When I came back, the story was already almost over. The villain I’d raised with my own two hands, once a golden boy destined for greatness, had been broken by the story’s heroes, his fall from grace leaving him a cripple. I prodded Adrian Vance’s slumped form with the toe of my shoe, feigning indifference. “What’s this? The moment I’m gone, you let them beat you up this badly?” He snapped his head up, his eyes instantly flooding with tears. “Susie,” he choked out, his voice thick with unshed grief. “You weren’t here. They all hurt me.” I fell silent, my heart clenching. In the end, I couldn’t bring myself to pull my hand away as he clung to it like a drowning man. But later that night, I stumbled upon a different scene entirely. I saw him, standing in the shadows of an alley, with the story's hero pinned under his boot. “You idiot!” Adrian’s voice was a low snarl, nothing like the broken boy from before. “I told you to make it look fatal, not to actually hold back!” A pained groan came from the man on the ground. “If I don’t bleed enough, how is my dear Susie supposed to feel sorry for me?” 1 The sharp shatter of a glass echoed through the penthouse suite, mingling with ragged, wet gasps for air. Through the crack in the slightly ajar door, I saw him—a young man whose features were so exquisitely sharp they were almost unnerving. He was sprawled on a scarlet velvet sofa, his black shirt violently torn open, revealing the delicate line of his collarbone. His normally porcelain skin was flushed with an unnatural, feverish heat, his breaths coming in heavy pants. Crimson blood trickled from his wrist, a stark, winding river against his pale skin. “Adrian…” The moment I spoke his name, he froze. His blood-flecked eyelashes trembled, and when he swallowed, the movement pulled at the ugly, purple fingerprints blooming on his neck. He turned his head slowly, mechanically, as if terrified of waking from a beautiful dream. The second his eyes landed on me, Adrian’s pupils constricted. The raw fury on his face vanished, replaced by utter shock. “Susie?” That single, trembling word, thick with tears, sent a blade of agony straight through my heart. It was the same sound he’d made five years ago, when I was forced to leave this world. He’d wrapped his arms around my waist, burying his face in my neck, his small body wracked with sobs. “Is Susie going to throw me away, too?” Now, he staggered to his feet, only to collapse heavily onto the carpet of shattered glass. I instinctively rushed forward, but he scrambled back into the corner of the sofa, dissolving into a fit of violent coughs. Dark red liquid dripped through his fingers. He tried to hide his hand, his sweat-soaked hair clinging to his pale face. He looked like a broken porcelain doll. “Dirty…” he rasped. “I’ll get you dirty.” “Who did this?” I knelt, hearing my own voice tremble. In the original novel, his right-hand injury was just a passing mention. But the wound before me was a horrific gash of peeled-back flesh, deep enough to show the bone beneath. He suddenly let out a low chuckle. His thin shoulder blades fluttered with the sound, like the wings of a broken butterfly. “Susie, when you’re not here, everyone bullies me.” He tilted his face up, a single tear tracing a path down his cheek. “I listened to you. I tried to be good, I really did. So why… why are they still doing this to me?” His voice cracked. “They said you abandoned me. That an unwanted kid like me deserves whatever happens to him.” My heart seized. In the original story, Adrian Vance was a cruel, possessive, and dangerously unstable villain. He and the hero, Eric Cole, had grown up together in the same orphanage, once the best of friends. But through a twist of fate, Eric was adopted by a wealthy couple in Adrian’s place, whisked away to a life of privilege. Adrian, however, was adopted by a vile predator hiding behind a respectable facade. After suffering unspeakable abuse, he escaped and lived on the streets. He grew to believe Eric had stolen the life that was meant to be his, and he became the villain who antagonized the hero at every turn. When I was first pulled into this book, I found sixteen-year-old Adrian and took him in. My mission was to save him from his bleak fate, to rewrite his ending. Once my mission was complete, the System that brought me here forced me to leave. Until last night, when it contacted me again. It told me that Adrian’s world was on the verge of collapse because a key character had gone off the rails. It needed me to go back and fix it. But I didn’t understand. Under my guidance, Adrian had become a model student, a kind and brilliant young man. Why hadn’t the plot changed? He was still cornered by the heroes, beaten down, and nearly broken. To make matters worse, the System had gone silent. No matter how much I called out, it wouldn't respond. What the hell was going on? According to the original plot, tonight was the night he’d be drugged and finally snap, embracing his dark side completely. But the boy in front of me, his eyes filled with nothing but confusion and helplessness, was still the same little stray cat I’d taken in off the streets. Before I could think any further, Adrian’s suppressed sobs, like those of a caged animal, pulled me back to reality. My resolve shattered. Overwhelmed with a fierce, aching tenderness, I pulled him into my arms. “I didn’t abandon you,” I whispered into his hair. “I’m back now.” “Then… will you help me?” His eyes suddenly lit up, and he pressed his damp forehead