Chapter 2

2

My parents left me in that basement without a second look. They didn't even pretend they were going to find the ransom money.

In the end, they didn't just kill me. They cut me open while I was still breathing to take everything they could sell.

I died at twenty years old, my body hollowed out and discarded.

Maybe it was my sheer resentment that kept me tethered to this world. My spirit drifted back home.

I thought I might see them crying or feeling a shred of guilt. I was wrong.

The living room was filled with laughter and the smell of expensive food. My parents and Vesper were huddled together watching a comedy special.

It was as if I had never existed. My death hadn't even caused a ripple in their perfect family dynamic.

Mom and Vesper were hugging, looking so close and happy.

A massive, tiered cake sat on the table, showing that today was a special occasion.

It was Vesper's birthday.

Growing up, Vesper's birthday was always the most important day of the year.

My parents would spend the whole morning preparing her favorite breakfast before taking her out for a day of shopping.

They would end the night with a massive dinner and luxury gifts.

That was a kind of happiness I had watched from the shadows for twenty years but never tasted.

They clapped and sang the birthday song for her, their faces glowing with pride.

They had completely forgotten that today was the seventh day since my death.

They forgot how I had knelt on that dirty floor seven days ago, begging them not to leave me.

My death was already ancient history to them.

After the song, my father placed a set of car keys into Vesper's hand.

"Happy birthday, honey. This is from me and your mom. You finally have your own ride."

"Take good care of it. That SUV cost us a cool hundred thousand dollars."

Vesper beamed with joy, but I felt my spirit freeze in place.

A hundred thousand dollars.

So, they did have money. They had plenty of it.

What a sick, twisted joke.

They could drop six figures on a car for Vesper, but they wouldn't spend a dime to save my life.

My life was worth less to them than a smile on their eldest daughter's face.

Even though my heart had been physically removed, I felt a phantom pain stabbing through my chest.

I had endured their malice my entire life, but this was a new level of betrayal.

Ever since I was little, I was the "curse" and the "mistake" in my mother's eyes.

All because she had complications during my birth and almost didn't make it off the operating table.

She blamed me for everything, calling me her personal demon.

But she chose to forget that the only reason she had those complications was because Vesper had pushed her down the stairs during a tantrum.

I nearly didn't make it into this world because of my sister.

Yet the person who actually caused the accident got a pass because she shed a few fake tears.

And I, the innocent baby, became the scapegoat for the rest of my life.

I never knew the warmth of a mother's hug or the sound of a lullaby. No one even checked on me when I was burning up with a fever.

Because they never talked to me, I didn't even start speaking until I was several years old.

That only made my mother hate me more.

She would poke my head in front of the neighbors and complain about her luck.

"How did I end up so cursed? I tried for a second child, and instead of a boy, I got this idiot who can't even talk!"

Compared to the charming, talkative Vesper, I was an eyesore.

I lost count of the times I was beaten for no reason.

I was hit for staying silent, hit for looking for food in the kitchen, and hit for asking for school fees.

The worst time was when some money went missing from my father's desk. Vesper just lied and said she saw me near his office.

My father didn't even ask questions before he started swinging.

"You little thief! I'll beat the life out of you today!"

My mother sat nearby, feeding Vesper fruit and watching the spectacle with cold eyes.

"Do it! Kill her and get it over with! I don't know how I birthed such a monster!"

That day, my father broke four of my ribs.

My eardrum was ruptured, leaving me partially deaf in one ear.

A month later, Vesper flaunted a brand-new phone in front of my face with a wicked grin.

"Like it? I bought it with the money from Dad's desk. But who cares if you know?"

"No one is ever going to believe you, Clara."

"You're just a piece of trash that nobody wants."

The memories flooded back, dragging me into a whirlpool of agony.

Suddenly, a bright white light flashed before my eyes, and I lost consciousness.