I opened the door to see my ‘mom’ standing in the kitchen, washing dishes.

  Why are there always dirty dishes?

  I watched her for a second, my brow furrowing. Something felt… off.

  Her hair.

  Didn’t she have a different hair color?

  I frowned, but my exhaustion drowned out the thought before I could question it further. Whatever. I just need to sleep.

  I walked past her, feeling her gaze on me as I headed toward my room. The floor creaked under my feet, the weight of the night pressing down on me. Alan. My sister. The whirlwind of emotions I barely had time to process.

  I collapsed onto my bed, staring at the ceiling, thoughts tumbling over each other until—

  Darkness.

  For the first time in a while, I felt like… maybe things would be okay.

  I woke up to my ‘mom’ barging into my room, her voice piercing through my haze of sleep.

  “Honey, time to get up! You don’t want your girlfriends waiting today, right?”

  I sat up, rubbing my eyes.

  Didn’t she say that last time?

  A chill ran down my spine. Something about the way she spoke—too cheerful, too rehearsed—made my stomach twist.

  I got up, forcing myself to shake it off, and walked to the dining room. Sitting on the table was a plate of food.

  Jello. And eggs.

  I blinked. What kind of breakfast is that?

  “Oh honey, sorry about breakfast today,” she said with an awkward chuckle. “We ran out of food, so that’s all I could make for you.”

  I stared at the pathetic excuse for a meal, my appetite vanishing. Something isn’t right.

  Before I could dwell on it, a weak car horn sounded from outside. I glanced out the window and saw my friend’s familiar beat-up car waiting in front of the house.

  Perfect timing.

  Grabbing my backpack and slipping on my shoes, I bolted for the door before my ‘mom’ could say anything else.

  I slid into the passenger seat with a sigh.

  “Hey dude! Ready for another day of hell at school?” My friend smirked before adding, “Kidding. Kind of.”

  I exhaled, shaking my head. “Yeah… hey, has my mom always been this weird? She’s been acting more off every day. I have a bad feeling.”

  At that, his expression shifted. His usual playful demeanor faded, and his grip on the steering wheel tightened.

  “Your mom…” he muttered, staring straight ahead. “She isn’t really herself. She’s more like… out of it, if you know what I mean.”

  I turned to look at him.

  He wasn’t sad.

  He was angry.

  A strange unease settled in my chest. “…Okay. That makes sense.”

  Neither of us spoke for the rest of the drive.

  The second I stepped out of the car and onto school grounds, I felt it.

  Eyes on me.

  I scanned my surroundings, but nothing seemed out of place. Just students shuffling to class, voices mixing into an indistinct hum.

  I shook off the paranoia, but my friend didn’t seem convinced.

  “Hey dude,” he said, voice low, “just… be careful, alright? You know how much I care about you.”

  That tone again. Serious. Different.

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  I met his gaze. “Yeah. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

  He didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t push. With a final glance, he drove off.

  As I walked down the hallway, my mind still clouded with unease, I accidentally bumped into someone.

  “O-oh, sorry, man! I didn’t mean to—”

  I stopped mid-sentence.

  The guy I had run into turned slowly to face me.

  Short black hair. Hazel eyes. A sharp suit and tie. Not black and gold, though.

  Something about him felt… wrong.

  He studied me for a moment before a small, knowing smile formed on his lips.

  “Don’t worry about it, Kael.”

  My breath hitched.

  He knows my name?

  He took a step back, eyes glinting with something unreadable.

  “It’s okay. We’ll bump into each other again soon enough.”

  And just like that, he walked away.

  I turned to watch him disappear into the crowd.

  Wait.

  I looked around.

  That was the only other guy I’d seen in this school.

  …Who the hell is he?

  I reached the door of my first class and spotted Anna waiting for me, her eyes lighting up the moment she saw me.

  "Hey, cutie. Did you miss me?" she teased, leaning in close.

  To be honest, I hadn’t. But I played along. "Yeah, of course I did."

  She beamed, her entire face lighting up like I had just confessed my undying love. "Really?! Oh baby, I love you so much!"

  Before I could react, she threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around me in a death grip.

  I could barely breathe.

  "Okay… let me go," I choked out.

  She finally released me, stepping back with an apologetic smile, her cheeks flushed. "Oops! Sorry! I lost control for a second."

  "It's fine. You’re just… showing how happy you are." I forced a smile.

  The thing about this game—I had learned the hard way that falling for these girls was dangerous. If they got too attached, they'd turn possessive. If they got too possessive, they might kill each other… or me. This wasn’t a love story. It was a time bomb. One wrong move, one mistake, and boom.

