Chapter 5: The Breaking Point

In the original story, the main girl had her own official pairing. Even when she met Tyler again, she only ever saw him as a friend.

So the system didn’t want me to send the little villain to Mia Harris. It wanted me to try to take him away from the main cast, help him grow outside the main storyline, and maybe save him from his tragic ending—

The plan was always to keep him safe, to give him a shot at happiness that wasn’t just a supporting role in someone else’s story.

But now, I think I’ve messed up.

Tyler still met the main girl early, and the two of them hit it off right away.

He was drawn to her like gravity. Nothing I did could change that.

The system started yelling in my ear.

“Snap out of it and reel Tyler back in, genius! You want him spiraling again?”

I winced, pinching the bridge of my nose, wishing I could mute the damn thing.

Oh, right, I should pull Tyler back, shouldn’t I?

I sighed. Bracing myself, I walked between him and Mia Harris and patted Tyler on the shoulder.

The awkwardness was thick as peanut butter. I forced a smile, my heart thumping in my ears.

I spoke carefully.

“Tyler, there you are. Let’s head home, okay?”

“I’ve been looking for you all afternoon. Dinner’s ready. Aren’t you hungry?”

I tried to sound casual, like this was just another Tuesday, not a desperate plea for him to stay alive.