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!"

[Rowan did it? No shot. He's been at the hotel the whole time.]

[The timing makes zero sense. When would he even set up a kidnapping?]

[Has Heidi completely lost it?]

"Let go!" Pain shot through my wrist. "I haven't even seen Andy! I've been at the—"

"I really underestimated you." Her eyes burned. "Acting all heartbroken, then turning around and kidnapping Andy? You're disgusting."

"I didn't." I clenched my jaw.

I didn't know where she got the strength, but she shoved me onto the bed and leaned over me.

"I'm giving you one last chance. Where's Andy? What did you do to him?"

Her breath hit my face, sharp with barely controlled rage.

In six years, I'd never seen this side of Heidi.

The comments split instantly—

[Heidi's scary as hell...]

[If Rowan really kidnapped Andy, then he deserves this.]

[Look closer. Rowan didn't even have time to do it.]

[What if this is all a misunderstanding?]

"I said I don't know." I stared at her. "Have I ever lied to you in the last six years?"

Her pupils tightened.

For a split second, she hesitated.

"The last place Andy's phone pinged"—her eyes locked onto mine like a poisoned blade—"was the café you went to."

Cold spread through me.

A trap.

Someone set me up.

"It wasn't me. I didn't..." My voice started shaking.

"Enough!"

She shot to her feet and pulled out a folding knife.

Heidi grabbed my hand. The blade pressed against my wrist.

"Rowan." Her voice dropped terrifyingly low. "I know you hate Andy. Hate that he took me away from you. Even though I was never yours to begin with. But you do not get to touch him." Her grip tightened. "I'll ask one last time. Where is Andy?"

The blade cut into my skin. Bright blood spilled instantly.

Pain ripped through me like a live wire.

My vision blurred at the edges. I was seconds from blacking out.

The comments exploded—

[Heidi's actually insane.]

[I'm starting to feel bad for Rowan... He seriously looks clueless.]

[Rowan, just say something! Lie if you have to!]

I opened my mouth, but only broken breaths came out.

"I... didn't..."

Bright blood spread across the white sheets.

Heidi's hand stayed locked around my wrist like a vise.

The blade dug into flesh. Every heartbeat sent another wave of tearing pain through me.

"One last time." Her voice sounded far away. "Where's Andy?"

I tried to speak, but nothing came out.

My vision blurred. All I could see was her tight jaw and the almost-manic red in her eyes.

The comments flooded in—

[He's actually gonna die...]

[Heidi, let go! He'll bleed out!]

[Someone call the cops! This is assault!]

[Where's the System?! Why isn't it stopping this?!]

The System stayed silent.

Of course it did.

In a game like this, nobody cared if a side character lived or died.

I was just an NPC. An obstacle in the leads' romance. A disposable villain there to make the male lead look better.

But the pain was real.

Way too real.

"Still not talking?" Heidi pressed down harder.

I heard skin split, then felt another rush of warmth spill out.

Black spots flickered across my vision like static from an old TV.

Right when I thought I was about to die—

Her phone rang.

The second she saw the caller ID, her pupils tightened.

She answered immediately. "Andy?"