The world had not changed. But this time, Vaelis Cara saw it for what it was.

She was eighteen again. A high school student on the verge of graduation, standing at the threshold of adulthood. The weight of her family’s expectations, the loneliness that clung to her like a second skin—it was all the same. But she was not.

Because this time, she knew the truth.

This world was a novel.

A carefully crafted story where she had never mattered.

The original book, Eclipsed by Summer, was a sweet, youthful romance following Serena Vale, the bright yet unassuming female lead, and Adrian Voss, the cold, ambitious male lead who started off poor but later rose to power. It was a tale of first love, misunderstandings, and eventual happiness—at least, for them.

But Vaelis?

She had been nothing more than a forgotten shadow. The neglected daughter of a prestigious family, a girl who had loved Adrian Voss from afar, watching over him in silence, protecting him when no one else did. And yet, he had never even looked her way.

It was only after her death that she had learned the truth—Adrian Voss had been the real male lead. Not the man her heart had foolishly clung to. And she? She had merely been a name in passing, existing only to contrast Serena’s radiance.

The memory burned, but this time, she wouldn’t be the same.

She refused to be a side character in her own life.

---

The morning sun streamed through her bedroom window, casting a golden glow over the expensive yet lifeless space. Every piece of furniture, every perfectly placed decoration—nothing in this room felt like hers. It never had.

A knock at the door.

Her mother’s voice followed, indifferent as always. “Vaelis, don’t embarrass the family today.”

That was all she ever said. No good morning, no warmth, not even a look of acknowledgment when they passed each other in the halls. Her father was no different. To them, she was a burden, a flaw in the otherwise perfect image of the Cara family.

Once, she had tried desperately to earn their love.

Now, she only smiled—a slow, knowing curve of her lips.

Let the story unfold.

---

Later that afternoon, Vaelis found herself walking through the quiet streets near her school, her thoughts tangled in the web of the past and the future.

That was when she saw him.

Adrian Voss.

He was exactly as she remembered from this time in the novel—tall but thin, his uniform slightly worn, his hands tucked into his pockets as he walked with a guarded expression. He wasn’t the powerful, commanding figure he would become in the future. Not yet.

Right now, he was just a struggling student, trying to survive in a world that never handed him anything.

In their past life, she had watched over him from the shadows, making sure he had what he needed, ensuring no one bullied him, even using her family’s influence to secretly remove obstacles from his path.

And yet, he had never once seen her.

Her fingers curled into her palm. This time, she wouldn’t make the same mistake.

She turned away before their eyes could meet.

She had no interest in protecting someone who had never even known she existed.

But fate had other plans.

Because as she stepped forward, she didn’t notice the loose brick on the sidewalk—until it was too late.

She stumbled, the world tilting, and before she could brace herself, a firm hand caught her wrist.

“Careful.”

The voice was unfamiliar, yet painfully familiar.

For the first time in both her lives, Adrian Voss was looking at her.