They Said They Loved Me, But I'm Already Dead

I just never expected them to hate me enough to want me dead.

Can you wait a little longer? In seven days, you'll get what you want!

Even if they heard I'd died, they'd assume it was just another bid for attention. They wouldn't care at all.

I watched them crowd around Diana, showering her with blessings and gifts.

Did they forget today was my birthday too? I was only a few hours younger than her. I died on my eighteenth birthday.

"Mom, today is my little sister's birthday too. Did we forget? She must be upset with us—that's probably why she's acting this way."

Awkwardness flickered across their faces. They'd remembered the adopted daughter's birthday but forgotten their biological daughter's. Only they could manage that.

They were people who'd seen the world. To avoid gossip, they pulled out the only card they had on them.

"Here's ten thousand dollars. Buy yourself something nice. Consider it a gift from your father and me."

Jordan took out the freebie that came with Diana's present.

I looked at their impatient faces, and something in my chest went cold. I didn't take it.

"No need. Even if I took it, I wouldn't be able to use it."

They were disgusted by my response, convinced I didn't know when to be grateful.

After the banquet ended, Diana couldn't wait to gloat.

"If I were you, I wouldn't have come back. Coming back just means more humiliation."

"This is my home. Or did you forget you're just a cuckoo in someone else's nest?"

Nothing enraged her more than being called a fake heiress. She'd worked too hard, for too many years, to make everyone remember—the Henson family had only one daughter, and it was her.

"So what? In this family, I'll always matter more than you. You're nothing but a spare part."

"Get out. This is my room."

"Ah—!"

Her scream brought all three of them running. They rushed straight to her.

The slap came without warning. I stared at the woman in front of me in disbelief. I hadn't said a single word, and she'd already decided I was guilty. My voice cracked.

"Mom!"

"Don't call me that. I don't have a daughter as vicious as you. You've caused chaos all day. This morning you lied about being kidnapped, but when we checked, you'd been out shopping the whole time. We let it go as one of your tantrums. Now you're bullying Diana again. What will it take to make you stop?"

"I wasn't shopping—"

I turned sharply toward Diana. The smug look on her face told me everything.

"It was you!"

"Still making excuses. Wrong is wrong. When will you ever be as sensible as Diana? I'm so disappointed in you."

"Forget it. Just forget it."

The disappointment in their eyes made it hard to breathe.

"How did you turn out like this?"

Jordan's question made my eyes burn. I stayed silent—but he took that as an admission. That everything was my fault. That I'd done it all on purpose.

"You being my biological sister won't change. But you never should have kept bullying Diana and letting her take the blame for you."

I watched his retreating back and couldn't help asking.

"Did you ever actually believe me?"

"I only believe what I see with my own eyes."

My eyes stung badly. I reached up to wipe away tears, but my face was dry. Only then did I remember—I was already dead. I had no tears left to cry.

They treated Diana so well. So well it made me jealous. Every time we went out together, the same thought would claw at me: Push her down. If she were gone, they'd finally look at me.