Chapter 568: Changed Fate
’So many people have already changed their fates...’
’Why should I remain that pathetic female lead... the one who only suffers and waits to be saved?’
Her fingers twitched weakly against the rough hospital sheet.
’I don’t want that anymore... I just... want peace... I want one more chance... to do things differently...’
Her eyes slowly drifted shut, her expression serene, as if she had already accepted everything.
The system fell completely silent.
Then, in a low, almost detached voice, it announced...
[System synchronization failed... Host life signal... lost. Plot deviation... irreversible. Player 598... terminated.]
That very night, a biting winter wind howled faintly outside, pressing cold shadows against the windows.
In his room, Theodore slept soundly beneath thick covers, the heater humming softly in the background.
Then suddenly... His breath hitched.
At first, it was subtle, like a faint pressure against his throat.
He shifted slightly, frowning in his sleep. ’What... is this...?’
But the feeling worsened.
It was as if the air around his neck was being sucked away, leaving nothing but emptiness behind.
His chest tightened violently, each attempt to breathe becoming more shallow than the last.
His eyes snapped open. "Ghk!"
He tried to inhale, but no air came. Panic surged instantly.
He clawed at his throat, his nails scraping against his skin as his body jerked upright. The room suddenly felt too small, too sealed.
’I can’t breathe! I’m going to die!’
He thrashed wildly, his arm hitting the bedside lamp.
Crash!
The sharp sound shattered the silence as the lamp fell and broke, fragments scattering across the floor.
But no one came. The room was soundproof. The realization hit him like a death sentence.
’No one can hear me...!’
Desperation consumed him.
Stumbling out of bed, his legs weak and trembling, he dragged himself toward the door, each step heavier than the last as darkness crept into the edges of his vision.
By the time he reached the door, his fingers were numb.
He slammed his fist against it. Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Help!"
His voice came out hoarse, barely audible.
Summoning the last of his strength, he fumbled with the handle.
At that exact moment, Adriana happened to be passing by.
Hearing the frantic pounding, she rushed forward and unlocked the door fully with the master key.
The sight before her made her freeze.
"Theodore?!"
He had collapsed on the floor, his face pale, lips tinged blue, his chest heaving as if he were on the verge of his last breath.
"What happened to you?!"
Without wasting a second, she rushed to the windows and threw them open, letting the icy night air rush inside.
The cold wind cut through the room, but it brought with it life... oxygen.
"Take a deep breath! Slowly... slowly!"
Just as Theodore felt his consciousness slipping away... the suffocating pressure vanished.
Completely. As if it had never been there.
Air flooded back into his lungs, making him gasp violently.
"Hah! Hah!"
Adriana watched him closely, her own breathing uneven.
Seeing his color slowly return, she let out a shaky sigh of relief.
"What was that...? Why did you suddenly look like you were suffocating?"
Theodore took a long, trembling breath, his voice still weak.
"I... I don’t know ..."
He swallowed hard.
"It felt like... like someone was sitting on my chest... stopping me from breathing ..."
At those words, Adriana’s expression changed.
Her brows furrowed as she slowly turned her head, scanning the room with a wary, almost fearful gaze.
The air suddenly felt colder. Her heart began to pound. She grabbed Theodore’s hand tightly.
"If you want to live..."
Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Then go sleep in Lucas’s room tonight."
Theodore frowned at first. "What? Why?"
But when he saw her eyes. Wide awake, alert, searching every dark corner...a chill ran down his spine.
’Is there... something here...?’
He didn’t argue anymore.
"O-Okay..."
Moments later, Theodore slipped into Lucas’s room and quietly climbed onto the bed.
Lucas stirred slightly, sensing the movement, but didn’t open his eyes. It had become a habit.
Whenever Adriana or Olivia got scared, they would come here without hesitation.
Tonight was no different. Well... almost.
"Lucas...?"
Lucas muttered sleepily. "Go away... let me sleep ..."
Theodore immediately clung to him, wrapping his arms tightly around him like a lifeline.
"There’s no ghost... right?"
Lucas frowned, half-asleep. "Sleep..."
Theodore forced a small, nervous smile.
"Yeah... yeah... sleep ..."
Clinging tightly, he finally drifted off.
In his dream he saw Eleanor. Lifeless. Cold.
Then Mateo was dragged away, sentenced to prison.
