Chapter 3
The live viewer count kept climbing as the chat erupted.
Ryan, who always got a kick out of humiliating me, now had bloodshot eyes and a twisted, furious expression.
He looked like a rabid animal, ready to tear me apart.
I was trembling all over, my eyes stinging with tears that were desperate to break free.
The pen in my hand wasn't a pen anymore. It was a knife they all expected me to plunge into my own chest, just to prove I was sorry. But even if I did it, would it change anything? Would they ever love me? Would they ever accept me? Would they ever see me as Serena, not just a copy of Lily?
The pain inside me started to boil over into anger, and I glared at Ryan and Simon, my eyes burning red.
But Mom, as if she suddenly realized I was slipping out of her control, stormed over, grabbed a fistful of my hair, and yanked my head back.
She screamed at the top of her lungs, "On your knees, Serena!
"Kneel. You're the reason your sister's gone.
"Kneel. And beg her for forgiveness."
The pen slipped from my fingers and clattered to the floor. I cried out in pain, begging for someone to stop this. No one moved.
Even the crew just stood by, their heads down, pretending not to see my suffering.
Then it hit me. The crew, the birthday stream... all of it was a lie.
The crew worked for Simon's company.
This was his twisted idea of a birthday celebration. A meticulously planned, public humiliation.
The truth was finally clear. Nothing I did mattered. Nothing I gave them was enough.
They were never going to love me.
All they ever wanted was to see me suffer, to break me completely.
A sharp slap echoed through the room.
Mom yanked my hair back and smacked me hard, right across the cheek.
She hit me with such force that she stumbled backward.
Ryan caught her just in time, then spun around and shouted at me, "Serena, you bitch! Get on your knees."
I looked up at him with a scornful smile.
My smile only enraged him further. He slammed his fist down on the table, the sound echoing through the room.
He yelled, "Don't you dare laugh! Who do you think you are? This is for Lily. Are you trying to disgrace her memory?
"Are you happy to see Mom and Dad humiliated? Are you proud of yourself? Just trying to make yourself the center of attention?"
Yes. I did want to be seen by them.
Nobody wanted to be a replacement for someone else in front of their own parents.
I tried so hard to make every single thing I did perfect.
Whatever Mom and Dad wanted, whatever pleased them, I did it all for them, never hesitating.
All I ever wanted was for them to just love me. Just once. For who I was.
Just once, I wanted them to look at me and really see me.
I tried so hard to belong in this family, to love them, to survive.
I never wanted to be anyone's replacement.
Was that so wrong?
Why was I the one at fault?
For a split second, my breath caught, and that all-too-familiar sharp pain stabbed through my gut.
A cold sweat broke out all over my body.
Shit, the cancer was flaring up again.
It started before I ever came home. At a business dinner, I found Mom and Ryan too drunk to function.
I drank in their place, sealing the deal that saved the family. My health paid the price.
My foster parents couldn't afford treatment, so I kept delaying it, letting my illness drag on.
Then the system appeared, offering me a deal—finish the missions, earn a healthy life.
Now, with the mission failing, the pain returned in a crushing wave. Nausea rolled over me.
I hunched over, my face drained of all color.
"Serena, cut the act. Playing the victim is your greatest talent, isn't it? I'm not your fan or your sugar daddy. I'm not buying it," Ryan sneered.
I let out a dry, sarcastic laugh.
I shot back, my voice dripping with sarcasm, "Ryan, the loyal son. How touching.
"Yeah, I did it on purpose. I meant to make Mom and Dad look bad, and I meant to mess up Lily's birthday.
"Wait, she's been dead for years. Today is my birthday. Mine!
"You've all ruined it, so now you can share in the humiliation.
"What are you gonna do about it?"
I shot him a defiant glare, my words dripping with venom. "Too bad your precious sister's nothing but ashes now, and I'm still here, breathing just fine.
"You stare at her photos every day, celebrate a ghost. If you miss her that much, why don't you go join her?
"Good riddance to Lily. She stole my spot in this family and my whole life. Now let her rot. Let her choke on her guilt in the dark. She'll never have peace!"
Sure enough, Ryan's fist slammed into my face—a vicious, unforgiving blow.