If Only I Could Save Him
1096 Words
Chapter 2
Emma looked like a ghost.
Dark circles hung beneath her eyes.
Her usually neat hair was tied into a messy bun that looked as though it had survived a hurricane.
And her expression...
Her expression was terrifying.
The death of Asher Liam had happened two weeks ago.
Two weeks.
Yet Emma still hadn't recovered.
That morning, she entered the school building carrying her coffee like an executioner walking toward a prison yard.
Teachers passing by immediately stepped aside.
"Good morning, Emma."
"..."
"Emma?"
She slowly turned her head.
The poor teacher nearly dropped his files.
Her eyes looked dead.
she wasn’t angry.
Not sad.
Just dead.
"...Morning."
The man hurried away.
Emma continued walking.
Students who usually filled the hallways with noise suddenly became very interested in staring at the floor.
A first-year student accidentally made eye contact with her.
He immediately apologized despite doing nothing wrong.
Inside her classroom, silence reigned.
The same students who normally treated her like their personal entertainment sat perfectly straight.
Nobody threw paper airplanes.
Nobody barked.
Nobody whispered.
Every now and then, Emma would pause while writing on the board.
Then slowly turn around.
Her eyes would sweep across the classroom.
The students felt a chill run down their spines.
One girl actually started taking notes voluntarily.
Another finished homework for the first time all semester.
Emma wasn't trying to intimidate them.
She simply couldn't stop thinking about Asher.
Every time she remembered his death scene, her mood worsened.
The students had become collateral damage.
When the bell rang, the class escaped as though fleeing a natural disaster.
"Miss Emma is scary lately."
"I think somebody died."
"I heard she got dumped."
"No."
A student shivered.
Meanwhile, Emma sat alone at her desk.
Opening Saint's Awakening once again and rereading the chapter.
Again.
And again.
And again.
For two weeks, she repeated the same ritual.
She knew every sentence by heart.
Every word.
Every detail.
Every drop of blood described in Asher's final battle.
Yet she couldn't stop.
Maybe she was searching for a hidden clue.
Maybe she hoped the author would secretly edit the chapter.
Maybe she was simply grieving.
Whatever the reason, she returned to it every night.
The result was the same each time.
Anger.
Heartbreak.
And tears.
"Why are people so wicked?"
Emma muttered one evening.
Her tablet illuminated the darkness of her apartment.
She stared at Asher's final illustration.
His white clothes stained crimson.
His sword broken.
His body surrounded by corpses.
Emma's chest tightened painfully.
"He didn't deserve this."
She seriously considered hunting down the author.
Not to harm them.
Just to lock them in a basement until they rewrote the chapter.
She was aware this was not a healthy thought.
That didn't stop her from imagining it.
Eventually she forced herself to continue reading the novel.
Perhaps there would be justice.
Perhaps someone would avenge him.
Perhaps the King would suffer consequences.
Perhaps—
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
The story somehow became even worse.
The Saint Princess continued collecting admirers.
The knight.
A prince.
A mage.
A commander.
A merchant heir.
A foreign duke.
The list never ended.
Every chapter introduced another handsome man who immediately became obsessed with her.
Emma stared at the screen in disbelief.
"How many men does she need?"
She counted.
Then counted again.
More than ten.
TEN.
"This isn't a romance novel anymore."
Emma slammed her head against the couch.
"This is a harem."
The worst part?
The Saint Princess still occasionally cried about Asher.
As though she hadn't been the reason everything started.
Emma nearly threw her tablet.
"My Asher died for THIS?!"
Her voice echoed through the apartment.
A neighbor knocked on the wall.
Emma ignored them.
She hugged her Asher pillow tightly.
He had been loyal.
Kind.
Patient.
Strong.
Despite being blind, he possessed incredible political influence and military talent.
The author had barely explored his potential.
Emma often imagined alternate storylines.
If she were in the novel—
She would support him.
Protect him.
Make him happy.
The thought made her laugh bitterly.
Pathetic.
She was talking about a fictional man.
Yet somehow he felt closer than any real person.
Emma had never dated.
Work consumed most of her life.
The few men she met either ignored her or disappointed her.
Somewhere along the way, fictional characters became easier to love than real people.
At least fictional men couldn't betray you.
Couldn't mock you.
Couldn't leave.
A painful smile appeared on her face.
"Asher..."
Her fingers touched the illustration.
"You were probably the closest thing I've ever had to a boyfriend."
The apartment remained silent.
No answer came.
Only the cold glow of her tablet.
Days passed.
Then weeks.
The emptiness inside her grew.
She went to work.
Came home.
Read novels.
Slept.
Repeated.
Life felt hollow.
Colorless.
Meaningless.
The world continued moving while she remained stuck.
Then came the day everything changed.
Rain poured from the sky.
Emma left school carrying an umbrella.
The streets were crowded with people rushing home.
Cars splashed through puddles.
Traffic lights reflected against wet asphalt.
Emma walked absentmindedly.
Lost in thought.
As usual.
She had spent lunch rereading Asher's death chapter.
Again.
Her mind replayed the scene.
The broken sword.
The blood.
The loneliness.
"If only I could save you..."
The words escaped softly.
A horn blared.
Emma looked up.
A speeding car had lost control on the rain-slick road.
People screamed.
"Watch out", someone screamed.
But it was too late
The vehicle rushed toward her like a monster.
Time slowed down at that moment.
Strangely...
Emma wasn't afraid.
Her first thought wasn't about her family.
Or her job.
Or her unfinished life.
It was him.
Asher.
The lonely duke was abandoned by everyone.
The man who died without receiving the love he deserved.
A sad smile appeared on Emma's lips.
"If I could do it over..."
The headlights consumed her vision.
"I would've saved you."
Then—
Impact.
Pain exploded through her body.
The world spun.
The sky and ground exchanged places.
Rain mixed with blood.
Voices sounded distant.
Muffled.
As though she were underwater.
Emma lay motionless on the cold pavement.
Her vision darkened.
People rushed toward her.
Their faces blurred.
The world slowly faded away.
Yet even now...
Even at death's door...
Only one face appeared in her mind.
Silver hair.
Gentle smile.
Lonely eyes.
Asher Liam.
Waiting somewhere beyond the darkness.
And as Emma took her final breath—
The world disappeared.
Completely.
When she opened her eyes again...
She would no longer be Emma.
And fate itself would begin to change.
- Writer
