Echoes Novel 1

 Before the mission, I asked Stefan Goldberg one last time, “Will you marry me?” 

He was silent for a moment. “Fine.” 

My heart and the System’s virtual one dropped in unison. We’re screwed. 

Wasn’t the deal that after being rejected a hundred times, I could finally return to my own world? 

As it turned out, my panic was premature. 

On my final mission, I became the sacrificial lamb for his first love. 

Stefan spent three days by her side before he even remembered me. 

And when he did, all he heard was that I had died in the line of duty. 

1 

“Host, there’s really no need to rush.” 

“It’s your birthday. No one wants to be rejected on their birthday.” 

00:03 

The only sound in the quiet hallway was my own breathing. I had just returned from a three-month overseas assignment and, despite my bone-deep exhaustion, I had come straight to find Stefan. 

There was only one reason. After seven years in this world, I wanted to go home. 

All I needed was to be rejected by Stefan Goldberg one hundred times, and I could return to my reality. And as luck would have it, the System had just informed me that only one rejection remained. 

Through the door, I could hear Stefan on the phone. The woman’s voice was on speaker, her sobs soft and heart-wrenching. 

“Stefan, I know you and Mindy have been together for three years, and I shouldn’t be bothering you, but just… I couldn’t help it…” 

Her plea was met with a long, heavy silence. 

The woman on the other end was Stefan’s first love, Raina Lin. Over the years, she had been the primary reason for most of my rejections. 

Stefan changed the subject. “When are you coming back? I’ll throw you a welcome-home party.” 

“In what capacity?” 

“As your ex.” 

A brief silence, then her voice returned, laced with a new, defiant edge. “Well, my dear ex, I’m getting marri- 

1. On the 20th of this month. You’re invited.” 

1/8 

00.03 

00:04 

Chapter 1 

Stefan’s tone hardened. He bit out her name. “Raina!” 

She hung up. 

The System let out a cheer in my head. [Ooh, perfect! Host, get in there now! While he’s in a bad mood, ask him to marry you!] 

Normally, I would never choose such a moment to test my luck. But the hope of finally going home was a jolt of life in my weary soul. 

I pushed the door open and stepped into the darkness. 

Stefan sat before the massive floor-to-ceiling window, the city lights a glittering tapestry behind him. The glow of his phone illuminated one side of his face, tracing the sharp, perfect lines of his features. 

When he saw me, he blanked the screen and leaned back, his eyes closed. His voice was sharp. “What are you doing here?” 

See? The calendar was right there in plain sight, but he hadn’t even remembered my birthday. 

My palms began to sweat. “I have a mission tomorrow.” 

In my own world, I was a police academy graduate. So, in this one, I had chosen to be a police officer witho- 

ut a second thought. 

Stefan pinched the bridge of his nose, his tone frigid. “So? Is there something you need?” 

“Yes. After the mission… will you marry me?” 

The System exploded in my mind. [YEEEEES! I finally completed the mission! I’m getting a promotion! YES! 

YES! YES!] 

My reflection stared back at me from Stefan’s dark eyes. His brow was furrowed, a clear sign of his displea- sure. I took a deep breath, lowered my head, and waited for the answer I so desperately wanted. To be hon- est, after loving him for so long, rejection still stung. But the System promised me money, a lot of money, real-world money I could actually spend. 

“Fine.” 

“What?” 

The System’s cheers came to a screeching halt. 

I looked up, stunned, meeting Stefan’s impossibly calm gaze. He slowly stroked the side of his phone. “I said, 

fine.” 

A few seconds later, the System and I uttered the same visceral curse. 

“Fuck…”