Chapter 2

The doorbell rang, and Richard hurried to open it.

Laura Bennett, my "bestie", stood outside.

She was dressed in a designer red dress, holding a bottle of champagne, her smile radiant. "So, how did it go? That ugly freak didn't suspect a thing, right? I made sure to show up while she was at the hospital."

Laura slipped on my slippers like she owned the place, and Richard pulled her close, kissing her cheek. "That idiot, her whole brain is about pleasing us.

"She's way too dumb to suspect anything. A few words from me, and she'd eat crap if I told her to."

Laura laughed, her voice sweet and playful. "You're so bad."

As soon as Sophie saw Laura, she dropped her paintbrush and rushed over, way more excited than she ever was to see me. "Laura."

Her actions hammered the last bit of my dignity to the wall.

Sophie hugged Laura's leg, her eyes shining with pure admiration. "Laura, you look so pretty today. You smell so good.

"You're a million times prettier than that monster who always reeks of medicine and has a face like tree bark."

Laura crouched down and kissed Sophie, a flicker of barely concealed disgust in her eyes, but her voice stayed sweet. "You're such a good girl, Sophie. I will play with you every day from now on."

"As long as I don't have to see that scary face, I'll do whatever you say," Sophie cheered, spinning around in excitement.

I hovered overhead, watching this happy little trio, all smiles and warmth.

In this house, I was the outsider. My dying would be doing them a favor.

Laura lounged on my exclusive couch like she was the queen of the place, her eyes scanning the room with clear distaste. "This whole setup is so old-fashioned, and it reeks of mildew.

"Once that ugly freak is out of the picture and the paperwork's settled, I'm remodeling everything in another style."

Richard eagerly poured her a drink. "It's all up to you. As soon as we get her assets, this house will fetch millions. We'll move into a spacious penthouse."

Laura gracefully opened the jewelry box, and in that moment, the deep blue glow pierced my eyes.

It was my Heart of the Ocean, one-of-a-kind in the world, the greatest trophy of my career, before my face was destroyed.

I'd locked it away in the safe, with Sophie's birthday as the password.

Richard had either broken into it or had long since guessed the code.

"This is for you." Richard gently placed the necklace around Laura's neck, handling it as if it were a priceless treasure.

He said, "Only your beauty is worthy of this. Putting it on her charred neck would be a total waste, which was enough to ruin my appetite."

Laura greedily admired herself in the mirror. "It looks amazing. If that old crone ever found out, she'd probably be so mad she'd claw her way out of her grave."

Sophie clapped her hands, laughing with wild abandon. "Laura looks gorgeous in it. That monster looked like a corpse bride when she wore it.

"Last time I caught her sneaking it on, I almost puked. She has zero self-awareness."

Rage surged through me as I rushed forward, desperate to knock the necklace off, but my hand, driven by hatred, passed right through Laura's body.

The helplessness of death was more devastating than the agony I suffered in life.

I stood there, powerless, forced to watch them help themselves to my treasures and trample my dignity.

Dinner was the fanciest Beef Wellington paired with a bottle of Lafite.

It used to be my favorite meal, but after my face was destroyed and my muscles stopped working right, I struggled so much to eat that Richard would look at me with pure disgust and banish me from the table.

I could only crouch in the kitchen corner, forced to eat their scraps and gulp them down with cold water.

Laura sat in my place, elegantly slicing her steak, while Richard pampered her like she was royalty.

"Did you land that endorsement deal?" Laura asked offhandedly.

"Don't worry. The contract's already in the works." Richard looked at her dotingly.

He added, "That deal the ugly freak worked so hard for. I told the brand she was mentally unstable, so they handed it all over to you. Guess this is the last bit of value we'll squeeze out of her."

So, all that humiliation, including wearing a mask, begging for that endorsement to save up for Sophie's future, ended up handing it all to someone else on a silver platter.

Just then, Richard's phone buzzed. It was Max Lewis, my attending physician.

Richard answered on speaker, barely hiding his annoyance.

Max's worried voice filled the room. "Mr. Goodman, Mrs. Goodman missed her follow-up appointment. If her skin isn't treated soon, there's a real risk of infection."

"Whatever, let her do what she wants," Richard barked, cutting him off.

He added, "She's a grown woman, not a kid. How could she vanish? Maybe she ran off with some random guy for all I care. Don't call me about her again. If she drops dead out there, that's her problem."

He hung up and blocked the number in one smooth move. Laura giggled, trying to soothe him.

Sophie, her mouth smeared with grease from gnawing on a bone, added her own savage comment. "Dad, I wish that monster would never come back.

"I want steak every day. I don't want to eat her food anymore. Her cooking is the worst."

"Don't worry. If she dares to show up, I'll break her legs and toss her out myself," Richard promised.

Watching this picture-perfect family, I felt that the last of my feelings for them faded away.

Since they were all so eager for me to die, I would make it happen.