Chapter 2

Willa was pregnant, and pregnant women needed double the nutrition.

So I pushed myself to the edge hunting down rare food.

I felt bad for her. Always gave her first pick. I got what was left—apple cores, scraps, whatever.

Eventually, there wasn't even that.

I went hungry.

Still, Willa complained I was useless. Couldn't even feed her and the baby.

When I finally blacked out from hunger, I muttered, "Willa, there's not enough food. Maybe it's better to give up the baby..."

She slapped me hard.

"Shut up! How can you be so cruel?"

Then came the apology—but I was already done.

I knew I couldn't keep this up. I told myself I'd protect her till we reached the base—then we were done.

We made it. I finally got my share of relief rations.

But Willa said the way I ate—cautious, starving—was embarrassing.

She yanked the food from my hands and handed it out all noble-like. "The baby and I have enough. Give the rest to others."

I wasn't dressed warm enough. No food. Just shivering in the cold.

I starved to death right outside the base gates.

Only after I died did I find out—Willa had been stashing everything I brought into her Pocket Space. Even scored big on a supply run.

Her secret hoard could've fed an entire base.

She didn't give me a single crumb.

I watched her force out a few fake tears at my funeral—then latch onto the Deputy Governor and morph into that graceful, noble, kind "saint" everyone worshipped.

***

Text lit up in the air.

[Bro, there's NO WAY Selene solos that many zombies]

[Pls, even if she can't, Tristan's right there. man's not letting the FL get touched]

[Lowkey dying to see him go all knight-in-shining-armor while Willa freezes when he says who he really is]

[LOL, Willa acts all cold but she's just a shy girl deep down. you can tell she's losing it over Tristan]

[Tristan's gaze is so soft it's unreal.]

As the comments scrolled, it hit me.

The bleeding pretty boy on the ground? Tristan Norton. The male lead. The Brentford Base Deputy Governor.

While I was out here, going full beast mode on the zombies, Willa had dragged him back to our place—safe and cozy.

In my last life, Tristan had been by her side from the start. The whole time, he mooched off my supplies, drank my water, and looked at me like I was dirt.

Willa? He treated her like she hung the moon. Total simp.

Me? I was just the help. If I stepped out of line, all he had to do was twitch his fingers—his Wind Power would've snapped me like a twig.

Those weird scars that kept popping up on my body? All him.

I slammed my bat like it could beat the rage out of me.

It wasn't until I died that I realized—this whole world was a freaking novel.

Willa was the main girl.

And I was the idiot sidekick.

I wasn't buying it.

Why was I born just to be someone else's extra?

Why did the people I loved treat me like a joke?

The chat feed didn't stop.

[Is it just me or is the side character actually kinda cool? Girl literally risked her life for Willa and her kid]

[Nah, she's just dumb. total background NPC]

[Fr, she's dead weight. story would move way faster without her]