Repaying 20 Years of Forced Gratitude with My Life

The day I completed my mission, the System asked me how I wanted to die.
I want to die saving Stella, I told it. And I want them all to watch.
When we were children, Stella saved me from a fire. For that, my family adopted her. But the love they once had for me, their own daughter, slowly transferred to her, until she was the sun they all revolved around.
I became a ghost in my own home, forced to yield at every turn.
Even Ethan, my childhood sweetheart and fianc, sided with the supposedly fragile, "depressed" Stella. I watched them laugh together as they set my wedding dress aflame.
In the roaring light of the fire, Ethans words were the same ones Id heard a thousand times before.
She saved your life, Sophie. Is it so hard to just let her have this?
Never forget, Sophie. Without Stella, youd be dead.
Well, the mission was over. It was time for me to go.
And now, I would make them see me give that life back to her.
This time, I would be the one to say, Without me, shed be dead.

1
The System informed me that a violent riot would break out during the grand parade at Everland Amusement Park.
Stella was there right now.
The timing is perfect, it buzzed in my mind. Take the knife for her, and the mission will conclude.
When I arrived at the park, I saw them. My father, who was supposed to be on a business trip. My mother, who had a conference. My brother, who was working late. All of them were there.
They had lied to me, all to celebrate Stellas birthday together.
Watching them from a distance, a happy, perfect family, I suddenly remembered.
Today was my birthday, too.
There was still some time before the chaos would begin. I bought the smallest cupcake I could find at a dessert stand and asked for a single candle. Finding a quiet bench, I sat down and lit the wick. The tiny flame was almost invisible in the bright afternoon sun.
I closed my eyes and made a wish.
My first wish: to return to my own world, where the System would use its power to cure my real mothers illness.
Three years ago, my mother had fallen gravely ill. Thats when the System found me. The price of her cure was twenty years of my life in another world. The mission was simple: make all the key figures in this new life either love me or despise me, unanimously.
At first, when Stella, the orphaned daughter of our late chauffeur, was adopted for saving my life, I thought it was the ultimate proof of my parents' love for me.
But that love soured.
Stella saved you. You need to be grateful.
Whats the big deal if you just let her have it? Without her, youd be dead, Sophie!
Those words had been my cage for twenty years.
My spot at a prestigious university? I gave it up for her.
The promotion to director I worked my fingers to the bone for? Hers.
And then last night, using her depression as a shield, Stella had taken a pair of scissors to my wedding dress, cutting it to shreds just for the fun of burning it. Ethan had stood right beside her, bending down to light the match.
I had stared at him, my voice hollow. Were getting married tomorrow, Ethan. Why?
His eyes, for the first time, held no trace of the conflict or pain I used to see. They were just cold.
And for the first time, he was the one who said it.
Never forget, Sophie. Without Stella, youd be dead.
In that moment, the Systems voice chimed.
Mission Complete. Emotional link confirmed for all targets: Despise.
A tear escaped from under my closed eyelid.
I remembered a time when I was the center of their world.
Sophie is the light of our lives!
Three cheers for our birthday girl!
Your family will always be here to catch you, sweetheart.
But the mission was complete, and the ending was not the one I had so naively expected. Everything had changed.
I made my second wish:
Please, let it be quick.
I hadn't even finished the thought when a hand slapped the cupcake from my lap. It tumbled to the pavement, smearing a sad swirl of buttercream across the dusty concrete.

