Chapter 3

The scariest part was that I knew the plot's influence was gone. My love for Harley was hollow, and Gaylord, never meant to be here, was never touched by the story.

These were their true feelings. I guess I really never belonged in this family.

My eyes stung with unshed tears, and my fists clenched tight.

Gaylord jumped in front of Ramona right away, his little body straight as a board, giving me a dirty look. "You old hag, don't even think about messing with Ramona again."

Father and son, like they rehearsed it—both moving together to protect the same woman.

My mind was in such a mess I couldn't think straight, and I couldn't even remember how I made it back home.

It was unbearable. I wished I could just drop dead right now rather than go through this torture.

Not being loved was cruel, but what was even more brutal was having love for a fleeting moment, only to have it ripped away.

"You seriously have the nerve to cry?" Harley snapped. "Scarlett, you brought this on yourself. If you'd bothered to look after Gaylord this morning, he wouldn't be sick right now."

Just as I was sobbing my voice raw, Harley came home. He didn't care how I was feeling and just tore into me the second he walked in.

Even the housekeeper got time off, but just because I missed breakfast duty once, I didn't even have the right to cry.

They were all acting like they were the ones suffering, but what about me? Am I not even human to them?

My silence just made Harley think I'd backed down, so he pounced, not letting up for a second.

"You better think hard," Harley sneered. "Where else do you have to go if not here?"

They all thought they had me wrapped around their finger, giving me the silent treatment, trying to bully me into apologizing and caving in.

I spent the whole night just staring blankly at the ceiling, and when morning finally came, I hauled myself to the hospital, dead on my feet.

Even though Gaylord didn't love me or couldn't stand the sight of me, he was still my son. The last thing I wanted was for anything to happen to him, and what scared me even more was him suffering or being hurt.

But when I got there, the bed was empty. The only thing left was the nurse's complicated look—her expression said it all.

Panic washed over me. I was frantic, grabbing the nurse's collar like a mess, my voice trembling. "Where's my son? Did something happen? Who took him away?"

The nurse seemed a bit at a loss. With how busy things were, there was no way she could keep tabs on every single patient, so of course, she had no clue when Gaylord slipped out.

All she could tell me was that he hadn't officially checked out, and someone had spotted him heading out alone.

I was terrified, slumping to the ground as I kept calling his phone again and again, desperate for an answer.

Gaylord had his own phone—he'd been spoiled since day one, and the moment he learned to read, he was allowed to have his own.

But no matter how many times I called, nobody picked up. All I got was that cold, automated voice telling me to leave a message, and with every call, my hope just drained away.

I rushed straight out of the hospital without a second thought. If Gaylord was really angry, Harley would definitely know where he went.

But when I finally made it to his company, Harley was nowhere to be seen.

He'd taken the day off, claiming it was because Gaylord was sick. But the hospital told me they hadn't seen him at all.

I was completely overwhelmed, not knowing what to do or where to turn.

Ever since I found myself trapped in this story, I'd never hit rock bottom like this.

Even back when I trekked through the jungle searching for Harley, there was still a glimmer of hope in me.

But now, it felt like my whole world had collapsed. After just one night, everything I had was gone.

Just then, my phone chimed.

My hands were shaking as I unlocked it, and the first thing I saw was Ramona's post at the top of my feed.

She'd written: [Welcome to the new game. Let's see if you can actually save the kid this time.]

I knew right away—she was talking about Gaylord. She'd dragged him into that same jungle where I'd once searched for Harley.

My brain was fried, totally blanking out for ages. I just couldn't process anything.

When I went to rescue Harley, I nearly lost my life in that wild jungle.

He went through the same hell. After Ramona ditched him, he didn't even think twice before heading into that empty wilderness.

She said if he could catch the most breathtaking sunrise on that mountain, she'd take him back.

I spent two whole days and nights climbing, and finally found Harley slumped by a muddy creek.

He was so dehydrated he'd lost all will to survive. I was bawling my eyes out as I tried to carry him on my back, stumbling once, then again, and ended up with my head busted and bleeding all over.

But honestly, the one who really got screwed wasn't the lovesick second lead; it was me, the real sucker who thought I could save the poor, tragic guy.

By the time I made it back to the jungle, it was already afternoon. I was lugging gear that was nearly as tall as I was, each step firm, no hesitation as I walked in.

There was no way to know if Ramona was telling the truth, but I couldn't gamble on that. Gaylord was the son I nearly died giving birth to. I wasn't about to let anything happen to him.

This time, I knew my way around the jungle, so I managed to avoid a lot of the dangers I'd run into before.

As the moon kept rising overhead, I was so wiped out I just sat down among the trees, too tired to go on.

The forest at night was the most dangerous place—packed with threats hiding in the shadows, ones I couldn't even spot.

I tried to stay calm, kept calling Harley and Gaylord as I lit a torch, fighting to keep it together.

But I was still way too confident in myself.

The moment I lit the torch, a snake bit me. Everything started spinning, and my body went limp.

Right then, I could literally feel death breathing down my neck.

The most ironic part? The call finally connected, and I could hear Gaylord and Ramona laughing and playing together on the other end. They were perfectly safe, just hanging out like nothing was wrong.

All that panic and desperation—for nothing. Turned out I was the one about to kick the bucket out here. Seriously, what an idiot.

Just before I passed out, the system that had been gone for so long suddenly reappeared. It let out a low sigh and saved my life at the last second. [Host, you can go home now!]

With that quiet sigh from the system, I could feel my life draining away, my body getting weaker and weaker, everything fading out.

"Doctor, how's my wife? Is she going to be okay?"

With all the noise around, I blinked and caught sight of Gaylord, huddled in the corner.

He wasn't his usual calm self, his eyes wide open, hanging on every word the doctor said.

Ramona was there too, looking scared out of her mind, constantly asking Harley questions, "What if Scarlett gets mad?

"I really had no idea she'd go there. I only posted that for Gaylord to see, you know we were just playing a game."