I woke up inside a novel after my old life completely fell apart. Then the System hit me with one ridiculous mission: [MISSION: Expose the impostor heiress. Fail, and you're sent back.] I blinked. "Wait. FAILING sends me home?" [...Yes.] Perfect. On my first day with my biological family, Vivian was already crying. "Please don't blame M0m and D@d for loving me. If Emma wants my place, I'll give it back." Five minutes in, and somehow I was the villain. M0m defended her. My brother blamed me. My fiancé barely looked at me. They all expected me to fight Vivian for her family, her status, her perfect life. Too bad I wanted NONE of it. The System practically lost it. [Emma! You're supposed to defeat her!] I laughed. "Who said I wanted to win?" Then something changed. For the first time, someone actually wanted me to STAY. So I looked at Vivian. At my family. At the man who was supposed to marry me. "You want me to be the villain?" I smiled. "Fine. Let's play." Because if I'm staying in this world... I'm taking back EVERYTHING they thought I'd never have. After my old life completely fell apart, I opened my eyes inside a novel. Before I could even figure out where I was, a System started yelling inside my head. [MISSION: Expose the impostor heiress.] [Mission failure will immediately return you to your original world.] For the first time in months, something actually caught my attention. "So failing the mission sends me HOME?" The System hesitated. [...Technically, yes.] Interesting. Maybe this world wouldn't be so boring after all. On the very first day I reunited with my biological family, their adopted daughter, Vivian, was already putting on a performance. She stood crying near the balcony doors while the entire family gathered around her. "Please don't blame M0m and D@d for loving me." "This is all my fault." "If having me here makes Emma unhappy, I'll give everything back." My parents and older brother immediately turned toward me. "Emma, how can you be so cruel?" "You just came home and you're already making Vivian miserable?" I didn't argue. I walked over, pulled Vivian away from the center of the drama, and looked straight at her. "If dramatic scenes are how we solve problems in this family, you could've just said so." The System immediately panicked. [Emma.] [Please behave normally.] I smiled. "No promises." The argument turned chaotic. In the middle of it, I slipped and injured my leg. When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital bed with my left leg in a cast. Apparently, my first day with the Whitmores was going even worse than expected. "Emma Reed, even if you want attention, there are limits." The man beside my bed was Adrian Whitmore. My biological older brother. Tailored suit. Silver-framed glasses. Perfect posture. Zero warmth. "You frightened Vivian so badly she had to be treated in the next room." He placed a glass of water on my nightstand. "You got what you wanted." "She feels guilty." "And now the entire family is cleaning up the mess." Amazing. I had been home for less than a day, and somehow I was already the villain. M0m entered carrying food. "Adrian, that's enough." For half a second, I thought she might defend me. Then she sat beside my bed. "Emma, you spent twenty years away from us." "You didn't have the education or opportunities Vivian had." "You're still adjusting." "But Vivian has been our daughter for twenty years too." There it was. The gentle voice. The expensive perfume. The sharp edge hidden inside every polite sentence. "She's always been sensitive," M0m continued. "Can't you be a little more understanding?" I stared at her. "I understand perfectly." She blinked. "You do?" "Yep." "Vivian cries, and everyone runs." "I get hurt, and everyone gives me a lecture." The room went silent. Adrian's jaw tightened. "Our mother is trying to help you." "Is sarcasm really necessary?" Before I could answer, the door opened again. Grant Caldwell walked in. My arranged fiancé. Technically. Our families had planned the engagement years ago. Grant barely looked at my cast before asking, "How is Vivian?" Of course. M0m told him she was resting. Only then did he turn to me. "Emma, if marrying me is what all this is about, fine." "I'll marry you." I stared at him. He actually thought THAT was the prize? Grant sighed. "But stop making Vivian feel guilty." "She spent the entire night blaming herself." "Being around you is exhausting." I pressed the nurse call button. A nurse appeared. "Is something wrong?" "Yes." I pointed around the room. "Can I request a discharge form that also removes me from this family?" The nurse blinked. Grant frowned. Adrian's expression darkened. I smiled. "Worth asking." The next surprise arrived in a wheelchair. Vivian. Pale. Fragile. Perfect. "Emma..." Her eyes immediately filled with tears. "Please don't blame M0m, D@d, or Adrian." "This is all my fault." Grant rushed to steady her. "You're still weak." Vivian looked at me. "This private suite was supposed to be yours." "But they moved me here because the equipment is better." "If you're upset, I'll leave right now." M0m immediately grabbed her