I'm what's known as a Tasker, someone assigned roles by a System. The identity arranged for me this time was the true daughter of the wealthy Ashworth family. When they found me and brought me back, the family already had an adopted daughter they showered with affection. She was portrayed as pure and innocent, a delicate flower untouched by the world. Meanwhile, every effort I made to fit in was twisted into manipulative scheming. It wasn't until I was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease – kidney failure – and knelt on the floor begging Mr. Ashworth to use his connections to find me a donor, that things hit rock bottom. The Ashworths just watched me coldly, assuming it was just another ploy for attention. "Stop with the pathetic act. If you really have kidney failure, then you might as well just die." But when I genuinely lost the will to live, the Ashworths suddenly went frantic, begging me to stay. By then, though, I was long tired of trying to be family with them. 1 "We can't delay this any longer. You need surgery as soon as possible." In the hospital room, I listened numbly to the doctor's advice. "No point. I don't have the money. I don't want the treatment." With that, I ripped the IV needle from my hand, slipped on my shoes, and bolted out the door. "Hey!" The doctor, clearly caught off guard, hurried after me. "What are you running for inside a hospital? Emily Ashworth, are you getting completely out of control?" As I sprinted towards the hospital entrance, I bumped into someone. After a mumbled "sorry," I tried to leave, but a hand grabbed my arm. Seeing the doctor closing in, I impatiently tried to shake the hand off, but the grip on my wrist tightened. "You..." I snapped my head up and saw Michael Ashworth's annoyed face. Seeing me talking to Michael, the pursuing doctor’s eyes lit up with a hopeful smile. "Dr. Ashworth, you know her? Please, try to talk some sense into her. She has kidney failure but refuses treatment. If she doesn't get a transplant soon, it might be too late. The hospital has programs, policies..." Before the doctor could finish, Michael cut him off. "Emily, seriously, enough is enough. Do you really have to go to such lengths? How did I end up with such a vicious sister? If only you were half as sensible as Jessica." His disgusted gaze shifted to the other doctor. "How much did she pay you to stage this little drama? Are you throwing away your medical ethics for money? Don't bother coming into work tomorrow." Without waiting for a reply, Michael turned and walked away. I looked at the stunned doctor, swallowing the bitter lump in my throat. "I'm sorry… you got dragged into this." There wasn't much more I could say. Even though I was technically an Ashworth, they despised me. I had no power to help this poor doctor. "What kind of person is that? And I used to look up to him. Unbelievable." The doctor muttered, disgusted. "Don't worry about it. It's just a job, not like I desperately needed it. But your condition really can't wait." Hearing him still fussing over me, a strange warmth flickered inside me. Michael was dead wrong; this young doctor had integrity, worrying about a patient even after being fired. "I know." I nodded, just to appease him. He seemed satisfied with my response, gave me his phone number, and then hurried off, presumably to look for his next job. 2 After leaving the hospital, I didn't head home. I didn't have a home in this world. With nowhere else to go, I wandered aimlessly down the street. Suddenly, a strong force yanked me sideways. "Are you blind? Watch where you're going, idiot! What rotten luck." The words floated back to me as the car sped off, disappearing before I could fully register what happened. "What were you thinking? You weren't even paying attention crossing the street. You almost died." The person who pulled me back was Dr. David Evans, my attending physician. When I spoke, I couldn't quite meet his eyes. "So what if I died? I'm not going to live much longer anyway." "What are you saying? If you get treatment, you still have a lot of time left." Dr. Evans started talking non-stop, urging me to accept treatment. He was like a little sunbeam, which inexplicably reminded me of Jessica. "Enough!" I didn't want to hear it. I yelled with almost all the strength I had left. "I told you I don't want treatment! I don't want to live! Why are you telling me all this? My parents and brother don't care about me, so why should you? They all wish I was dead!" The outburst left me breathless. My emotions surged, and I could barely breathe. I hugged myself, crouching by the roadside as tears streamed down my face, splashing onto the pavement. "I'm sick of this life. I just want to die sooner. Maybe in the next life, I'll find a family that actually loves me." Sniffling, I stood up. The sudden movement made me stumble. I saw Dr. Evans reach out to steady me, hesitate, and then pull his hand back. I was satisfied with that outcome. Let Dr. Evans hate me too, just like my so-called family. With that thought, I walked away without a word of apology, never looking back. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dr. Evans standing there, looking dejected. A flicker of sympathy sparked in me. But it vanished as quickly as it came. What right did a worthless reject like me, living in darkness, have to feel sorry for anyone else? 3 Back at the house, I had barely opened the front door and hadn't even taken off my shoes when a glass shattered at my feet. Shards flew up, cutting my cheek. Blood instantly welled up. "I feed you, clothe you, send you to school, and this is how you turn out?" Mr. Ashworth roared. "I warned you when you tried to use kidney failure to threaten me last time! Now you've dragged this nonsense to your brother's hospital? How did I end up with such a liar for a daughter? Get down on your knees!" His voice was so loud that he broke into a violent coughing fit afterward. "Dad, don't be so angry. Emily just really wants your attention," Jessica chimed in sweetly. That only enraged Mr. Ashworth