Chapter 2
Kara was the original female lead of the novel, Vincent's official love interest, his destined first love.
She wore a white dress, her long hair draped over her shoulders, and her expression showed the right touch of worry as she looked at us.
The System's cold voice chimed in right on cue. [Here comes the main heroine.
[Task activation conditions met.
[New side quest: Start a romantic relationship with Vincent Warner.]
I closed my eyes.
There it was, the familiar drill.
First, I would confess my feelings. Then, we started dating. And when he was head over heels, I would break his heart without mercy.
I glanced at Kara's worried eyes, then at Vincent's intense side profile.
I felt sorry for Kara. One last time, I was borrowing Vincent from her.
I took a deep breath, lifted my other hand, and rested it gently on Vincent's.
I looked up at him with a dazzling smile. "Vincent, I wasn't avoiding you.
"I was trying to figure out how to tell you how I feel for you."
The whole place went dead silent.
Everyone's eyes were glued to us, shock, disbelief, and stunned looks all around.
Kara's face went ghostly pale in an instant.
Vincent froze, too. His grip on me loosened a little, and the madness in his eyes faded. He looked at me like he couldn't believe it.
Facing everyone's stares, I spoke out, loud and clear, "Vincent, I like you. Let's be together, okay?"
This was my hundredth confession to him.
But this time, he didn't react like he did the previous ninety-nine times.
He showed no surprise, no shock, and no ecstatic acceptance.
He locked his gaze on me, eyes filled with doubt and suspicion. "Why?
"Why now? And why in front of Kara?"
His gaze swept over Kara with coldness in his eyes that I couldn't quite read.
I wished I could tell him it was the System's mission. I wished he could play along. Once we broke up, this whole thing would be over.
My smile was about to crack.
"Because... because I was jealous," I blurted out, making things up as I went.
Vincent let out a cold laugh, not buying it.
He suddenly grabbed me, pulled me away from the crowd, and marched me straight to the grove behind the school building.
With a loud thud, he pinned me against the wall, his tall figure looming over me, shutting out everything else.
"Lucille." He leaned in, his warm breath tickling my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. "What game are you playing?"
It was the same familiar corner, the same familiar pose.
But now, there wasn't a trace of joy in his eyes, only cold scrutiny and heavy wariness.
Ninety-nine times of hurt had finally left their mark.
"I'm not playing games," I said, doing my best to sound sincere. "I do like you, Vincent. I mean it."
"You like me?" Vincent said, as if he'd heard the funniest joke ever.
He let out a low laugh, his chest shaking. He couldn't believe it.
"You like me, so you keep doing this again and again..." He stopped halfway, cutting himself off.
His brows furrowed hard, pain and confusion flashing across his face.
Again and again? I wondered if he had remembered something.
I held my breath, my heart pounding with anxiety.
Vincent looked like he was trying to grab hold of some fleeting memory, but it slipped away before he could grasp it.
In the end, he gave up, his eyes almost desperate as he looked at me.
"Don't leave me again, okay?" Vincent said.
There was a subtle tremor in his voice, a pleading tone that was hard to miss.
"I don't know why, but I keep feeling like you're going to disappear," Vincent said.
It felt like needles were stabbing my heart, the pain sharp and relentless.
He'd forgotten everything else, but the fear of being abandoned was all that remained.
My heart ached for Vincent, hoping he could pull himself together.
I raised my hand, wanting to push him away and tell him that none of this was real.
But as soon as my palm touched his warm chest, all my strength vanished.
He must've thought my hesitation meant I was giving in. His grip on my arms loosened, then slid around my waist, pulling me into his embrace.
His chin pressed against the top of my head, and he breathed me in, greedy for every bit of me.
"Lucy, promise me," Vincent whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
He called me Lucy.
It had been ages since he'd called me that.
Since the tenth time, he'd stubbornly called me Lucille, as if saying it out loud could somehow anchor the lover who always vanished in reality.
My mind was screaming. [Push him away. Finish the mission and go home.]
But my feelings were like tangled vines, wrapping around me, refusing to let go.
I stiffened in his embrace, and for the first time, this mission I'd done a hundred times felt impossible.
The System: [Warning! Target's emotional state is fluctuating abnormally. Worldline collapse threshold is now at 60%.]
The system's warning hit me like getting drenched in cold water, snapping me back to reality.
I shoved him away, hard. "Vincent, please calm down."