"Yes, I'm going to surprise him! Today is his birthday," Luna whispered excitedly into her phone, a bright smile gracing her lips as she climbed the stairs to her boyfriend's apartment. "I told him I’d be late tonight just to throw him off. Hold on, let me switch to a video call."

On the other side of the line, her best friend groaned playfully. "No, please! You two are going to make me single and jealous."

"You should be jealous," Luna teased, her heart fluttering at the thought of her boyfriend's face. "Just wait until I walk through that door. He’s probably moping around right now, waiting for me to call."

"Alright, alright, I get it. How many times are you going to brag about him?" her friend laughed.

Reaching the top floor, Luna approached the familiar door. "Wait, let me unlock it. I’ll show you his reaction."

Beep... beep...

The electronic lock clicked, and Luna pushed the door open. But as she stepped into the entryway, her smile faltered. Sitting neatly by the genkan were two pairs of footwear: a man's shoes and a pair of delicate women's sandals.

"Why are there two pairs of shoes? Who do these sandals belong to?" Luna murmured to herself, a sudden knot forming in her stomach.

"What did you say?" her friend asked through the speaker.

Luna forced her voice to remain steady. "Nothing. Let's surprise him together."

Clutching the birthday cake, a bouquet of flowers, and a beautifully wrapped gift in her arms, she crept down the hallway. "One, two, three, surpr....."

The words died in her throat as a girlish giggle echoed from the bedroom.

"Haha! Why did you call me over anyway? You should have called your girlfriend," a woman’s voice teased from inside.

On the phone, Luna’s friend whispered urgently, "Who is that? Is it his sister?"

Luna didn't answer. Her feet moved on autopilot, drawing her toward the half-open door. Through the gap, the world seemed to stop spinning.

Her boyfriend, Jax, was sitting at his desk. Wrapped in a plush bathrobe, his hands were clamped firmly around the waist of Blair,Luna's other close friend. Blair, also in a bathrobe, was leaning back against his thighs, completely at ease.

"Ahh, don't bring up Luna," Jax scoffed, running his fingers through Blair's damp hair with a laugh. "I don't like her anymore. She used to be beautiful and interesting, but now she’s like an old hag. I don't want to stay with her for even a single minute. She honestly disgusts me."

Blair trailed her fingers lightly down his bare chest, tracing a path down to the robe. "If you dislike her so much, why are you still with her? You should just break up."

"Because she has money," Jax said, clicking his tongue with a smirk. "Look around. All of these luxury items were bought by her. Even the ring you're wearing right now she chose it. I just lied and told her I lost it so I could give it to you."

Blair burst into a loud, mocking laugh. "Wow. That little pushover is literally your sugar mommy!" She tilted her head, proudly displaying her jewelry. "Look at this necklace. She gave it to me, too. The dress I wore yesterday, these sandals... all from her. I just have to say 'Oh, I like this,' and she blindly buys it for me."

"Luna? What are they saying? Luna, are you okay?!" her friend’s voice cried out from the phone, laced with panic.

But Luna couldn't hear her friend anymore. The words piercing her ears felt like physical blades tearing through her chest. Frozen in place, her grip loosened.

Thud.

The heavy smartphone slipped from her numb fingers, clattering loudly against the hardwood floor.

The sound shattered the heavy silence in the hallway. Terrified of being seen, Luna scooped up her phone, threw the cake, flowers, and gift onto the floor, and bolted for the exit.

Inside the room, Blair stiffened and pushed herself away from Jax. "Where did that noise come from?" She glared at him. "You told me nobody was home!"

"Yes, nobody is home today!" Jax growled, throwing his hands over his head in sudden panic.

"Then what was that? Don't tell me Luna is back! Didn't you say she was at her parents' house?" Blair shouted.

"I confirmed it with her! She told me she wasn't coming!" Jax yelled back, his heart hammering against his ribs. "Go look outside and see who came in!" Blair demanded, shoving him toward the door.

When they stepped into the hallway, their faces turned pale. A crushed cake, a ruined bouquet, and a gift box lay scattered across the floor.

"Was... was Luna here?" Jax collapsed onto the sofa, his legs shaking violently as panic overtook him. "Oh my god, she must have heard everything."

Blair rushed over, patting his trembling knee to calm him down. A cold, malicious glint flashed in her eyes. "Calm down, Jax. Before she can tell anyone, we just need to spread a rumor that she was the one cheating on you."

Jax looked up, a wave of relief washing over him. He pulled her into a tight embrace. "I knew I could count on you. Let's go back inside."

Meanwhile, Luna was running blindly, tears blurring her vision. She didn't look back. She stumbled down the stairwell, her foot catching on a step. She crashed hard against the concrete, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the agony in her chest. Scrambling back to her feet, she rushed out of the building.

"Luna! Luna, please answer me!" her friend screamed through the phone speaker.

Luna ignored it. She sprinted onto the main street, her trembling legs moving purely on adrenaline. She had no idea where she was going. The world around her was a dizzying blur of streetlights and passing cars.

She stepped off the curb and onto the asphalt. The traffic light was bright green, signaling the cars to move, but Luna's mind was entirely blank.

Suddenly, a blinding pair of headlights illuminated the dark road.

Screech....!

The driver slammed on the brakes, desperately trying to swerve to the right, but it was too late. The heavy metal vehicle lost control.

Bang!

The impact was deafening. Luna felt her body lift into the air before crashing heavily onto the cold pavement.

"What was that sound?! Luna! Luna, why aren't you replying?!" her friend’s distant voice echoed from the sidewalk where the phone had shattered.

Luna lay in a pool of her own blood, staring up at the dark night sky. 'What did I ever do wrong?' she thought bitterly as a thick metallic taste filled her mouth. 'My boyfriend cheats on me, and now... I'm the one dying?'

A crowd quickly gathered around her broken body, their panicked voices overlapping.

"Call an ambulance!"

"Is she breathing?!"

Tears mixed with the blood on her cheeks. 'Why am I dying when I did nothing wrong? Why are these people hovering over me? They won't even let me die in peace...'

Her vision began to blur. The faces of the strangers faded away, her senses numbed, and the world slowly turned completely dark.

'So... I'm really going to die.'

With that final, heartbreaking thought, she passed out.

Beep... beep... beep...

A steady, electronic rhythm vibrated through the silence.

'What is that noise? Didn't I just get into a horrific accident?'

Slowly, the heavy darkness receded. Luna’s eyelids fluttered open, greeted by a sterile, blindingly white ceiling. As her senses rushed back, she realized she was lying on a soft mattress, an IV drip hooked to her arm.

'What? I'm alive? I'm in the hospital?'

Before she could fully process the shock, a sharp, melodic chime echoed directly inside her mind.

Chime... chime...

A translucent, glowing blue window materialized out of thin air, floating right in front of her eyes.

[System Update Complete.]

[Target Detected: Jax is approaching your location.]

[Emergency Quest Triggered: Do you want to face him or flee?]

[ STAY ] or [ RUN AWAY ]

[Please select an option within 10 seconds.]

Luna blinked rapidly, but the neon box remained firmly fixed in her line of sight. She looked around the quiet room, but none of the nurses or patients seemed to notice the glowing screen.

Her breath hitched in her throat as she stared at the flashing text.

'What on earth... is this?'