Chapter 2

1

I was dead, but my spirit drifted beside my mother. Perhaps it was the crushing weight of my lingering regret that kept me tethered here.

Eleanor was hovering over Seraphina's bedside.

Sensing my sister having a nightmare, she patted her back with infinite tenderness. "It's okay, Seraphina. Mommy is here. I'll protect you forever, my sweet girl."

Once Seraphina finally settled down, Eleanor stepped out of the patient room.

My father slammed his fist against the wall, his face twisted in rage. "It's all that jinx Sienna's fault! If it weren't for her, Seraphina would never have been in such danger. Just wait until I get my hands on her."

"Keep your voice down, Seraphina is still in there!" Eleanor didn't bother to defend me, only worried about disturbing her precious baby.

I expected it, yet my heart still ached with a sharp, burning sting.

Dad, don't bother wasting your energy. I'm already gone―you killed me yourselves.

Even though Seraphina was fine, they pulled every string they could to summon a dozen specialists.

The doctors examined her thoroughly and argued for hours before reaching a consensus. She had only inhaled a bit of water and was perfectly healthy.

"I heard there were two victims in the accident. Where is the other one?" a doctor asked.

Eleanor's face turned sour with instant disgust. She seemed repulsed to even mention my name. "She can swim. She's probably just playing the victim again. Ignore her; she's likely already home."

Watching the look of loathing on her face, I felt hollow. My heart twitched in agony.

Mom, I have a phobia of water, but you never knew. You never cared enough to notice.

Mom, am I really not your daughter?

Why can't you just look at me?

Suddenly, Eleanor pulled out her phone to call me. The ringing echoed for a long time, but no one answered.

I was dead. Who could possibly pick up?

She began to curse. "That useless Sienna. Who knows where she crawled off to? She doesn't even have the decency to come care for her sister. She's completely heartless!"

Unexpectedly, on her second attempt, the call went through.

Eleanor roared the moment the connection clicked. "Sienna, when are you crawling back? Don't you know you're supposed to be here apologizing to Seraphina?"

A bitter chill washed over me. My own mother had never once treated me like a daughter.

She didn't love me; she hated me.

I should have realized it sooner. When we both fell into the sea, she chose the sister.

When I begged for her help, she told me to "grow up and stop the dramatics."

How could she have loved me? She never did.

The voice on the other end wasn't mine. "Hello? Are you Sienna's family? She was swept away by the tide. We haven't found her yet, and her status is unknown."

Eleanor didn't believe a word of it. She let out a sharp, mocking laugh.

"How much did she pay you to play this little game? This has gone far enough. Tell her that if she isn't home by tonight, I'll act as if I never had a daughter."

She slammed the phone down before they could reply.

"Mom, Dad, where is my sister?" After keeping up the act for so long, Seraphina finally stirred, tugging feebly at Eleanor's sleeve.

The moment she looked at her sweet Seraphina, Eleanor's expression melted. "Don't worry about her, honey. She's just a walking disaster, an ungrateful snake."

Dad grumbled, "Why bother calling her? Look at the mess she's made of our family."

A flicker of triumph crossed Seraphina's face, but she quickly cast her eyes downward, feigning sorrow with a choked sob.

"Please, don't blame her, Mom and Dad. It's because I'm so weak that you don't have time for her. It's natural that she doesn't like me. It's all my fault."

Her body began to tremble, and she clutched her chest in an exaggerated display of pain, sending my parents into a frantic state of comfort.

I felt sick. Even in death, my sister was still poisoning my parents against me.

I knew they would believe every word.

After all, Seraphina was their treasure, and I was just the blight on their lives.

They would never know that their beloved angel was the one who pushed me into the sea, or that she was the reason I developed my fear of water. They would never believe it.