Tap. Tap. Tap.
The rain came down hard, pelting the pavement as I trudged home, my hoodie pulled tight over my head. My sneakers squelched with every step, soaked through. Great. Another thing to be pissed about today.
"Could this day get any worse?" I muttered, barely noticing the cold seeping through my clothes.
But whatever. I was too focused on my phone to care.
[Bound by Fate - Chapter 152]
Yeah, I was almost done. Just a few more paragraphs, and I could finally put this rollercoaster of a novel behind me. My thumb scrolled down, eyes locked on the screen as the story reached its climax.
[Alfio's body trembled as the flames crept closer. His vision blurred, but his heart still held onto hope. Riccardo would come. He had promised.]
My heart pounded a little harder.
"Come on, Rico. Save him," I mumbled under my breath, blinking away the raindrops blurring my screen.
[But when the door burst open… it wasn't for him.]
Wait. What?
["I'm sorry, Alfio," Riccardo's voice cracked, filled with anguish. "I have to save them first."]
I stopped dead in my tracks.
"...."
"…WHATTTT?" My voice barely escaped my lips, but the sinking feeling in my stomach told me I read it right.
[The flames roared higher as Alfio's vision dimmed. The last thing he saw… was Riccardo's back walking away. And then… nothing. Riccardo had to choose his duty over love. He thought he could save Alfio later, but it was already too late. The flames consumed everything.]
[The End.]
"No…no...no..." My thumb hovered over the screen, praying I had missed something.
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"You've GOT to be kidding me!" I shouted, the rain soaking through my hoodie as I stood frozen on the sidewalk.
"HE... HE JUST LEFT HIM?!" My voice echoed down the empty street. I could feel the heat rising in my chest, anger bubbling up like an unstoppable volcano.
"All that loyalty... all that love... and Riccardo just—just LEFT?!"
My breathing was uneven, and I was gripping my phone so hard my knuckles turned white.
"Wow... I can't believe it! That... that bastard... he LEFT ALFIO? His love, his life?"
The rain poured harder, but I didn't move.
"People say a real hero can sacrifice his love for the world…" I muttered, then practically yelled. "But Alfio… he endured everything—torture, pain, and still…"
I scoffed, shaking my head. "Damn it. I'm pissed. I need some wine. Or beer. Or both. Or else I'm not sleeping tonight—thinking about Alfio and cursing Riccardo!"
With that, I spun around, ready to head back to grab something strong. But—
Splat.
My foot slipped on the slick pavement.
"Whoa—!"
Thud.
I went down hard, pain shooting through my body as my head slammed against the cold, wet ground.
"Are you serious right n—"
Darkness.
============================================================================================================================
My head felt like it had been trampled by a herd of elephants. Heavy. Throbbing. Pain shot through my skull as I blinked my eyes open, squinting against the blinding white light overhead.
"Ugh… what the hell…" My throat was dry, and my body felt like it had been run over by a truck. I tried to move, but even lifting my arm sent a sharp pain shooting through me.
Damn it.
I blinked a few more times, my blurry vision slowly adjusting to the sterile surroundings. White walls. Bright fluorescent lights. The steady beep of a heart monitor filled the air.
The smell of antiseptic assaulted my senses.
"A… hospital?" I croaked, confusion lacing my voice.
Why the hell am I in a hospital?
I tried to think, but the last thing I remembered was—The rain... the road... oh shit—someone must have taken me to the hospital.
Before I could process it any further, a voice cut through my hazy thoughts.
"Hey, man, you woke up?"
I turned my head toward the sound and—
Huh?
A guy was sitting beside the bed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He had a mop of dark hair, an easy smile, and eyes that looked way too relieved.
"W-Who…" I blinked, trying to place him.
But nothing. Nada. No memory of this dude.
Oh, he must be the guy who took me to the hospital.
I opened my mouth to thank him, but my throat was so dry I could barely get a word out.
"Damn, you scared the hell out of me." He gave a low chuckle, shaking his head. "I told you not to drink so much, man. And look what happened."
Drink?
My brows furrowed.
I didn't drink that night. I was pissed off about the damn web novel and—Slipped.
The guy looked aside and called out, "Nurse, he woke up."
