The final school bell rang, its chime slicing through the air like the closing of a chapter. Students rushed out of their classrooms, their excited voices blending into a familiar hum. The golden afternoon sun cast long shadows on the pavement, and the air carried the faint scent of cherry blossoms drifting from the school garden.

Vaelis walked down the steps, her presence quiet yet striking. She had never been the kind to attract attention—not because she lacked anything, but because the world had chosen to overlook her.

Just as she stepped past the school gates, a shift in the atmosphere stilled her steps. A hushed excitement swept through the crowd. The murmurs grew louder, filled with awe and admiration.

A sleek black motorcycle rolled to a slow stop near the entrance. The rider removed his helmet, shaking out tousled dark hair, his sharp features catching the golden light.

Rowan Sinclair.

The second male lead.

In the novel Eclipsed by Summer, Rowan was the heir to an old-money family, reckless yet brilliant—a storm in human form. The kind of man people couldn't help but be drawn to, even when they knew he would only bring trouble. He would eventually fall for Serena, but his love would never be enough. His fate was to remain in the shadows, a bittersweet contrast to Adrian’s unwavering devotion.

The students whispered his name with excitement.

"He’s back!"

"I heard he got expelled from his last school!"

"He looks even better in person—"

Vaelis, however, didn’t stop.

She cast one disinterested glance at the scene and kept walking.

Let them admire him. Let them swoon. She had no interest in playing into the novel’s theatrics.

But what she didn’t see was the way Rowan’s gaze flickered in her direction, his brows raising ever so slightly as she passed him without so much as a second glance.

For the first time that day, his smirk faltered.

---

The ride home felt longer than usual, the city lights blurring past the car window. When she finally arrived, the sight of additional cars parked in the driveway made her pause.

Her relatives were here.

The moment she stepped inside, voices filled the grand living room. Her parents sat stiffly on the couch, while her uncle and aunt laughed over tea. Their children—her so-called cousins, who were the same age as her—were perched elegantly on the velvet chairs, dressed in designer clothes.

As soon as she entered, the chatter died for a moment before resuming, as if she were nothing more than an insignificant breeze passing through.

"Oh, look who finally decided to show up," her mother’s voice rang out, sickly sweet with underlying scorn.

"Still wasting time at that school?" her father muttered, not bothering to look up from his glass of whiskey.

Her aunt clicked her tongue. "Vaelis, dear, you should take notes from your cousins. Look at Liana—she’s already interning under her father’s business. And Ewan just got accepted into an Ivy League program. But you…" She sighed dramatically. "Still wandering around like a lost little girl."

A quiet chuckle rippled through the room.

The old Vaelis would have stayed silent, lowering her gaze, swallowing the bitterness, hoping—pathetically—that one day they would acknowledge her.

But not this time.

She set down her bag with deliberate slowness, meeting their eyes one by one. The amusement in their expressions faltered at her silence.

Then, with a voice steady and cold, she spoke.

"How fortunate for Liana and Ewan," she said, her lips curling into something that wasn’t quite a smile. "But remind me—since when did I need to prove myself to people who don’t even see me as family?"

A hush fell over the room.

Her mother’s face twisted. "Vaelis, don’t start with your—"

"With what?" Vaelis interrupted, tilting her head. "The truth?"

Her father set down his glass with a loud clink. "Watch your tone—"

"Or what?" she asked, her voice still eerily calm. "Will you pretend I don’t exist? Oh, wait. You already do."

Silence.

For the first time, she saw something she had never seen before on their faces.

Shock.

Her parents had spent years throwing cruel words at her, knowing she would never fight back. They had built a house filled with luxury, yet there had never been a place for her inside it.

But she would no longer be silent.

Vaelis exhaled softly, letting the tension settle.

"Don't worry," she added, her voice cutting through the silence like a blade. "After my entrance exams, I will leave this house."

Her mother’s face paled.

Her father stiffened.

Even her cousins looked stunned, as if they never expected her to speak back, let alone declare her departure.

But Vaelis had already turned away, climbing the grand staircase with steady steps, a single thought burning in her mind.

This time, I will change this tragedy.

Because I am the main character of my own life.