Chapter 1

My lawyer mother took me to court. The reason? I refused to donate my platelets to my younger sister.

I tried to explain that I have a blood clotting disorder. If my platelet count drops too low, it could be fatal.

But my mother just shrieked at me, tears streaming down her face, "Can you stop acting? Are you only satisfied if you drive your sister to her grave? How could I have given birth to a white-eyed wolf like you?"

In the end, I lost the case. My platelets were forcibly extracted.

Following the massive blood loss, I died alone in a dark, quiet corner.

...

I am dead.

Driven by a lingering obsession, my soul remains tethered to my mother. I cannot move an inch away from her.

In the hospital, the whole family is huddled around my sister's plain bed. My mother looks like she is about to break down from worry.

It is jarring to see this ruthless, cold-blooded career woman display such vulnerability. It is a far cry from the aggressive, sharp-tongued lawyer who tore me apart in court.

Seeing my sister, Jade, wake up, my parents finally exhale.

My mother takes Jade's hand, sobbing, "My sweet girl, you're finally awake! Does anything hurt? Let me go call the doctor."

Jade squeezes her hand back and shakes her head. She looks around the room and asks, "Where is my sister? Why isn't she here? Is she still mad at me for taking her platelets?"

At the mention of my name, my mother's face sours instantly. Her eyes are filled with pure disgust.

"What right does she have to be mad at you? That selfish, wretched thing! She even fought me in court when she saw her own sister suffering!"

"She has disgraced this family for the last time!"

My heart aches, a thousand needles pricking at my soul. It was my mother who took me to court. She gave it her all in that courtroom, using every ounce of her legal knowledge to destroy me.

I am her daughter, not some hardened criminal.

Hearing this, my father punches the wall in anger.

"Call her right now and tell her to come here and crawl on her knees to apologize to Jade! She's just jealous that Jade is doing well. That's the only way she can keep the family inheritance for herself. How did I end up with such a cold-blooded monster for a daughter?"

My soul stands right between them. We are supposed to be a family, yet not a single person speaks up for me.

Even in death, they won't let me go. They continue to smear my reputation as they always have.

My mother dials my number. She calls me over and over, but there is no answer. She curses under her breath.

"That ungrateful brat has gotten too big for her boots. She actually dares to give us the silent treatment! If we don't teach her a lesson when she gets home, she'll be walking all over us by the time we're old."

My heart feels like ash. It's not that I don't want to answer the phone.

I'm just... dead.

I am three years older than Jade. When we were kids, Dad spilled water on the floor, and I slipped, accidentally bumping into our mother who was eight months pregnant.

She went into premature labor.

Jade has always been frail, and my mother pinned all of that on me.

My mother would say, "If it weren't for you, you jinx, Jade would be healthy today. You owe her everything!"

Full of injustice, I looked to my father for help.

I hoped he would tell the truth, but he only snapped at me.

"What are you looking at me for? You made this mess, you expect someone else to take the fall for you?"

Right then, I knew my father wouldn't help me. He only wanted to pile more blame on my shoulders.

Sure enough, my mother slapped me so hard my ears rang. I thought I might have a perforated eardrum.

"Get on your knees in front of Jade! Don't get up until you admit what you did wrong!"

I knelt for an entire day. I thought if I stubbornly stood my ground, I could move her. She was a renowned lawyer, after all. Surely, she wouldn't convict an innocent person.

Reality slapped me harder than she ever did.

My mother's sense of justice was only for outsiders. It wasn't until she kicked me in the chest that I realized how naive I had been.

Her gaze was icy, filled with nothing but loathing.

She said, "Jade is like this because of you. Don't you have an ounce of remorse? How could I have birthed such a wicked child?"

The incident ended only when my mother starved me for three days, forcing me to cave.

I still remember my mother bragging to my father, "That's how you raise a child. Otherwise, they'll never know their place."

This came from a top-tier law school graduate.

I should have realized back then that they didn't love me. If I hadn't held onto that last shred of hope for their affection, I wouldn't have died without ever blaming them.

My thoughts return to the present. My parents are still cursing me. Their words are sharp and jagged, as if I'm their mortal enemy rather than their daughter.

My heart has truly died. For the first time, I realize that death was the best ending I could have hoped for.