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Chloe was in a frenzy, blood around her mouth, her hateful gaze sweeping over everyone
present.
“Shut up, you b*tch! It’s all your fault, you ruined my sister! If you hadn’t sown discord,
things wouldn’t have turned out this way!”
Dylan angrily raised his fist again. Chloe no longer looked scared, tilting her head back
with a chilling smile.
“Who she died for, you should all be very clear.”
“Dylan, don’t forget, one of the kidneys in your body is your sister’s!”
“Do you want me to remind you how you treated your sister after your surgery?”
“You made your sister, who had just donated her kidney to you, beg for forgiveness from your ex–girlfriend, and when she refused, you locked her up without food or water.”
“If I hadn’t had a conscience and let her out, your sister would have been tormented to
death by you already. What good big brother are you pretending to be now? Do you even
deserve to be one?”
I closed my eyes, too painful to recall, feeling as if I was back in that cold, hungry, and
dark room.
Chloe seemed to have accepted her fate. She knew that from today onward, she would
lose everything, so at that moment, as if venting her anger, she attacked everyone indiscriminately.
“Mom, when you called her undutiful and despicable, she had already ripped out her
entire heart for you! How’s your biological daughter’s heart doing?”
“Dad, while you canceled her card, you threw a coming–of–age party for me! I was drowned in gifts and blessings, while your daughter’s body was left to rot and stink in the 102–degree Fahrenheit summer heat! How ironic!”
00:40 Wed, 25 Jun MO
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རཏྲ,ཥུ།་
“And Michael, you’re the most selfish and cold–hearted of all. You clearly noticed something was wrong, but you just kept out of it. What a waste that foolish girl sent you gifts every year. How could she know that the brother she admired the most couldn’t care
less about her life or death!”
I looked sharply at Michael, then gave a self–deprecating smile. So he knew all along.
Afterward, I watched my family members, as if hit a raw nerve, turn embarrassed and enraged, driving Chloe out of the house and revoking everything they had given her.
Chloe, now an adult, refused to work and spent her days hanging out in bars.
Until one day, drunk, she was hit by a truck and died.
Mom went insane after that day, talking to the air as if I were there every day.
Dad’s hair turned white overnight. His company went bankrupt, leaving him deep in debt, and he had no choice but to find work at an old age.
Dad, with his graying hair, became a janitor at a hotel.
Even when life pushed him to the brink, he never thought of selling the house.
I saw him every night after work, no matter how late, go and sit in my bedroom for a
while.
My bedroom was still set up as it had been when I was alive; nothing had changed.
Dylan’s Taekwondo studio was provoked by troublemakers, which led to a death, and it
closed down.
He completely spiraled into decline, avoiding relationships and drinking heavily at home
every day, until he died of alcohol poisoning.
Michael, as the pillar of the family, desperately took on cases to pay off debts.
Having lost his father’s backing, he took on a case that made enemies and was deliberately targeted for retaliation.
This
<
00:40 Wed, 25 Jun MO
This time, there was no me to shield him, and Michael died on the spot.
After losing all his children one after another, and coming home to a delusional wife, Dad
finally couldn’t take it anymore.
One night, after gently kissing Mom, who was asleep, Dad jumped from the rooftop.
I watched all this, my heart aching with sorrow.
Why did it turn out this way?
Why, even after I tried my best, could the outcome not be changed?
The System suddenly appeared, letting out a soft “Oh.”
“I knew they wouldn’t have a good ending, but I didn’t expect them to make such a mess
of themselves.”
I immediately clutched at a straw, asking the System what was going on.
The System cleared its throat. “Didn’t I say I was going to get you a special benefit?
Headquarters determined that you don’t belong to this world, and you shouldn’t be bound
by this world’s karma.”
“Simply put, the people in this world, they aren’t your true family, so you couldn’t change their destiny.”
I was stunned. “Does that mean all my efforts were in vain?”
The System quickly explained, “No, although you couldn’t change their destiny in this world, you completed the mission I gave you.”
“This parallel world was actually derived from your original world. Everything was normal at first, but then an outsider appeared and completely disrupted the timeline. Your mission
was to expel that outsider.”
I tentatively asked, “The outsider was Chloe?”
“As expected of my chosen one, sharp as a tack! That’s right, Chloe is dead, and your
00:40 Wed, 25 Jun
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mission is complete. As a reward for completing the mission, you should return to your true world and reunite with your real family.”
I was overjoyed, tears of happiness flowing. I thought being reborn in a parallel world to protect my family was already Heaven’s mercy.
I never expected the System to give me such a surprise.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, my destined one.” The System seemed to misspeak, quickly correcting itself. “Now, go.”
I nodded, preparing to leave this home where I had lived for nineteen years.
Unexpectedly, Mom, who was asleep beside me, suddenly woke up, her gaze clear,
immediately locking onto my direction.
“Audrey, am I dreaming?”
She took down the fairy tale book she used to read to me and, as if finding a lost
treasure, stared intently at me.
I looked at her messy hair and face, and all the resentment in my heart vanished
without a trace.
Mom seemed to have temporarily regained her lucidity and, for some reason, could see
- me.
She got out of bed barefoot and then hugged me tightly.
“I’m sorry, Mom is truly sorry, Audrey. Mom has so much she wants to tell you, but I don’t dare hope for your forgiveness.”
“Mom found your diary. It was Mom’s fault. They all said I was crazy, but Mom could feel that you were right here in the house.”
“Mom misses you so much.”
I gently hugged her back and said my last and only words.
“I’m leaving. I’m going to find my real mom and dad. Goodbye.”
After speaking, my figure slowly dissipated.
Behind me were Mom’s heart–wrenching cries, but I didn’t look back.
Many hurts couldn’t be erased, but one must always look forward.
I hoped that Mom in this world would also find peace and happiness for the rest of her life.
