Ch. 57
After class Selene stepped into the parking lot, still lost in her thoughts. Ethan, ever observant, saw her and immediately fell into step beside her.
"Selene! You look like you could use a break," he said casually, opening the passenger door.
"Want a ride home?"
Selene hesitated for a fraction of a second, then nodded.
"Sure."
The car hummed to life, tires crunching over the icy patches of the road. They drove in a companionable silence for a while, the city gradually fading behind them.
Ethan broke the quiet first.
"So, who do you think will survive the physics test tomorrow? The poor souls sitting at the back or the ones dozing off in the front row?" he teased.
"Honestly? The ones dozing. They might be dreaming up answers." Selene allowed a small smirk.
He chuckled, glancing at her.
"You always stay so calm, even when things are... not-so-calming. I mean, I'd probably be panicking if I were in your shoes."
Selene's lips twitched, but she looked straight ahead, thoughtful.
"Experience."
Ethan nodded, a soft smile playing on his lips. "Yeah... that sounds like you."
They rounded a curve and came to a sudden halt. Red brake lights flashed ahead a minor accident had caused a jam near the bridge. Horns honked, drivers muttered, and steam rose from exhaust pipes in the cold.
"Well," Ethan said, pretending to look serious, "looks like we're stuck in an archery training ground. Cars as targets. Hit the wrong one, and it's a critical fail."
Selene raised an eyebrow, but the corner of her mouth twitched.
"You're ridiculous."
"I know," he replied solemnly, "but that's why I'm perfect for this mission. You just watch and learn, soldier Valen."
Selene couldn't help the faint laugh that escaped her.
"I should report you for unsafe instructions."
"Too late," he said, leaning back in his seat, "I've already been promoted to chief instructor. Your laughter counts as mission success."
The teasing continued, light and gentle, filling the car with warmth despite the cold air outside. Selene's thoughts occasionally drifted back to Liana, but she also found herself noticing the small things. Ethan's easy confidence, his patient tone, the way he made the mundane feel less heavy.
"Even when you seem down," Ethan said quietly after a moment, "you carry yourself like... I don't know, like nothing can really shake you. It's... admirable."
Selene felt a small warmth bloom in her chest. She didn't have romantic feelings for him... at least, not like that. But she appreciated his kindness, his steady presence, his character. She glanced at him briefly, and a faint smile tugged at her lips.
"Thank you..."
This male lead is not what I think he is.
Suddenly, a figure darted across the street ahead. Ethan slammed the brakes just in time.
"Whoa!" he shouted, his heart skipping a beat.
Selene's eyes widened as the figure tumbled onto the asphalt. An old man, wearing a hospital gown, sprawled awkwardly across the snow-speckled road. His arms flailed slightly, and his face was pale under the streetlights.
"Shit!" Selene exclaimed, immediately unbuckling her seatbelt.
Ethan jumped out before she could, moving quickly toward the man. Selene followed, her movements calm but deliberate, scanning the scene like she always did.
"Are you okay, sir?" Ethan called as he crouched beside him.
The old man didn't respond. He seemed frozen, as if still processing what had happened. His hospital gown flapped loosely in the wind, giving Selene an instant clue.
"He's a patient," she said softly, noting the design of the gown from the pattern, the fit, even the ID tag barely visible at the neck.
"That's a hospital gown. I think he was trying to escape... or run from someone."
Ethan frowned, his protective instincts kicking in.
"We should get him back safely. To a hospital, maybe?"
"Exactly,"
Selene held one of his arms gently, guiding him upright with Ethan's help. The old man's breathing was shallow, his eyes darting around like a frightened animal. His lips moved, but no sound came out.
"It's okay," Selene said in a calm, steady voice.
"You're safe now. We'll help you."
Ethan nodded, glancing around the quiet street.
"No one else is here... weird. Shouldn't a nurse or attendant be chasing after him if he escaped?"
Selene didn't answer immediately.
Something felt wrong.
The way the old man trembled.
The way he kept glancing over his shoulder.
As if expecting someone — or something — to appear.
"Let's get him into the car first," she whispered.
Ethan agreed.
Together, they guided the man into the backseat. He offered no resistance, only gripping the seat tightly once inside, his knuckles white. Ethan got behind the wheel while Selene stayed turned toward the back, studying the old man carefully.
"Sir," she said gently, "can you tell us where you came from?"
The old man's lips parted. A faint, hoarse whisper escaped.
"...don't... let them..."
Selene's heart skipped.
"Let who?" she asked quietly.
But he only shook his head desperately — eyes wide, like he'd seen something no one should ever see. He looked terrified, but trapped inside his own mind.
Ethan met Selene's gaze through the mirror.
"We need to bring him to the nearest hospital fast."
"St. Seraphin Medical Center. His gown pattern matches theirs. It's fifteen minutes from here."
"You figured that out... from the gown?" Ethan blinked.
"I notice things." Selene shrugged faintly.
But inside, something twisted.
St. Seraphin was the same hospital Liana was rumored to be in. The same place Selene desperately wanted to visit.
As Ethan drove, the old man suddenly leaned forward, grabbing Selene's wrist with surprising strength.
Selene froze.
His eyes — wide, glassy, terrified — locked onto hers.
"Don't trust... help her—"
His voice cracked, the rest lost as his body convulsed once.
"Sir?!" Selene immediately steadied him, her calm voice returning.
