I tried to save the four villains driven mad by the heroine

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On a luxurious cruise ship, a notorious ex-crime lord, who'd gone straight, was marrying his beloved.
99 other women, stand-ins for his bride, were treated like mere playthings and distributed to his men.
Only I remained, unwanted and alone, chilling on the deck, my heart set on dying.
I had been thrust into this world, and I'd poured everything I had into saving four male leads, who'd been driven to madness by the story's true heroine. But I failed.
The System said I could return to my real world for three precious days to say goodbye to Grandma if I died here.
Without a second thought, I plunged into the icy water.
Release. It was finally here.
But as consciousness faded, I saw someone swimming desperately towards me…
*****
Guests swarmed around the crime lord's bride, their celebratory chatter meaningless to me.
I easily found a secluded spot.
My broken leg screamed in protest, each movement a tearing agony as I hoisted myself over the railing.
What was a little pain, if it meant seeing Grandma?
With a relieved smile, I resolutely jumped.
In the frigid embrace of the ocean, I looked back on fifteen years of absurd existence.
I had been thrust into this world with a mission: to save the male leads driven to madness by the heroine.
If I could successfully save just one of them, I could escape a fatal car accident in my real world.
But in the end, I failed all four.
Every time Maggie, the world's chosen heroine, reappeared, all my efforts at redemption were instantly erased.
Seawater flooded my nose and mouth.
I thought I could finally find release.
But then, a strong arm clamped around me, holding me tight.
Through the haze, I saw his frantically worried face.
Then, I completely blacked out.
When I woke up, my throat burned.
Staring at the unfamiliar white ceiling, I knew I hadn't died.
Why was even dying so difficult?!
I turned my head and saw an exceptionally handsome face.
His gaze was downcast, his expression utterly blank. He looked like a marble statue, or an ancient deity stepped out of a forgotten legend.
Wait, wasn't this Sean?
One of my targets.
The Sean who once told me, "Without you, I would have already fallen into hell."
As if possessed, I reached out and touched the blessed wooden bracelet I'd gotten for him years ago, still on his wrist.
His eyes snapped open, a sharp gaze piercing me. "Venus, what game are you playing now?"
I pulled my hand back as if burned, my heart seizing in my chest.
He thought I was trying to manipulate him again, to win his pity.
But he'd forgotten.
Fifteen years ago, it was Maggie, the woman he deeply loved, who framed him, destroying his family.
He'd plunged into utter despair, retreating from the world.
It was *I* who stayed by his side, day and night, tirelessly caring for him, shielding him from all the ruthless debt collectors, helping him rebuild his life bit by bit.
He'd once held me tight and said he wouldn't exist without me.
But now, his eyes held nothing but disgust and contempt for me.
All my sacrifices, in his eyes, were utterly worthless.
Sean spoke with chilling indifference:
"Maggie has always been frail."
"And she's been busy all day. She's not feeling well now and needs your blood."
The doctor nearby tried to interject, "Miss Venus just fell into the water, she's very weak…"
"She's perfectly fine. She's got a thick skin, a little blood is nothing,"
He brutally cut off the doctor. "This is the only way she can help Maggie. She should be grateful."
I stared at Sean, a bitter taste spreading through my heart. "If you love her so much, why aren't you by her side?"
"Watching her marry Tom, becoming his hidden shadow… are you truly content with that?"
The System said he was going to turn dark, that I needed to save him.
But this pathetic, self-sacrificing devotion for love… how was this "turning dark"?
"Maggie is different,"
His features softened instantly.
"Back in the orphanage, she was the only one who gave me warmth."
"That kindness, I'll never forget it."

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The orphanage again.
I looked at him, my mind a blank.
Right, the System had said it. Maggie was the destined heroine of this world.
She and the four male leads shared a supposedly beautiful childhood in that orphanage.
Even if she later left them bruised and battered, all it took was her return, a few tears, and a few soft words, and everything anyone else had done for them seemed to reset to zero.
After they were done draining my blood, my vision swam, threatening to black out completely.
I was on the verge of losing consciousness, my mind drifting: If I just sleep now…
Will I finally return to my world and see Grandma?
Grandma, Venus misses you so much…
Late that night, I woke up again, feeling a little stronger.
Damn it, I still couldn't die.
Even death was this difficult.
I looked around, recognizing this as Sean's secluded retreat.
Then I remembered the rumors: the remote trails behind the retreat were rumored to be infested with venomous snakes…
Without hesitation, I stumbled towards the back trails.
My broken leg made my steps agonizingly slow, but I pushed on, utterly resolute.
Just as a venomous snake was about to strike, I was violently pulled back.
"Venus! Are you insane?!"
It was Sean!
How was he here *again*?!
He gripped my arm, his strength so immense I thought my bones would shatter.
His face was contorted with a mixture of panic and fury I'd never seen before.
"Are you trying to die, huh?!"
He growled, complex emotions swirling in his eyes.
