Chapter 25 — The Man You Couldn't Be
The city was quiet.
Evelyn lay asleep in tangled sheets — golden hair splayed across her pillow, skin glowing under neon light.
I slid out from bed, bare feet on cold floor.
The mirror across the room flickered.
Then glitched.
And Johnny Silverhand stepped out.
---
He didn't speak at first.
Just stared.
Eyes colder than usual.
Fists clenched.
"She means something to you," he said, low.
Not a question.
I met his gaze — calm, unreadable.
"She's more than data in a mission chain.
You wouldn't understand that, would you?"
Johnny scoffed.
"I've lost more women than you've kissed, kid."
I smirked.
"Funny.
I'm not the one haunting someone else's success."
That struck.
His jaw tightened.
"She's not a toy."
I stepped forward, voice dropping like a knife in the dark.
"She's not yours either."
---
[System Notice: Johnny Silverhand — Emotional Turbulence Detected — Authority Clash Triggered]
---
"You think you're better than me?" he growled.
"No," I said smoothly.
"I know I'm better than who you were.
And that's why you're still watching from inside my skull while I live the life you never earned."
Johnny's face twitched — the first real crack.
"You're rewriting shit you don't even get. You play hero… but underneath it, you want control. Every girl. Every outcome. That it?"
I stepped past him — toward the window.
"I want freedom, Johnny.
And if the world burns while I carve it?
So be it."
He didn't answer.
When I turned…
He was gone.
Just a glitch.
A bitter echo.
Watching me rewrite the future.
One kiss at a time.
---
[System Notice: Johnny Silverhand — Jealousy Triggered — Respect +15, Rivalry Path Unlocked]
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Romance & Loyalty Recap After Chapter 25:
Evelyn Parker — Interest: +245 — Bonded Level 2 — Intimate
Judy Alvarez — Interest: +130 — Stage 5 — Trust
Rogue — Interest: +30 — Curious
Johnny Silverhand — Interest: +50 — Rivalry + Trust Split Path Activated