My Daughter from the Future

I had crushed on Tyler for years. Being so insecure in my youth, I kept those feelings buried deep inside. Never did I expect he would actually walk up to me with a blushing face and confess his feelings. The sudden rush of happiness made my head spin. Just when I thought our feelings had finally aligned, a woman in her fifties suddenly appeared. She grabbed my arm, tears in her eyes, claiming she was my daughter. "Whatever you do, do not say yes to Tyler! In the future, he will literally be the death of you!" I glared at her, my guard completely up. "Ma'am, at your age, shouldn't you find a real hobby instead of running scams on college kids?" "Look at yourself—you're easily in your fifties. You're older than my own mother, and you're telling me you're my daughter? I'm twenty years old. How could I have a fifty-something-year-old daughter?" "If you're going to scam someone, at least come up with a believable story. Keep blocking my way and I'm calling the cops!" I stared at the older woman, annoyed out of my mind. I couldn't believe my luck today. Right after leaving the house, I ran into a lunatic older than my mom who tailed me, insisting she was my kid. It was beyond ridiculous. Yet she was neatly dressed, with clear, gentle eyes. She didn't look crazy at all. That left only one option: a con artist. But what could she possibly want from me? I was broke! She looked at me quietly, tears welling up in her eyes. Stepping closer, she gently took my hand. I tried to pull away, but my body wouldn't listen. I could only let her hold my hand, tracing her thumb softly over my knuckles. When she spoke, her voice was raspy, trembling with sheer joy. "It's so good... It's so good to finally see you." "I know this is impossible to believe right now. But you'll understand later. Please don't be scared. Just listen to me." "Your name is Natalie Campbell. You're twenty, a junior at Northwestern University. You've had a crush on Tyler for three years, and your biggest dream is to become a musician." "Your favorite treats are grapes, strawberries, and cake. You hate eggs, mangoes, and premade sandwiches." "You're allergic to pollen, and you're allergic to shellfish..." I froze, staring at her in shock. Scammers these days were getting terrifyingly thorough. She had practically memorized my entire biography before approaching me. I waved my free hand, letting out a frustrated sigh. "What else did you dig up on me? How much cash do you want? Just name it. Is twenty bucks enough? You picked the wrong target. I'm just a college student, I really don't have money to spare!" She acted as if she hadn't heard a single word I said, continuing in her calm, earnest tone. "Tomorrow, Tyler is going to ask you out. You must remember this: no matter what he says, you cannot say yes!!" I scoffed, rolling my eyes in disbelief. "Tyler? Asking me out? Who do you think I am? Why on earth would he want to be with me?" "He's the golden boy on campus. He's drop-dead gorgeous, smart, and wildly popular. Half the girls in school are chasing after him. Confessing his feelings to me? Are you out of your mind?!" The woman turned to leave. She waved back at me, repeating her warning one last time. "Just remember what I said. Whatever you do, do not accept his confession! This is the turning point of your entire destiny!" I watched her walk away, completely baffled. "What a weirdo. Absolutely unhinged."It was true that I was hopelessly in love with Tyler. He was charming, handsome, and always carried an air of gentle grace. What girl wouldn't fall for him? But a crush was just a crush. Being able to watch him quietly from afar was enough for me. Him asking me out? I wouldn't dare dream of it in a million years. The next day went on like normal. I breathed a sigh of relief, mocking myself inside for taking a scammer's nonsense to heart. Yet deep down, a tiny part of me felt secretly disappointed. Until my walk home. Tyler was standing right at the corner of the alleyway leading to my apartment. He held a gorgeous bouquet of flowers, smiling at me under the golden afternoon light. He looked breathtaking. My heart leapt straight into my throat. For a second, I forgot how to breathe. It was real. Tyler was confessing his feelings to me. He said he had liked me for a long time, and only now found the courage to open up to me. I stood frozen on the spot, unable to process what was happening. My cheeks burned hot. The whole scene felt like a surreal dream. Just as I reached out to take the flowers, the strange woman's voice echoed sharply in my mind: Whatever you do, do not say yes to Tyler! My hand froze in midair. Slowly, reluctantly, I pulled my hand back. Tyler looked at me, a heartbroken expression washing over his face that made my chest ache. I looked away, not daring to meet his eyes. A cold sneer suddenly broke across Tyler's face. Without a second thought, he hurled the bouquet into a nearby trash can, turned on his heel, and walked away without looking back. Watching his retreating figure, panic hit me like a slap to the face. Did I seriously just reject my dream guy over the rambling words of a stranger? I was going to regret this for the rest of my life! I tossed and turned all night, completely unable to sleep. The next day, I gathered every ounce of courage I had. I bought a massive bouquet of flowers, determined to apologize to Tyler and confess my own feelings. I imagined a sweet, romantic scene where we finally met halfway. Instead, as I rounded the corner near the