CHAPTER 15: THE FAILED ESCAPE

(Evelina’s POV — Later, Hartgrave Mansion)

The car rolled down the cobblestone path like it was carrying a corpse.

Mine.

The driver glanced at me through the mirror, nervous. "Miss... we’ve arrived."

I didn’t answer. I simply opened the door, stepped out, and walked. My heels clicked against the marble of the front entrance. But inside me—nothing clicked. Nothing moved. Nothing breathed correctly.

My escape. My one-door home. The only chance I had been clinging to—Gone.

Slipped through my fingers like dust.

Margaret was the first to notice me. Her brows lifted. "Welcome Back Miss... shall I prepare—"

"Leave me alone."

My voice was flat. Cold. But my eyes were already burning.

She hesitated. "Miss, did something—"

"I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!!!"

My voice cracked. My throat broke. Everyone in the foyer froze.

Sera, Father, Arden, and Lucien were standing at the entrance, turning toward me like they’d just witnessed an accident. Or worse—like I was one.

"Evelina..." Arden stepped forward, irritation already tightening his jaw. "It’s been one second since you walked in and you’re shouting at people again."

He scoffed. "I guess embarrassing yourself at the auction wasn’t enough."

My breath hitched.

Auction. Embarrassed. Humiliated. The words struck harder than knives. Mother descended the stairs, elegant as always, her tone sharp. "What is going on?"

Arden answered before I could open my mouth. "Nothing. She bid billions for a necklace and lost. And now—she’s throwing a tantrum as soon as she arrived home."

Home. He said home.

The word hit like a punch. This wasn’t home. This was a cage with chandeliers.

Mother’s gaze flickered to me. "Did you not get the Mermaid Tears Necklace?" she asked, baffled. "Was the money not enough?"

Then her eyes slowly lowered—to Sera.

Standing behind Father, smiling nervously. And around her neck—the necklace. My necklace. My way out. My freedom.

Mother stiffened. "Sera... is that...?"

Sera panicked instantly, hands flying to touch the gem. "M-Mother, I swear—I didn’t know Evelina wanted it. I—I thought—if she told me I would’ve—"

"Shut up."

She flinched. "S-sister, please, I—"

"I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

This time, it wasn’t anger. It wasn’t pride. It was pain.

Hot tears slipped down my cheeks—fast, uncontained, humiliating. They burned all the way down, the kind of tears you don’t cry in front of people.

Everyone went rigid.

Mother’s lips parted. "Eve..."

Father stepped forward, expression heavy with concern. "Eve, my dear... I know you wanted that necklace. But this wasn’t Sera’s fault. She didn’t know Theo Vinter was going to gift it to her."

Lucien nodded quickly. "Yes—Eve. It’s just a mere necklace. I can get you another one. Better. More expensive. Whatever design you want."

I laughed. A broken, breathless laugh that sounded more like choking.

"A mere necklace?" My voice fractured around the words. "You really think it was just jewelry?"

Father’s eyes narrowed in confusion. Lucien shifted uneasily. Sera clutched the necklace tighter.Arden watched in cold silence.

"You don’t know anything," I whispered, swallowing the last of my tears even as more fell. "None of you know what that necklace meant to me."

My chest tightened painfully. My nails dug into my palms hard enough to leave crescent moons.

"You keep talking about embarrassment... about scenes... about money," I said, voice trembling. "But for me... it wasn’t any of those things."

I forced the words out, even though they felt like glass slicing my throat.

"It was my way out."

Silence snapped through the foyer—sharp and suffocating.

"It was..." My voice broke. "...my last chance to go back home."

Confusion flickered across every face.

Not empathy.Not understanding.

Just... confusion.

Mother stepped down one more stair, her tone softening as if she finally realized something was truly wrong. "Evelina... your home is here."

I turned my head slowly. And the coldness in my eyes made her flinch.

"No," I said quietly. "It’s not."

I looked at each of them—one by one.

"Do you even know what home means?" My voice was soft, but every word cut.

"A home is where you’re not afraid to breathe. A home is where your mother doesn’t call you a monster."

Mother’s face went pale.

"A home is where your brother doesn’t barge into your room just to slap you for something you never did."

