Chapter 4

"Olivia!" Claire suddenly raised her voice, startling both me and Mom.

"Reach out," she said. "See if Erica is still breathing."

Claire was a pediatrician. Because of her job, she was always super patient with everyone.

Even when Mom showed up at her workplace to give her a hard time and humiliate her in front of everyone, Claire never once lost her cool.

This was the first time I ever heard real anger in Claire's voice.

Mom froze. To my surprise, she actually followed Claire's instructions and placed her fingers under my nose.

A few seconds passed, and there was not a hint of breath.

Mom's fingers started to tremble.

Suddenly, she pinched my nose shut. "Erica, I know you're just holding your breath to scare me. I admit I accidentally hurt you when I drew your blood today. I'm sorry, so stop messing around, okay?"

She kept pinching for a full five minutes, and her grip was so tight that her nails left marks on my skin. But I stayed completely unresponsive.

I was really dead.

Mom's breathing was barely a whisper as she slowly released her grip, and her eyes widened with shock, staring at me in disbelief, as if she couldn't accept what she was seeing.

"Erica..." she murmured.

Suddenly, the blue chip in my palm started to glow.

The System's robotic voice rang out in my head. [Regret target detected. System activated. Host Erica Harris's soul fragment found. Would you like to bind to this system again?]

Hearing the System's voice made me feel like I'd finally been saved.

I was so excited that I could barely get the words out. "Yes, bind to me! System, can you... can you talk to me?"

With a crisp beep, a warm sensation washed over my soul, like something was nourishing me from the inside.

The System said: [Erica, my energy is running low. I'm in low-power mode, so I might not be able to reply to you in time.]

I remembered Mom once said that the System was powered by human emotions. After Mom changed its fuel from 'love' to 'regret', it could only charge up using Regret Points.

The System said: [Erica, when the Regret Points hit 100, I'll grant you a wish. Whatever you ask for, I'll make it come true.]

I was still a bit confused, but I understood what was at stake. Before the blue glow in my palm faded, I hurriedly asked, "How do I collect Regret Points?"

The System's voice crackled with static, making it sound sharp and grating. [Just wait.]

It went quiet again, but for once, I had something to look forward to.

I gripped the glowing chip in my palm, and then shifted my focus back to Mom.

Claire turned away, her face clouded with sadness. She choked up and said, "Olivia, what's done is done. As Erica's mother, you need to pull yourself together. Her... Her funeral..."

Before Claire could finish, Mom interrupted her.

She snapped out of her brief confusion.

Then she yanked me out of Claire's arms and gripped my shoulders really hard. Through clenched teeth, she demanded, "No way! Erica was not a character in the story. How could she die?"

The blue chip in my palm flashed for an instant, and then vanished so quickly that it was almost like a hallucination.

Mom scrubbed at my cheeks, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't wipe away the death marks.

"Right... She lost too much blood. If she had some blood, she'd be fine." Mom slapped the bed, her eyes darting around the room. Suddenly, she spotted a small knife in the corner and grabbed it.

She pressed the blade to her finger and winced as it cut deep. She cried out, "Shit, that hurts."

Ignoring the pain, she pressed her bleeding finger to my lips. "Erica, wake up. Don't die."

The blood stained my lips a strange, vivid red, but a corpse couldn't swallow. Drops of blood slid from the corners of my mouth, forming a sad, downward arc, like a crying face.

Mom shouted, "System, I'm going crazy. How am I supposed to make Edward feel any regret if Erica is already dead?

"What are Edward's Regret Points right now? Tell me, System!"

With the System staying silent, Mom was about to lose it completely.

With bloodshot eyes, Mom gave Claire a chilling look and muttered, "If I get the Regret Points to 100, you'll finally pay attention to me."

Olivia grabbed the brown vase from the nightstand and smashed it over Claire's head, knocking her unconscious.

She used all her savings to orchestrate a fake kidnapping.

The so-called kidnapper sent a message to my dad: [Which one will you choose: your woman or your daughter?]

In the video, Claire was tied to a chair, her hands and feet bound, with a bomb strapped around her waist. The timer was counting down, and there were only five minutes left.

Meanwhile, my hair was let down, covering the signs of death on my face, making it hard to see my features clearly.