Chapter 20
Sylvie nodded with a smile, simply following her heart.
“No!”
Soaked from head to toe, Soren grabbed Sylvie’s wrist. The sudden movement made her drop her wine glass, which shattered on the floor.
Lance jumped to his feet, his eyes burning with anger. “Let her go!”
But Soren’s gaze remained fixed on Sylvie. “Sylvie, I know the truth now. Zoe and I were just playing our parts in this story. The one I’ve always loved is you.”
Lance’s anger shifted to disbelief, then to pity for Soren. He grabbed Soren by the collar. “Have you lost your mind?”
Soren ignored him, focusing only on Sylvie. “Sylvie, the system told me everything. I’m sorry, and I’ll make it right. My feelings for Zoe were just part of the plot, but my love for you is real.”
Sylvie’s eyes flashed with disdain. “Soren, what makes you think I could ever love you again?”
Soren met her gaze without flinching. “You only left me because the plot forced you to. The system told me it’s no longer in the way, so there’s nothing stopping us now.”
Sylvie shook her head. “I left you because I gave up on us.”
She stepped closer to Lance and took his hand. “I loved you for 15 years, and for all that time, you pushed me away. Now that I’ve moved on and found happiness with someone else, you come back expecting me to continue loving you.”
As Soren’s face drained of color, a hint of sarcasm crossed Sylvie’s face. “Soren, I’m done loving you. Please walk away and stay out of my life for good.”
Seeing this, Lance released Soren. “Maybe I was just an outsider to you in the past, but now that she’s chosen me and become a part of my life, I can’t stay on the
sidelines anymore.”
His expression hardened. “This is the last time I’m asking you to leave. Things won’t end as easily if you interfere with our lives again.”
Lance took Sylvie’s hand and walked away with her.
Soren remained frozen. The warmth from Sylvie’s touch still lingered on his fingertips, but he could no longer remain by her side.
It hit him at last. When he’d abandoned Sylvie, leaving her bleeding on the ground while he’d carried Zoe away, Sylvie’s heart must have hurt just as much as his did
now.
Soren slowly sank to his knees. The shards of glass on the floor cut into his skin, drawing blood.
“Even if none of my actions came from the real me, the pain I caused you was real,” he mumbled, almost as if he couldn’t feel anything.
The tourists and waiters in the tavern stared at him in alarm. The waiter nearby kept checking on Soren, but the latter said nothing, his vacant stare fixed on the
floor.
“Sylvie, our next stop is Salronia,” Lance said, coming to a halt. “But i have a feeling you might not want to keep going.”
“I’m sorry, Lance.” Sylvie gave him a remorseful look. “I promised I’d spend the whole vacation with you.”
Lance smiled. “Let me invite you to my place instead. You can stay with my family for the rest of the vacation.” He pulled Sylvie closer, gently brushing his chin against her soft hair. “And don’t apologize. None of this is your fault.”
Sylvie closed her eyes and snuggled into Lance’s warm embrace, breathing in the faint scent of grass that clung to him.
“Still…” Lance hesitated before continuing, “Do you think that guy might be struggling with some mental health issues? He kept talking about some plot and a
system.”
Sylvie let out a laugh against his chest.
Lance joined in, laughing as the wind tousled his hair. “If that guy needs help, I can send him to a neurologist I know.”
“Lance.” Sylvie’s fingertips grazed his cheek, and he lowered his head to meet her eyes. “If the world we live in were really just a story someone created, and everything we did was controlled by someone else… would you still love me?”
Her fingers trembled slightly. Lance noticed her unease and gently took her fingers in his hand. He smiled and nuzzled his cheek into her palm.
“I don’t know if our world is real or just something someone invented. But one thing I know for sure is how fast my heart raced the first time I saw you.”
Lance held her gaze.
“When I saw you by Terenza Fountain, I knew I had to walk toward you. When I saw you crying at Grestoca Cafe, I knew I had to hold you. When I danced with you at Angelfall Castle, I knew it was the right moment to confess my feelings.”
His eyes softened, and a warm smile spread across his face. “Every single moment, every step I took toward you, I know without a doubt they were all my choice.”
Lance placed Sylvie’s hand over his chest, where his heart raced, as if to prove that none of this was a lie.
“I don’t care if the world is an illusion or our story has already been written. What matters is my love for you, right here, right now.”
