The Heart System

Chapter 601

I stopped the car and stepped out into the rain. Before heading inside, though, I leaned against the driver’s door and lit a cigarette. The rain was still coming down softly, mixing with the midnight fog that had swallowed most of the city. Neon signs glowed through the haze, their colors smeared across the wet pavement like cheap paint.

I looked down at my hand.

Still shaking.

Honestly, I didn’t even know how I managed to drive all the way here after what happened. My nerves were completely fried. Back there, with a gun pointed at my head and four suited guards staring at me like they were waiting for permission to break my spine, I’d genuinely thought I was fucked.

But even then, I did the right thing. I stepped out. I stopped a man from bleeding to death.

And the system rewarded me by wiping my EXP, my credits, everything.

"Shit..." I muttered under my breath.

Still, there was at least one good thing that came out of tonight. Jack was finally off Nala’s back.

Before leaving the house, I overheard his father talking about sending him away somewhere "to find the light of God" or some religious nonsense like that. Honestly, good for him. As long as he stayed the hell away from Nala, I couldn’t care less where he ended up.

I took another drag from the cigarette and exhaled slowly.

God, I needed sleep.

As I looked up toward the hotel, I noticed movement behind one of the windows. The lights inside the room were off, making it hard to see who it was. But then a passing car illuminated the glass for just a second.

Nala.

She was standing there, looking down at me.

I stared at her for a moment before letting out a tired breath.

"Finally, huh?" I muttered.

I dropped the cigarette into a puddle and crushed it beneath my shoe before heading inside the hotel.

The lobby was quiet this late at night. A bored receptionist sat behind the desk watching something on her phone while soft jazz played through hidden speakers. The place looked decent from the outside, but once you actually stepped in, you could tell it was one of those cheap business hotels pretending to be classy.

I walked straight to the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor.

The ride up felt longer than it actually was. My body was exhausted, my head pounding from stress and lack of sleep. I kept replaying the scene in my mind. The gun. The shouting. Jack crying on his knees. The system notification appearing right after I saved someone.

What kind of fucked-up game punished people for doing good things?

The elevator dinged softly.

I stepped out into the hallway and walked toward room 303. Thanks to Emma, I already knew which room Nala was staying in.

I stopped in front of the door and knocked. Not even a second later, the handle turned. The door cracked open slightly, like she unlocked it and just let it drift inward without bothering to fully greet me.

I stood there quietly for a moment before pushing the door open and stepping inside.

"Nala."

The room was small and honestly depressing. Beige wallpaper, dim yellow lights, cheap carpet with dark stains near the bed. There was a tiny TV mounted on the wall, muted news playing on the screen. An untouched cup of instant noodles sat on the desk beside an open laptop. Her suitcase rested near the bed, still half unpacked.

It didn’t feel like someone was living here. It felt like someone was hiding here.

Nala stood near the window with her back turned toward me, looking outside at the rain-covered city. The faint glow from the streets below outlined her figure softly against the glass.

I quietly shut the door behind me and walked closer.

This was awkward as hell.

I said a lot of shitty things to her before she left. Mean things. Things I couldn’t really take back now. And after all that, I was suddenly here acting like we could just return to normal.

I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly and glanced around the room again.

"Well," I muttered, "this place is kind of a shithole. You wanna come back?"

She didn’t answer immediately.

She just stood there silently, staring out at the city while rain rolled down the glass in front of her.

I crossed my arms and waited.

Damn.

I really did miss her.

The penthouse felt wrong without her there. Too quiet. Even the others felt different these past few days. Especially Minne. The whole place had this weird emptiness hanging over it ever since Nala left.

After what felt like forever, she finally looked back over her shoulder.

Her eyes were watery, but there was a faint smile on her face now.

"Yeah," she said softly. "Why not?"

⟁ ⟁ ⟁

I scanned the keycard and stepped inside the penthouse. The moment I did, Tessa came barreling toward me like a missile. She shoved me aside and launched herself straight at Nala. Since they were roughly the same height, Nala couldn’t handle the sudden impact. Both of them tumbled down onto the corridor floor.

"Sorry!" Tessa laughed, now sitting comfortably on Nala’s stomach. "I lost a bet with Jasmine. This was my punishment."

"Jeez, what bet?" Nala groaned, still lying on her back.

"That’s a secret," Tessa said with a wink, rolling her shoulder. "Ow. That actually hurt."

"Hey, I cushioned your fall. I’m the one who’s hurting here," Nala complained.

Jasmine, Kim, and Minne came out from the living room and gathered around us. All of them were smiling, real, warm, genuine smiles. The kind I hadn’t seen on their faces since Nala left the penthouse.

══════════════════

WOMEN - INTERACTIONS

──────────────────

Jasmine: Interest: 40 / 60

Kayla: Interest: 38 / 40

Tessa: Interest: 40 / 60

Kim: Interest: 100 / 100

Delilah: Interest: 100 / 100

Cora: Interest: 100 / 100

Mendy: Interest: 20 / 40

Nala: Interest: 100 / 100

Penelope: Interest: 5 / 20

Minne: Interest: 38 / 40

Ivy: Interest: 50 / 60

Eleanor: Interest: 25 / 40

Amelia: Interest: 12 / 20

Esme: Interest: 60 / 80

══════════════════

Full hearts with her again. Nice.

"I missed you, Mrs. Nolin!" Minne said, tears already forming in her eyes.