When I opened my eyes again, the world had restarted.
The familiar apartment surroundings gave me a slight sense of reality.
I propped myself up and saw that the wall of photos was still intact, and I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
My fingertips lightly caressed Orion's face, and he smiled at me so gently.
Suddenly, there was a loud collision at the entrance.
The door opened.
It was Nathaniel.
He must have run here. His hair was a mess.
Upon seeing me, he grabbed my wrist and questioned me,
"Who is he?"
"Elara, are you using me as a substitute?"
I smiled, unable to control myself as I traced the tear mole at the corner of his eye.
Nathaniel looks so much like Orion.
Even the position of this tear mole is the same.
Without getting an answer from me for a long time, the strength in Nathaniel's grip gradually increased, and his eyes reddened.
"Do you know?"
"At first, I really hated you."
"I hated how you schemed to get close to me, how you pretended to care about me."
"As players, do you even see me as a human being?"
"You weave a beautiful dream for me, trick me into falling in love with you, and then throw me away like garbage."
"And then you tell me it was all a lie."
He shook my shoulders forcefully.
I couldn't support myself, and my back was pressed against the wall.
"I originally thought you were different from them."
"Because no matter how I humiliated you, how I made things difficult for you—"
"Your eyes always held affection when you looked at me."
"So in the end, I almost fell in love with you."
His hands supported my sides, and his right hand clenched into a fist, slamming against the wall, his voice trembling.
"I thought you were dead, and I rushed into your house like a madman."
"Only to see... ha..."
He dragged me by the wrist, pushed open the bedroom door, pointed at the wall of photos, laughing uncontrollably, his eyes reddening. "Is it fun, Elara Soros?"
"Tell me, is it fun to toy with someone else's heart?"
"I really hate you."
"Because you're more despicable than they are."
I was pushed to the ground, the cold tiles scraping my palms.
Blood dripped down, staining the floor.
It hurt.
But I couldn't cry anymore.
"Tell me, who are you looking at through my face?"
I slowly propped myself up, looking up into his eyes and answered deliberately,
"My lover."
He was suddenly speechless.
His face was pale, and his eyelashes trembled uncontrollably.
"Fine, you're so great."
He slowly turned away, wiping his eyes, and when he faced me again, he was filled with hostility.
He grabbed my throat.
"Since that's the case."
"I'll kill you, so you can join him."
"How about that?"
I closed my eyes, not resisting, letting him tighten his grip on my throat.
"Cough... cough..."
"In fact, I should have died a long time ago."
"I should have died in the car accident, but it was the system..."
"...that sacrificed itself to allow me to be reborn."
Nathaniel didn't say anything, only gritted his teeth as he looked at me.
That look was terrifying, as if he wanted to tear me apart.
I thought, I might betray the system.
Nathaniel really hates me.
My chest felt tight, my throat hoarse, and I gradually couldn't make a sound.
I found it hard to breathe, suffocating.
Suddenly, the hand released me.
Nathaniel gripped my chin, speaking in a very faint voice, laced with icy coldness,
"I suddenly changed my mind."
"Letting you die so easily is no fun."
"Better to keep you by my side and let you witness your own death, OK?"
