Chapter 4

Everyone froze in place, the air seemed frozen, as if time itself had stopped.

My eyes burned as I fought back tears, crouching down to gather my grandma's ashes bit by bit, hands trembling.

But Sophia still wasn't satisfied. She stormed back inside, smashing the floral arrangements and my grandma's portrait in the funeral home to pieces.

Then she grabbed a large bottle of water and rushed out, pouring it all over the ashes I was trying to protect, without holding back.

"Let's see you pick them up now," she sneered, her laughter wild and cruel.

The more I tried to shield the ashes, the harder she poured.

I watched helplessly as my grandma's ashes dissolved in the rain, disappearing bit by bit before my eyes.

I looked up, my gaze a venom-tipped dagger, stabbing straight at her.

Sophia gave a mocking laugh, pulled out a bank card, and flung it at my feet.

She said, "Isn't it just about compensation?

"300 thousand. That should be more than enough for a grand send-off for your grandma, right?"

I shot back, "Keep your dirty money." I couldn't take it anymore. With my fists clenched, I lunged at Sophia, but Edward stopped me cold.

He stepped in front of Sophia, his tone dripping with his usual favoritism.

He said, "Lily, Sophia really went too far this time, but you know how she is: a total neat freak who can't handle criticism. That's why she snapped. I'll arrange a new funeral myself."

I'd heard Edward make the same excuses for Sophia over and over again: just the sound of it made my stomach twist in disgust.

I gave Edward a cold, hard look.

I snapped, "Forget it!"

I yanked my hand out of Edward's grip, my touch cold and final.

I was done with both of them. For good.

Edward's hand was left grasping at thin air, and in the hollow that remained, a quiet ache of loss slipped in. It was so soft that he barely noticed it himself.

The moment they left, I bent to gather the scattered white lilies in the chapel when my sister's school called, at the worst possible time.

"Ms. Evans, your sister... she jumped from the rooftop of the school building," the voice on the other end said.

Her words struck me like lightning. My grip on the phone went rigid, and my blood ran cold in an instant.

When I finally staggered into the school, that familiar silhouette was already hidden beneath a stark white sheet.

"My sister left this morning with a big smile, saying she was aiming for the top three in her class. How could this be?" I stammered, my voice shaking.

Tears splashed onto the cold floor tiles.

Ever since Edward used my sister's life to threaten me, I got her into the dorms that same night, hoping she'd be out of harm's way.

I thought I could keep her safe, but in the end, I still failed her.

The school official let out a sigh and handed me a stack of photos. In them, my sister was wearing revealing clothes, acting all flirty with different men. Not a single one was decent.

The official said, "These photos were posted all over the school bulletin boards this morning. Now everyone's talking about it."

"No way!" I almost shouted, my fingers squeezing the edges of the photos until they wrinkled.

I said, "My sister's all about her studies. She's never even held a guy's hand. There's no way she'd do something like this."

The official said, "But nobody believes her.

"People were pointing fingers, giving her weird looks, and whispering behind her back. Some girls even cornered her on the rooftop, shoving her and shouting abuse. She probably just couldn't take it anymore, so she chose that path."

My sister was just an ordinary high school girl. Who would target her like this?

Who had that kind of influence?

Who could be this messed up?

Suddenly, the image of Sophia causing a scene at the funeral, her smug, sinister grin flashing through my mind, stabbed my heart like a needle.

I decided I should visit the Summers family and demand the truth.

By the time I pulled up to the Summers residence in a cab, the laughter and cheerful voices inside carried all the way out past the ornate iron gate.

A sharp, arrogant girl's voice floated out through the gap in the gate.