Sophia Ethan Chloe Novel The Hundredth Death

My husband is a Player in a deadly game. His System told him that if he didn't end up with the side character, she would die.
But he fell in love with me, the heroine, at first sight. He spent all his points just to stay in this world with me.
Then the backlash hit. Every month, I die.
I've been crushed into a pulp by a car, decapitated by a falling object from a skyscraper, and had a home invader violate and tear me apart. I've even been kidnapped, tortured, and bled dry.
As I lay dying this last time, I watched my tormentor pull off his mask.
The face beneath it was my husband's.
Seeing my mangled state, his System couldn't help but sigh.
You've killed her 99 times. If you keep this up, you'll destroy her body completely!
Ethan's expression was calm. "Sophia is the heroine of this world. Only by her death can the timeline reset and Chloe be revived."
"This is the last time," he said. "Once all of Chloe's wishes are granted, I'll make it up to Sophia."
It all clicked into place. He was killing me over and over again, just to bring a side character named Chloe back to life.
But he didn't know something crucial.
I'm a Player, too.
My heart felt like it was being shredded. I called out to the System in my own mind.
"System, I want to go home."
A familiar electronic voice, one I hadn't heard in years, echoed in my thoughts.
Host's mission completion is at 100%. Do you wish to confirm your departure from this world?
I closed my eyes, a tear tracing a path down my bloody cheek.
"Confirm."
Understood, Host. You will depart from this world upon your 100th death.
Ethan's System overheard our exchange. Its cold, mechanical voice was tinged with something like pity. Host, you will regret treating her this way.
"You think I don't regret this now?!" Ethan shot to his feet, unable to look at me. This time, he had tortured me for thirty-six hours straight. He had personally shattered my kneecaps, ripped off my fingernails, and peeled back my scalp before hanging me upside down to drain every last drop of my blood.
"For the past three days, Sophia wasn't the only one in pain..." He clutched his chest, his eyes a bloodshot red.
His System fell silent.
You could have made it quick. You didn't have to torture her like this.
"I had no choice," Ethan whispered, wiping away a tear. "Only by being this cruel to Sophia could I ensure she wouldn't suspect it was me. If I hadn't fallen in love with her, Chloe would never have died. This is a debt we both owe her. Once I grant all of Chloe's wishes, I swear I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to Sophia."
He left me in the abandoned factory without a backward glance.
I was nothing but a heap of ruined flesh lying in a pool of my own blood.
"System," I whispered, "I want to use my points to redeem Ethan's memories."
The moment the transaction was complete, the memories of the past ninety-eight deaths flooded me like a tidal wave.
He ran me over with his car, crushing me into a pulp, so he could take Chloe to ride the Ferris wheel at the amusement park.
He dropped a sheet of glass from a skyscraper, slicing me in half, so he could go bungee jumping with Chloe.
He disguised himself as a burglar and stabbed me to death so he could spend the day volunteering with Chloe at an animal shelter.
...

Every single time he killed me, he was thinking of her.
The overwhelming pain was suffocating. The agony of ninety-nine brutal deaths was nothing compared to the despair of knowing the truth.
I laughed, tears of blood streaming from my eyes. "System, I want to use the rest of my points to buy one more thing..."
If Ethan was going to destroy my life, I wasn't going to let him have a happy ending.
The next time I opened my eyes, I was met with Ethan's anxious face and swollen, red-rimmed eyes.
"Sophia, you're finally awake!" he cried. "I'm so sorry you have to go through this. I never knew the System's backlash would get this severe. Don't worry, I'll find a way to save you."
He lied without flinching, as if the words could erase the truth of what he'd done.
Every time I'd woken up before, seeing his tears would break my heart. I thought this was the price I had to pay for defying the world's rules to be with him. I accepted every death willingly.
Now I knew I was just a fool.
When I didn't comfort him like I usually did, a visible tension seized him. "Sophia, what's wrong? Are you in pain?"
I stared numbly at the ceiling and whispered, "Ethan... it hurts so much."
He stroked my face, his voice thick with emotion. "I'll never let you hurt again, Sophia. I promise."
Those words, once so comforting, now sounded utterly vile.
I wanted to ask him: when you were killing me, were you hurting for me, or were you worried about Chloe?
But as the question rose to my lips, I found I didn't want to know the answer anymore.
"Here, Sophia. Have some porridge." He picked up a bowl of lily porridge from the bedside table to feed me. Just as I was about to open my mouth, his phone rang.
"She's awake? I'll be right there."
He hung up and gave me a careless excuse. "Sophia, one of my patients just woke up. I have to go check on them."
He didn't wait for a reply. He shot up so quickly that he knocked over the bowl, and the scalding hot porridge spilled all over me, raising an angry red welt on my skin.
But Ethan didn't even turn back. His retreat was almost... joyful.
I knew. He was rushing off to grant Chloe's one-hundredth wish.
Even knowing the truth, some stubborn part of me had to follow. I didn't feel the peace I expected until I saw it with my own eyes: Ethan, sitting by Chloe's bedside, feeding her porridge spoonful by spoonful.
"Chloe, I learned how to make this just for you. Try it."
"Ethan, you're such an amazing cook. I'm so jealous of Sophia; she gets to eat your food every day."
He smiled and ruffled her hair. "Why be jealous of her? I made this especially for you."
I stood outside the door, my fists clenched so tight my nails dug into my palms.
So even the porridge was for Chloe.