"First jumping off the cruise, now provoking venomous snakes! Are you *that* desperate for my attention?!"
"Attention?" I yanked my arm from his grasp, a cold laugh escaping my lips.
"If I die, I won't be in your way anymore, and I won't threaten Maggie, the woman you hold so dear, will I?"
"You should be happy!"
I shoved him away, turning back towards the snake.
Death. I *had* to die here today!
He grabbed me again, and my arm scraped against a rock, a sharp sting.
"Stop trying to play the victim!" He roughly seized my hand, his voice thick with impatience.
"Go put some ointment on that wound!"
As he forcibly dragged me back, I saw the bracelet on his wrist again.
It reminded me of the lucky charm Grandma gave me.
Good thing I hadn't given *that* to this ungrateful bastard back then.
I was going home to Grandma now, and I needed to take it with me.
While they weren't paying attention, I quietly slipped away.
That lucky charm, Grandma had embroidered it herself.
The stitches were meticulously neat, depicting beautifully embroidered lovebirds, a symbol of enduring happiness, imbued with her deepest blessings for me.
Grandma had always hoped I'd find a good husband and live a life of peace and happiness.
I used to naively think that if I could successfully save any of them,
I'd give that lucky charm, imbued with Grandma's heartfelt wishes, to him, letting her witness my happiness.
But alas, none of them deserved it.
I returned to my uncle Richard's house to get the charm.
But I found him staring blankly at a portrait of Maggie.
Richard, a decorated veteran, who'd been confined to a wheelchair.
He willingly served as Maggie's personal security, only to be brutally humiliated by her. She even manipulated him, causing him to become permanently disabled.
It was I who stayed by his side, day after day, helping him with his physical therapy, encouraging him to stand again.
I cooked for him every day.
He initially resented my presence, but later, he grew protective, doting on me, forbidding me from cooking.
He lovingly prepared every single meal for me.
But then Maggie came back, and with a sudden, casual mention of a dog fur allergy,
He didn't hesitate to throw the little dog we'd raised together for so long, who we treated like family, from a tall building.
That little dog was a gift from him, bought after he finally accepted me.
We had promised to rely on each other.
It had accompanied us through so many happy times.
But because of Maggie's dismissive comment, he ended its life without a single blink.
I used to fear such abandonment.
Now, I craved it.
I ignored my uncle and walked straight into my room.
Only to find it completely empty.
"Where are my things?"

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I fought down my fury, asking Richard in a cold voice.
"Maggie didn't want any of your things here, so I cleared them out,"
Richard said, his voice distant.
"I'll find you somewhere else to live."
Cleared out? He made it sound so simple.
"Just like you got rid of that innocent little dog, are you trying to get rid of me?"
I let out a cold, hollow laugh.
From start to finish, I was always the extra one.
"You…"
I cut him off, my voice trembling with emotion.
"You can do whatever you want with everything else, I don't care. I just want that box!"
Inside was Grandma's lucky charm, my only connection to her!
"What do you want it for?"
Richard's face instantly darkened, his eyes turning wary and harsh.
He thought I was going to use the contents of the box to stir up trouble with Tom again.
"You'll never be as kind and wonderful as Maggie!"
"Tom would never like a manipulative, vile woman like you!"
"I'm warning you, I will *never* let you ruin Maggie's wedding!"
Kind? In his eyes, only the heroine of this world was truly kind.
I had once told Richard about that box.
Under the moonlight, he'd said, with a hint of jealousy, that he'd keep it safe for me until I found my true love.
I'd also said that if I could ever be with him, I'd give him the box.
Back then, his expression was serious and loving, filling me with hope.
Now, he was warning me with the most vicious words:
"You stay put! Don't you dare try to cause any more trouble for Maggie!"
"If you don't tell me where the box is, I'll go tell Maggie right now exactly what kind of filthy, hidden thoughts you have about her!" I intentionally provoked him.
Richard was indeed completely enraged.
He retrieved the box from a corner and violently threw it to the ground.
The box shattered, and the lucky charm fell out.
He snatched up the charm and brutally tore it to shreds, the pieces scattering across the floor.
"Venus, you're so ungrateful! I'm going to teach you a lesson you'll never forget today!"
I looked at the shredded lucky charm, my heart twisting in agony.
This was the man I had poured everything into caring for.
His inherent ruthlessness had never disappeared!
Good. His cruelty was exactly what I needed to end my life, to see Grandma sooner.
I clutched the torn pieces of the charm tightly in my hand, looking at Richard's enraged face, and smiled.
"We're completely even now."
With that, before he could react, I lunged, smashing into his previously injured leg.
The pain from my broken leg made me stumble, but I put all my remaining strength into the impact.
Excruciating pain instantly flared, and I coughed up blood, my vision blurring.
I knew it was his sore spot, the scar left by Maggie.
I deliberately provoked him, wanting only to finish this quickly and leave this world.
Richard froze, stunned that I would do such a thing.
