Chapter 1

After completing the mission to save Hunter Greene, Estrella Lovell gave up all the benefits the system offered and chose to stay in this world. The price? She became deaf and mute. Even so, Hunter never minded. In fact, he went out of his way to learn sign language just for Estrella. He even established a foundation for the hearing-impaired in her name. Everyone around them knew that he was hopelessly in love with Estrella. However, when Estrella finally regained her hearing and rushed to share the good news with him, she walked in on a scene that shattered her heart. Hunter was pulling another woman into the restroom. Devastated, she turned and left, her heart as cold as ice. At that moment, the system's voice echoed in her mind. "Host has chosen to leave this world. System reboot in progress. Countdown to departure: seven days." Then, the system said, "Stella! It's been so long!" Estrella sat frozen on the couch when she heard the voice she had not heard in a long time. "System, is that you?" she instinctively signed. The system replied, "It's me, Stella! For the past five years, I've been completing missions for other hosts, earning enough points to restore your health. From today onward, you're no longer deaf or mute. You can live like a normal person again!" Overwhelmed with emotions, tears silently streamed down Estrella's face. "Thank you, System." She could not wait to tell Hunter. Outside, a storm raged, but she was too excited to wait for him to arrive home. So, she called a car and headed straight for the airport. Everyone at Dreamline Airways knew that she was Hunter's wife. They also knew that five years ago, she had "accidentally" lost her ability to hear and speak. Hunter's coworkers did not know sign language, but he had prepared for this long ago. Each of them had a notepad and pen at their desks just so Estrella could communicate when she came looking for him. "Estrella, Hunter's flight hasn't landed yet. You'll have to wait a little longer," Blake Castro wrote on a notepad. She read it and smiled, nodding in acknowledgment. Blake was Hunter's best friend and was different from the others. He always carried a notepad and pen with him, ready to communicate with her at any time. It was a habit he had picked up from Hunter. Just then, a flight attendant passed by, and Blake suddenly called out, "Nancy, is Rowan Sanders on the same flight as Hunter today?" Nancy Aicker replied, "Yeah, she swapped shifts with me on purpose. Why?" Blake instinctively glanced at Estrella before quickly looking away. "Just asking." After Nancy left, he mumbled, "Estrella showed up out of nowhere… Does Hunter even know she's here? I hope she doesn't run into—" Estrella frowned as an unsettling feeling settled in her chest. Blake did not know that she had regained her hearing. But more importantly, she didn't know who Rowan was. She waited in the lounge for what felt like forever, but Rowan's name kept circling in her mind like a knot she could not untangle. The storm outside grew fiercer, lightning flashing across the sky. Needing a moment to clear her head, she got up and went to the restroom. Since she did not want to trouble anyone, she found her way there on her own. Before she could leave the stall, the door to the women's restroom suddenly burst open with a heavy thud. A pair of hurried footsteps followed, and then, the unmistakable sound of heated, breathless kissing filled the dimly lit space. One of them whispered, "The light in this restroom is broken. No one usually comes in here."