And he himself is dying due to a mysterious reason.
He jolted slightly in his sleep.
By the time morning arrived, Theodore sat at the breakfast table, looking distant and pale.
Everyone noticed. Olivia tilted her head.
"What happened to you? You look like you ran into a horror movie."
Aurora glanced at him too, her gaze sharp, as if trying to see through him.
’Did something happen last night...?’
Theodore forced a small smile.
"It’s nothing... just a bad dream."
Then, as if remembering something, he looked at Olivia.
"Did you check the news about Mateo?"
Olivia frowned immediately.
"Why are you even bringing up that disgusting man?"
Theodore chuckled awkwardly. "I was just... curious."
Rolling her eyes, Olivia picked up her phone. "It’s been ringing since morning anyway ..."
As she opened the group chat, her expression suddenly froze. "What...?"
Her eyes widened as she quickly read the message.
Then she slowly looked up at Theodore.
"Did you... have some kind of dream about Matteo?"
Theodore’s heart skipped a beat. But he immediately shook his head. "No."
Olivia smirked slightly. "Really? Then how did you know?"
She lifted her phone. "He’s been sentenced to jail."
Silence fell instantly. Aurora’s eyes widened. So did Theodore’s.
After all...that was exactly what he had seen.
Olivia continued, her tone softening slightly. "And... Eleanor ..."
She hesitated. "She passed away."
The room went completely still. A heavy silence settled over everyone.
After all, they had met Eleanor before. She had been so cheerful... so full of life.
Who would have thought... that in just a year...she would be gone.
No one spoke.
They could only sit there, quietly, as the weight of the news pressed down on their hearts.
Even Olivia felt a quiet pang of pity, though she knew well how much Eleanor had hurt her.
’She really has the worst luck ever...’ Olivia thought, her fingers unconsciously tightening against her sleeve.
It was undeniable; Eleonora was talented, exceptionally so, but sometimes talent came with a cost that others could not see.
Taking a slow, steady breath, Olivia lifted her gaze toward everyone. Her voice was calm, but there was a subtle firmness beneath it.
"Let’s not dwell on this topic any longer. Why don’t we talk about something better?"
A murmur of agreement rippled through the group, and the tense air loosened just a little.
Amid the chatter, Aurora leaned back slightly, her eyes unfocused as she recalled her meeting with Lily.
When Aurora had asked Lily about the rich man’s daughter, Lily had arranged a private meeting the moment they arrived.
Inside the café’s secluded room, dimly lit with warm amber lights, Lily leaned forward, her voice lowered.
"I can tell you everything... the special references, the identity, even her secret identity. But you have to swear you won’t tell anyone."
Aurora had smiled faintly and nodded. "Alright, I swear."
But deep within, her thoughts were cold and detached. ’Swear? That is just your way to make sure that no one else destroy your plan.’
Unbeknownst to Lily, in the adjacent room, Spencer sat surrounded by a faint glow from multiple screens, his fingers moving rapidly.
The soft tapping of keys echoed like a quiet storm. He was attempting to breach Lily’s system.
Aurora herself had never encountered Lily’s system before, but she knew one thing... if Lily possessed one, it would undoubtedly involve some form of electromagnetic energy.
’If that’s true... then direct interference won’t work. You’d need to destabilize it indirectly ...’
And that was exactly what Spencer was attempting.
He focused intensely, his eyes reflecting lines of code. ’If I can sync with the energy emissions... I might be able to bridge into her network.’
At that exact moment, Lily, seated calmly across Aurora, suddenly felt a sharp, splitting headache. Her fingers twitched slightly against the table as a wave of dizziness passed through her.
’What... is this...?’
Yet she suppressed it, forcing a composed smile. After all, this was the first time Aurora had shown such interest in something she offered.
Her heart fluttered with excitement. ’Finally... it’s happening. She’s finally accepting it.’
Meanwhile, Aurora maintained her calm expression, though her mind was calculating every second.
She deliberately stretched the conversation, her tone casual. "By the way, how are you so close to the rich man’s daughter? Some of this information isn’t even available online."
Lily let out a soft, slightly nervous chuckle, her fingers brushing against her cup. "Well... it’s a long story. I’ll tell you when I have more time."
Aurora’s lips curved faintly. "Now that you’re already here talking about her, shouldn’t you at least tell me something?"