A nurse walked in moments later, checking my vitals with quick efficiency. "You're all fine now," she said with a professional smile. "You can be discharged."
The guy beside me nodded, saying a quick, "Thanks."
The nurse left, and the guy stretched, standing up. "Alright, let's go."
…This guy was seriously taking care of everything? He took me to the hospital, paid my bills, and now he was making sure I got home?
Damn. What a nice guy.
I reached for the glass of water on the bedside table, took a sip, and then finally mustered up a small smile.
"Thank you for taking me to the hospital. I hope I can repay you soon."
The guy… froze.
Like completely froze.
Like someone had just dumped a bucket of ice water over him and turned him into a statue.
Then, as if shaking off his shock, he blinked rapidly and blurted out, "You… Am I seeing stars in broad daylight? Did the sun rise from the wrong direction?!"
What the hell is wrong with this guy?
I raised an eyebrow, watching as he dramatically clutched his chest like he was about to have a heart attack.
And then—
"The Alfio Russo just said thank you to me? Man… the end of the world must be near."
Huh?
…What.
My stomach dropped.
Alfio… Russo?
My heart skipped a beat.
No… no fucking way.
"Why... are you calling me Alfio?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
His expression shifted, his smile fading. "Hey, don't joke, man." He frowned slightly. "Your name's Alfio. So, of course, I'm calling you that."
No. No. No.
My brain... short-circuited.
"Dude, did you hit your head that hard?" he asked, giving me a weird look. "Why are you acting like you lost your memory? It's me. Marco."
Marco?
My stomach dropped.
That Marco.
Alfio's best friend in Bound by Fate.
Time… stopped. My brain froze, refusing to process what was happening. The world around me blurred, and for a solid minute, I was just... gone.
My soul disappered.
I felt Marco's eyes on me—his concerned, slightly weirded-out gaze drilling holes into the side of my head. But I couldn't focus on that.
No… No way. It's not possible.
My hand moved before my brain could catch up, fumbling into my pocket. I felt the cool surface of a phone—definitely not mine.
What the—?
I pulled it out and stared at the unfamiliar screen.
Okay… maybe I just picked up someone else's phone.
But then… I saw the reflection. My face. Except—
That was NOT my face.
My heart slammed against my ribs. The person staring back at me on the black screen wasn't... me.
This man was...
Handsome.
But in a cute way. His slightly curled hair framed his face perfectly, and his skin? Smooth. No signs of the stubborn pimples that had declared war on my face in my past life.
Wait… wait, wait, wait…
My breathing quickened.
This isn't…
I blinked.
No…
I blinked again.
Oh, FUCK NO.
A shiver ran down my spine as the realization hit me like a freight train.
I… I transmigrated. Into the web novel Bound by Fate.
As...As ALFIO RUSSO?
...
.....
.....
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—!"
The scream tore through the hospital room like a freaking bomb. Marco flinched so hard he nearly stumbled.
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
Every head in the hallway turned toward me. Nurses. Patients. Visitors. Hell, even the dude mopping the floor frozen mid-swipe to stare at me. But I didn't care.
"Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?!" I wailed, throwing my head back dramatically. "Gods… WHY?!"
Marco blinked, looking at me like I'd completely lost it.
"Why him…?" I mumbled, my voice cracking as I gripped my hair like a madman.
"Why Alfio…? Why not a side character?! Hell, even a random extra! I could've been a guard who gets one line before dying! Why did I have to be the freaking MAIN CHARACTER?!"
"Why him?!" I wailed again, my voice echoing through the sterile hallway.
"Why meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?!"
I collapsed back onto the hospital ground; knees landed on the ground dramatically, like I was begging for the heavens to smite me.
Marco… took a step back.
Then another.
And another.
His lips twitched, and before I could blink—He plastered on the fakest smile I had EVER seen.
"Uh… He's not with me," Marco said, eyes darting to the people now gawking at us.
A man passing by who must be thinking I am some madman ran away from the mental hospital.
"I don't know this man," Marco added quickly, taking another step away. "I'm....not with him." Marco gave an awkward laugh, throwing his hands up like he was innocent. "Seriously… Never seen him before in my life."
And me?
I. AM. DOOMED.