Chapter 16
Evangeline lost consciousness the moment she hit the ground.
When she regained it, a soft sensation in het hand greeted her. It was warm and comforting.
It was her mother, Eliza Harmon, holding her hand.
Her father, Kayden Decker, sat beside Eliza with a report in hand. His tone was cheerful as he said, “Eva’s medical report is out. She’s in perfect health.”
Evangeline blinked in confusion as memories from her previous life surged back.
Back then, this report had shown that she was suffering from an incutable illness, and the atmosphere in the house had been clouded with despair.
First, she had been unable to cope with the shock. When she ran out, she had been in a car accident, losing both her legs.
Eliza had wept every day. Even though she had never believed in gods, she spent countless hours praying for a miracle.
Meanwhile, Kayden had spared no expense in seeking out the world’s best doctors to treat Evangeline. He gave up his vast family business just to be by her side.
But despite all their efforts, they had grown pale and haggard.
This was why Evangeline had agreed to the system’s quest without hesitation. She had wanted to regain her health–not just for herself but for the family she loved.
But the system had clearly stated that only successful completion of the quest could fulfill her wish. Was the last announcement true?
Just then, the system’s voice sounded, “That’s right, Evangeline. In the final moment before you left the world, Joseph’s affection for you reached 100 points, and so your wish was granted. “He deeply regrets his actions now. He has announced your relationship and is desperately trying to make amends. If you wish, you can return.
“Because of the way time flows, even if you were to stay there for decades, only a few minutes would pass here. You had always hoped for you both to love each other. Do you want to return?
Evangeline paused for a moment, then smiled.
But that smile didn’t seem like joy. It was laced with a hint of mockery.
When she was alive, Joseph hadn’t cherished her. Now, after she had “died“, he regretted and sought to make amends. What good would it do?
“No need,” she replied. “I just want to stay here with my family.”
“You don’t want to leave your family? That’s fine. You can bring Joseph here. You’ve completed the quest, so you have the right to do so. Joseph has begun to suspect that you’ve gone to another world and is searching for ways to contact you. I’m sure he won’t refuse to come.
“He did so many things to hurt you. Why not bring him here so he can atone? You could get your revenge too.”
Evangeline rejected the offer again. “To me, that’s all in the past. Don’t talk to me about him anymore. Thank you.”
Noticing her firm refusal, the system respected her decision.
“Understood, Evangeline. Well, my job is done here. Unless something unusual happens, I won’t disturb you again. I wish you happiness in your future. Goodbye.”
After her conversation with the system ended, Evangeline snapped back to reality and realized her parents were staring at her in confusion,
Though they were her parents, they couldn’t understand why her demeanor had changed so drastically in just a few seconds. The change was so significant that it seemed as if she had endured tremendous suffering.
Just thinking about this made Kayden’s and Eliza’s hearts ache.
Seeing the love and concern in their eyes, Evangeline suddenly felt a lump in her throat. Such pure care and affection felt so distant to her.
Evangeline didn’t hold anything back and told her parents everything she had been through. And then, she was enveloped in two warm embraces.
“My baby, you’ve suffered so much. I feel so sorry for you! Why didn’t the system come to us? Why didn’t it?”
“Exactly! Let me and your mom do the quests! I’ll be her target, and she’ll be mine. That way, we could succeed twice! We could even fulfill another wish!”
“That’s right! One wish would be for you to stay healthy, and the other would be for you to live a happy life forever.”
Kayden and Eliza went back and forth. Their words pulled a smile from Evangeline, who had been feeling sentimental just moments before.
Het patents‘ personalities were vibrant, even a bit whimsical, so the Evangeline back then had always been cheerful.
But the five years of her previous life felt like a dark cloud had hung over her, stealing away her joy and leaving her feeling lost.
But now, that cloud had cleared. The days ahead would be bright.
