Their Golden Girl, My Graveyard

My terminal illness had a cure, or so the mysterious System promised: win the "absolute devotion" of my fiancé, Ethan Vanderbilt, in this staged American life.

But at the opulent Thanksgiving gala, Ethan raised his glass to another woman, publicly announcing our end and his future with Sophia Hayes, the golden girl who always won.

The System declared "Mission Failure," leaving me with nothing but a desperate desire to go home, even if it meant "dying" in this virtual world, which I tried twice, only to be stopped and accused by my former confidant Noah, and even my own brother Alex, both blindly siding with Sophia.

They believed Sophia's lies, subjecting me to public humiliation, brutal interrogations, and literal torture in a horrific attempt to expose her supposed kidnapping, a nightmare that intensified when Sophia reappeared unscathed, making me seem truly unhinged.

My body broken, my spirit crushed, Sophia then revealed her twisted game: she intended to keep me alive and tormented for a full year to steal my "System points," turning my cure into a prolonged, living hell.

How could everyone I once trusted turn against me so completely, believing the "heroine" who was methodically destroying my life for her own gain?

But as Sophia gloated over my paralyzed form, a spark ignited-my medical knowledge, a forgotten weapon, became my only hope against this monstrous betrayal, a last desperate play to reclaim my life, or at least my exit.

The System' s voice, cold and digital, echoed in my mind.

"Mission Failure. Final attempt. Target Ethan Vanderbilt: Absolute Devotion not achieved."

Twenty-one years. Twenty-one years in this gilded cage, this fake American life, all for nothing.

My real life, my real family, felt like a fading dream. The terminal illness waiting for me back there was a ticking clock.

This was supposed to be my cure.

Ethan Vanderbilt, my fiancé, stood across the opulent Vanderbilt Thanksgiving ballroom.

He raised his glass, his handsome face a mask of political charm.

"To new beginnings," he announced, his eyes finding Sophia Hayes in the crowd, not me. "To a future with Sophia."

The crowd applauded. My dismissal was a public spectacle.

Sophia, the golden girl, the designated "heroine" of this reality, smiled demurely. She had won. Again.

The System had rules. If I "died" here, I could go home. To my real home. To live out whatever time I had left.

The mission was a failure. There was nothing left here.

No money. No connections. No Ethan.

Just an empty guest house we once shared.

I slipped away from the gala, the laughter and music fading behind me.

The guest house was cold, filled with ghosts of a life that was never truly mine.

I found a strong rope in the old stables.

My hands didn't tremble. This was a release.

I stood on the chair, the rope secured.

This was my only way home.

Just as I kicked the chair away, the door burst open.

Noah Sterling.

His eyes, usually blazing with volatile genius, widened in something I couldn't read.

He moved fast, a blur cutting me down.

I coughed, gasping for air on the floor, the rope burns raw on my neck.

"What the hell, Ava?" Noah' s voice was harsh, laced with disgust.

He thought this was a game.

Sophia had probably fed him some story. She always did.

"Sophia told me you were unstable," he sneered, pulling me roughly to my feet. "Threatening to ruin her happiness after Ethan finally chose her. Is this your pathetic attempt to manipulate him?"

His words didn't matter.

He was just another obstacle.

He dragged me out of the guest house, his grip like iron.

"Get off Vanderbilt property," he ordered his security, who looked at me with pity and contempt.

They threw me onto the curb outside the massive gates.

The cold night air bit at my skin.

Home. I just wanted to go home.

The city' s main bridge wasn't far. The river below was dark and icy.

Perfect.

I ran.

My lungs burned as I sprinted towards the bridge, the sounds of the city a distant hum.

The wind whipped around me, cold and unforgiving, just like everyone in this damned world.

Noah thought I was playing games, trying to win back Ethan or make Sophia miserable.

He didn't understand. He couldn't.

He used to be my confidant, the one person who saw past the facades.

Years ago, I found him broken, a public failure. I nursed him, believed in him, helped him build his new empire in secret.

He had called me his anchor. Now he was just another captor.

The bridge loomed, a skeletal arch against the night sky.

The water below churned, a dark promise of oblivion.

Or, for me, a ticket home.

I didn't hesitate at the railing.

One deep breath, and I was falling.

The icy water was a shock, stealing my breath, dragging me down into the freezing blackness.

This was it.

Then, strong hands seized me, yanking me back towards the surface.

Noah. Again.

He hauled me onto the riverbank, his face contorted with fury.

"Are you insane?" he roared, his voice hoarse. Water streamed from his expensive clothes. "Another fake attempt? Trying to make Sophia feel guilty? Is that your new strategy?"

I lay there, shivering, too weak to fight, too cold to care.

"I want to die," I whispered, the words barely audible over my chattering teeth.

It was the simple truth.

He stared down at me, his expression unreadable for a moment before hardening again.

"You're resourceful, Ava. Always were. If you want drama, you'll get it, but not like this."

He pulled out his phone. "I'm taking you to Alex. He'll know how to handle your... theatrics."

Alex. My brother.

A new wave of cold, deeper than the river's chill, washed over me.

Noah bundled me into his car, the leather seats cold against my wet clothes.

He drove with a controlled anger, his knuckles white on the steering wheel.

"He won't believe you either, you know," Noah said, his voice flat. "Sophia already told him how you've been harassing her."

Of course, she had. Sophia never missed an opportunity.