness swallowed me whole.

The livestream froze on my blood-stained face.

The chat exploded with messages.

[Ah! Don't fall asleep, streamer!]

[Is that real blood? Props aren't that lifelike, are they?]

[Ethan, you jerk! You're going to regret this!]

Ethan held me as I grew colder.

For the first time, he cried out in agony for me.

"Doctor! Doctor! We need help!"

However, it was too late.