The Last Page
Books had always been Selena Verma's escape.
When the world outside demanded too much, she would retreat to the one place where she didn't have to be the dutiful daughter, the overlooked sister, or the girl who never quite belonged. Between the covers of a novel, she could be anyone — a warrior, a queen, even a villain.
Tonight was no different.
Rain lashed against her window, each droplet racing down the glass like tiny, desperate messengers. The thunder shook the air, but Selena barely noticed. She was curled up on her bed, a blanket thrown carelessly over her legs, her dark hair tumbling across her shoulders in loose strands. Her glasses slid down her nose, but she didn't care.
The book in her lap was thick and heavy, the kind of fantasy that swallowed you whole. The story was filled with kingdoms on the brink of ruin, a scheming younger sister, and a heroine too naive for her own good.
Selena's lips twisted into a dry smile as she read.
"Useless," she muttered. "Why cry for love when you should be sharpening your knives?"
Talking back to fictional characters was her specialty. It was easier to argue with them than with her father, who always told her she wasted her time, or her mother, who smiled kindly but never truly heard her. Even Riya — her little sister — seemed to shine brighter in everyone's eyes. Selena wasn't jealous, not exactly, but being invisible in your own home left an ache books could never quite fill.
She turned another page, sipping the coffee she had long forgotten. It was cold, bitter, just like her mood.
The novel's heroine now faced her greatest test. Her scheming sister had trapped her, her friends had betrayed her, and the cold ruler she secretly loved gave her one chance — a choice: to make everyone love her, or to make everyone hate her.
Selena's eyes narrowed. "Idiot," she whispered. "Don't pick love. Love in this world is a trap. If it were me, I'd choose hate. At least hate is honest."
The heroine, of course, chose love. And it destroyed her.
Selena slammed the book shut with a sharp thud, her frustration heavy in the air. She leaned back against her headboard and exhaled. "Pathetic."
Her room seemed quieter than before, almost too quiet. The thunder had faded. The rain, too. She frowned, pulling her blanket tighter.
Something was wrong.
Her lamp flickered once, twice, then froze in an unnatural stillness. Even the hum of the city beyond her window — the traffic, the distant voices — had disappeared.
Selena's heartbeat quickened. "Hello?" she whispered, though she wasn't sure who she expected to answer.
The book on her bed began to glow.
At first, it was faint, just a whisper of light seeping from between its pages. Then it spread, pulsing brighter, brighter, until it flooded the room like molten fire. Selena scrambled back, pressing herself against the wall.
"No… no, no, no, this isn't—"
Her words were swallowed by the light. It wrapped around her arms, her chest, her throat. She tried to scream, but her voice dissolved into silence. The floor beneath her gave way, vanishing into nothing.
For one terrifying moment, Selena felt as though she was falling through endless darkness.
Then—impact.
Her body plunged into freezing water.
She gasped, choking as the icy shock tore through her lungs. Her arms flailed, legs kicking wildly. Panic surged as she fought to push upward, to find air, to live. With a desperate heave, she broke the surface, coughing and spitting water.
She dragged herself toward the edge, fingers clawing against smooth marble. The pool she was in wasn't hers — it was far too large, too perfect, its waters glowing faintly under the eerie light of torches. Torches that burned not yellow, but blue.
Her chest heaved as she looked around. Pillars stretched high above her, carved with strange symbols that shimmered faintly in the glow.
Recognition slammed into her like a fist.
She had seen this place before.
In the book.
Selena's lips trembled. "No… no, this… this isn't real."
But the air shimmered before her eyes, cutting her denial short.
Letters, glowing and sharp, appeared in midair:
> [SYSTEM: Welcome, Selena Verma.]
[Choice detected: Would you like everyone in this world to love you? Or would you like everyone in this world to hate you?]
Her heart stopped.
It was the exact same choice the heroine had once faced. The very same words.
Her wet hair clung to her cheeks as she stared at the glowing letters. She could still remember how the heroine had chosen love — how that choice had destroyed her.
Selena let out a shaky laugh, bitter and sharp. "So this is it? This is my test?"
The system didn't answer. The words simply glowed, waiting.
She clenched her fists, water dripping from her sleeves. "Love is a chain. Love is betrayal. Love is a knife pressed against your back. If I choose love, I'll lose myself before the story even begins."
Her chin lifted, her eyes flashing with defiance.
"I choose hate."
The letters dissolved. The torches flared, their flames roaring higher, casting monstrous shadows against the marble walls. Somewhere deep within the palace halls, a bell tolled — slow, heavy, as though the entire kingdom had just been warned.
Selena's body trembled, not from the cold but from the weight of what she had just chosen. The sound of that bell echoed in her bones, in her heart, in her very soul.
And she understood, with chilling clarity, that her story had begun.
Not as a heroine.
Not as a savior.
But as the girl who chose to be hated.
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✨️End of chapter 1✨️