Part 1Death Was My Only Escape

When my billionaire parents chose the fake heiress once again and refused to visit me in the hospital, I finally gave up.

"System," I whispered, "let the cancer cells spread. I’m ready to leave this body."

As my soul drifted away, I heard them talking.

"If Serena hadn't warned us, I wouldn't have known our biological daughter was faking an illness just for attention! How low can she get?"

"Let’s not contact her for a few months. She needs to learn her lesson. Maybe then she’ll finally start behaving."

Behaving?

Too bad I’m already dead.

* * *

The hospital walls were too white. So white they made my eyes ache.

I sat by the window where a sliver of sunlight managed to peek through, yet I couldn't shake the freezing chill that wrapped around my bones.

"Miss Sterling, please lie down. It’s time for your IV."

My private nurse pushed the door open, her voice soft and careful.

It was strange.

I was the biological daughter of the richest man in the city. I was in a premier VIP suite.

So why was there such deep pity in her eyes when she looked at me?

"Nurse Thompson, did you tell my parents the biopsy results?"

Her hand faltered for a second, nearly missing the vein. She offered me a weak, forced smile.

"Don't worry. Even though the tumor is malignant, we caught it early. With surgery and two rounds of chemo, you’ll recover."

"Don't be afraid."

I nodded, then repeated my question, more urgent this time.

"But... did you notify my parents?"

Nurse Thompson opened her mouth, then closed it, looking like the words were stuck in her throat.

I understood.

There was no way she hadn't told them.

It was just that they chose not to come.

Before leaving, she tried to cheer me up. "Don't lose heart. The cancer hasn't metastasized yet. Your condition is very treatable."

I forced a smile but said nothing.

The cancer hadn't spread yet, but when I transmigrated into this body, I came with a "System" mission.

If I couldn't win over my parents' love, my only ending was death.

I leaned greedily toward the patch of sunlight.

This cancer was the System’s countdown timer.

If things continued like this—I was truly running out of time.