His face flashed with shock, self-reproach, and pain, as he looked at me helplessly.
But soon, these emotions were replaced by fury.
"Venus! You couldn't seduce Tom, so now you're trying to seduce *me*?! You have no shame!"
I was fading fast, my consciousness blurring, but I saw Sean had arrived too.
When I woke again, I found myself in a dark, damp basement.
"Didn't Sean take me away? How did I end up here?"
As I wondered, Maggie stood before me, a triumphant look on her face.
"Venus, you're in such a wretched state, and you still can't leave them alone?"
Maggie looked down at me from above, mocking,
"Do you really think a pathetic wretch like you can compete with me?"
Before I could even process what she was saying, she suddenly leaned close to my ear and whispered, "I'll show you today."
"All your struggles and efforts are nothing but a futile joke."
"But, seeing how pitiful you are, I'll give you a fair chance to compete."
I grew even more confused. Just as I was about to demand an explanation, I heard sounds of a struggle outside.
Then, the door burst open, and Tom rushed in, yelling frantically:
"Maggie, are you okay?!"
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He immediately saw Maggie and me tied together, connected to a complex device, and his face instantly turned grave.
I understood at once: this was Maggie's self-orchestrated kidnapping!
The device connected to two ropes, each tied to Maggie and me.
The other end of the ropes connected to two syringes filled with venom.
Once the device activated, both ropes would tighten simultaneously. One would snap, pulling its syringe into the person it was tied to.
Meaning, Tom could only choose one of us to save.
Maggie looked at Tom, feigning vulnerability. "Tom, save me…"
I looked at Tom, my heart a desolate void.
Tom, the formidable crime lord… he was once such a proud man.
But Maggie had left him utterly broken.
When he was at his lowest, before being acknowledged by his family in the underworld, Maggie brought people to humiliate him, forcing him to eat dog food and live in a dog kennel.
He endured endless torment. When he finally returned to his family, his personality had warped, becoming ruthless, cruel, and unapproachable.
I had placed my last hope in him, wanting to save him.
As his exclusive sparring partner, I silently endured his relentless torment, staying by his side, never leaving.
One day, he beat me black and blue. I turned to leave, utterly desperate.
But he suddenly pulled me back from behind, holding me tightly in his arms.
His deep voice rumbled in my ear: "Where are you going?"
"Stay here."
My ear rested against his chest, listening to his powerful heartbeat, thinking my redemption efforts had finally paid off.
I thought he, having been hurt the most, would be the most resistant to Maggie's allure.
But I was wrong, so terribly wrong.
In the end, he was the one who remained devoted to Maggie, refusing to marry anyone else, even holding such a grand wedding for her.
And all the suffering I'd endured by his side, helping him transition his empire into legitimate ventures, had become a colossal joke.
To prevent Maggie from discovering our past, he found 99 other women, stand-ins for her.
As if to prove I wasn't special, wasn't unique.
He was just so desperate for Maggie that he found so many women who resembled her.
To prove his loyalty to her, he even sacrificed me to his sworn enemy.
I was tortured for a day and a night, and the tiny life growing inside me was lost.
Tom looked at the intricate device, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.
Seeing this, Maggie immediately feigned weakness again. "Tom, save her. She was with you for a long time when you weren't around…"
"I'm content marrying you now, I couldn't ask for more."
She then brought up old memories from the orphanage, each word hitting Tom where it hurt the most.
Tom's heart ached. He turned to me, furious. "Venus, aren't you satisfied? Must you cause such a scene! You saw Maggie and I were getting married, so you deliberately set up this scheme, only to be kidnapped yourself. Are you happy now?!"
Just then, Sean and Richard also rushed in.
Seeing Maggie in danger, they both grew anxious, vehemently accusing me of being manipulative and bringing this on myself.
I looked at them, their past gentleness and promises now turned into icy accusations and condemnations.
I'd given everything, only to be met with their disgust and scorn.
Why did it come to this?
My heart felt as if it was being torn apart; I couldn't breathe from the pain.
I didn't want to waste any more time. I scoffed directly:
"You were all manipulated like puppets by Maggie, and now you're fawning over her like desperate dogs! How pathetic! I must have been blind!"
"You idiots! You were all played by that bitch Maggie, wrapped around her little finger!"
"And now you're still fawning over her like a bunch of tail-wagging dogs, completely devoted!"
"It's the most pathetic joke in the world!"
"I, Venus, must have been blind to ever think of saving you ungrateful bastards!"
Tom was indeed enraged. His eyes turned bloodshot, veins throbbing on his forehead.
With the three men's unspoken coordination, Richard quickly subdued the kidnappers, and Sean immediately shielded Maggie.
Tom, meanwhile, lunged at me, savagely plunging his dagger into my shoulder!
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Agony ripped through me, blood instantly staining my clothes.
I looked at his bloodshot eyes, filled with madness and hatred.
"I never wronged you. Why do you hate me so much?"

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