The Day the Tragic Heroine Chose Herself Chapter 04

The Day the Tragic Heroine Chose Herself Chapter 04

Maybe it was my body’s final burst of adrenaline. I don’t know where it came from, but I dragged myself out of the basement, one agonizing step at a time.

The main hall blazed with light. The music and chatter reached me before I even made it to the top of the stairs.

They were throwing a gala.

And there they were, right in the center of it all. The three people I’d loved most in this world, circling around Hazel like she was the sun.

The perfect family. Just not mine. Not anymore.

Hazel stood there like she’d already won everything. My mom’s pendant gleamed against her throat.

“Hazel, from this moment on, the Ashford family’s Ravenwood holdings are yours.”

My father held her hand as he said it, facing the board like he was presiding over a coronation.

Elias was right beside her, his arm locked around her waist.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You deserve all of this, Hazel.”

Even Leo was looking at her with open admiration.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for us, Hazel.”

Something snapped inside me. If I was leaving this world, I was tearing her mask off first.

I screamed and threw myself into the crowd.

“Give it back to me!”

I lunged at Hazel, clawing at the pendant at her throat. We struggled, and the chain snapped.

The entire room went silent.

Then I laughed. Loud. Unhinged.

“Even the Ashford heirlooms reject you. You’re rotten to the core, Hazel.”

Elias ripped me off her and hurled me backward. I crashed into the champagne tower.

He pulled Hazel behind him and turned to face the guests. His expression was pure ice.

“I’m sorry everyone had to witness that.”

“My wife… is unwell. The trauma from her surgery has affected her mind. She’s delusional.”

Three sentences. That was all it took to turn me into the crazy wife.

The whispers started immediately.

“So she’s lost it. That explains everything…”

“Mr. Donovan already has enough on his plate running his empire. And he’s dealing with this on top of it?”

“No wonder Mr. Rowland chose his adopted daughter. She is the real heir here.”

Every word pierced like a needle.

I stopped crying. Stopped fighting.

I stood there and looked at them all. Calm, for the first time.

“Elias.” My voice carried through the room. “You wouldn’t be standing where you are without me. Have you forgotten that already?”

I turned to Arthur.

“Dad… no. Mr. Rowland. You married into my mom’s family. You know exactly what she did for you. And you repaid her by carving up her daughter for an outsider. You turned me into this. Tell me, how do you sleep at night?”

The room erupted.

The board members shifted in their seats, glancing at each other.

While every eye was on them, I moved. One of Elias’s guards was standing close enough. My hand found his holster before anyone could stop me.

I pressed the barrel to my temple. And I smiled.

The gunshot drowned out everything. And through it, clear as crystal, the system’s voice chimed in.

[Host death confirmed. Initiating exit route now.]