into the crook of my shoulder, nuzzling against me. “What do you need me to do?” I heard the rasp in my own voice. “It’s so hot.” A soft, kitten-like whimper escaped his throat as he guided my hand to his body. A trail of desperate kisses landed on the side of my neck. My breath hitched— My palm was suddenly pressed against a searing heat. I flinched back, but his hand clamped around my waist, pulling me impossibly closer, his body flush against mine. “Susie,” he breathed, his voice a raw plea. 2 The next morning, I woke up feeling like every joint in my body had been pulled apart. My wrist ached so much I could barely get dressed. The doorbell rang several times before I managed to drag myself to the door, leaning against the wall for support. “Adrian…” I mumbled, assuming he was back. But the face on the other side of the door was a stranger. “Can I help you?” “Hello,” the man said. His coat was expensive, his posture impeccable. “My name is Eric Cole. If I’m not mistaken, you’re Susie, Adrian’s sister. Is that right?” It took me a second to place the name. Eric Cole. The hero. “What do you want?” My voice was instantly laced with hostility. Eric seemed taken aback, a flicker of hurt crossing his handsome features. “I just came to warn you. Adrian isn’t as harmless as he looks.” He stepped inside. “It’s all an act he puts on for you. Especially after you disappeared five years ago. He went… unhinged. He did some truly terrible things.” On the coffee table, Eric pushed a manila folder toward me. “This is the proof of how he’s been targeting my company for years. Just last week, he orchestrated a hostile takeover of three of my subsidiaries. Those news reports about his fall from grace, about him being chronically ill? That’s all carefully crafted PR he spread himself.” His voice grew urgent. “The truth is, I’m not the one bullying him. He’s the one who won’t let me go.” The pages were filled with dense columns of data and figures. I set my teacup down on the table with a sharp clack. “Mr. Cole, I think you should leave.” My voice was cold. “With your resources, faking these documents would be easy. Regardless of what you show me, I’ll only trust what I see with my own eyes.” Eric stood up, his gaze intense. “Susie, he’s playing you.” I frowned. “I’m not your sister. Please don’t call me that.” Eric’s mouth opened, then closed. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice strained. “I got ahead of myself. I’m not trying to cause trouble, I swear. I’m just worried about your safety. Adrian’s mental state is incredibly unstable. He’s even been known to self-harm.” I snatched the folder and threw it at his chest. “Are you trying to tell me he drugged himself? That he cut himself up like that?” My voice rose, shaking with fury. “Eric Cole, let me tell you something! If you dare touch Adrian again, I will drag you to hell myself!” A look of genuine confusion crossed his face. “I swear, I didn’t do anything. If you don’t believe me, you can verify all of this yourself. I’m just worried about you!” The folder fell to the floor, spilling its contents. Several photos scattered across the rug. The images were unmistakable: Adrian, holding a shard of glass to his own arm, cutting deep. The wounds were identical to the ones I’d just bandaged. My breath caught in my throat. I blinked slowly, then bent down to pick one up. Just then, the electronic lock beeped. “Susie, I bought you your favorite cake! The shop downtown was closed, so I had to run across seven blocks to…” Adrian’s excited voice died the moment his eyes fell on Eric. The air in the room went still. Soaked from the rain, Adrian stood frozen in the entryway’s shadow, the cake box in his arms perfectly pristine. He lowered his head, raindrops clinging to his trembling eyelashes. My fingers went slack, and the photograph fluttered to the floor. “Adrian, listen to me…” His gaze dropped to the photo at my feet. He looked like he was about to shatter into a million pieces. He walked toward me, slow and deliberate, his eyes rimmed with red. “Susie… even you don’t believe me?” “Adrian!” Eric lunged forward and grabbed him by the collar. “Stop the act! That illegal shipment at the docks last month—” “Enough!” I shoved myself between them, shielding Adrian. “Go get changed,” I told him gently. Then I turned to Eric. “And you, please leave. I don’t want to see you again.” Eric’s hand fell away, but his eyes never left my face. “Susie… you held my hand once, a long time ago,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. “Do you really not remember me?” I froze, a flicker of uncertainty crossing my mind. “Do I know you?” Adrian looked up at him, his voice trembling. “Eric, she’s all I have left. Are you trying to take her from me, too?” 3 I sent Eric away. Adrian clung to me like a frightened animal, refusing to let go. I gently stroked his hair. “It’s okay,” I murmured. “He didn’t fool me. I’ll always believe you.” He made a soft, whimpering sound before reluctantly pulling away. “Then… you wait here, okay? I’m just going to run down to the convenience store for a spoon. I was in such a hurry to get back that I forgot.” “Okay, go on.” “Wait! You forgot your umbrella again.” But he was already out the door, moving too fast. By the time the words left my mouth, he was gone. With a helpless sigh, I grabbed a coat and went after him. The rain was coming down in sheets, blurring the world into a gray watercolor. I stood at the intersection, scanning the street for any sign of him. Through the