Affection Score: Absolute Zero

[Rowan did it? No shot. He's been at the hotel the whole time.]

[The timing makes zero sense. When would he even set up a kidnapping?]

[Has Heidi completely lost it?]

"Let go!" Pain shot through my wrist. "I haven't even seen Andy! I've been at the—"

"I really underestimated you." Her eyes burned. "Acting all heartbroken, then turning around and kidnapping Andy? You're disgusting."

"I didn't." I clenched my jaw.

I didn't know where she got the strength, but she shoved me onto the bed and leaned over me.

"I'm giving you one last chance. Where's Andy? What did you do to him?"

Her breath hit my face, sharp with barely controlled rage.

In six years, I'd never seen this side of Heidi.

The comments split instantly—

[Heidi's scary as hell...]

[If Rowan really kidnapped Andy, then he deserves this.]

[Look closer. Rowan didn't even have time to do it.]

[What if this is all a misunderstanding?]

"I said I don't know." I stared at her. "Have I ever lied to you in the last six years?"

Her pupils tightened.

For a split second, she hesitated.

"The last place Andy's phone pinged"—her eyes locked onto mine like a poisoned blade—"was the café you went to."

Cold spread through me.

A trap.

Someone set me up.

"It wasn't me. I didn't..." My voice started shaking.

"Enough!"

She shot to her feet and pulled out a folding knife.

Heidi grabbed my hand. The blade pressed against my wrist.

"Rowan." Her voice dropped terrifyingly low. "I know you hate Andy. Hate that he took me away from you. Even though I was never yours to begin with. But you do not get to touch him." Her grip tightened. "I'll ask one last time. Where is Andy?"

The blade cut into my skin. Bright blood spilled instantly.

Pain ripped through me like a live wire.

My vision blurred at the edges. I was seconds from blacking out.

The comments exploded—

[Heidi's actually insane.]

[I'm starting to feel bad for Rowan... He seriously looks clueless.]

[Rowan, just say something! Lie if you have to!]

I opened my mouth, but only broken breaths came out.

"I... didn't..."

Bright blood spread across the white sheets.

Heidi's hand stayed locked around my wrist like a vise.

The blade dug into flesh. Every heartbeat sent another wave of tearing pain through me.

"One last time." Her voice sounded far away. "Where's Andy?"

I tried to speak, but nothing came out.

My vision blurred. All I could see was her tight jaw and the almost-manic red in her eyes.

The comments flooded in—

[He's actually gonna die...]

[Heidi, let go! He'll bleed out!]

[Someone call the cops! This is assault!]

[Where's the System?! Why isn't it stopping this?!]

The System stayed silent.

Of course it did.

In a game like this, nobody cared if a side character lived or died.

I was just an NPC. An obstacle in the leads' romance. A disposable villain there to make the male lead look better.

But the pain was real.

Way too real.

"Still not talking?" Heidi pressed down harder.

I heard skin split, then felt another rush of warmth spill out.

Black spots flickered across my vision like static from an old TV.

Right when I thought I was about to die—

Her phone rang.

The second she saw the caller ID, her pupils tightened.

She answered immediately. "Andy?"