Chapter 2

The line went dead, followed by a busy tone.

The head nurse seemed scared off by Charlotte's outburst.

As expected, Charlotte's face turned ice-cold the moment she hung up.

"She's actually pretending to be dead just to get out of taking responsibility," Charlotte scoffed, tossing her phone onto the nightstand. "I never should've brought her back. She grew up with nothing, picked up every bad habit you can imagine, and lies without blinking—she doesn't belong in this family."

Ella leaned against the headboard and gently tugged at Charlotte's sleeve:

"Mom, don't be angry. I'd feel terrible if you made yourself sick. Lily... Lily must have her reasons. The stairs were so slippery—maybe she bumped into me by accident, and now she's too scared of being scolded to show her face."

Charlotte's expression softened immediately. She tucked the blanket around Ella:

"Ella, you're just too kind. It's because you always make excuses for that ungrateful wretch that she dares to bully you again and again."

Ella always knew exactly how to hit our parents' soft spots, using the most innocent tone to cement my most vicious crimes.

I thought, even if my corpse were wheeled in front of them right now, Charlotte would just walk up and slap me, accusing me of playing dead for sympathy, maybe even mocking me for not faking it well enough.

This kind of despair—I was used to it by now.

"But..." Ella looked at Mike. "Mike, please don't be mad at Lily, okay? She really cares about you. With us getting married, it's not surprising she'd act out of emotion. No matter what, she's still my sister."

Mike had been wiping tears from Ella's eyes, but at these words, his hand froze.

"What sister? As if she deserves that title?"

Mike crumpled the tissue into a ball. "I've always said girls like Lily who grew up at the bottom are poison to our circle. Ella, how much have you suffered since she came back? If she dares push you down the stairs this time, next time she'll come at you with a knife!"

Ella shrank back, "defending" me: "Don't say that... I believe Lily didn't mean to hurt me! Maybe I just lost my balance..."

At these words, the atmosphere in the room grew even heavier.

Joseph slammed his hand on the table.

"Didn't mean to? The cameras didn't catch the blind spot, but the direction you fell was crystal clear!" Joseph was furious. "She actually tried to kill you over a man? What kind of person does that?"

Charlotte was checking Ella's IV drip speed. At his words, she clenched her jaw:

"That little monster! I won't let this slide. Once that doctor finishes playing along with her act, I'm personally taking her to the police station. Whether she's really unconscious or playing dead, she's going to pay!"

Mike's eyes were full of hostility, as if he wanted to rush downstairs right now and drag me, the "faker," off the emergency bed.

Watching this scene, Ella seemed to realize things were moving too fast. If the police really got involved and ordered an autopsy, evidence of her pushing me might be exposed.

So she quickly grabbed everyone: "Dad, Mom, please don't call the police on Lily, okay? Maybe I really did remember wrong... No matter what, she's still your biological daughter."

Mike tapped her forehead: "Ella, you're too naive. With someone as twisted as Lily, your backing down only makes her think you're weak. You have no idea how evil some people are deep down."

At this moment, Charlotte, a medical authority, made her final judgment.

She stroked Ella's hair: "Having such a thoughtful daughter—your father and I are truly blessed. Alright, I'll listen to you. We won't call the police for now. Let's not worry about that ungrateful little liar anymore. Let her fend for herself downstairs. You just focus on getting better."

Watching the four of them together, floating in mid-air, I felt a sharp pain in my chest.

It wasn't physical pain—it was the cold of a soul being torn apart.

Even though I shared the same blood as them, in this family, I was still like a stray dog that had wandered into a mansion by mistake.

Charlotte, a top surgeon, probably would never imagine that her "despicable" biological daughter suffered from a severe congenital coagulation disorder.

Ella just sprained her ankle and was showered with attention.

While I, after being pushed down the stairs, with my coagulation disorder, even a small internal bleeding point could be fatal—let alone severe organ rupture.

I wanted to leave this room, but my soul seemed locked by some kind of obsession, clinging tightly to my mother's side.

I couldn't make a sound, couldn't tell her.

Mom, I'm not selfish, and I didn't lie. I'm downstairs, and my body has already gone cold.

All I could do was watch silently, enduring their judgment and contempt for a dead person.