Chapter 1

In the last few minutes of my life, my soul passed through the ceiling and arrived at the VIP intensive care unit.

My mother, Charlotte, sat by the bed, holding Ella's bandaged ankle, her face full of concern. "Ella, does it still hurt? Don't be scared, I'm here. You're going to be just fine."

My father Joseph paced around the room, his face full of rage. "Lily has completely lost it! She went after her own sister because of some boy! When she gets up here, I'll make sure she pays for this!"

I floated in midair, watching coldly.

Dad, there's no need to make a big fuss.

I'm already dead. You won't get another chance to make me pay.

But I still don't understand—I'm their real daughter.

I'm the one who was lost for twenty-six years, who suffered so much before being found. I'm the one they cried over and promised to spend the rest of their lives making it up to.

Why? Why did all their love end up going to Ella, who took over my life for twenty-six years?

There was a knock at the door. An elderly doctor from the ER rushed in, looking panicked.

He saw Charlotte. "Dr. Williams, you need to go downstairs right now! Lily's in bad shape—her heart just stopped..."

My mother's hand, which had been stroking Ella's, paused. Disgust appeared on her cold face.

"Really? How much did she pay you to help her put on this act?"

Charlotte was completely confident. "Second floor, thick carpet—at worst, a little bruising. Ella actually twisted her ankle! And she's the one who started the whole thing, now pretending to be the victim? I've seen this kind of stunt way too many times this past year."

Mike frowned too, cutting in coldly. "Doctor, Lily has an extreme personality. She'll do anything to make me come see her. Don't let her fool you."

I looked at them.

Even though my heart had stopped beating, the pain still pierced through my soul.

So in their eyes, my life wasn't worth as much as one of Ella's lies.

Charlotte pulled out her phone and called my number.

The head nurse answered and held the phone to my ear.

"Lily, how long are you going to keep playing dead? Get up here right now and apologize to Ella!"

That sharp voice froze the last bit of longing I had for "home."

Half an hour ago, I had been pushed down and was lying in a pool of blood. I desperately grabbed Charlotte's pant leg and begged, "Mom, save me... my stomach hurts so much..."

Charlotte kicked my hand away, looking at me like I was trash. "Using this kind of dirty trick to steal Mike? Lily, you disgust me. If anything happens to Ella, don't expect me to ever look at you again!"

Mike had been standing right there. He didn't even glance at me on the floor. He picked up Ella and rushed toward the elevator, as if he were carrying fragile treasure.

They left with the medical team, leaving me to bleed out on the marble floor.

My mom's a top doctor, but I'm the only one she ever misdiagnosed with something life-threatening.

The head nurse's tearful voice came through. "Dr. Williams... Lily really can't hold on anymore, her pupils are already..."

"Enough!" Charlotte interrupted. "Tell her if she doesn't show up in front of me in three minutes, I'm done calling her my daughter!"

Ella, who had been pretending to sleep on the bed, "woke up."

Her face was pale, tears at the corners of her eyes. She timidly tugged at Charlotte's sleeve. "Mom, Dad, Mike... don't blame Lily. It's all my fault."

"Lily just came back a year ago. It's natural she'd want to marry Mike. I shouldn't have liked Mike. I shouldn't have made Lily feel like I was stealing attention... I took her place. She pushed me to vent her anger. I don't blame her."

Father Joseph's eyes reddened. He shouted into the phone, "You hear that! She's still speaking up for you at a time like this! Lily, we wanted to make things up to you, but we never imagined you'd be so rotten to the core! Trying to murder your own sister over a man—you're beyond saving!"

I laughed.

Even as I became a corpse, Ella wouldn't let me go. She still had to nail me to the pillar of shame.

But they would never know that the one who really pushed me down the stairs was Ella—the one they thought was so kind and good.

But this time, I could never stand up and apologize as they wished.