2
I opened my eyes. It was my brother, Larry.
His brows were furrowed in anger. Sophie! What are you doing here? he hissed. Did you know it was Stellas birthday? Are you here to cause a scene?
His first instinct upon seeing me was to accuse me of trying to hurt Stella. Had I really become that person in his eyes?
I couldnt understand it. This was the brother who used to let me ride on his back, playing knight and princess. Now, he looked at me like I was the dragon.
I stared back at him, my eyes burning, stubbornly refusing to let the tears fall. My birthday cake was ruined, my second wish left unspoken.
Taking a deep breath, I knelt down, blew out the sputtering candle, and then, without a second thought, I scooped up the gritty, ruined cake and shoved it into my mouth. I chewed on the mixture of sugar, dirt, and my own crushing despair, as if I could swallow all the bitterness down.
Larry was stunned. What are you?
Passersby were starting to stare. His face flushed with embarrassment. He grabbed my arm, yanking me to my feet. What do you think youre doing? Youre embarrassing the family!
I wrenched my arm free, my voice a raw rasp. What am I doing? Im eating my own birthday cake! I screamed, my voice cracking. Its my birthday too! Did you even know that?
Larry froze, the anger on his face faltering. After a few seconds of silence, his tone softened slightly, but his words were still sharp. Even so you cant make a scene like this.
I said nothing. I walked to a trash can and threw away the last of the mangled cake in my hand. Then I turned to him, my voice unnervingly calm.
Dont worry. You wont have to be embarrassed by me much longer. After today, I wont be a part of this family anymore.
Today, I said, looking him dead in the eye, Im giving my life back.
He didnt seem to process it. What are you talking about?
Sophie!
Another familiar voice. It was Ethan.
He strode towards us, a shopping bag in his hand, the same wary suspicion in his eyes as Larry. His first words were an echo of my brothers.
What are you doing here?
He was so predictable. Just like the rest of them, he was terrified I might do something to upset his precious Stella. The irony was suffocating. They knew how much they favored her, and that was why they were so afraid of me.
As he got closer, his eyes caught the smudge of frosting at the corner of my mouth. He paused. Almost instinctively, he reached into his pocket for a handkerchief to wipe it away.
I flinched back, dodging his touch. The lingering habit was disgusting.
I looked at him, and a wave of pure hatred washed over me. I hated him most of all. We had grown up together, and he had always been my staunchest defender, my shadow. I truly believed I was the only one he saw.
But when Stella graduated from college, hed hired her as his personal assistant, a move that broke all company protocol. I saw them laughing together by his car one day, and a chill went down my spine. When had they become so close? Maybe I had been the outsider all along.
And last night, he had stood by and helped her burn my wedding dress.
With that act, the System had confirmed it. No one loved me.
He had, in a twisted way, helped me complete my mission. But the truth was simple.
Ethan was the one who broke me. Twenty years of lies, deceit, and betrayal. I had lost everything.
Ethan, I despise you.
My gaze fell to the beautifully wrapped gift bag in his hand. I forced a smile and reached for it.
Is that for me? A little party favor?
He jerked his hand back as if Id tried to burn him. His expression soured. Of course not. This is for Stella.
Then he added, with a cold dismissiveness that cut deeper than any knife, Todays not a special day for you, Sophie. Why would you get a gift?

3
Beside me, Larry shifted uncomfortably. I looked straight at Ethan, my voice so steady it surprised even me.
Its my birthday, Ethan.
He was stunned into silence. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. Finally, he managed a clipped, awkward response. Right. Ill Ill make it up to you later.
There is no later, I told him, my voice flat. Im going to die today.
His brow furrowed, his expression shifting to one of weary annoyance. He clearly thought this was just another desperate bid for attention.
Sophie, thats enough, he said, his voice low and strained.
Larry jumped in, trying to diffuse the situation. Sophie, just go home. What if Stella sees you and has a panic attack? You know she cant handle being upset!
Cant handle being upset, or cant handle me? We all knew the answer.
When I was valedictorian, she had a breakdown. When I got a promotion, she fell into a deep depression. When Ethan and I were about to get married, her "illness" conveniently flared up again.
And every single time, I was the one to blame. My achievements, my career, my entire life had to be sacrificed at the altar of Stellas fragile mental state.
Stella!
A sharp cry from behind us. It was my mother.
Stella had seen me. She clutched her chest and swooned dramatically into my fathers arms.
My mother rushed over, her finger pointing accusingly at my face. Sophie! Its Stellas birthday! Why did you have to come here and ruin everything? Youre bad luck!
She turned her back on me, fussing over Stella, cooing at her with a tenderness she hadnt shown me in years.
I watched her, my heart a block of ice. Mom, its my birthday too.
She froze. Her eyes darted away, unable to meet mine. She stammered, but the words happy birthday never came.
My fathers voice boomed, full of rage. Your birthday is the real curse! If you hadnt insisted on lighting so many candles all those years ago, the fire would never have started! You nearly killed us all!
That fire. The anchor of the "debt" Id carried for twenty years. It was the weapon they all used against me.
I let out a bitter laugh. Thats a lie. Stella was the one who knocked over my cake. The candles lit the tablecloth on fire! It was never my fault!
It wasnt my fault. So why did I have to pay for it?
From my fathers arms, Stella opened her eyes, tears welling up beautifully. But sister I saved you Isnt that enough?
That day, Stella had been screaming and clawing her way out of the fire. But a clasp on her hair had snagged on my dress. My legs were trapped under a fallen beam, the bones fractured. Shed had no choice but to drag me with her, cursing me to die the entire way.
Her words were like a trigger.
Larry immediately stepped in front of her, shielding her. It doesnt matter how it happened, Sophie. Stella saved your life! Thats a fact!
Ethan moved to his side. Soph, she gave you your life back. Cant you just cut her some slack?
My fathers face was purple with rage, his finger trembling as he pointed at me. She gave you that life! Without her, youd be dead! How did we raise such an ungrateful daughter?
She saved you!
You owe her your life!
Just let her have it!
You have to be grateful!
The familiar litany washed over me, a tide of guilt and obligation that had been drowning me for two decades. My entire life had been a prison built of their morality.
And then, the Systems voice in my head.
Riot commencing in one minute.
A real smile spread across my face. I looked at their angry, accusing faces.
Well, I said, my voice light. Look how the tables have turned.
I stepped forward, bent down, and seized Stellas wrist in a death grip. Leaning in close, I whispered, every word dripping with ice.
All those things you just said? In a little while, itll be my turn to say them.

