Chapter 3: Replaced and Erased

Another crack of thunder. It was on a night just like this that I was brought from foster care into the Caldwell home. Harrison gave me a clean, warm blanket. I’d never slept in such a soft bed. Honestly, more than love or desire, I just wanted us to be real siblings—because love can fade, but blood ties are hard to break. I should’ve known I could never hold on to anything beautiful.

The system warned me I was running out of time. After all, the first chapter of a PO story has to cut right to the chase. But no matter how many times I tried, I never saw any emotion flicker across Harrison’s face. He thought I was just playing some weird game. The more I pushed, the colder he got. He’d just tug my clothes tighter, crank up the AC, and say in that icy voice, “Don’t let it happen again.”

Until the night I snuck into his room and woke him up. He opened the door, looking down at me crouched on the floor, clutching a wrench.

The house was so quiet I could hear the fridge humming. I remember thinking how the world could just keep going, even when everything was wrong.

“Harrison...”

He tilted his head, eyes scanning me from head to toe.

“Get up.” His voice was low and gentle, but there was a dangerous edge to it.

I stood awkwardly, his shadow stretching over me. He gently took the wrench from my hand and hurled it into the corner. Then he pointed at the bed and said softly, “Go sit there.”

I obeyed, perching on the edge and looking up at him, waiting for whatever came next.

“What do you want your brother to do?”

His face twisted with something like self-mockery. “Autumn, what do you think I could possibly do to you?”

I grabbed his hand, guided it to the top button of my shirt, and started to undo it. He watched, letting me fumble, but the disgust in his eyes deepened with every second. I stopped.

“Scared?” he asked.

“Harrison, please don’t hate me.”

He froze, turning away.

“Have you thought about what people would say if I lost control tonight? How would we face each other after that? Autumn, I’m not your plaything.”

“Harrison, if I were being controlled by a system, would you have to—”

“Never,” he cut me off. “Autumn, I’m your brother.”

“Even if I died?” I asked, voice barely a whisper.

He was so angry at that he actually laughed. “Then go die.”

The words hung in the air between us, heavy and final.

The silence that followed was suffocating, like the moment after a tornado siren stops. “Sorry,” he finally said.

The rain outside slowed. I forced a smile, backing down. “I’m sorry, Harrison.”

He looked at me, started to pat my head, then pulled his hand back at the last second.

“Swear to me,” he said, almost like he was talking to himself, “that you’ll never have any improper thoughts about me as long as you live.”

The system blared a warning in my head.

[Failing the mission means immediate replacement.]

“I swear,” I said.

The words were barely out of my mouth when someone knocked on the door. Our parents had come home. They called, “Harrison, is Autumn in your room?” His hand was still on my hair, gentle as ever. “Don’t be scared.” Then he stepped out and closed the door, explaining for me. “My sister was scared of the thunder, so she came to my room.” After a quick chat, Harrison came back. “Go to your own room,” he said. I gave him a sweet smile. “You’re the best, Harrison.” He paused, looking at me on his bed with a deep, unreadable gaze.

“What’s wrong, Harrison?”

“Nothing.”

The rain faded. Everything in the house felt the same. Only Harrison didn’t know—the sister in front of him had already been replaced. Right then, I heard another girl’s voice in the system.

“That’s it? Just because she couldn’t do it doesn’t mean I can’t.”

The system gave me a new identity. I fought my way up in the entertainment industry, clawing from the bottom. No matter how hard I worked, I faded into obscurity without backing. Over the years, Harrison Caldwell’s name kept cropping up in my life, always out of reach. Just like he wanted. There was no going back.