"Sir, breathe. You're okay. You're safe."
Ethan's grip tightened on the steering wheel.
"What is happening today...?" Ethan murmured.
Selene didn't answer.
This day felt wrong.
Too many strange coincidences.
Now this old man appearing out of nowhere — terrified, running, warning them of something he couldn't even finish saying.
Selene swallowed hard.
"Ethan..." she said softly.
"Hm?"
"Drive faster."
Ethan didn't question it. He pressed down on the pedal, the car speeding through the snowy street as the hospital lights slowly came into view.
Selene and Ethan quickly helped the old man out into Ethan's car, he was still pale and trembling, barely able to focus.
As they rushed the man inside, nurses and doctors immediately noticed the urgency, stepping out to intercept.
"Thank you! Thank you so much for bringing him back!" a nurse exclaimed, guiding the old man carefully onto a wheelchair.
The man resisted slightly, gripping Ethan's and Selene's hands with surprising strength despite his frailty.
"No... don't..." he whispered shakily, looking around wildly.
Selene crouched next to him, speaking softly.
"It's okay, sir. You're safe now. Let them help you."
The staff, sensing her calm and authoritative presence, nodded quickly and accommodated him with minimal resistance. They maneuvered the wheelchair down the hall toward a private room, the old man still muttering fragments of words Selene barely caught:
"L... Li...ana"
Ethan stepped back, wiping sweat from his forehead. He glanced at Selene, expecting her to relax after the ordeal—but instead, she seemed tense, her brow furrowed as she watched the old man disappear behind the sliding doors.
That's when Ethan noticed it — a faint trickle of blood running down her forearm.
"Selene..." he murmured, pointing subtly.
"You have a cut."
Selene looked down and finally realized the faint red mark on her arm. Her eyes widened slightly, then she winced.
"Ah... he must've scratched me when I was holding him. I didn't notice."
Ethan's expression softened, but he kept his teasing edge.
"You know, next time we're rescuing people, maybe with gloves?"
Selene gave a dry smile, already pressing her palm to her arm.
"Noted. Should we tell the nurse?"
Ethan nodded and guided her gently toward the nurse who had initially thanked them. The nurse examined the small scratch, nodding with professional calm.
"Nothing serious," she said. "We'll disinfect it right away and put a bandage on. Thank you both again for bringing him in quickly. Timing was critical."
Selene allowed the nurse to clean and dress the cut, still scanning the corridor with a subtle unease. Something about how quickly the staff reacted, how urgently the old man had been whisked away... it didn't feel like a normal emergency.
Her mind raced.
Why were they so eager? Why did the old man resist so much? And why did he whisper that name... Liana?
Ethan noticed her tense gaze. He placed a reassuring hand lightly on her shoulder.
"Hey... you did everything right. Let the professionals handle the rest."
Selene exhaled slowly, trying to calm the uneasy flutter in her chest. But deep down, a chilling realization was settling in — she couldn't shake the feeling that Liana was somehow tied into it.
She glanced at Ethan, who was still scanning the hall.
"Ethan, I think... I need your help."
Her voice was low, urgent enough that Ethan straightened instantly.
"Huh? What for?" he asked, clearly confused.
Selene didn't bother explaining. She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the far corner of the hallway, away from the bustling nurses, doctors, and frantic footsteps echoing through the hospital.
"Selene? What's going on?"
But Selene wasn't hearing him anymore.
Because in that moment, everything makes sense.
Her mind spun, her heartbeat pounding in her ears.
She had been living inside this world—this novel—for months now, forgetting crucial things, adjusting too well to the daily routine.
She almost tricked herself into believing it was just a romance story, that she was safe as long as she avoided the heroine and the original plot.
But she forgot something dangerous.
Something essential.
Two genres.
Two paths.
Selene swallowed hard, her throat tightening.
As per the epilogue she had accidentally skimmed, the original Selene died not only because she was a villainess. There were darker events trailing behind her story—events she tried to ignore.
But now?
The eerie feeling she'd been sensing around Ethan...
The strange events beginning the moment Liana's suicide...
The old man...
The staff's unsettling reaction...
All those signs finally connected in her head like puzzle pieces clicking together.
Shit.
So, the plot wasn't just passively unfolding.
It was dragging her in.
"H-hey, Selene?" Ethan tried again. "You're pale. Are you okay?"
She looked up at him, her expression guarded, breath unsteady.
Selene realized something terrifying:
No matter how much she changed the original Selene's personality...
No matter how carefully she avoided the heroine...
She couldn't run from the fate of the world she was in.
The mystery was part of the story.
And the story was beginning to pull its cast into position.
And Ethan—Ethan, the male lead—was the strongest piece on the board.
A walking halo of plot armor.
If something big was about to happen, he would be at the center of it.
And if she stayed near him...
She would be dragged into that danger too.
Selene clenched her jaw.
Damn it.
I guess there's no way for me to escape the plot after all.
I might have rewritten the villainess Selene into someone new...
But I couldn't rewrite the destiny of the novel itself.
For the first time, Selene understood the power of the novel.
This wasn't just about her rescuing someone.
This wasn't an isolated incident.
This was the opening thread of the mystery arc she never finished reading.
A plot she wasn't prepared to face.
A plot she couldn't escape anymore.
And she exhaled shakily.
"Ethan... I think something is very, very wrong."