rehearsal halls, I heard his voice discussing me. "Damn it, that bitch Natalie. She drools all over me every single day, and now she wants to play hard to get? Who the hell does she think she is?" "If she wasn't the Campbell family's only daughter with a trust fund and a family company, I wouldn't even look twice at that plain, boring face of hers." "I'm only putting on this nice-guy act so I don't have to work twenty years to get rich. You think I actually want to sleep with her?" "And she had the nerve to reject me. Ungrateful piece of trash." Tyler's venomous voice drifted through the air. The cruel, biting words struck me like a physical blow. The flowers in my arms nearly slipped from my trembling fingers. "Don't sweat it, man," one of his buddies chuckled. "Who cares about Natalie? Touching her would just dirty your hands!" "Exactly. She just has a rich dad. You dating her would be charity. She really doesn't know what's good for her." Tyler scoffed, his tone chillingly calculated. "Give her a few days. Let her crawl back and throw herself at me. Once I get her in bed and seal the deal, I'll teach her a lesson." "As soon as I lock her down, her family's fortune belongs to me. Then I'm taking the boys out to party every single night." Laughter erupted from the group. I hid behind the wall, clamping my hand over my mouth as hot tears streamed down my face. My chest tightened until it felt like my heart was being torn apart. I couldn't breathe. My mind went blank. Tyler. The guy I had secretly loved for three whole years was nothing more than a monster in human skin. I threw the bouquet into the trash can. Along with the flowers went the fragile pride I had carried for so long. My legs felt completely hollow. Like a living corpse, I stumbled forward one step at a time. I didn't even notice the car speeding toward the pedestrian crossing behind me. Suddenly, someone shoved me hard from behind. Tires screeched violently against the asphalt. Jolted back to reality, I spun around—only to see that same strange woman lying on the pavement, groaning in agony...The emergency room hallway was brightly lit. I stood outside the doors, trembling from head to toe, tears streaming down my face like a broken necklace. My chest burned with an inexplicable ache. It made no sense. She was a complete stranger I had met once. Why did my heart ache for her this much? It's just because she got hurt saving my life, I told myself. I'm just grateful. That's all this is. Thankfully, her injuries weren't life-threatening. When she was wheeled into a room, I apologized profusely and thanked her from the bottom of my heart for saving my life. She stared at me quietly, her eyes full of tender affection. With a trembling hand, she reached out and gently touched my cheek. "Mom... I'm so glad you're okay..." "Mom, you were so beautiful when you were young..." I froze. I didn't say a word. Even though every rational part of my brain refused to believe she was my daughter, how could she know every single detail about my life? Could it really be true? Was time travel actually real? She continued whispering softly to herself, tears slowly tracing down her weathered face. "My name is Hope. You gave me that name because you said your own name felt too lonely, like everyone you loved was destined to walk away and leave you behind in misery." "You named me Hope because you wanted me to live a happy, full, and hopeful life." "Tyler got close to you, sweet-talked you, and even agreed to be an obedient son-in-law living under your family's roof. All he ever wanted was the Campbell estate. And you... you were foolish enough to give up your music dreams just to become his doting wife, cooking, cleaning, and caring for a child. Tell me, Mom, weren't you so foolish?" "Later, he earned Grandpa and Grandma's trust and took over the family business. He gambled, he cheated, and he beat you. When Grandpa and Grandma saw his true colors, they begged you to divorce him. But for my sake, you gave in again and again. You forgave him, even cutting ties with your own parents just to keep the peace." "It wasn't until he turned sixty and got stabbed to death in a drunken street brawl that we finally got our freedom. That was the only way we escaped that living hell." "He ruined your whole life. You had such a bright, radiant future ahead of you, but you threw it all away for that monster. You suffered your entire life, and at seventy-five, you died in a cold hospital bed, broken and full of regret." "It wasn't worth it, Mom. None of it was worth it..." "Don't be afraid. I came back to rewrite history. I came to give you another chance to walk the path you were always meant to walk." Looking at the tear-streaked face of the older woman before me, I couldn't help but reach out and brush the tears from her wrinkled cheeks. An overwhelming rush of sorrow flooded my heart. I parted my lips, whispering softly, "Hope... That's a beautiful name." "Are you saying... you're really the daughter Tyler and I had?" Hope nodded gently, staying silent. The revelation hit me like a sledgehammer. My thoughts were a chaotic, spinning mess. Hope reached into her coat pocket, pulled out a vintage jade bracelet, and held it out to me. My breath hitched as I took it. "How is this possible?!" I pulled back my sleeve to reveal the bracelet on my own wrist. It was an exact duplicate of the one Hope had handed me. This was a Campbell family heirloom, passed down through generations. There was no way another identical one could exist in this world.