hand. "Absolutely not." Then she turned to me. "Emma, your condition is stable." "You can recover perfectly well in a regular room." "Vivian needs the extra monitoring." Adrian nodded. "My assistant has already arranged the transfer." Grant added, "Do the gracious thing for once." I looked at all four of them. My biological mother. My brother. My fiancé. And the adopted daughter they kept choosing. Then I pulled out my phone. "Hello?" Everyone watched me. "Yes, I'm looking for a family-law attorney." M0m's face changed. Adrian stepped closer. I continued calmly. "I'd like information about formally separating my affairs from my biological family." "And changing my emergency contacts." The room went DEAD silent. Vivian stopped crying. Grant stared. Adrian reached for my phone. "Emma, enough." I pulled it away. "What?" "You keep telling me I don't know how this family works." "So I'm solving the problem." "You keep Vivian." "I keep my distance." For the first time, nobody had a quick answer. Two weeks later, I left the hospital on crutches. The Whitmores sent a driver. No flowers. No M0m. No Adrian. Just: "Miss Reed, your car is ready." Perfect. Unfortunately, when we reached the Whitmore mansion, every window was glowing. Music drifted from the ballroom. I stared at the driver. "What is this?" "Your welcome party." Of course it was. Nothing says welcome home like inviting half of Manhattan to judge you. I entered in gray sweats and crutches. Everyone else looked like they'd stepped out of a luxury campaign. Then I saw Vivian. Custom white gown. Perfect hair. Surrounded by socialites. "Emma!" She hurried toward me. Then, in front of EVERYONE, she lowered her head. "What happened at the hospital was my fault." "I never should have accepted your private room." "I begged M0m and D@d to throw this party for you." "I hope you can forgive me." The whispers started instantly. "She isn't even smiling." "Vivian is practically begging." "The Whitmores have been incredibly patient with her." I almost laughed. Vivian had apologized to me... and somehow I was still the problem. Grant appeared beside me holding a glass of juice. "Vivian has done everything she can." "If you keep sulking, you'll embarrass the entire family." Then he leaned closer. "If you want to belong here, learn how to behave." That was the moment I stopped trying to please them. I handed the glass back to a server. Then I walked to the center of the ballroom. Every eye followed me. Adrian frowned. "Emma." "What are you doing?" I pulled out my phone. "Something I probably should've done on day one." I opened the notes I'd been keeping since arriving in this world. Every accusation. Every decision made without me. Every time Vivian cried and somebody blamed me. Then I looked around the ballroom. "You all think I'm desperate to belong here." "Let's fix that misunderstanding." M0m's face went pale. "Emma, this is neither the time nor the place." "Actually, I think it's perfect." I looked directly at Vivian. "You can keep the room." "The party." "The fiancé." "The family name." Then I looked at the rest of them. "As for me?" "I'm DONE with this family." Grant's expression changed. Vivian stopped smiling. For once, the entire room had nothing to say. The party ended early. By the next morning, the Whitmores had decided my public refusal was proof that I needed "time to calm down." They moved me to a private bedroom upstairs. Security stayed outside. My phone disappeared. My schedule was controlled. Even my daily routine was handed over to the household staff. They called it protection. I called it a cage. Every day, the System tried to motivate me. [Look! Sunshine!] I looked out the window. It was raining. "Great job." [Emma, please.] [We still have a mission.] "I don't care about the mission." [You HAVE to expose Vivian.] "Why?" [...Because those are the rules?] Exactly. Everyone in this world had rules for me. My family. Grant. Vivian. Even the stupid System. And I was done following them. Two weeks later, the entire family left for Vivian's twentieth birthday celebration. For the first time, the mansion became quiet. I sat on the floor beside the bed and opened the hidden System menu I'd been studying for days. There it was. A hidden Return to Original World command. Not revenge. Not Vivian. Not another ridiculous mission. Just HOME. The System realized what I was doing. [Emma.] Its voice changed. [Wait.] I selected the option. [CONFIRM RETURN TO ORIGINAL WORLD?] "Yes." [RETURNING HOME WILL END THE CURRENT MISSION.] "Good." [YOU WILL LOSE ALL PROGRESS.] "Even better." [WAIT! YOU'RE ABANDONING THE ENTIRE MISSION!] I pressed CONFIRM. Bright warnings filled my vision. [RETURN PROTOCOL ACTIVATED.] The Whitmore mansion dissolved into white light. The story world vanished around me. The System's voice became frantic. [Emma! CANCEL IT!] For the first time since arriving, I knew I'd made a decision entirely for myself. I closed my eyes. The last thing I heard before the story world disappeared was the System's horrified electronic scream. [NO WAY! She actually found the return command!]
Not enough history yet to show a trend.