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Chapter 1 A Wish That Shouldn't Have Been
I
sighed as the car rolled to a stop in front of the hotel. Dressed in a sleek black gown, my hair pinned with the precision of a stylist's perfection, I barely acknowledged the grandeur of the venue. Beside me sat my mother, composed as ever, in a navy blue dress that screamed elegance and restraint.
The driver quickly stepped out, opening the door for her first, then me. Together, we walked into the opulent hall where crystal chandeliers hung like frozen rain and every corner sparkled with excess. The room was buzzing with laughter and conversation, filled with top-tier businessmen and elite entrepreneurs from around the globe.
My father, the famed chaebol and CEO of NexusNext Corporations, was the silent force behind all this glamor. He had moved to Canada when I was thirteen to oversee operations there. Since then, he visited us only once a year-an event that thrilled my mother but left me numb. At some point, I stopped craving the affection of a father who chose a company over his family.
As the sole heir, I was being forced to major in business-a field I had no passion for. My heart belonged to fashion, but that dream had been crushed under the weight of my mother's expectations.
Mom often told me how she had once been an ordinary girl until she met my father in high school. What sounded like a Cinderella tale turned into a cautionary story after marriage. My father's relatives, cruel and narrow-minded, never accepted her. She was mocked, taunted, and emotionally bruised-but she always said Dad stood by her side.
Even tonight, those same venomous relatives lurked in the corners, their words laced with arrogance and disdain. Perhaps this party, this whole charade, was her way of proving to them that she'd made it-that she belonged. Maybe that's why she pushed me into this soul-draining path, trying to mold me into something worthy in their eyes.
But I didn't care. Why should we have to prove anything to them? And if Dad truly cared, why did he leave us with wolves? Sometimes, I wonder if I should've never existed-if their union had never happened, none of this would've.
As expected, the night crawled by with constant snide remarks and forced smiles. My mother, ever the diplomat, smiled through it all like it didn't bother her. But it did-at least, it bothered me.
Why doesn't she fight back?
"I'm going back home. Not feeling well," I whispered, leaning close to her.
"You want me to call a doctor?" she asked, concerned.
"No, it's just a headache from all the studying," I lied, masking the storm raging inside me.
She nodded gently. "Fine. The driver should be waiting. You can go."
Without another word, I turned and left the hall, walked briskly to the waiting car, and climbed in. As the mansion loomed into view, I was already unraveling.
The moment I stepped inside, I kicked off my heels and flung them across the room. "I'M SICK OF THIS. EVERYTHING!" I screamed, my voice echoing through the empty space.
My eyes fell on a wedding photo perched beside my bed-my parents, smiling and radiant in the frame. Fury welled up inside me. I stormed over, snatched it up, and hurled it to the floor. The glass shattered into shards that glittered like broken promises.
I knelt down, picked up the photo, and stared at it through a haze of tears. "This marriage is the root of it all," I muttered. "I wish it never happened."
Just as the words left my lips, the lights flickered violently.
Thunder cracked across the sky, making me flinch. A chill skittered down my spine. I shook my head, dismissing it as coincidence, and left the room. I headed to my mother's bedroom, rifled through her drawers until I found a lighter.
Returning to my room, I lit the edge of the photo and watched the flames devour it. My chest tightened with each flicker, each curl of smoke.
Another deafening clap of thunder shook the windows, and suddenly-I felt it.
Raindrops.
I opened my eyes.
I was no longer in my room.
I stood in the middle of a dimly lit street, drenched in rain, my breath catching in my throat. Short buildings flanked the road, and strange, vintage cars lined the sidewalks. The streetlamps cast a yellow hue, illuminating an eerie stillness.
"What the hell?" I murmured, scanning the surroundings. "Who drives cars like that?"
Suddenly, a loud honk blared behind me.
I turned, only to see a car speeding straight toward me, headlights blinding.
"STUDENT! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" someone screamed from the sidewalk. A chorus of gasps followed.
But I stood frozen. My body refused to move, paralyzed by shock. My heart pounded like a drum in my ears. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the impact.
Then-an arm yanked me hard.
I stumbled and crashed into someone, my body colliding against theirs.
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? AREN'T YOU TOO YOUNG TO COMMIT SUICIDE?" a voice barked.
It was a boy.
A teenager.
And as I opened my eyes to face him, soaked and breathless, I realized-