  Class was the same as always—hearts, flowers, beautiful girls everywhere. The teacher passed out ‘review papers’ like we weren’t all trapped in a twisted dating sim. Then, of course, the usual: Anna and Serenity bickering, me stepping in to keep it from turning into a bloodbath.

  But today was different.

  I had to break up with one of them.

  If I didn’t, I wouldn’t make progress.

  I told Serenity to meet me in the schoolyard. No more stalling.

  I sat on a bench, fingers laced together, heart hammering against my ribs. I didn’t want to do this. But I had to.

  Serenity arrived, her bright eyes shining with anticipation. "You wanted to talk?" she asked, rocking on her heels like an excited child.

  I took a breath. "Yeah, it’s about us."

  Her face lit up instantly. "Oh! It’s about your confession, right?! Baby, I love you too! You don’t know how much I’ve been waiting for this moment!"

  I swallowed hard and shook my head. "No, Serenity. It’s… about us breaking up."

  Silence.

  Her expression didn’t shift at first—like her brain hadn’t registered the words. Then, slowly, her smile faded.

  "What?" Her voice was quiet. Too quiet.

  I forced a weak chuckle, rubbing the back of my neck. "Yeah… I just feel like I need to focus on myself, you know? I can’t have three girls clinging to me all day."

  Her eyes flickered with something unreadable. Then she grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly.

  "You don’t have to choose them," she whispered, desperation leaking into her voice. "You just have to choose me."

  I hesitated.

  She clung to me now, her grip tightening. "I love you, Kael. I’ll be whatever you need me to be. I’ll change. Just… don’t do this."

  Shit.

  "Serenity—"

  Tears welled in her eyes. "I need you," she choked out. "Please. I can’t—I won’t lose you."

  Her voice trembled, her entire body shaking. Then, her breath hitched as she whispered:

  "If you leave me… I’ll kill myself."

  My stomach twisted into knots.

  She meant it.

  I knew this was the game manipulating her emotions, twisting her into something broken and desperate. But that didn’t make this any easier.

  I steeled myself. "Serenity, listen to me. This isn’t healthy. Love isn't about—"

  She suddenly let go of my hand, her expression shifting into something unreadable. Her voice dropped to a whisper.

  "No. I won’t let you."

  I tensed. "What did you just say?"

  She looked up at me, eyes hollow. "I won’t let you do this. Either you stay with me… or I’ll have no choice but to kill you."

  I felt my stomach drop.

  Oh, come on, game. Just once, can I get a normal breakup?

  I clenched my fists, my mind racing. I had to end this. If I didn’t, I’d never escape.

  Then she pulled out a knife.

  My reflection gleamed off the blade. My breath caught. For a split second, I saw someone else—Danel. The moment I killed him. The moment I snapped.

  Pride. Arrogance. A part of me that had deserved to die.

  She lunged.

  I barely dodged.

  "I won’t let you leave me!" she screamed.

  I exhaled sharply. Focus. This was nothing. Just breathe.

  I rushed forward and drove my fist into her face. She hit the ground hard but scrambled back up, her grip on the knife tightening.

  "You don’t have to do this!" I shouted. "Life doesn’t always go the way you want! It’s going to knock you down, break you apart, but you can’t lose yourself like this—"

  I froze.

  Something—no, someone—grabbed my arm.

  A hand.

  I had no time to react before the blade plunged into my stomach.

  A sharp, searing pain erupted through me.

  I gasped, but no sound came out. My body locked up. My legs buckled. I collapsed onto the ground, clutching my gut as blood spilled between my fingers.

  A low chuckle echoed above me.

  "Oh, Kael," a voice mocked. "You really thought you were in control?"

  My vision blurred. That voice—who was it?

  A slow, deliberate step. Then another. A figure loomed over me, sneering.

  "Man, you really are predictable," they continued, their tone dripping with amusement. "I knew you’d try to be the hero. Give the little speech. Try to fix her. But guess what?"

  They crouched down, their breath hot against my ear.

  "You’re the one who’s broken."

  My fingers twitched, but I couldn’t move.

  "Like you said… life doesn’t always go the way you want." A cold chuckle. "So, just like how you killed Pride, I’m going to show you who’s really in control."

  Their laughter sent ice down my spine.

  This wasn’t the Overseer. It wasn’t Mia.

  This was someone new.

  Serenity dropped the knife, staring at her bloodstained hands in horror.

  "I—I didn’t mean to—I…" She fell to her knees, sobbing.

  And just like that… I was dead.

  For the eleventh time.

  All the confidence, all the determination I had built up—gone.

  I was just my pathetic self again.