4
Stella shrieked as if I had burned her, dissolving into a fresh wave of tears. The others immediately swarmed around her.
Its okay, Stella, dont be scared!
Sophie, let her go!
I was shoved aside. My parents, my brother, my fiancall of them circled around her like a protective wall.
Just then, the parade began. Cheerful music swelled as costumed characters danced down the main street. The host invited guests to join them on the main float. My family must have arranged it beforehand, because Stella was chosen instantly. Wiping her tears, she was escorted onto the float like a princess.
The mascots all crowded around her, a perfect picture of adoration.
Stella twirled and danced, a radiant smile on her face. Ethan watched from the crowd, his eyes filled with a mesmerized haze. Shes so beautiful, he murmured.
Thirty seconds until the riot.
I walked up beside Ethan. Ethan, I asked softly, if I died today, would you ever miss me?
He sighed, the spell broken. Dont be so dramatic, Sophie. Youve been living on borrowed time for twenty years. Do you really have the guts to die? Stop making empty threats.
Empty threats?
The words had barely left his lips.
Aaaahhh!
A collective scream tore through the crowd.
The riot the System had predicted began, right on schedule.
Several men with knives rushed into the crowd, slashing wildly. The parade float was their primary target. People scattered, their screams mingling with the stench of blood.
In the midst of the chaos, I turned to Ethan and gave him a brilliant smile.
Then, without a seconds hesitation, I ran straight into the heart of the chaos.
He finally reacted, his voice a shredded, desperate roar. SOPHIE! COME BACK!
Stella, at the center of the float, was the main target. She was paralyzed with fear, her face pale, her screams piercing the air.
My parents and brother were on the ground below, yelling frantically.
Protect Stella!
Save my sister! If a single hair on her head is harmed, Ill have your jobs!
Security guards rushed in, tackling most of the assailants. Only one remained, his eyes wild with bloodlust. He raised his knife and lunged toward Stella, who was cowering in a corner of the float.
STELLA!
Ethans entire world was focused on her as he tried to push through the panicked crowd.
But he was too late.
Like a phantom, I appeared from the side.
And placed myself directly in the path of the blade.
Shhhlick.
The sound of the knife entering my body was a dull, wet thud.
A bloom of warmth spread through my chest.
Time seemed to freeze. All the noise, the screams, the musicit all faded away.
I saw them.
My parents eyes, wide with horror.
Larrys mouth, hanging open in disbelief.
And the look on Ethans face as his entire world shattered.
In the next instant, all of them were running.
Running towards me.
And then, I fell.
As my consciousness faded, the last thing I heard was the cold, clinical voice of the System.
Congratulations, Host. Detachment successful.

First, search for and download the MotoNovel app from Google. Then, open the app and use the code "301273" to read the entire book.