On the third day of trying to win over Heidi Shilton, she confessed to me.

But the affection score floating above her head was still zero.

After we got together, she spoiled me nonstop.

On our sixth anniversary, she pulled off this huge proposal.

Tears burned my eyes. I was just about to say yes when comments suddenly flashed across my vision—

[Heidi must be exhausted. Six years pretending to love Rowan just to protect the male lead.]

[The stand-in for Andy seriously got too into the role. This is hilarious.]

The blood in my veins turned ice-cold.

No wonder that score hadn't changed in six years.

Then a system alert slammed into my head—

[Final stage activated. Mission countdown: 10 days. Failure will result in complete erasure.]

Smiling, I pushed away Heidi's engagement ring and wiped my tears.

"Sorry. I'm done playing this game."

The comments kept scrolling—

[Did Rowan's whole vibe just change?]

[He should've figured it out sooner. Heidi's always loved Andy.]

[Can't wait for his villain arc.]

Me? Go full villain?

No.

I just finally remembered all the little things.

She never let me meet people alone, always saying she was "worried I'd end up around bad influences."

Any time I brought up work, she'd softly cut me off. "I'll take care of you."

So it was never love.

It was a cage.

***

I walked back to the mansion in a daze, stuffing clothes into a suitcase on autopilot.

When I passed the study, the comments suddenly exploded—

[Check the computer! Heidi forgot to log out of her chat app!]

[Oh crap. If Rowan sees those messages—]

[Warning! Operation Protect Andy is starting!]

A notification dinged from inside the study.

I pushed the door open.

The screen was still lit up.

A chat window sat open between Heidi and the female lead—Grace Kohler.

The latest message was from Heidi—

[He suddenly turned down the proposal. Keep Andy safe for the next few days. Don't let Rowan get near him.]

Grace replied almost instantly—

[Don't worry. You've put up with so much all these years.]

I laughed under my breath.

Seriously?

Because of me, two former rivals had teamed up.

I scrolled higher.

The chat history felt like a dull knife dragging through my flesh.

[Grace: In the original story, Rowan ruined Andy's face and even hired some creep to assault him. You've had to sleep next to that trash every day. That's insane.]

[Heidi: As long as Andy's safe, none of it matters.]

[Grace: He's getting more obsessed with you. If he learns the truth, won't he completely lose it?]

[Heidi: He won't find out. But if he does—and he dares touch Andy—I'll break his arms and legs, dump him in a psych ward, and lock him up forever!]

She even added an exclamation point.

I stared at the screen, my fingertips freezing cold.

The comments exploded again—

["None of that matters." Heidi loves Andy so much.]

[Am I the only one freaked out by this? She manipulated someone for six years just for Andy?]

[Rowan's the villain anyway. Heidi's just protecting her true love. Everybody wins.]

[Look at Rowan's face... Is he about to snap?]

[Rowan, quit screwing around and just run!]

Run?

I looked down at my wrist.

Yeah.

I needed to get out of here.

By the time I dragged my suitcase outside, the night had gone pitch-black.

I stood by the road, not even knowing where to go.

The comments were freaking out for me—

[Is he seriously leaving?]

[Hurry up already! Stop getting in the way of Heidi and Andy's romance.]

[Wait... isn't that Heidi's car?!]

Headlights sliced through the dark.

A familiar black sedan screeched to a stop beside me.

Heidi jumped out and ran over, shirt slightly wrinkled, breathing uneven, panic and hurt all over her face.

"Rowan, I'm sorry. I rushed the proposal... I thought you'd be happy."

She reached for me, eyes red. "Don't go. Can we just talk?"

Before, I probably would've given in.

But now all I could hear was that line from the chat history—

[I'll break his arms and legs, dump him in a psych ward, and lock him up forever!]

I stepped back, avoiding her hand.

"It's not your fault." My voice came out strangely calm. "I'm just tired."

"Tired...?" Her lashes shook slightly, like she couldn't understand the word. "You don't love me anymore?"

Under the streetlight, broken light spilled across her face.

Her acting was flawless.

A comment drifted past—

[Honestly... maybe Heidi wasn't completely faking it these past few years. This actually hurts.]

That snapped something clear in my head.

I looked straight at her. "Heidi, in these six years... was there even one moment when you were actually happy?"

Her pupils tightened.

She didn't answer.

But the comments instantly blew up—

[Wait, does he know?!]

[Oh crap. Major drama incoming.]

[Heidi, why are you just standing there?! Say something!]

The cold night wind cut against my skin.

I dragged my suitcase and walked into the dark.

This time, no footsteps followed me.

Only the countdown echoed in my head—

[9 days 23 hours 59 minutes]

The game wasn't over yet.

But me?

I was done playing by its rules.

***

I flagged down a cab and leaned against the window, my hands shaking.

Not from fear.

From relief.

So this was what it felt like to drop six years of pretending.

Like finally breathing again.

