Chapter 1

My sister and I were both trapped in the fire.

I inhaled scorching smoke, which severely burned my airways. I desperately needed a tracheotomy and a ventilator to survive.

But my father, the director of Bistron Central Hospital, gathered all the doctors and nurses to treat my sister. She only had a small burn, yet he insisted on a full workup for her.

I begged him to help me, but he snapped impatiently, "Can't you stop pretending for once? Your sister almost got disfigured."

In the end, I died all alone in a forgotten ward.

However, when my father found out I was gone, the man who hated me most completely lost his mind.

*****

In my final three minutes, my soul drifted to my father Jayce's side.

He was sitting next to my sister Edith's hospital bed, worry written all over his face as he prayed, "Edith, you're scaring me. Wake up, okay?"

My mother, Adeline, was furious. "If that troublemaker Sylvia had kept an eye on her, Edith wouldn't be like this. I'll beat Sylvia to death."

I could only watch, bitterness rising in my chest.

She didn't have to lift a finger. I was already dead.

I died from their cold indifference.

At that moment, the doctors surrounded Edith's bed.

After checking her, one of the older doctors finally asked cautiously, "Jayce, are you sure we shouldn't help Sylvia? She inhaled a lot of smoke, and her airways were badly burned."

Jayce's worry instantly turned to disgust. He snapped, "Why's she acting all pathetic again? She looks fine. Is she trying to play dead now? Does she even realize how much she's hurt Edith?"

I stared at him, stunned. Even though my heart was already dead, it still ached.

I was their daughter, too. Did they seriously not care about me at all?

Suddenly, Jayce grabbed his phone and dialed my number.

The nurse held the phone to my ear. Instead of the concern I had hoped for, all I heard was the usual anger. "Sylvia, when are you finally going to show up and apologize to Edith?"

Any hope I had left died right there.

Of course, he never cared about me.

Looking back, it all made sense. When I was first brought into the hospital, I begged Jayce for help. He only said, "Can't you stop trying to get attention? Do you know Edith almost got disfigured?"

Then, without even looking at me, he ordered every doctor to take care of Edith as the director of the hospital.

Jayce was the director of Bistron Central Hospital. When he gave an order, no one questioned it.

He never cared enough to love me.

The nurse couldn't stand it anymore and grabbed the phone. "Jayce, Sylvia's really dying. Her breathing is failing."

But Jayce, still thinking I was causing a scene, sneered. "How much did that troublemaker pay you to help her stage this? I never thought she'd pull something like this."

Just then, after pretending to be unconscious for so long, Edith finally "woke up," feigning weakness in her voice. "Dad, Mom, how is Sylvia?"

Jayce looked at Edith, who was lying in her hospital bed, looking so well-behaved and considerate. His face twisted with even more disgust. "Sylvia, can't you be a little more like your sister? She's been hurt because of you, yet she's still worried about you. If you don't come here and apologize to Edith in three minutes, don't ever show your face to me again."

He hung up, his chest heaving with anger.

Adeline stood next to him, clearly irritated. "Why bother calling her? Isn't she already responsible for enough of Edith's pain?"

Edith couldn't hide her smugness, but she quickly dropped her expression and pretended to feel guilty, glancing at Jayce and Adeline. "Dad, Mom, please don't be mad. Sylvia's still upset about me taking her place in the International Youth Piano Competition. I understand why she's angry."

I couldn't help but feel how ironic it was.

Even after I was gone, Edith was still playing her little games, trying to turn my parents against me.

But they would never see through her act.

To them, Edith would always be the perfect angel, and I would be the problem child.

They would never even guess that their precious Edith was the one who started the fire.

As I expected, Jayce's face turned cold. "Why would we send someone so selfish to a competition? If she actually won, who knows how bitter she'd become."

Edith put on her sweetest smile. "Dad, please don't be angry. I'm sure Sylvia has her own struggles."

Jayce's expression softened immediately. "Edith, you're too kind. That's why Sylvia keeps picking on you."

That was how Edith was. She always knew how to charm my parents.

I knew that even if I stood right in front of them and told them everything Edith had done, they'd only slap me and accuse me of making it up, saying I was jealous of my sister.

After all these years, I was used to it.

*****

Just then, my brother, Colton, burst in, with panic in his eyes as he rushed to check on Edith's injuries.

The moment he found out Edith was in trouble, he didn't hesitate. He hopped on a flight from another state and came straight home.

Just like Jayce and Adeline, Colton couldn't take his eyes off Edith.

Once he knew she was alright, Colton finally relaxed, though his anger was still clear. "I've told you a hundred times. Sylvia's nothing but trouble. Since Edith was born, she's only brought chaos."

Edith flashed her sweetest smile and said, "Don't be mad, Colton. Even if Sylvia did lock me in my room, I'm sure it wasn't on purpose. It must have been an accident."

Her words set off a storm in the room.

Adeline slammed her hand on the table. "What? She locked you in the room?"

Jayce clenched his jaw. "That brat, she won't get away with this."

Colton's eyes were full of rage, as if he'd tear me apart if he could.

Edith's heart skipped a beat as if she were worried she might have said too much and exposed herself. She quickly added, "Dad, Mom, Colton, please don't be mad at Sylvia. Maybe I remembered it wrong. She's my sister. She wouldn't do something like that."

Colton gently tapped her forehead. "You're too innocent, Edith. You have no idea how cruel people can be."

Adeline's eyes welled up with tears. "I must be the luckiest mom to have a daughter like you."

Jayce held Edith's hand tightly. "Whatever you need, Edith, Dad's got your back. Let's forget about that troublemaker and focus on your recovery."

The warm golden light bathed Edith's hospital bed. When the four of them looked so happy together, an ache settled deep in my chest.

At that moment, I felt like my soul didn't even belong here at all.

It felt like I wasn't their family at all. I was like a stray dog, unwanted and out of place.

I wanted to escape, but my soul was stuck right there with Jayce. I couldn't speak, forced to endure their insult.