After years of trying to fix Cole, the story’s broken, brooding second lead, I finally had enough points to go home. I was electric with it, ready to cash them in on the spot. But the System flickered into my consciousness, blocking the path. "If you leave, what about the child? He's the protagonist of the next story. You should stay for him." I couldn't stop the eye-roll. Cole and his son, Leo, were a matched set of unchecked aggression, their love language a dialect of shouting and blame. I didn't owe them a damn thing. As if on cue, just as I was about to fight the System, Cole stormed back into the house, weaponizing guilt like he always did. "Can't you at least try to act like a mother? Do we mean nothing to you? Absolutely nothing?" I wasn't falling for it. Not this time. My hand snapped out, and the crack of my palm against his cheek echoed in the cavernous foyer. "Get out of my way." No one was stopping me from going home. 1 That night, I was on a video call with Jenna when the System's notification popped up. Host, I've detected your point balance is sufficient. Do you wish to remain? "No! Hell no! I'm going home!" Jenna’s face lit up on the screen. "Vivi, you're finally getting out!" I’d met Jenna after I was dropped into this world. We were both from somewhere else, both unwilling players in a cosmic game, but our targets were different. Hers was the story's hero, the one hopelessly devoted to the memory of his high school sweetheart. Mine was the runner-up, the man who was destined to lose the girl and curdle into bitterness. No matter what I did, Cole was written to fall for the story’s female lead. My role was damage control, a thankless, soul-crushing job. Jenna had a new assignment and had to log off soon. Before she went, her expression turned serious. "Vivian, Cole is abusive. Don't let some twisted sense of loyalty make you stay just because you put years into this." I nodded, my throat tight. The System, however, was radiating a sulky disapproval, its responses sluggish. It clearly didn't want me to leave. Just as I was mentally preparing for the transfer, the front door slammed open. It was Cole. I ended the call and went downstairs, a creature of habit. I even handed him a mug of the herbal tea he liked, my hands moving on autopilot. But today, Cole was different. A storm cloud of rage hung around him, his eyes bloodshot. When I didn't immediately fawn over him, his hand shot out and clamped around my throat. "Vivian," he hissed, his voice dangerously low, "don't get any stupid ideas. You stay right here, by my side. I take care of you, don't I?" My fingers ghosted over a faint, yellowish bruise on my forearm. A souvenir from last week, when his "taking care of me" involved throwing a ceramic mug in my direction because his deal went south. "And don't even think about leaving," he continued, his grip tightening for a second before he let go, trying to recalibrate. "It's not what you think with Chloe. I just… I admire her talent. It’s purely professional." He was already spinning his narrative, pleading his case to an empty courtroom. I just watched him, my face a mask of stone. This man was a master of feigned sincerity, an artist who painted portraits of devotion right before slashing the canvas. I learned that on our wedding day. He stood beside me at the altar, and in walked Chloe, the story’s heroine. She wore a white dress that was more bridal than my own, and she looped her arm through his, pouting playfully. "Who's this?" she’d chirped. Cole had patted her head, a gesture of sickening intimacy. "It's nothing. She's no one important." In that moment, any feeling I might have forced myself to have for my target evaporated. It was all just a job after that. 2 Just then, my son, Leo, came running down the stairs and clung to Cole’s leg. "Dad, don't even bother with her. She's just jealous that Aunt Chloe is more talented and way nicer than she is." I stared at the boy, a cold wave washing over me. I hadn't felt the physical agony of giving birth to him—that was part of the world’s setup—but I was the one who raised him. He was a sickly child, and I couldn't count the number of nights I’d spent awake by his bedside, a cool cloth on his feverish forehead. To hear those words from him… it was a special kind of cruelty. The System informed me that my transfer required "upper-level approval" and that I'd have to wait a few more days. Fucking bureaucracy. If it weren't for this goddamn System, I'd be back in my apartment, living my life. My life, where I had a loving family, a great degree, and a promising career in marketing that had been snatched away the day before I was supposed to start. Leo was still talking, his voice a shrill whine. "Just let her go, Dad. All she does is hang around the house all day, spending your money. She’s not amazing like Aunt Chloe." Before I was dropped into this world, I was on my own fast track. I was ambitious. Even after marrying Cole, I kept my job until Leo was born. He was so fragile, so prone to illness, that I didn't trust a nanny. I quit my job to care for him myself. In those early years, Cole was always chasing after Chloe, which solidified my emotional detachment. Leo’s arrival had felt like a small flicker of light in a very dark place. My hand was shaking with rage. This ungrateful child was a perfect copy of his father. Cole had clawed his way out of the foster system, a fact that fueled a vicious, deep-seated insecurity. He was never good enough for the story's heroine, not really. If I hadn't found him, half-frozen and delirious with fever during a blizzard years ago, he would have died. But after the wedding, after he had my family's resources, his true nature emerged. When he was angry, he