Chapter 1

At my younger brother’s engagement party, his fiancée pointed at me and screamed that I was a walking curse.

She despised me for being a mortician, claiming the stench of corpses clung to me and brought bad luck to her party.

When my relatives shoved me out of the private dining room, I desperately hoped my brother would stand up for me.

Instead, I heard his voice dripping with disgust:

"Having a sister with such a disgraceful job is humiliating enough."

"Thanks to all of you for stepping in. We couldn't let her bring that rotten luck around my fiancée and our unborn baby."

Even my younger sister chimed in:

"Exactly. All my classmates have millionaire parents."

"And my sister puts makeup on dead bodies. Gross."

I sat frozen on the cold floor, but then a quiet laugh slipped past my lips.

The money for my brother's wedding,

and the tuition for my sister’s study abroad in Europe,

were both paid for by every single corpse I had prepped and beautified.

Since they thought my money was so filthy,

they could enjoy living clean, pure lives—with absolutely nothing to their names.

I glanced through the crack of the door one last time. Inside, music played and laughter erupted.

Before I turned to leave, I pulled out my phone and listed the house I had bought for Sean on Zillow.

Since they looked down on me so much, why should I be their stepping stone to a perfect life?

"Have you lost your damn mind?!"

The preparation room door was kicked open with a loud bang. Sean stormed in, red-faced and furious.

I gave him a cool glance, then bent back down to continue suturing the deceased.

"Nora! I’m talking to you!"

"What right do you have to sell my house?"

Seeing that I was ignoring him, Sean snatched the scalpel from my tray and threw it to the floor.

"I took Lina over this morning to measure for custom curtains, and the real estate agent was literally changing the locks!"

"Do you have any idea how much face I lost in front of Lina?!"

I pulled out an antibacterial wipe, wiped my hands meticulously, and looked him in the eye.

"Your house? The deed has only my name on it."

"Do I need your permission to sell my own property?"

Sean’s neck flushed crimson.

"Mom and Dad died early! Paying for my wedding is your responsibility!"

Ever since our parents died seven years ago, the burden of raising Sean and Chloe fell squarely on my shoulders.

To keep food on the table, I gave up my college acceptance letter.

Every single day, I swallowed my fear and sorrow to work with cold, lifeless bodies.

I wanted to give up so many times.

Yet every time I came home and saw little Sean and Chloe, I gritted my teeth and kept going.

I let out a soft sigh, wondering when Sean had turned into such an entitled monster.

Lina stood behind him, crossing her arms with a sneer.

"Sean, I told you your sister was shady."

"Acting generous on the surface, but secretly selling the house behind your back. She probably wants to run off and spend the cash on some sugar baby."

She surveyed the cold room with utter disgust.

"This place is vile. The smell alone makes me want to puke."

"Sean, it’s not that I don’t love you, but how am I supposed to feel secure without a mortgage-free house?"

Sean immediately turned to comfort Lina, then glared back at me with raw venom.

"Nora, are you really trying to ruin my life?!"

"Wire that sale money straight to my account right now."

"Or you’re dead to me. You won't be my sister anymore!"

His words sent a sharp chill right through my chest.

When he needed money, I was his devoted older sister. When he didn't, I was just trash.

Looking at his entitled face, I gave a soft, bitter laugh.

"Sean, is your memory really that short?"

"Last night at your party, didn't you say my job was dirty and humiliating?"

"Didn't Lina say the smell of corpses on me would curse your unborn child?"

I stepped closer, meeting his gaze coldly.

"I sold the house so the smell wouldn't bother your baby."

"Isn't that what you two wanted?"

Caught off guard, Sean's eyes shifted nervously as he scrambled for an excuse:

"I had too much to drink last night! That was just drunk talk!"

"You're the older sister. Why are you being so petty?"

"Besides, you make so much money. Who else are you going to spend it on if not us?"

Lina rolled her eyes.

"You're an aging, single woman with no kids of your own."

"What are you gonna do? Take that money to your grave?"

From the day I first met Lina, I knew she was trouble.

Yet Sean fell for her so hard he literally fell to his knees, begging me:

"Nora, please. I don't want to make things hard for you, but I genuinely love her."

Seeing his desperate tears, I had given in.

Ever since then, our relationship had spiraled down.

Remembering that, I grabbed the bucket of sanitizing water and threw it straight at them.

"Don't disturb the peace of the dead."