Chapter 2

Lucas smiled warmly at Chloe, but before he could say another word, the heavy double doors of the gala hall slammed open.

I looked up. My heart shattered into a million pieces.

It was my parents. They were rushing frantically toward Lucas, out of breath and trembling.

When I died five years ago, it had happened so fast.

I had spent every remaining hour setting up my android replica. The moment I got the android into our living room, my final breath slipped away.

I never even had the chance to call my parents in our small hometown. They had spent all these years believing I was still alive and well.

Whenever they begged Lucas to let us visit home, he brushed them off with excuses about crucial corporate milestones.

Lucas frowned, his gaze turning hostile as he looked down at them. "What are you two doing here?"

My dad choked back a sob. "Lucas, where is Mia? Please, we're begging you, tell us! We haven't been able to reach her for so long!"

Lucas scoffed in pure disgust. "How would I know where that selfish parasite is?"

He violently shook off my dad’s hand, his patience gone.

Five years ago, when he was pinned in that wreckage, he didn't see me.

When he barely clawed his way out of the ICU, he didn't see me.

And finally, when he checked the home security cameras, he saw me lounging casually on the living room couch!

I knew what had happened. He had mistaken the android for me.

The surrounding coworkers began whispering, their brows furrowing.

"Are those Mia’s parents?"

"What the hell? Have they lost their minds, crashing an IPO gala to look for their daughter?"

"She’s an ungrateful coward. She probably abandoned her own parents too, and now they're tracking her down here."

Tears streamed down my spectral face. How could I ever abandon my parents?

Seeing their weathered faces and hunched frames pierced straight through my heart.

They lived miles away in a quiet rural town. I died before I could say a proper goodbye.

They had spent every holiday expecting me home, only to be crushed by disappointment year after year.

My mom reached out tentatively, clutching Lucas’s sleeve with trembling hands. "Our daughter isn't heartless, Lucas. You have to be mistaken!"

Dad’s eyes were bloodshot as he nodded eagerly.

They remembered how, when I first started working, I sent half my paycheck back home every single month.

How could anyone call their little girl a monster?

Lucas shoved my mother away with cold fury.

"Your precious daughter vanished the second I was bleeding out on an operating table!" he spat. "When I was alone, terrified, and clinging to life, she preferred lounging at home rather than stepping foot in the hospital!"

"Now tell me, why on earth would I ever want to contact your daughter?"

By the end of his sentence, Lucas let out a furious, mocking laugh.

Anger swept through the surrounding employees. "Mia truly is lower than dirt!"

"Leaving her husband to die while she acted like nothing happened... What a venomous bitch."

Dad froze, completely lost, waving his calloused hands in denial. "Lucas, there’s a misunderstanding here! Our Mia would never do that!"

Mom nodded through her tears. "We raised her, Lucas. That isn't who she is. If she did something wrong, we’ll apologize for her. We'll beg on her behalf!"

Dad added desperately, "It’s been five years. We haven't heard her voice in five years. We just want to see our baby girl once. Just once."

I rushed in front of them, but my hands couldn't touch them. My chest ached with agonizing helplessness.

They were simple country folks. Navigating a bustling metropolis, struggling with unfamiliar smartphones, enduring countless sneers and cold stares—just to find their way to this hall.

Chloe stepped forward, her eyes narrowing with calculated venom. "Lucas, don't fall for this."

She turned to my parents. "You're her parents. How could you not know her address? How could you conveniently lose contact with your own daughter?"

Lucas snapped back to his senses, his expression twisting into pure revulsion.

"Did you think playing the pity card would make me chase after that heartless woman? Keep dreaming."

"Go back to your daughter. You are not welcome here."

"Security! Throw them out!"

Did Mia send them here today just to humiliate me in front of the press? Lucas thought, his hatred for me burning hotter than ever.

My parents were stunned, unable to comprehend his cruelty.

Mom gripped Dad’s arm, her voice cracking with desperation. "No, Lucas, please! We really can't reach her!"

"Her father is sick... He might not have much time left. We just need to see her before it’s too late!"

Hearing their endless pleas, Lucas finally lost all control.

"Can't reach her? Your daughter is sitting comfortably in my house right now! What kind of circus are you trying to pull?"

Snarling, Lucas whipped out his phone and brought up the smart-home camera app.