lashed out. With his words, with his fists. My thoughts snapped back to the present. I raised my hand, and without a moment of hesitation, I slapped Leo across his cherubic, sneering face. He froze, his hand flying to his cheek, his eyes wide with disbelief. Cole, who had been watching with a smirk, finally snapped out of it. "Vivian, what the hell is wrong with you?" he roared. "He’s just a kid! What did I do wrong? He just said a few words, and you react like a psycho?" He said it so casually. Just a few words. As if any son should ever speak to his mother that way. The shock wore off, and Leo burst into tears, burying his face in Cole's waist. "Daddy, Mommy hit me! I don't want her to be my mom anymore! My face hurts!" I let out a cold, sharp laugh. "The next time you say something like that," I said, my voice dangerously calm, "you won't see the sunrise." That was the last straw for Cole. His rage boiled over, and he shoved me. Hard. We were standing at the top of the main staircase. I was off-balance, unprepared. And then I was falling. 3 The household staff at Cole’s mansion were experts at reading the room. Seeing their boss in a rage, not a single one of them moved to help me as I lay crumpled at the bottom of the stairs. I reached up to my head and my fingers came back wet and crimson. Cole's abuse had taken a toll on my body over the years; I was weaker than I used to be. The blood loss sent the world spinning, and I blacked out. In the fuzzy haze of unconsciousness, I could still hear their voices floating down from above. "Dad, can Aunt Chloe be my new mom?" "Not yet, son. Your mother hasn't signed over full control of the company to me." … When I woke up, the only person by my bedside was Jenna. "That son of a bitch hit you again, didn't he?" she said, her voice tight with anger. I nodded weakly. It wasn't the first time I'd tried to escape, but the System always dangled the promise of "going home" to keep me in line. This time, though, how had Cole known I was about to leave? "System, stop hiding," I projected into my thoughts. "Did you tell him?" There was a long pause, and then a pathetic, whimpering digital sigh. Host… your son is the protagonist of the next narrative arc. I'm assigned to him. If you leave, his character development will turn dark. I had no choice but to inform Cole. My relationship with the System had always been adversarial. I was living a perfectly good life in my own world. What right did it have to kidnap me, to force me into this role of "savior" for a man who didn't deserve saving? It was disgusting. "So you sold me out." The System didn't answer. I felt a surge of fury. If my body in the real world had already died, like Jenna's had, maybe I could have accepted this. But my life was waiting for me. Jenna, seeing my distress, squeezed my hand. "It's okay, Vivi. Don't forget the contingency plan. The one you put in place with Cole's doctor a long time ago. He won't be a problem for much longer." My head throbbed. Or maybe Cole had just hired the cheapest doctor he could find. 4 That evening, Cole came to see me. "I've spoken with your System," he announced, as if he were my manager. "You're not going back. Who will take care of our son if you leave?" A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "Our son? Funny, I thought he was only mine when it came to wiping his nose and sitting up with him all night. Your estate is massive, Cole. I'm sure you can find someone to look after him. Or better yet, why don't you marry Chloe and let her do it?" His face contorted with rage. "What is wrong with you? All I want is for my son to have a mother! And for the last time, Chloe and I are just friends!" As if on cue, there was a soft knock on the door. Cole's personal nutritionist entered with a tray. "Mr. Hayes, your dinner. The main course is shrimp scampi. And don't forget your vitamin C capsule tonight." My eyes met the nutritionist's for a fleeting second. I mentally checked the calendar. Everything was proceeding on schedule. After Cole finished eating, a nurse came in to change my bandages. Cole took the supplies from her, preparing to play the part of the devoted husband. Just then, his bodyguard burst into the room. "Sir, Ms. Vance is reporting chest pains." Cole’s hand jerked. The sterile gauze and medical tape clattered to the floor. "What? Get her a doctor, now!" He was gone in a flash, leaving me with Jenna. She shook her head in disgust. "What a piece of garbage. He orders you to stay, then the second his side piece has a little heartburn, he runs off without a second thought for you." I managed a weak smile. "If you weren't here, he wouldn't even pretend to care. The worst part is, he genuinely believes he's done nothing wrong. He thinks I'm the one being unreasonable." Cole grew up in the foster system. Now that he had money, his entire existence was a desperate performance of respectability. His obsession with Chloe was simple: she came from the same background. Being with her, "saving" her, made him feel powerful, like he had finally won. A little while later, Leo showed up. "Mom, how could you be so cruel?" he demanded. "Aunt Chloe is the nicest person in the world, why did you have to call and scream at her?" I was completely baffled. I hadn't called anyone. Jenna's eyes narrowed. She figured it out instantly. "It's a setup. She's playing the victim. She may be the heroine, but she's got a manipulative streak a mile wide." I pieced it together. Chloe had spent the afternoon telling everyone I'd called and verbally abused her. Now, she was having "chest pains," ensuring that when Cole arrived, he'd find her in a state of tear-stained distress. But why? Her target was the story's hero, not Cole. Why was she