They Swapped Me Away, Then Begged Me to Return Chapter 10

They Swapped Me Away, Then Begged Me to Return Chapter 10

The day we went to the police station, the weather was bright and clear.

I wore a white blouse, the long cuffs covering the faded red mark on my wrist.

Dylan handed me the folder full of evidence. “Nervous?”

Truthfully, I was anxious—but nothing compared to being locked in that windowless study. Facing reality didn’t scare me half as much as being erased ever had.

Fiona walked beside me, murmuring under her breath. “We’re not here to apologize for Lucy’s crimes. We’re here to return everything she stole to its rightful owners.”

I nodded.

An officer asked about my connection to Lucy.

I told him simply, “We share the same face, but we’re two entirely separate people.”

Saying that aloud lifted a heavy weight from my chest. Admitting we were different was far easier than endlessly trying to prove I wasn’t inferior.

We handed over bank transfer records, original draft files, the app’s access code, and proof Lucy had purchased the parallel-life swap function.

One by one, every person Lucy had victimized filed into the station: people who’d lost their careers, people falsely accused of misconduct, people who’d lost half their life savings following her false business advice.

Their expressions were a mix of suspicion and relief when they first laid eyes on me, but none of them shouted or hurled insults.

Fiona spoke up for me. “She’s the one who got swapped into our world against her will. She’s the one who dug up all this proof to make things right.”

I stood there, my eyes burning with gratitude.

This was what trust felt like—earned by steady, honest work, not empty pleas for sympathy.

By evening, the tablet lit up once more. This time, Mom was on camera, sitting inside my old bedroom and clutching the bracelet tightly in her palms.

“Leah, Mom knows I messed up everything.” She sobbed uncontrollably. “Come home. I’ll never put mango in anything again, I promise.”

Dad stepped into frame behind her, looking years older than I remembered. “We restored your bedroom. I found your star-shaped nightlight too.”

Evan stood at the very back, his voice rough and broken. “Leah, I swapped the ring out for the plain platinum band you always wanted.”

Seven days prior, I might’ve cried and begged to know why it had taken them this long to remember me.

Now I only glanced down at my wrist, covered in Tessa’s bandage, my new staff ID sitting beside me, and an unfiled expense slip Fiona had left for me to sign the next morning.

I spoke softly to the screen. “It’s too late.”

Mom shook her head through her tears. “It’s never too late. If you come back, we can fix everything and start fresh.”

I smiled faintly. “I don’t belong to your family anymore.”

Silence fell over the video call.

Evan rushed to argue. “Leah, I’ve always loved you.”

I met his eyes through the screen. “You loved whoever could make you win. Back then, you thought that person was me, so you chose her over the real me. Now that she’s ruined you, you suddenly remember the girl you abandoned.”

His lips parted, but no sound came out.

A prompt flashed across the tablet screen: [Accept Reverse Life Swap Request?]

I stared at the words, replaying every memory: the mango birthday cake, the star nightlight, the champagne diamond ring, the locked study, their cheerful laughter at the welcome party for Lucy.

Then I tapped reject.

[Request Denied.]

[Parallel-World Connection Permanently Closed.]

Mom screamed my name through the screen, her voice distant, like a voice from a dream I’d finally woken from.

The video cut to black. A knock sounded at my door. Tessa called out, “Dinner’s ready.”

I walked out to the dining table. There was no cake, but a pot of hot soup, spaghetti, and carne asada fries waited for me.

Dylan passed me a fork. “Don’t be late to work tomorrow.”

Fiona joked, “New hires get docked pay for tardiness.”

I laughed, and tears rolled down my cheeks as I smiled.

Years later, I celebrated my twenty-sixth birthday in this world. Tessa brought a cake safe for my allergies. Fiona gifted me a new bracelet—not expensive, but smooth and warm against my skin.

Dylan said, “What’s lost can’t be brought back, but you can build something new for yourself.”

I slipped the bracelet onto my wrist.

Outside the window, city lights twinkled to life.

At long last, I had a bedroom with windows, a steady job, loyal friends, and a life that was entirely mine—no replacements required.