Chapter 1
Abandoned by my entire family in the wildlife park, I was lured by their "real" daughter into the territory of a man-eating brown bear.
The brown bear became enraged and lunged at me.
The rescue team was on its way, trying to comfort me.
"Stay awake; trust us, you will definitely be saved," they said.
I felt the brown bear tearing into my abdomen, but I didn't urge them.
In fact, I hadn't asked them to come and save me.
I just didn't want my body to be left unattended after I died.
My life was slowly slipping away.
After countless calls to my family, I heard only the endless ringing tone.
My heart was broken.
My breathing stopped.
At that moment, the phone connected.
"Why do you keep blowing up my phone? Are you that bored?" Dad yelled at me.
His voice was pure fury, practically vibrating in the air.
He didn't care about me at all, didn't bother asking why I kept calling.
He only picked up because I annoyed him one too many times.
My heart hurt so badly I could barely breathe, clutching at my chest just to stop myself from falling apart.
Guess my soul could feel pain too, after all.
"Come on, say something. So, we forgot you when we left. It's not like you don't have any money. Are you really going to sulk about this?" Dad grumbled.
Sophia Foster's voice, shaky and choked with fake tears, piped up in the background. "Dad, it's all on me. I was the one who forgot to let Emily know when we left. She's probably so upset with me."
Then, she looked right at me, putting on her best guilty face as she apologized.
It had been the same tone, the same old tricks.
I'd seen this play out more times than Sophia herself ever had.
Sure enough, Andrew Foster cut in.
"Emily's been a drama queen since forever. If things aren't her way, she always acts up. Seriously, it's just pathetic. Sophia, ignore her and just eat your food." He spat.
Andrew's voice came through loud and clear, so I figured he'd snatched the phone from Dad.
"Emily, seriously, what's wrong with you? We stopped picking up because you're annoying as hell, but you just keep blowing up everyone's phones. What is it, you dying or something? Trying to dump your last words on us before you go?" Andrew sneered.
Honestly, that really was what I had in mind at first.
But now, I couldn't even reincarnate.
The underworld reaper said that since there was no funeral for me, I'm just a wandering ghost.
So, I couldn't step onto the road to the afterlife.
I spent seventeen years trapped in a family where warmth was a myth.
But with Sophia despising me and Andrew making sure I never caught a break, the idea of a funeral for me was nothing but a joke.
When I kept quiet, Andrew was totally done with me. He could barely stand it anymore.
"Are you freaking mute now? Seriously, you called just so I'd apologize for ditching you?
"Let me make this super clear. I left you behind on purpose. I want you to see for yourself. In this house, you're a total nobody. No one cares about you.
"Don't go thinking you're some sort of big deal. Compared to Sophia, you're not even worth a strand of her hair," Andrew snorted.
Honestly, everyone knew how things were.
But when Andrew spelled it out, like it meant nothing to him, it stung worse than ever.
The pain flooded through me, so raw I couldn't even find the words for it.
The scolding in my ear just wouldn't let up, Andrew hammering me with every word.
"What makes you think you can pull this attitude with me? Stop harassing me with your calls. You're not that important," Andrew sneered.
Even when the call ended, my parents didn't even bother to tell Andrew off. They just stayed silent as always.
They just took it for granted, same old indifference.
Strangely enough, getting half my body eaten by a bear didn't even feel cruel, not when I had a family like this.