trying to sabotage me? I'd always found female rivalry to be a pathetic, low-stakes game. I never expected it from the story's supposedly pure-hearted protagonist. "You're a monster," Leo continued, his voice filled with righteous indignation. "Dad should have married Aunt Chloe in the first place. I'm ashamed to be your son." Jenna was aghast. "Your mother raised you. This is how you repay her? And even if she did make that call—which she didn't—you have no right to speak to her like that!" Jenna was fighting my battles for me, but I just scanned the room until my eyes landed on the fruit knife on the bedside table. I picked it up. And without a word, I lunged at Leo. This little monster didn't deserve to be my son. 5 Just as the gleaming blade was about to reach Leo, the door flew open and a figure threw itself in front of him. "Chloe, are you okay?" Cole yelled, rushing in right behind her. They both fussed over her as she lay on the floor. When she didn't respond, Cole straightened up and turned on me, his face a mask of fury. "Vivian, have you lost your mind? That's your son!" Leo, emboldened, echoed his father. "Is it because I like Aunt Chloe more than you? You're a selfish, evil woman!" I looked down at the "kind and generous" woman on the floor with utter contempt. "Stop the theatrics," I said, my voice dripping with ice. "The knife was turned backward. The handle hit you. As insane as you think I am, I wouldn't murder my own child. Unlike some people." This was a detail Jenna had told me, a piece of lore not included in the main story. In the original plot, Chloe, the heroine, got pregnant after a one-night stand with the male lead while working in a bar. The book says she had a miscarriage. The truth was far darker: she gave birth to the baby, and when she realized the hero didn't care, she smothered the infant with her own hands. Chloe’s lips trembled. "Vivi, how can you say such things? I've never had a child." Cole shielded her protectively. "That's enough. You don't get to spread vicious rumors just because you're jealous of her. We'll deal with that phone call you made to her later." He then softened his voice, turning back to Chloe. "Come on, let me get you checked out by a doctor." After they all swept out of the room, I turned my focus inward. "System. When are you sending me home?" A long silence. Then, a hesitant, distorted voice. I'm sorry, Host. I have come to an agreement with your husband. You will be staying in this world. A volcanic rage erupted inside me. "You're what? And who the hell is Cole? What gives either of you the right to make that decision for me?" The System offered no direct answer, just a pre-programmed platitude. Host, you should be grateful. So many others would kill for an opportunity like this! "You're a kidnapper," I seethed. "A worthless, parasitic piece of code." The System abruptly severed the connection. I was locked out. 6 Seeing me screaming at thin air, Jenna rushed to my side. "Vivi, what's wrong?" The dam broke. "I can't go back," I sobbed, the words tearing from my throat. "The System made a deal with him. I'm stuck here! I want to go home!" When I first arrived, I was the disfavored daughter of a wealthy family, a role I had to fight my way out of. Then came Cole, and the constant, exhausting vigilance required to manage his volatility and keep his 'darkness meter' from overflowing. I never had a moment to breathe. Jenna hesitated for a moment, then her expression firmed. "My System can send you back," she said quietly. "I have a good relationship with it. Your mission is complete. You've earned your exit." I sat up so fast the room spun. "What about you? How will you get back?" If it was possible, I wanted her to come with me. She gave me a sad, gentle smile. "There's nothing for me to go back to. In my original world... I'm already dead." A heavy silence fell between us. A moment later, Jenna nodded. Her System had agreed to help. "Goes to show you," I muttered, "not all Systems are created equal. Some of them are just bastards." My own System, apparently still monitoring me, shrieked in my mind. Host, you can't leave! What about your son? I had only one word for it. "Piss off." Tipped off again, Cole returned, his face a carefully constructed mask of pained sincerity. "Vivian, I know you're jealous of Chloe, but we're really just friends. I swear. And besides, I just don't want our son to grow up without a mother. Is that so wrong?" I stood in the center of the hospital room and laughed. "Jealous of Chloe? Why on earth would I be jealous of her? In my world, in this world, my life has always been better than hers. Am I supposed to be jealous of her inability to support herself? Of her need to bounce from man to man just to survive?" Chloe, who had followed him back, saw her beatific mask crack, replaced by a flash of genuine hurt. It was almost satisfying. "Cole," she murmured, "Vivi is just speaking her mind. Don't be angry with her." Cole immediately puffed up, playing the role of her protector. "See, Chloe? You're too nice. That's why people take advantage of you. I'm going to make her apologize to you right now." 7 He turned to me, his voice low and menacing. "Apologize to Chloe. Now. Or we're getting a divorce." His darling son, Leo, chimed in from behind him. "Yeah, Mom! You were mean to Aunt Chloe, so you have to say you're sorry. If you don't, I won't be your son anymore." Some people are just born rotten to the core. Leo was his father's son. Jenna whispered behind me, "The portal is open. You can go." Cole's mouth opened, ready to issue another threat. I didn't let him. I grabbed the fruit knife from the nightstand and hurled it at him.
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