further. "What more attention does she need?" "Have we ever denied her anything? If she were half as sensible as you, wouldn't we pay attention to her?" "Oh dear, why are you two arguing?" Mrs. Ashworth finally stopped pretending not to notice as things escalated. "Emily, dear, we're all family. Don't make these kinds of jokes. Your father is just worried about you. Apologize to him, and we can put this behind us." I glanced at the elegantly dressed woman speaking, then turned and walked away without a word. "You wretched girl! How dare you be so disrespectful..." Slam. I slammed my bedroom door shut, blocking out their voices. A bunch of hypocrites. Listening to even one more word from them made me sick. Outside the door, Mrs. Ashworth was clearly stunned. In her memory, I had always been obedient. This was the first time since returning home that I had defied them. The stark contrast brought tears to her eyes. "Mommy, don't cry. Maybe Emily's just having a bad day," Jessica comforted her. Jessica's words only intensified Mrs. Ashworth's resentment towards me. "I don't know why that little brat even came back. If only you were my real daughter. She’s just here to cause trouble." She shot a resentful look at my closed door. I locked myself in my room and didn't come out, even when it was time for dinner. Jessica knocked anxiously at my door. "Emily, come out and eat! Skipping dinner isn't good for you." "Why bother with her? She's probably just pulling another stunt to make us feel sorry for her," Michael scoffed, his voice dripping with disdain. "Emily's not like that, she... Ah!" The moment Jessica pushed open my door, she let out a sharp gasp. "Emily Ashworth, do you have any conscience at all? Jessica kindly calls you for dinner, and you pull this ki—" Hearing Jessica scream, Michael’s first instinct was to blame me. But his angry words died in his throat as he stared, wide-eyed, at me lying in a pool of blood. Mr. and Mrs. Ashworth sensed something was wrong and followed him to my doorway. With the whole family crowded there, my small, servant-like room felt even more cramped. "What... How did this happen?" Mrs. Ashworth covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face. Mr. Ashworth was the quickest to react, dialing 911. 4 When I woke up again, I was in a hospital bed. Unsurprisingly, there was no one around. My wrist was wrapped in layers of bandages, making my left hand difficult to move. "You're awake." A nurse came in just then to change my dressing. Seeing me awake, she started chattering. "You're so young, why would you try to kill yourself? Whatever it is, you can get through it." "And your family... honestly. They brought you here and left not long after. How could they be so irresponsible?" "They're not my family." Maybe my expression was too annoyed, because the nurse stopped talking, quietly finished changing the dressing, and left. I opened my phone. Two messages sat quietly in my inbox. Michael: "Is there any point to these repeated suicide attempts? If you really wanted to die, why time it perfectly for dinner? If you're serious about dying, do it somewhere far away. Stop bringing us bad luck." Jessica: "Mommy and Daddy said I was traumatized and insisted on taking me out to relax. Sorry, Emily! You'll have to take care of yourself!" Even through the screen, I could picture Jessica's smug expression. "Where are you going?" I turned off my phone, yanked out the IV needle again, and prepared to leave the hospital. Unexpectedly, I ran into Michael, who was doing his rounds. I raised an eyebrow. Perfect timing. Not. But just because he called out didn't mean I had to stop. Ignoring him, I darted into an elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. Michael told me to die far away, so I would. But not quite the way they intended. This was the Ashworth family hospital, and it was the place I'd chosen to jump from. I don't know what got into Michael. Usually, he couldn't care less about me, but this time he actually chased after me. He must have taken the stairs; tiny beads of sweat dotted his forehead, and his usually immaculate hair was messy. "What are you doing up here?" Michael looked at me warily, a bad feeling creeping into his mind. My recent behavior had been too erratic. Even if he didn't fully believe I wanted to die, seeing me on the rooftop put him on edge. "Michael, I'm tired of facing you all every day. I tried my best to please you, painstakingly learned your preferences, only to be called manipulative." "You never wanted me in this family from the start anyway." "So now, as you wished." As I spoke, I walked towards the edge of the roof. "I hope in my next life, I don't encounter family like you." With those final words, I leaned backward. A powerful wave of dizziness washed over me. But the anticipated sensation of falling never came. Confused, I looked up slightly. Dr. Evans, appearing seemingly out of nowhere, had grabbed one of my ankles. I could clearly see the veins bulging on his arm; holding onto me was taking immense effort. How could he be so coincidentally here again? He had already pulled me back from the brink twice. "Let me go. You saw yourself, I'm not happy alive." "What are you standing there for? Help me! Are you really just going to watch her die?!" Dr. Evans didn't answer me, instead yelling through gritted teeth at the frozen Michael. My jump had clearly terrified Michael. It was only then that he realized all my previous actions weren't jokes. Thank God, thank God Dr. Evans showed up in time. Following Dr. Evans's direction, Michael grabbed my hand. Finally, that head-down suffocating feeling was gone. Even though I wanted to die, suffocating was a truly awful way to go. Just then, Mr. and Mrs. Ashworth arrived at the hospital entrance below. "Mommy, look! I think someone's going to jump!" Jessica pointed up at the roof, clinging to her mother's arm with a look of shock. "I don't know why anyone would be so desperate..." Mrs. Ashworth started to say. "EMILY!"
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