Chapter 1

The day I was discharged from the psychiatric hospital, my twin sister, Emily Carter, was in emergency care.

Only then did I know she had been bullied by her classmates for a long time.

Those who had hurt her called her worthless, saying some spare change would be more than enough to compensate her.

Two months later, I dressed in Emily's clothes and walked into the school that haunted her every night.

I'd like to meet with the monsters who made her scream in her sleep.

I was discharged from the psychiatric hospital. It was supposed to be a joyful day, but my mom had already passed out from crying three times.

Because Emily was clinging to life by a thread.

In the ER, she lay on the bed. Her frail body was hooked up to several tubes, and the white sheets were stained with glaring blood.

Her breathing was so faint that it was almost imperceptible. Terrified and uneasy, I stepped forward, only to see a face I could barely recognize.

Emily kept her eyes closed tightly. I carefully lifted the blanket, worrying that I might cause her more pain.

Beneath the blanket was her twisted body—new fractures over old ones.

The doctor said she might die at any second. Even if she made it, she'd be wearing a colostomy and a urinary bag for the rest of her life.

As I stared at Emily, my heart was gradually twisted by fury.

I clenched my fists so hard that the cat-ear ring on my finger dug into my flesh deeply. The sharp pain reminded me to control myself.

Suddenly, the machines started to screech. A bunch of doctors swarmed in, pushing me and my mom out of the room.

Mom clutched one of the doctors' hands, begging pitifully, "Doctor, please... Please save my girl. She's so pretty and adorable. She just started her second year of college and even won a scholarship last year. I'm begging you..."

Sighing, the doctor said, "Rest assured. We'll do our best."

After the door to the room was closed, I saw my dad standing aside.

I hadn't seen him for so long.

Though Emily and I were twins, the only thing we had in common was probably our appearance.

She had been sweet and obedient since childhood, a genius at studying.

On the contrary, I was the living embodiment of every darkness.

I had been labeled a lunatic all these years, shuttling between shrinks and swallowing fistfuls of psychotropics non-stop.

In my dad's eyes, I was no different from a time bomb. The year I turned eight, he could no longer handle the pressure and divorced my mom.

He took Emily away, and I stayed with Mom.

He seldom allowed us to visit Emily, but we had no objections. All we wanted was a bright future for her.

Neither of us expected Emily to look like this when we saw her again—she lay motionless in bed, lifeless like a broken doll.

Dad lowered his head, smoking, his eyes reddening.

I sat Mom on a chair and then said, "Mom, I gotta go out for a bit."

Mom grabbed my hand. "Nina, don't cause trouble. With Emily like this, how am I supposed to live if something happens to you?"

I hugged her gently. "Chill, Mom. I'm just gonna get the phone fixed."

It was Emily's phone I was clutching.

She fell from the third floor, and her phone screen shattered.

Getting the phone repaired was easy. The hard part was recovering the chat history—it had been wiped clean.

I curved my self-bitten lip, tapping through her phone for a while.

My phone had been my closest companion since childhood, as I had spent most of my time on it.

So, recovering the chat records was easy-peasy for me.

Soon, I saw a group chat named "The Judges."

There were four people in the group, three as judges, and only Emily was the defendant.

In those videos shared in the group, they cursed her with the filthiest language and tortured her with the cruelest means.

They had recorded the videos themselves before sharing them in the group.

Then they demanded Emily watch them repeatedly to reflect on her mistakes properly.

The latest video was taken three days ago, in which Emily was slapped by Samantha Brooks, one of the "judges."

Emily's cheek became red and swollen at once, and her nose was bleeding.

She instinctively raised a hand to block, only to anger Samantha.

"You've got some balls trying to resist, Emily. How come you're so stupid? I've warned you so many times. Why did you hit on Jason again?"

"I didn't..." Emily didn't even dare to retort loudly. "Please... Samantha, I'm telling the truth. Please let me go. He talked to me, asking me which club I joined... I didn't say a word at all..."

Samantha slapped her twice more ruthlessly.

"You shameless bitch! Are you saying Jason approached you? Do you really expect me to believe that?"

Terrified, Emily stumbled backward. "I was wrong. It came out wrong... I was the shameless one. It had nothing to do with him..."

Hearing this, Samantha laughed out loud. "Gee, how I wish I had a mirror now. Emily, do you know how pathetic you are? If Jason sees you right now, I bet he'll never speak to you again.

"You're such a worthless loser. Now, grovel at my feet and beg for my mercy."

Emily did as she was told right away.

Her terrified eyes and trembling body shattered me. I couldn't stomach another second of that video, so I turned it off, tears streaming down my face.

I hadn't shed tears in such a long time.

Good. It made me realize I was still alive.