Chapter 3Immortality Is Your Final Punishment

I went to the hospital to see my grandfather.

In this simulated world, Grandpa Henry was the only person who had ever felt real. He was the one who gave me his life savings to help Callum buy a car. He was the one who saved his favorite candies in a jar just for me.

In the hallway, I ran into Callum and Becca.

They were holding hands, and Callum was clutching a printed sonogram.

“It’s a miracle, Becca,” he was saying, his voice thick with emotion. “I’m going to be a father.”

The words were a jagged blade through my ribs.

I’d asked Callum about having a family once. Back when he was "stupid." He’d told me, “I don’t want kids, Rose. They’re too much work. I just want it to be us.”

I thought it was just the brain damage talking. Now I realized it was just that he didn't want a life with me. He was already making plans for her while I was still dreaming of us.

[System: Removing emotional feedback loop. You will no longer suffer physical pain based on the focal point's emotional state.]

As the System spoke, a literal weight lifted from my shoulders. The suffocating tether was gone. I could breathe. I was free.