Chapter 2

I died. My soul drifted into the pitch-black night sky, staring down at my ghastly, inhuman, pale corpse.

Following my faded memories, I drifted back to the Rasmus family home.

The house was so lively, hosting Audrey's birthday party.

I stared at Audrey, who was the center of attention, like a princess among her subjects.

She wore a designer haute couture dress, diamond-encrusted high heels, and jewelry worth a fortune, smiling a stunning, show-stopping smile.

I thought of myself, frozen to death under the cold bridge.

Dressed in a filthy, ragged cloth, my face so disfigured from inhuman torture it no longer looked human. My left hand was a disgusting sight, three fingers chopped off from my escape attempt.

Yet, I was clearly the child of my parents, Holt's biological sister, and I had died a miserable death in the ice and snow, with a grievance I could never let go.

Amidst the laughter and chatter, a noblewoman mentioned me.

"Where's Carol? Why isn't she out? Isn't it her birthday too?"

Mason's face darkened, and George and Holt's faces looked like they could drip water.

Audrey paused, her eyes darting around, and said with a smile, trying to smooth things over.

"Mom and Dad punished her, and she got upset and ran away from home. It can't be helped; Carol has always been more delicate than me."

The noblewoman nodded, tactfully not mentioning me again.

George snorted, sneering.

"Audrey, you don't need to make excuses for that scoundrel. A degenerate who frames her sisters and harms her own family—the Rasmus family has no such daughter!"

The noblewoman gasped, covering her mouth.

I knew she was a gossip. Without a doubt, my reputation would be dragged through the mud by those few words tonight.

Holt's face was full of disgust as he clenched his fist.

"Dad's right. Rest assured, Audrey, as long as I'm alive, and as long as she hasn't repented, I won't let her set foot through the Rasmus family's door again."

Mason also nodded, her face expressionless.

"On such a joyous day, why bring up that unlucky person?"

I thought about the past.

When I first returned to the Rasmus family as the true heiress, they all treated me like a treasure.

Audrey always said she saw me as her dearest and best sister, but whenever we were together, she was always having some kind of "accident."

She fell and scraped her knee, saying I pushed her, deliberately making her look bad at a business banquet.

She said I poisoned her drink, making her throat hoarse so she couldn't sing, causing them to get last place in a choir competition.

Slowly, George stopped smiling at me, Holt stopped calling me his sister, the gifts they prepared never included me, and Mason stopped holding me or making me delicious food.

The only things I received were endless distrust and punishment.

Finally, one day, when Audrey cut her own face and said I did it, they sold me to the most ruthless "sugar daddy" in all of Los Angeles.

"If you don't learn your place, don't ever come back!"

I was sold to be molested in a casino, forced into bed with greasy men.

I was beaten until I miscarried, carried three pregnancies for my abuser that never came to term.

I was handed to his rivals for humiliation, took the fall for his crimes and went to prison.

I had three fingers severed, was forced to crawl through crotches and bark like a dog...

Thinking about this, my eyes turned red.

Dad, Mom, Holt, if you knew the torture I endured and that I was already dead, what would you do?

Just then, George's phone rang. He patted Audrey's shoulder affectionately and walked aside to answer it.

"Hello, this is the LAPD. Carol's body was discovered by a passerby tonight. Please come to claim the body as soon as possible."