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?"

A man's shaky sobs came through the phone.

"Heidi... I-I escaped... They had me at some abandoned factory in Westfield... They ran... I'm scared..."

"Don't be scared. I'm coming right now." Heidi's voice changed instantly.

All the rage from before vanished, replaced by a trembling softness I'd never heard from her.

"Are you hurt? Find somewhere safe and hide."

She didn't even hang up.

The second she let go of my wrist, she ran out.

I collapsed onto the bed and watched her disappear through the door.

The comments went quiet for a second before blowing up—

[She seriously just left?!]

[Rowan's still bleeding!]

[At least call an ambulance!]

[This is her version of love? She can hurt someone like that for Andy?]

[How did I ever think she was devoted...]

I forced my good hand up, trying to reach the phone on the nightstand.

My fingers shook uncontrollably.

The phone was only a few inches away, but it felt impossibly far.

Blood kept pouring out.

The white sheets were completely soaked, dark red spreading everywhere.

I gritted my teeth and dragged myself forward another inch—

My fingertips finally touched the edge of the phone.

The comments flooded in—

[You've got this! You touched it!]

[Call an ambulance! Hurry!]

[Don't fall asleep! Stay awake!]

I unlocked my phone, but my vision was too blurry to see the screen.

I punched in the number from memory and hit call.

The dial tone rang in my ear.

One ring. Two.

My breathing turned shallow. More black spots crowded my vision.

"Beep—"

The call connected.

"Emergency services..."

I opened my mouth to speak, but only air came out.

"Hello? Can you hear me? What's your emergency?"

I wanted to tell them I was in a hotel. That I was bleeding. That I was dying.

But my throat locked up. No words came out.

"Hello? Hello?"

The voice on the line sounded farther and farther away.

The phone slipped from my hand and hit the carpet with a dull thud.

The comments exploded—

[NOOO!]

[Somebody help him!]

[Where's the hotel staff?! Didn't anyone hear all that?!]

[Screw you, Heidi!]

My consciousness started slipping apart.

Everything felt distant, like I was floating.

I saw myself curled up in a pool of blood, skin pale as paper.

Then I saw the comments.

[Heidi found Andy.]

[Andy broke down the second he saw her.]

[She kept holding him, telling him, "It's okay. You're okay."]

[Andy kissed her.]

[...They're kissing. While Rowan's bleeding out alone.]

The comments disappeared for a few seconds.

Then the tone changed—

[I suddenly think Heidi's disgusting.]

[What did Rowan even do wrong? He just loved the wrong person.]

[He was real with her for six years.]

[What gives Heidi the right to treat him like this?]

[If Rowan dies, she killed him.]

[I want to see her regret this.]

[I want to see her beg him to forgive her.]

[But he might not survive long enough for that.]

[Can somebody please go save him? I can't keep watching this.]

The countdown still flickered faintly—

[8 days 9 hours 01 minute]

The game wasn't over yet.

But the player seemed ready to quit early.