Losing to My Substitute (Katerina and Joshu)
Substitute 42

Chapter 13

Linda nodded, swirling the orange-yellow juice in her glass, the light in her eyes growing brighter.

"Life at the nursing home is convenient, but as for other things... I want to create a game."

"A gam

'A game where every girl can feel genuine love and never experience betrayal."

Hearing this, Rachel immediately straightened up, her eyes sparkling.

"Great! I'll be your first player!"

Linda clasped her hand firmly, nodding with determination.

Ivan slumped against the cold floor, his arms hanging limply at his sides.

His empty gaze drifted over the shattered computer pieces scattered around him.

The tear tracks on his face had yet to dry, but there were no more tears left to cry.

Now he fully understood what all those signs, the little oddities he had noticed but ignored, truly

meant.

They were Linda's signals-signals that she was about to leave him. He had so many chances to make amends, to hold on to her.

But he... missed them all.

Leaning against the wall, Ivan pushed himself to his feet. Days without eating had left his body

weak, and the act of standing made him dizzy for a moment.

Steadying himself, he began walking step by step toward the door.

"Linda, I'll find you. I won't let you leave me."

The sunlight outside, after days of staying indoors, was piercingly bright.

Ivan instinctively squinted, thoughts consumed with Linda-where she was, what she was doing. He drove aimlessly for a long while before stopping in front of a small fried chicken shop.

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Losing to My Substitute

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he place had no fancy decor, no elaborate plating

It was the same as it had been ten years ago.

Simple and affordable.

"Boss, two orders of fried chicken. No ketchup or chili sauce."

"Got it! That'll be sixteen dollars," the owner replied cheerfully,

Such a simple sentence, so unremarkable, yet it struck Ivan like a heavy blow to the chest

At the beginning of their startup, he and Linda had invested everything they had into the project, leaving them penniless,

To ensure Linda could live better, eat better, and face less pressure at work, he took on endless freelance jobs, working through entire nights and rushing to the office afterward.

Those days were so hard, but looking back now, they seemed so blissful

Back then, an eight-dollar fried chicken meal was enough to fill them both.

Now, despite all the material wealth, his unchecked desires had consumed everything meaningful

Eight dollars-so insignificant now, almost worthless-had meant so much to Linda that she

remembered it even now.

She was right. He could never deceive her, never had.

He had only been deceiving himself, thinking he could hide everything, when in truth, his lies had been riddled with holes all along.

"Here's your fried chicken."

The steaming hot chicken was placed before him, the rising mist stinging his eyes.