Banished Omega, Reborn as His Biggest Regret

Chapter 3

Dawn light was harsh and blinding.

When it was time to head to the banquet hall, several black Jeeps were already waiting at the front steps.

Sophia looped her arm through mine and smiled sweetly. "Karen, we haven’t had girl talk in forever. Let’s ride in the same car, okay? There are some sisters-only secrets I only want to tell you."

I was about to refuse, but my parents were already nodding beside me. "Sisters should spend more time together," they said.

The door shut with a heavy thud. Inside, the car was quiet, the only sound the hum of warm air blowing from the vents.

I leaned against the door, watching the view outside. The road shifted from the main avenue to a side street; houses grew sparser, and the road signs changed to older, worn-out ones.

"This isn’t the way to the banquet hall." I turned to look at her.

"Don’t be nervous," Sophia said, smiling lightly. "We’re just taking a little detour to avoid traffic."

The driver in the front seat slammed on the brakes without warning.

A thick white fog burst out from the vents, filling the car in seconds, carrying a sharp metallic tang.

An inhibitor. I realized it a second too late. Before I could raise my arm, my vision went white, and my consciousness dropped into darkness.

When I came back to myself, my skull was still buzzing.

My wrists and ankles were bound, pressed flush against Sophia. Silver rope bit into my skin with a dull, burning ache.

We were so close that only one rope divided us. Our breathing fell into the same shaky rhythm.

The air smelled like old dust and rusted iron. At our feet sat a timer, a red light blinking steadily.

The numbers were ticking down, one second at a time.

A man crouched beside us, talking on the phone, his voice greasy with flattery. "They’ve been notified. Henry, Lisa, Kane, and Charles—they’ll all be here soon. Anything else you want me to do?"

I didn’t have to guess who had given the order. I already knew.

"What the hell are you trying to do?" I growled, clenching my teeth.

Sophia laughed softly, her voice turning almost syrupy. "Do what? Make them choose."

She lifted her chin lazily. "Go ahead. Hit her. Just make sure it’s where they won’t see the wounds."

The fist crashed into my ribs—once, twice, heavy and dull.

My whole body curled in on itself from the impact. Right beside me, she was laughing, like she was just listening to a favorite song.

"Karen," she leaned in, her breath brushing my ear, "you really haven’t changed. Still that stupid. They only care about me now. And you still think they’ll worry about you?"

I tried to struggle, but the silver rope cut deeper, slicing into my skin with a firestorm of pain.

She laughed even harder. "You don’t believe me? You’ll see in a minute."

It wasn’t long before footsteps thundered closer, so many that the ground itself seemed to vibrate.

Charles burst in first, the others right on his heels.

They barely had time to catch their breath before they took in the sight of us tied together, detonator wires coiled around us, the timer attached to our bodies.

"Sophia, Karen, are you both okay?" Charles’s voice was shaking as he stared at the timer, his hands hovering uselessly in midair.

Tick. Tick. The digits kept falling. Sophia started to sob, tears sliding down her cheeks and splashing onto my arm, one drop at a time.

"There’s not enough time… you can only save one." She sobbed. "Save Karen first. I’ll be fine."

I didn’t look at her. I looked at them. Even at that moment, some part of me was still waiting—for even one pair of eyes to land on me.

They looked at each other, silent, no one daring to move first.

Then Henry gritted his teeth and made the call. "Save Sophia first. Her health is weak, she can’t handle a shock like this. Karen, just hold on a little longer. Once she’s safe, we’ll come right back for you."

They all lowered their heads, dodging my gaze, and moved as one toward Sophia to untie her ropes.

No one looked at me again. Every bit of their attention clung to her.

Sophia cried as she stumbled out of the circle of ropes and wires, collapsing into their arms. Her voice echoed in my ears—

"I was so scared… am I still alive?"

They all rushed to comfort her at once, voices overlapping at the doorway, tripping over each other with reassurances.

I laughed. Not because it was funny—because if I didn’t laugh, I was going to scream.

Staring at their turned backs, feeling the silver rope still digging into me, I watched the red light flash again and again.

Beep—ten seconds left.

I started to fight the ropes in earnest. Silver sliced into my flesh, blood slicking my skin.

Metal scraped and snapped; white-hot pain exploded behind my eyes.

Five seconds.

I shoved Sophia’s body away from me and rolled forward with everything I had left.

Three seconds.

Cold wind rushed in, so sharp it stole my breath.

The moment I cleared the doorway, the world blew apart behind me.

…

When I opened my eyes again, I was staring up at a grayish-white ceiling. Four bare walls boxed me in. The door had a heavy lock on it.

This was Moon Shade’s solitary confinement cell—the place they used when they wanted someone to "calm down."

I stumbled to the door and slammed my palms against it. "Open the door!"

Charles’s voice drifted in from the hall, not far away. "Stop shouting. Henry will let you out in three days."

I froze where I stood, my mind going blank.

"What did you just say?" My voice came out raw.

"The k********g. The explosion. Sophia’s injuries." Each word he said felt like a block of ice crashing down on me. "We investigated. Every clue pointed at you. Sophia was so frightened she came down with a fever. You’d better use this time to think about what you’ve done."

I sagged against the door, breaths coming short and uneven. "It wasn’t me," I forced out, fighting to keep my voice steady. "I’m claustrophobic. Let me out. Now."

He paused. "You weren’t before. Don’t make excuses."

"I developed it in prison—"

I had just started to explain when Sophia’s voice floated over from outside.

"Maybe… we should let Karen out?" she said softly. "I’m sure she didn’t mean to."

Her voice sounded like it might shatter at any moment. Soft, gentle, like she was pleading on my behalf.

Lisa sighed and took her hand. "You’re still too kind-hearted."

Kane’s voice was tight with anger. "It’s just a few days in confinement. After what she did to you, she deserves some punishment."

Charles’s tone went softer as he stopped Sophia from going up the stairs. "Sophia, don’t beg for her again. Go rest. I’ll buy you that new necklace you wanted to make up for the scare, okay?"

Henry never said a word. He just let out a long, heavy sigh.

Their voices slowly faded. The hallway fell quiet again.

I went back to pounding on the door, blow after blow, my hands going numb. "Let me out!" My throat turned raw, every word scraping like sandpaper.

When all my strength was gone, I slid down the wall and sat on the floor, breaths snagging in my chest. The edges of my vision blurred in and out.

Two years ago, they’d treated me like I was made of glass. Now, to them, I was just noise behind a locked door.

I closed my eyes and listened to my own heartbeat echo against the concrete, one beat after another, ticking just like that timer had.