throng of people, I saw a familiar silhouette turn down a narrow alley. I hurried to follow. As I got closer, I heard the sickening thud of something heavy hitting a wall. Adrian’s voice, laced with a chilling amusement, drifted through the downpour. “Still haven’t learned your lesson, have you, Eric?” I instinctively slowed my steps, my blood turning to ice. The sight before me made me freeze. Rain slicked his skin, a single drop tracing the sharp line of his throat before disappearing into his collar. His white shirt was plastered to his torso, revealing the faint outline of the bandages I’d wrapped around him. He stood there, his expression blank, and brought his foot down, grinding the heel of his leather shoe onto Eric Cole’s fingers. Eric’s face contorted in agony as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. “I knew it,” he was saying to Adrian. “I knew you were just putting on a show for her.” Adrian’s eyes turned venomous. “Shh,” he whispered, pressing the sharp tip of a fountain pen to Eric’s throat. “Only I get to call her that.” He tilted his head, a faint, cruel smile playing on his lips. “Didn’t I tell you? You touch what’s mine…” Eric flinched away, and in that split second, our eyes met. I stumbled back behind the wall, my heart hammering against my ribs. I couldn’t be sure if he’d recognized me through the storm. Eric’s clenched fist slowly uncurled. He lowered his gaze, a nearly imperceptible smirk touching his lips. Adrian let out a cold snort. “What’s the matter? Scared? You’re so weak today. Weren’t you the one who almost threw me off a roof last time?” The next thing I heard was Eric’s voice, suddenly frail and broken. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re the one who’s been beating me up this whole time!” He dissolved into a fit of hacking coughs. “It hurts… somebody… somebody, please help me!” 4 The flashing red and blue lights of the ambulance shattered the raindrops into a million silver shards. I stood at the mouth of the alley, clutching my phone as paramedics carefully loaded Eric onto a stretcher. His dark lashes fluttered weakly against his pale skin. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. “The patient has multiple metacarpal fractures from a crush injury. We need to get him to surgery immediately,” a nurse called out, her voice cutting through the roar of the rain. Three of Eric’s fingers were bent at an unnatural angle. The gash on his forehead, washed clean by the rain, looked ghostly white. I felt a tremor run through me and had to look away. A strange, sour ache bloomed in my chest. Could I have been wrong about him? I felt a scorching gaze on my back and turned. An umbrella suddenly appeared over my head. It was Adrian. He positioned it carefully, completely blocking my view of Eric and the ambulance. “Susie? What are you doing here?” he asked, his breathing ragged. His black hair was plastered to his forehead. My eyes flicked to the cuff of his gray sweatshirt. There was a dark, reddish stain there, blurred by the rain, that looked suspiciously like blood. I looked up, meeting his eyes directly. “I was waiting for you for too long. I got worried, so I came out to find you.” For a split second, Adrian’s expression stiffened. “The rain was so heavy, I had to buy another umbrella. That’s what took so long,” he said, his face smoothing back into its usual, obedient mask. He smiled. “Susie. I knew you loved me the most.” A paramedic with a clipboard approached us. “Ma’am, are you the one who called for the ambulance?” Adrian’s head snapped up, his eyes wide with shock. The sound of the rain suddenly seemed deafening. I heard my own voice, calm and steady. “Yes. I saw someone was hurt.” The paramedic asked a few more routine questions, then nodded politely. “Okay, we understand. Thank you for your cooperation.” Throughout the entire exchange, Adrian was unnervingly silent, as if someone had hit his mute button. I didn't look at him again. I just turned and walked away. On the way back to the hotel, Adrian trailed half a step behind me. The silence between us was heavy and suffocating. The elevator’s mirrored walls reflected his downcast profile, water dripping from his lashes like tears. I stared at the glowing red numbers as they climbed. “Adrian, why did you attack Eric?” “I didn’t go for the kill,” he said flatly. “I just wanted to scare him, to make him stay away from you. But then he grabbed a brick from the ground and smashed his own hand with it.” I closed my eyes, feeling a headache coming on. “Adrian, from what I remember, Eric has been a concert pianist for ten years. With the injuries he sustained tonight, he might never be able to play again. No musician would risk their entire career like that.” In the original novel, Eric’s musical talent was legendary. He’d won countless piano competitions since he was in middle school. The only sound in the elevator was our breathing. Suddenly, Adrian grabbed my wrist. His fingertips were as cold as ice, and his dark eyes were turbulent. “Susie, are you saying you think I’m lying?” The elevator dinged, arriving at the 28th floor. I gently pulled my hand from his grasp and stepped out first. “Adrian,” I said, not looking back. “I just can’t figure out what his motive would be for hurting himself. It doesn’t make any sense, does it?” There were no cameras in that alley. Eric would have no grounds to accuse Adrian of assault. So why would he do something so self-destructive?
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