Chapter 2
The gavel hung suspended, refusing to fall.
The presiding judge showed his impatience, lifting his hand to check his watch.
From the plaintiff's bench, my dad, Patrick Pennington, pointed at the empty defendant's seat, spittle flying.
"Your Honor, look at this! She doesn't even dare show up in court! This is fleeing from justice!"
"She's been jealous of her sister since childhood, completely heartless. This time she actually took a knife and blinded Yara in one eye!"
"This menace—if you don't lock her up for ten years, there's no justice in this world!"
My mom, Rachel Allen, dabbed at her tears beside him.
"How did I give birth to such a monster... Yara may be adopted, but in our hearts she's closer than blood."
Listen to that. How touching.
I floated in midair, watching these two people who had given birth to me and raised me.
They wanted nothing more than to grind me into the dirt and stomp on me twice for good measure.
And that fiancé who'd promised to protect me for life, Adrian Vale, sat in the plaintiff's attorney seat.
His expression was cold as he submitted several documents.
"Your Honor, this is surveillance footage of the defendant Nora purchasing the weapon used in the assault."
"And here are records of her repeatedly sending threatening text messages to the victim."
"I am the plaintiff's attorney, and also the victim's fiancé."
"I request that the court impose the maximum sentence."
The courtroom erupted. Even the judge looked momentarily stunned.
Probably never seen a fiancé personally send his fiancée to prison before.
I floated in front of Adrian's face.
I tried to touch his cheek, but my hand passed right through.
"Adrian, look carefully—that's my sister wearing my clothes in the surveillance footage."
"Those text messages—didn't Yara send them herself using my phone?"
Too bad he couldn't hear me.
He was staring down at his phone, brow furrowed.
On the screen was the last message he'd sent me:
[Nora, stop playing dead and dodging court. If you're willing to sign the cornea donation form, I can file to dismiss the case.]
[This is what you owe Yara.]
Below it was a red exclamation mark.
One minute ago.
My body had stopped breathing on the floor of my rental apartment.
The system's mechanical voice echoed in my mind:
[Host departing world... Departure obstructed, excessive resentment, soul detained for 72 hours.]
Resentment?
I looked at Adrian's profile, tears silently streaming down my face.
How could I not resent?
I'd spent ten full years trying to win him over.
In high school, when he was bullied, I stood up for him. In college, when his family fell on hard times, I worked three jobs to support him.
To help raise money for his mother's surgery, I knelt outside the Pennington family mansion in a blizzard, kowtowing until my head bled.
He'd said, "Nora, when I make something of myself, I'll give you the grandest wedding."
And the result?
The moment Yara came back, everything changed.
When Yara said her eyes hurt, he forced me to get tested for cornea compatibility.
Never mind that I'd already been diagnosed with stomach cancer and was too weak to even walk steadily.
When Yara claimed I pushed her, he backhanded me across the face.
Hit me so hard my eardrum ruptured—but all he cared about was whether Yara's hand hurt from hitting me.
Now he'd personally forged evidence to send me to prison and harvest my eyes.
The judge tapped his gavel.
"Since the defendant has failed to appear without valid reason, this court will proceed with trial in absentia..."
Just then, Adrian's phone rang.
It was the police station.
"Hello, is this Mr. Vale? This is South District Police Station."
Adrian sounded extremely irritated, lowering his voice:
"I'm in court right now. Whatever it is, call back later."
The officer on the other end sounded urgent.
"Mr. Vale, we've discovered a female body in the slums."
"The deceased was clutching a business card from your law firm, with your name written on the back."
"Based on preliminary identification, we believe the deceased may be your fiancée, Nora."