Pain exploded through my ribs, but before I could recover, Erick grabbed a nearby hoe and swung it down toward my head.
"No!"
Simon screamed, struggling against his parents as they held him back.
The impact came hard and fast. A searing pain tore through my skull, warm liquid trickling down my face. My vision blurred.
They were going to kill me.
I curled in on myself, shielding my head as their fists and feet rained down on me.
Then—
"Police! Stop right there!"
The commanding shout echoed through the chaos.
Relief washed over me, and I let the darkness take me.
---
When I woke again, two days had passed.
The sterile scent of antiseptic filled my nose. My head was tightly bandaged, an IV dripping steadily into the back of my hand.
At my bedside, my parents sat with tear-streaked faces.
"My daughter!" My mother’s sobs broke through the fog in my mind as she threw herself onto me. "You’ve suffered so much! We’ve been searching for you all these years… We finally found you!"
My father, usually a man of few words, choked back his own grief. "We’ll do everything to make it up to you, sweetheart."
Behind them, my sister stood silently. But as soon as our eyes met, her lips curled into a knowing, triumphant smile.
A cold shiver crawled down my spine.
And then—
A voice echoed in my mind.
It wasn’t mine.
"System, use the last chance to exchange my body with Nadine’s."
Darkness swallowed my vision, and I collapsed once more.
But this time, when I opened my eyes, the pain was gone. My perspective shifted—I had returned to my own body.
On the hospital bed, my sister clung to my mother, her cries filling the room.
"Mom, Dad, it was Nadine! She's the reason I was abducted!" she suddenly shrieked, pointing at me with pure hatred.
"What?!"
My parents spun around, their faces contorted with fury.
"Nadine! What is she talking about?!" my father demanded.
Panic surged through me. I shook my head frantically, tears spilling down my cheeks.
"Mom, Dad, I would never hurt my sister! You have to believe me!"
Before they could respond, the door swung open, and a uniformed officer stepped in, his expression grave.
"We've uncovered the truth about Kathy's abduction," he announced. "She is suspected of human trafficking and intentional poisoning. She needs to come with us for further investigation."