Chapter 1

To celebrate my acceptance into the state's elite prep academy, my brother took me to the coast for a trip on a luxury cruise ship.

But a freak accident happened. My brother fell overboard into the dark, crashing waves, and his body was never recovered.

Since then, I have lived every day fueled by my parents' verbal abuse and pure hatred.

"Why couldn't it have been you who died!" they would scream.

Later, when I went missing for an entire week, they didn't even bother to ask where I was.

It wasn't until the day my brother made a grand return, showing off his new wife and child, that things changed.

That was the same day my parents received a call from the police to identify a body.

When they finally saw the state I was in, they completely lost their minds.

1.

"What a total animal!"

My father barked at the screen, his eyes fixed on the blurred, pixelated images on the news.

A horrific crime had recently shocked the city.

The victim had been broken in half, every single bone in her body shattered and deformed.

"Initial reports suggest the victim is a young woman! Anyone with a missing female relative who hasn't been seen for three days should contact the police immediately!"

Hearing the news anchor's voice, my mother put on her glasses to get a better look.

Just like my father, she cursed the killer, calling him subhuman.

Yet, neither of them seemed to remember that I had been missing for a week.

My heart ached with a bitter, hollow pain.

The phone rang. It was my Uncle Arthur, a high-ranking detective, telling us to stay inside.

"Wyatt is out of prison," he warned.

"We suspect he's the one behind the recent local tragedy!"

My father's hand froze as he gripped the phone.

Ten years ago, my father acted as the attorney for Wyatt's ex-wife, winning the case and sending him to prison.

Wyatt had held a grudge ever since, even threatening to wipe out our entire family back then.

"By the way, how is Jade doing lately?"

Uncle Arthur was clearly worried about my safety.

But the moment my father heard my name, his expression darkened instantly.

"Her? She's probably out being useless, hanging around with those low-life losers she calls friends!"

Hearing his evaluation of me, a bitter smile touched my lips.

In his eyes, anyone I associated with was trash.

"Don't be so hard on her, Tom. What happened back then wasn't entirely her fault!"

After my graduation, my brother wanted to celebrate my high scores, so he took me to the ocean I had always dreamed of seeing. We went on a ship.

It was supposed to be a beautiful memory for us.

But in the end, an accident took him. He fell into the sea, and we never found a trace of him.

From that day on, I lived in a cycle of my parents' resentment.

"Why wasn't it you!"

Actually, I wondered the same thing.

If I hadn't begged him to take me to the coast, or if I had just died with him, maybe things would be better.

Maybe they wouldn't hate me this much.

Maybe I would still be their pampered little princess.

"How is it not her fault?"

My father's voice rose sharply, snapping me back to reality.

"She's the reason Beau is gone!"

At the mention of my brother, his eyes turned red, and his breath hitched.

"If she hadn't begged him to take her to the water, he would still be here! She's the one who should have stayed in those waves!"

On the other end of the line, Uncle Arthur sighed heavily.

"Don't wait until she's gone to regret your words. If something really happened to Jade..."

My mother cut him off with a shrill, hysterical scream. "It would be for the best! That curse should have been gone a long time ago!"

My father chimed in.

"Exactly. She's better off dead!"

Even though a soul isn't supposed to feel the cold, I felt an icy shiver run through me.

Dad, Mom.

You got your wish.

That body on the television belongs to me.

But tell me, will you actually be happy now?