The countdown blinked coldly in front of me—

[9 days 23 hours 10 minutes]

Less than ten days left to live.

All for someone who was never going to love me back.

How pathetic.

"Where to, sir?" the cab driver asked through the rearview mirror.

I gave him the address of the riverside café I used to love.

Heidi always said it was "too loud" and "too messy."

After that, she never let me go back.

Comments drifted past—

[Where's he going? Shouldn't he be running?]

[That look Heidi gave him at the end was scary as hell.]

[Am I the only one who thinks he looks ridiculously hot in that red shirt?]

Neon lights blurred past outside the window.

For six years, I'd lived inside a glass box.

Everything I saw had been filtered through Heidi.

Now the glass was finally shattered.

Wind rushed in, carrying the smoke from food trucks, the damp smell of the river, the sound of strangers laughing.

It felt so real it almost hurt.

The café was still there.

The bell above the door chimed when I walked in.

The gray-bearded owner froze the second he saw me. "Rowan?"

"Mr. Keefe. Been a while."

"So it really is you!" He wiped his hands and stepped out from behind the counter. "It's been, what, five or six years? You used to sit by that window all the time. One latte, and you'd write for hours."

That's when I remembered.

Before Heidi, I used to come here to work on scripts.

Back then, I was a student at Borevia Film Academy, dreaming about winning Best Actor someday, scribbling notes all over unfinished scripts.

And then?

Then Heidi said, "Acting's too hard. I'll take care of you."

She said, "Showbiz is a mess. You don't belong in it."

She said, "Rowan, having me is enough."

And like an idiot, I believed her.

I quit auditions, turned down contracts, locked my dreams away and handed her the key.

"The usual?" Mr. Keefe asked.

"Yeah." I paused. "And a slice of tiramisu."

I never used to order it. Heidi said I "gained weight too easily" and "wouldn't look good on camera."

But I only had ten days left.

Who cared about gaining weight anymore?

The window seat was still empty.

I sat down. River breeze hit my face while lights across the water broke into trembling gold.

The first bite of cake melted on my tongue, sweet cream mixing with bitter coffee liqueur. I closed my eyes.

So good.

So this was what being alive felt like.

The comments went quiet for a second before slowly scrolling again—

[He's eating like it actually matters...]

[Why do I suddenly feel bad for him?]

[If I only had ten days left, I'd want one good meal too.]

[You really think Heidi's gonna let him off this easy? No way.]

Neither did I.

So when my phone buzzed and Heidi's name lit up the screen, I wasn't surprised.

I answered without saying a word.

"Rowan, where are you? I'm worried about you." Her voice sounded tired.

"Eating."

"Come home." Her tone softened. "We both need to calm down. I promise I won't bother you tonight. You can sleep in the guest room. We'll talk tomorrow, okay?"

That tone.

For six years, every time I got upset, she used it.

Gentle. Patient. Pulling me right back into the cage.

And then everything went back to normal.

"Heidi." I stared out at the river. "Remember my senior showcase at film school?"

She went quiet for a beat. "Why are you bringing that up now?"

"I played this guy locked in a house. At the end, he burned the whole place down with himself inside." I scraped at the cake. "You said it was too extreme. Said nobody in real life would be that stupid. Now I get it. He wasn't stupid. Fire was the only thing he had left."

Her breathing turned heavier. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying"—I finished the last bite of cake—"for the next ten days, I'm living for myself. Don't look for me. Don't bother me. Don't use my family against me. After ten days, if I'm still alive..."

I smiled.

"Then we can keep playing your game."

***

I checked into the most expensive hotel in the city—the presidential suite.

Paid with the backup card Heidi gave me.

The comments kept rolling—

[The presidential suite??? Dude's living it up.]

[Using Heidi's money for this is actually insane.]

[He's got less than ten days left. Let him spend it.]

I tossed my suitcase by the door and slid into a rose-petal bath.

The countdown pulsed in my head—

[8 days 14 hours 32 minutes]

Eight and a half days left.

My phone stayed dead silent.

Heidi never called back.

That wasn't like her.

Late that night, I lay across the massive bed.

The comments had slowed—

[He's actually sleeping? Dude's fearless.]

[What's Heidi doing right now? Looks like she's tracking his phone.]

[Honestly, being watched like this sounds suffocating.]

Right when I was about to fall asleep, violent pounding slammed against the door.

I jerked upright.

The comments exploded—

[WHAT WAS THAT?!]

[Someone's breaking in!]

[Is that Heidi?]

[I'm actually stressed.]

Before I could react, the door got kicked open.

Heidi stood there, eyes bloodshot, rage burning through them.

"Rowan Rayner." Her voice came out rough as she walked in.

I grabbed the collar of my robe on instinct.

She stopped right in front of me, her shadow swallowing me whole. "Where's Andy?"

I froze. "What?"

"Cut the act." She yanked my wrist, grip painfully tight. "Where did you take Andy? Talk!"