Lucien and Arden stiffened.

"A home," I whispered, voice cracking, "is where you feel safe."

My breath hitched—shattered—collapsed.

"And this...?" I gestured at the marble floors, the chandeliers, and the people who shared my blood but not my heart.

"This is not my home."

Their silence was deafening.

"And now..." I swallowed hard. "...it never will be."

Before anyone could move—before their words could trap me again—I turned and walked away.

Past the marble pillars. Past the chandeliers. Past their stares—

Their confusion.Their guilt.Their judgments.

Until I reached the only place in this mansion where I could still breathe.

My room.

I slammed the door hard enough to rattle the walls— And finally collapsed. On the cold floor. On my knees. On everything I’d been trying to hold together.

And for the first time since waking in this cursed world—I let myself break.

The sobs tore out of me—ugly, raw, and human. Not the polished elegance this mansion demanded. Not the perfect villainess the world expected.

Just... me.

A failure.

A girl trapped in someone else’s life. A girl Trapped in a stupid game. And then—

PING.

A cold blue glow bled into the darkness. The System hovered in front of my blurred vision:

[System: Event Quest Failed.][Penalty Applied: Affection Points of All Characters Will Be Reduced to 3%.]

I stared at it.

Hollow. Empty. Dead inside.

"Of course," I whispered, letting out a humorless laugh. "Of course you’d kick me while I’m down."

The screen faded without remorse. I dragged myself up just enough to fall onto my bed—face buried in silk sheets that smelled like money and misery. My tears soaked the pillow.

I lost my chance.

My only way out. My only exit. Gone because of Theo. Because of Arden. Because I was one second too late.

No... Because the System wanted me to fail.

A bitter smile twisted on my lips.

"The real villain isn’t the Hartgraves," I whispered into the fabric. "It’s you."

The System didn’t answer. It never did when I accused it. I rolled onto my back, staring up at the ceiling—the golden patterns blurring through my tears.

Now I have no escape. No shortcut. No miracle necklace.

I’m trapped.

The only thing left for me in this world—from this moment onward—is survival.

Painfully earned. Carefully calculated.

I’ll need power.Protection.Influence.

Even if I hated them—even if they never wanted me—I’d have to win back every Hartgrave affection point one by one just to stay alive.

I thought Father would be the best pawn to use. With his wealth, influence, and the way one glare shut Arden’s mouth, he looked like the safest route.

But I remembered the moment at the auction entrance. How he entered the car where Sera sat.

Not mine.Hers.

He didn’t protect me. He pitied me. There’s a difference.

"If he truly felt guilty," I whispered to myself, "he would’ve gone with me. Not her."

Father is a pawn. But he’s not the best pawn. I need someone... radical. Someone whose affection isn’t based on rewritten memories or guilt or appearances.

Someone dangerous.

Someone who breaks the game. But for now—I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand.

Sat up.

Stared at the ceiling like I was challenging the gods themselves.

I’ll survive. Not because I want to—but because I refuse to die here. Until the end of the game...I will make sure to survive.

. . .

. . .

And then...a thought slithered into my mind. A horrifying, electrifying, brilliant thought.

My eyes widened.

"Wait..." My voice trembled—not with fear, but with dawning realization. "Until the game ends..."

My heart pounded once.Twice.

"...only when Sera ends up with Kael Valtore."

I sat up straight.Every part of my mind clicking into place.

The main lead. The final route. The true ending.

Kael Valtore + Sera Loraine = Game Clear.

Which means—The moment they end up together... The game ends.

And if the game ends—If the game ends—"...I can go home."

The words left me in a breathless whisper.

A lifeline.Thin.Fragile.

But a lifeline nonetheless.

I didn’t need the necklace. I needed to finish the story. I didn’t need affection. I needed Sera to end up with Kael.

My fingers curled around the sheets.

"If Sera wins Kael Valtore..." My voice was barely audible. "...then I win my freedom."

A slow, dangerous smile pulled at my lips. Looks like my objective has changed.

This time... I will orchestrate their happy ending. I have to make sure they end up together.

But one thing is certain—I will not die before this story ends.

I’ll make sure of it.