7
485words
So soon?
I went,bringing Julian and gifts.
Damien welcomed us warmly,but Chloe was absent.
“Where’s Chloe?I came for her.She mentioned a secret.”
At“secret,”Damien’s eyes darkened.“She’s unwell,resting.Secrets can wait.”
Chloe’s voice rang from upstairs.“Damien,why didn’t you wake me?Sophia’s here!”
She rushed down,pulling me into a study.
Gripping my sleeve, she whispered, “Sophia, there's something wrong.”
I patted her.“Probably pregnancy.Don’t overthink.”
I knew Damien was a control freak; he probably spiked her water with sedatives.
“His affection won’t budge.I don’t know what to do.”
“Really?Look at your clothes,jewelry—he picked them all.”
She slammed the table.“It’s stuck!What now?”
“Maybe after the baby’s born.”
“You’ll stay,right?You won’t leave me alone here?”
Her eyes welled up with tears.
I comforted her.“My affection with Julian maxed out ages ago.I stayed for you.”
She started to cry, asking why I was so kind.I gazed at her sincerely.“When I was bullied in school,you always helped.”
Last life,that’s why I yielded to her.But the rooftop fall taught me—people change.
Leaving,I told Damien,“Chloe says you’re keeping her inside.Pregnant women need fresh air,not confinement.”
He smiled,agreeing,but I knew Chloe wouldn’t see anyone but staff until delivery.
Her child was born in fall.At the christening ceremony,Chloe was nowhere to be found.Damien claimed she had a tough delivery and was recovering.
But I noticed the top floor of the mansion had one - way glass; it was transparent from the outside but opaque from the inside.
Two years passed.The child toddled.Damien always said Chloe was abroad,uninterested in returning.
Midway through the two years, Chloe called me, frantic.“Sophia,you lied!Damien’s a lunatic.He’s locked me in this sunless room.I’m losing it!”
“I didn’t lie.The system warned you:you chose the dark,obsessive CEO.”
I mocked,“Chloe,don't you think you deserve all the good things in life?”
“I told you:Damien demands loyal love.He never lets go.Obey him to avoid worse.”
The phone line went dead.
I prepared to leave.This world wasn’t mine.
The system warned you that you'd chosen a dark, obsessive CEO.
The day before departure,a haggard Chloe knocked.Barefoot,bloodied,bruised,and skeletal,she wore the gold bangle—tracker and bug intact.
She knelt.“Sophia,take me back.The system says if you agree,I can go.”
“You didn’t win his heart. You have to face the consequences.Two lives,and you still don’t get it?”
Sobbing,she suddenly glared at me with rage in her eyes.“Then we’ll restart!”
She lunged with a hidden dagger.
Weak from confinement,she was slow.I dodged.
Julian rushed from the kitchen,pinning her.
Minutes later,a furious Damien arrived with guards,taking her away.
From what I knew, endless imprisonment and abuse awaited her.
She’d never max Damien’s affection—he likely knew about the game,controlling his score deliberately.
The next day,Julian carried my bags,walking my real-world streets.
He’d followed me back.
“Don’t you regret leaving your career?”
He smiled.“Never.”
“Life here’s simpler.Will you stray or stop loving me?”
“You said you’re a player,I’m the lead.A hero made for you stays loyal forever.”
