chapter 6
I walked into the hallway. It was empty, wind howling outside the windows.
As I passed the equipment room, a hand shot out and grabbed my arm.
Not Roman.
Sadie yanked me into the dark room and shut the door behind us.
She was wearing a thin lace nightgown that looked ridiculous in the cold, her hair messy, her eyes bloodshot like she hadn’t slept in days.
“You need to leave,” she whispered, shaking. “He’s supposed to be mine.”
“Excuse me?” I pulled my arm away, brushing the spot she’d touched like I could wipe her off.
“The system said he’s the villain type,” Sadie hissed. “He needs a light to redeem him. That’s me. I’m the protagonist.”
Her voice trembled with belief so intense it sounded like madness.
“You think real life is a game,” I said quietly. “You think Roman is a prize.”
“I can see his stats,” she snapped, pointing at empty air. “His obsession meter is at eighty percent. He’s obsessed with me. You’re just the obstacle the game put in my way.”
I took a step closer.
For the first time, I let the “good girl” mask slide off and showed her the part of me that had grown up watching a broken boy learn how to breathe without biting the world.
“His obsession is at eighty percent,” I agreed softly.
Sadie’s eyes lit up like she’d won.
“But did you check who that obsession is directed at?” I asked.
She blinked. “What?”
“And did you check what kind of obsession it is?”
I tilted my head.
“Roman doesn’t want to kiss you, Sadie,” I said. “He wants you gone. The only reason you’ve been safe is because I’ve been standing between you and him.”
“Liar!” she hissed.
The robotic voice crackled faintly in the air.
“Initiating rival elimination event.”
Then, instantly—
“Error. User influence insufficient. Target Roman is approaching at high speed.”
The equipment room door slammed open so hard it rattled the hinges.
Roman stood there, chest heaving, eyes bright with a terrifying focus.
“Sienna,” he breathed, scanning me first—always me—like nothing else mattered until he confirmed I was intact.
“She touched you,” he said, voice low and sharp.