The Day My Boyfriend was About to Propose to Me, I Died

Growing up, I had always felt fortunate for my parents' open-mindedness and I had a good relationship with my brother. It wasn't until my brother started gambling that I realized, deep down, they had always favored sons over daughters.

Even a criminal adopted son mattered more than their responsible biological daughter.

Daughters were like spilled water—no matter how successful, they are never truly reliable in their eyes.

When I was a child and made mistakes, my dad would strictly teach me about right and wrong. But in moments like this, he was able to make such a decision without hesitation.

In their hearts, I never measured up to my brother—never.

My mom kept complaining, saying that if it weren’t for my refusal to sell the house, my brother wouldn’t have been driven to this. She called me selfish and claimed I never considered the family.

In this matter, although they never outright forced me, my mom had hinted several times, saying that my brother had it tough, that he was impatient and, even if he went down the wrong path, it was understandable. She kept implying that I should help him if I could.

That's exactly why my brother believed the house I bought was also part of his property.

My dad, irritated, told her to shut up, looking anxious. "I can't shake this uneasy feeling. Do you think something's going to happen?"

"What's going to happen? You're overthinking it," my mom replied, trying to sound calm. "There are no cameras around here and there's nothing left of her. I’d like to see who could trace it back to us."

My dad stayed silent for a while before suddenly picking up his phone to make a call. My mom, panicking, snatched it away and relaxed only when she saw he had dialed my number. She then scolded him, "You should also persuade her. What's the big deal about the house? We're family—why can't she just give it up to help us out? After raising her all these years, is she really going to watch her brother be driven to despair?"

My dad didn't respond. He kept redialing my number again and again, but it never went through.

Of course it didn’t. My phone, along with anything that could identify me, had been smashed and thrown into the trash. My brother must have been planning this for a while.

When the calls wouldn’t go through, my dad finally started to worry and called my boyfriend, Colin, asking if he had heard from me.

Colin's voice was filled with panic, "Mr. Wail, I’ve been trying to reach Zora since she landed, but her phone’s been off and she hasn’t come home!"

"This is huge! Why are you just telling me now?" My dad, alarmed, jumped to his feet and rushed outside, shouting to my mom, "Zora is missing!"

"Can’t she even have a quiet birthday? She’s no help at all, just causing more trouble for this family!" My mom cursed a few times before following him out.

I followed along and saw that the house was decorated in a very warm and romantic way, with flowers, balloons and streamers. There were many of my friends present and the table was filled with an array of delicious dishes. There was also a cake and beside it, a sparkling ring was placed.

I was stunned for a moment and then realized that Colin was planning to propose to me.