Chapter 1

Three years ago, I had a difficult delivery, and lost the baby. Charles Bennett was outside the delivery room, crying so hard he dropped to his knees.

Over the past three years, he took care of me in every possible way.

But the Parenthood System's progress bar was always stuck at ninety-nine percent.

I thought the mission would never get done.

But on the anniversary of our baby's death, after visiting the grave, I decided to go to the beach to clear my head. A little boy bumped into my leg.

I asked him, "Hey, kid, where are your parents?"

He got up, brushed my hand aside, and ran off.

I followed him, but when I saw what was ahead, my heart dropped and I felt a chill run through me.

Under a coconut tree, Charles was lounging in a beach chair, smiling as he caught the little boy who ran straight into his arms.

"Daddy," the boy called out.

And the woman the boy called Mommy with a big smile was my best friend, Emily Carter.

Next to her, my parents were sipping coconut drinks and messing around with the kid.

"Lucas Bennett, come here, let me hold you," my mom, Clara Summers, called out.

My dad, Damon Summers, took a sip of his coconut drink and let out a sigh. "Olivia Summers went to visit the grave again, didn't she? If she ever found out Lucas was..."

Charles quickly interrupted, shielding Lucas's ears. "Dad. This child is Olivia's way of making it up to Emily."

I clenched my fists, blinking in disbelief.

Suddenly, the cold, mechanical voice of the System echoed in my ears after so long. "Host, confirmation: this is the child you gave birth to back then.

"Parenthood System mission complete. Do you wish to leave this world?"

*****

My mind went blank, and I stood rooted to the spot, unable to move.

"Daddy, Mommy, this lady helped me just now," Lucas said as he walked over, holding Charles and Emily's hands.

Their smiles froze on their faces.

Charles's face went pale as he instinctively tried to shield Lucas behind him. "Olivia..."

My nose started to sting. "Stop hiding him, Charles. Aren't you going to explain?"

He took a deep breath. "Now that you've found out, I won't hide it anymore. Yes, Lucas is your child. I lied to you back then."

Emily's face went ghostly pale as she clutched Lucas's hand. "Liv, don't blame Charles. It's all my fault."

Suddenly, she pushed Lucas forward. "Lucas, go to her. She's your real mom."

Lucas started bawling. "No. I don't want that lady. Mommy, I only want you. Mommy, don't leave me."

He grabbed onto Emily's hand, and she hugged him back, crying her eyes out.

To my parents, it looked like I was trying to tear Lucas away from them.

Clara rushed over and stood protectively in front of Emily. "Olivia. Don't you dare try to separate them. This is something Damon and I both agree to."

My voice was shaking. "So, you all know?"

Clara coughed awkwardly, looking away. "It's your fault. If you hadn't gotten into that skiing accident, Emily wouldn't have gotten frostbite saving you. Now she can never have kids of her own. Letting her raise your child was fair."

Is that supposed to be fair?

But I remembered, Emily lost her ability to have kids because of an unexpected abortion back in college.

She bit her lip, unable to look at me, guilt written all over her face.

I didn't say anything, and Clara assumed I'd come around.

She said, "It's been three years, so stop holding onto it. You and Charles can have another kid anyway.

"We've been visiting Lucas every week for the past three years. Emily is gentle and caring, while you're always so emotional. She's way better at raising Lucas than you are."

Damon nodded approvingly. "Emily's always been so good to Clara and me, so thoughtful and respectful. We've basically adopted her as our own daughter. From now on, treat her like your little sister.

"And if you really can't let go of Lucas, dote on him like he's your nephew. That's good enough, isn't it?"

Watching their picture-perfect family, I felt like ice was running through my veins.

I let out a shaky laugh, unable to hold back the tears. "The child I almost died bringing into this world is now her son. Charles acts like she's his wife, and even my own parents call her their daughter now.

"Did I ever matter to you at all these past three years? Why did you all keep this from me for so long?"

I pointed at Emily, my whole body trembling. "Do you get a kick out of watching me break down day and night?"

Charles looked at me with a furrowed brow, clearly not agreeing with me. "Olivia. This has nothing to do with Emily. If you want to blame someone, blame me."

A metallic taste filled my mouth as I leaned against the wall, forcing myself to stay upright. I summoned the System. "Confirm exit. I don't want to stay here for even a second longer."

The System flickered. "Exit channel activated. You will leave this world through death in seventy-two hours."

I looked at Lucas's familiar little face, and in the end, I couldn't help but crouch down and reach out my hand to him. "Lucas, I'm your real mom. Would you be willing to come back to me?"

He hurried over, and I forced a smile.

But a second later, he grabbed a toy and hurled it right at my face. "Don't try to steal my daddy. I only have one mommy. I'll hurt you, you bad woman."

My cheek was red and swollen.

Emily anxiously picked Lucas up. "Liv, he didn't do it on purpose. Please don't hit him."

Clara, acting like a mother hen protecting her chick, shoved me aside. "He's a kid. Why are you making such a fuss about who his real mom is?"

Lucas hid in Emily's arms, bawling his eyes out, and nobody could calm him down no matter how hard they tried.

Charles was getting anxious too.

He grabbed my hand and dragged me outside. "The kid starts bawling every time he sees you. Go home for now."

He flagged down a taxi and quickly pushed me inside.

In the rearview mirror, I watched Charles and Emily soothing Lucas with practiced ease, like a real family. Tears streamed down my face.