LOGIN"Stop her!" Dad roared.Jordan chased after me. I rushed into the kitchen and slammed the door connecting it to the main dining area shut, locking it from the inside. The next moment, the door shook violently as they pounded on it and hurled curses at me from the other side.I quickly dialed 911 on my phone, rattling off the address and situation as fast as I could. "Someone's trying to kidnap me! They're my biological parents, and they're pounding on the door right now!"When the sound of police sirens grew closer and closer, my legs finally gave out, and I crouched down, gasping for breath. The places where they'd grabbed my arms burned painfully, but I had no time to worry about that.The police took my parents and Jordan into custody.…At the police station, they initially remained aggressive, twisting the facts and insisting that I'd been brainwashed by bad influences and had become a rebel. That was until the officers played the cafe's security footage and the recording I'
I sat in front of my computer, watching the stream of vicious comments scrolling across the screen. My fingers were cold, but my heartbeat remained strangely steady.If they wanted to make a scene, fine. I'd give them one.I created a new social media account and posted the complete, unedited video, along with the evidence my photographer friend had obtained proving that my father had no hospital admission records. I gave the post a simple title. "The Truth About Grace Sawyer, the Ungrateful Daughter."Then, I tagged several popular local influencers and media accounts that had shared the original video.The truth would always be more powerful than lies.In the full video, my parents could be heard discussing how to "marry" me off for money, how to get their hands on my savings, and how to fabricate my father's illness to trick me into returning home. Every word was like a resounding slap across the faces of the netizens who had been manipulated into attacking me. More than that,
I wiped the moisture from the corners of my eyes, deleted the text message, and blocked the number.From then on, I had only myself to rely on.…I knew they wouldn't let me go so easily. What I hadn't expected was how quickly they'd come after me.The police showed up just as I'd finished a photoshoot.Two uniformed officers were waiting outside my dormitory building, their expressions grave. Their presence drew a crowd of students and teachers, who gathered around and whispered among themselves. My roommate from my home state accompanied me downstairs, nervously clutching my sleeve."Are you Grace Sawyer?" The older officer showed me his credentials. "Your parents filed a missing persons' report. They said they'd lost contact with you and were worried about your safety, so they asked us to confirm that you were all right."I nodded. "Yes, I'm Grace Sawyer. I'm perfectly safe."The officer made a note in his records. "Why haven't you been in contact with your family?"I remai
I froze. "My dad's been hospitalized?"That night, I couldn't sleep.The system was gone. There was no one left to tell me what to do. I had to judge the situation for myself and make my own decisions.…The next day, I skipped my part-time job. I stayed in the dorm with my laptop open, staring at the screen without absorbing a single word.That afternoon, my phone rang again. Another unfamiliar number.I stared at it until the ringing stopped.When my screen lit up again, there was a text message from a number back home."Grace, it's Mom. Your father is sick and in the hospital. Could you please come home and see him? I'm begging you."The message went on and on, describing in painstaking detail how serious his condition was and how difficult things had become for the family. Every word seemed drenched in desperation.I stared at the screen, my fingers turning cold. The memories and emotions I'd tried so hard to suppress came surging back with a vengeance.Should I go home?
Only then did I understand what the system had given me as a parting gift: a new life, one in which I was finally free.Wearing a pair of sneakers that fit perfectly and comfortable sweatpants, I took off running, letting my legs carry me wherever I wanted to go. Once I reached the train station, I immediately booked a ticket to Calemont.Thanks to the system, I had money in my bank account, my ID with me, and even a freshly issued driver's license.After saying goodbye to my teachers and classmates, I pulled out my SIM card.…I arrived in Calemont around noon the next day.Stepping out of the train station, I found myself surrounded by unfamiliar skyscrapers and streams of traffic that never seemed to stop. Even the air smelled different. I tightened my grip on the straps of my backpack, my palms growing slightly damp with sweat.This was the first time I'd faced such a vast world all on my own since the system had left. There were no instructions to follow, no orders I was su
I froze.The system continued, "You guessed the secret phrase correctly. I will disappear in three seconds. Congratulations! Your gift is ready and will be automatically delivered once our bond is severed. Three…""The secret phrase?" I murmured. "Do they even love me?""Two…""System?" Suddenly, I found myself reluctant to let it go. "Can I choose not to sever our bond? I…""One…"Finally, there was a beep, and then nothing.The system had truly disappeared.An overwhelming sense of emptiness washed over me, and my eyes grew damp. "You lying system! You haven't even told me how I'm going to die!"Almost instantly, memories that didn't belong to me flooded into my mind.They seemed to belong to another Grace Sawyer, one who lived in a parallel world.She had obeyed her parents and attended a tuition-free community college on the outskirts of the city, returning home every weekend to help her mother with the housework.She was timid and followed Jordan's advice to avoid gett







