Chapter 25
When Rue Monroe pushed open the door to her apartment, she found her brother, Silas, curled up on the couch, glued to his PlayStation controller.
He didn’t even look up. “You’re back? How was Seabrook? Fun trip?”
Rue rolled her suitcase against the wall and walked over to him, plucking the controller from his hands mid-battle.
“Hey!” Silas yelped as his on-screen character was instantly obliterated by the boss monster. He groaned, flopping back onto the cushions. “Rude. What the hell, Rue?”
She crouched beside him, her eyes dead serious. “Don’t let Julian Carter step foot in your office again.”
Silas sat up straighter, narrowing his eyes. “Did he do something to you?”
Rue looked away. “Not exactly. But he’s not someone you want to be associated with. Just trust me.”
Silas studied her for a second, then reached out and ruffled her hair. “Alright. I’ll blacklist him first thing tomorrow.”
She smiled in relief, standing up to leave, but he caught her wrist.
“If you’re bottling something up, Rue… you gotta tell me.”
His tone had shifted. Serious. Protective.
“You’re all I’ve got. When your heart stopped six months ago, I thought I was gonna lose you forever. But you made it back. And I promised myself that day—whatever happens, I’ve got your back. Always.”
Her throat tightened. She turned and squeezed his hand. “I know, Silas. I really do.”
Silas had always spoiled her, the only family she had. So when she asked something of him, he never hesitated.
The next evening, Rue walked up the steps of her building with a bag of groceries and spotted Julian waiting by the front entrance.
His suit was wrinkled, his jaw shadowed with stubble, and his voice was hoarse as sandpaper.
“So I’m not even allowed to sneak a glance at you through your brother’s office window anymore?”
Rue immediately took a step back, her eyes sharp. “Mr. Carter, stalking is a felony.”
He raised his hand, like he wanted to touch her, then hesitated and froze when she recoiled.
“I’m not stalking you. I just… wanted to see you.”
She didn’t budge. “There’s nothing to see, and nothing to say. If you’re here to put on a performance about how regret is eating you alive—don’t bother.”
She shifted the grocery bag into her other hand.
“I feel nothing for you now. If I had to describe how I see you? You’re like a filthy old shirt I found at the bottom of a dumpster. Trash.”
Julian flinched like she’d slapped him. His eyes darkened with grief. “What if I said I regretted everything? That if I could—”
“Regret doesn’t guarantee someone will still be waiting around for you,” she snapped, swiping her keycard.
Just before the doors closed, she added over her shoulder, “Oh—and stop calling Silas. I’m pretty sure he already emailed you to terminate all future appointments.”
As the door sealed behind her, she could hear the muffled sound of a man breaking down, all that anguish finally catching up.
Back inside the apartment, Rue set the groceries on the counter—when a familiar electrical buzz echoed inside her head.
[Host.]
She didn’t flinch. Didn’t pause. She kept unloading eggs and milk like nothing happened.
Then a soft glow ignited on the bathroom mirror, followed by that cold, mechanical voice laced with static.
[You’re calmer than I expected.]
Rue let out a cold chuckle as she squeezed toothpaste onto her brush. “After experiencing what it feels like to be erased from existence? Yeah, kind of kills the thrill of everything else.”
The glowing orb flickered. [Aren’t you even curious how you came back?]
She shrugged. “Hit me.”
[Julian Carter’s obsession nearly crashed the entire world. That level of emotional distortion triggered a reboot.]
[As payment, I removed every last ounce of love you had for him.]
The System sounded smug, like it expected her to fall apart over the revelation.
Rue swirled the foam in her mouth, then spat. “So now I look at him like he’s just another pedestrian on the street? Cool. Saves me from the nausea.”
The orb glitched slightly—frustrated, maybe.
[But what if you had a second chance? A chance to do it all again—]
“Hard pass.”
Rue’s tone was steel. Final.
“Isla Monroe risked everything and still lost. Rue Monroe isn’t about to clean up that mess.”
