Life was perfect.

I had everything. The perfect house, the perfect family, the perfect life.

Until the day my family turned on me.

My father was dying, and he refused to give his wealth to me; his only daughter.

Instead he gave it to my worthless stepmother. After my father died, she took control of my life. She didn't care for me. She gave most of my fathers wealth to my just as worthless stepsister and my annoying rude stepbrother.

They got rid of the house help and used me as a servant...without pay.

They had me clean the stair of our penthouse on the 13th floor of my deceased fathers luxury hotel.

My stepmother also had me work as a housekeeper for the hotel. She stripped me of my family's fortune, and made me the laughing stock of my school.

My teachers started bad mouthing me because my grades were falling. My best friends all turned on me and blocked me on all social media platforms.

"Look at her. All pathetic. Her family should be ashamed of her!" The girls would sneer at me.

"Ha! Her sister is hotter than her! I bet her hair is fake!" The guys would tease.

They all didn't understand. My stepsister was nothing more than pathetic trash waiting to be taken out.

"Her brother is the top student! And he has the looks on him too~" The cheerleaders would fawn over my stepbrother.

Ha. My stepbrother was nothing more than a cheating scum who paid the nerds at school to do his homework for him.

"Her stepmother runs the best five star hotel out here! And she is also the President of the best academy in the world!" My teachers would gush over my stepmother.

She took it all from my father. She took everything from me. My life, my world, and most of all, my freedom.

I wasn't even allowed to have a cellphone.

I did sneak a computer in though. She checked my room every week for inappropriate things, so I hid it in the one place she never looked: my fathers old study.

Using the computer I find a means of escape. E-books, manga, webtoons, and a form of social media.

Most of all, I found otome games. My unlimited means of escape.

The place where I could pretend I had a life. A chance of freedom. I could imagine my life was perfect as I played the game as an imaginary person.

The game was called "Fighting for Freedom", which was ironic because I didn't have any.

The main character was a young commoner named Luciana, or Luci for short. She was the secret daughter of a low ranking earl, who possessed the legendary lightning magic and had a rare talent in her rare healing abilities. She could heal others and heal herself at the same time.

Soon enough, her village supported her and got enough money to send her off to the greatest magic school in the country.

Everyone adored her and the guys all fell in love with her.

She even had her own "harem" of men, who were all some form of importance to the country.

One of whom was the villainess fiancé, the crown prince. Another was the villainess's brother, who was nothing like his sister.

Of all the characters in the game, I related to the villainess the most. Her life and mine were almost alike.

We both were bullied around by our family and classmates. Our families were super rich, yet we both had nothing. Nothing at all.

Heck, she was so abused that she killed herself in the middle of the game.

...Depending on what route you took and if you had a good ending.

Out of all the characters, the one character I resented the most was Luci. She had everything.

Her life was so perfect. She reminded me so much of my stepmother, I wanted to puke. From her perfect blonde hair, to her angelic voice. She was an angel among men.

It made me sick.

I even felt myself thinking, "This is exactly what it would feel like to be the villainess, right? To be sick to your stomach the second you laid eyes on her? Ha. Makes perfect sense to me."

I played this game day in and day out. I think I even stopped going to school at one point. No one cared anyways.

That was until my stepmother found out about the game. She took the computer away, and deleted all the game info.

She snatched my one chance at fighting for my own freedom, and just gave it to my stepsister without a second thought.

I cried for two days after that.

I decided if I wasn't allowed to have my own life, I'd go find a way to live one. I'd actually fight. I'd be my own villainess in this story. Heroines be d*mned.

Soon after my stepmother took my game, I confronted her. I yelled at her that I'd be leaving. And never coming back. Ever.

No matter what she did. I'd never come back. And that's exactly what I did.

I kept my promise to myself. I found an apartment on the other side of the country that cost little rent, and packed my bags the second I got the apartment.

My life wasn't as depressing. Yes, I did still take anti-depression meds, and it actually seemed to help. Just a little.

I found a good job as a school teacher to make sure none of today's students would end up like me.

I bought myself a new computer, and even bought "Fighting for Freedom" again. This time with a DLC and new side characters with side stories and love interests.

My life was perfect again. Until 10 months later when I got a call. From the one person I never wanted to hear from ever again in my life: my stepmother.

"Darling, please. It's been 10 months. We need help. Without you, the hotel is plummeting into ruin." My stepmother pleaded into the phone.

"Then, let it plummet!" I answered her harshly with no respect at all.

"But! Darling, what would your father say?"

"To get away from you as fast as I could. And look, I did," I coldly say.

"But-"

"No buts. As my fathers daughter, my say is final. I won't let you control me for the rest of my life ever again."

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! I DEMAND YOU COME BACK!" She shrieks at me through the phone.

At that, I hung up. I'm done with her. And if she thinks she can come back into my life, then I'm done with life.

No person should treat their child or stepchild like this. Like a slave. Expecting them to come back to them because they "miss" them.

What a bunch of b*stards.

I'm never going to let the woman control me. I'll do anything to get her off my back and from finding me.

Any means possible, even death. The ultimate escape from this cursed life of mine.

Life would be as peaceful as nature itself if I died.

Putting all depressing thoughts out of my head, I get ready for my day. I have an hour to get ready and be at school. It's a good thing I live 10 minutes away.

The only thing that gives me more joy than the otome games I play, is teaching. Teaching all these young minds. Teaching them so they don't make mistakes like mine.

Putting on my jacket, I grab my house keys and my bag. After making sure I have all my things for the day, I lock up the door.

With my stepmother technically "hunting" me in a way, I can't risk anything. I also don't want my neighbors to come into my house when I'm not home. Or ever for that matter.

I race down the stairs and open the main door to my building. The fresh air greets my face as the sun shines down on me.

The streets are all abuzz with chatter and stores opening. Dress shops and restaurants are flowing with people at the doors.

I walk up to the sidewalk, checking my phone. I see 69 missed calls. All from a blocked number: my stepmother.

In the split second from when I last looked at my phone, 20 more missed calls pop up.

I shut off my phone. I can't deal with this today.

My depressing thoughts all come back.

"Die."

"How is this girl still living?"

All my past memories start to come up, and I can't seem to stop crying. I hear the drowned out shriek of a man, and the sound of a truck horn honking.

I didn't even realize I was crying in the middle of the street. Almost like the album cover of that one Beatles album.

My last thought before the truck collided with my body was:

"My freedom has finally come."

***

To Be Continued.