Chapter 2

I was awakened by laughter coming from outside.

Dad, Mom, and Sophie were back.

They stood by the door, excitedly talking about the gala.

“That final light show was absolutely beautiful.”

Mom’s voice was gentle, almost unfamiliar.

“When Sophie stood on that stage, she looked like a little angel.”

I floated above the living room, watching them take off their coats and slip into their house shoes.

Without thinking, I drifted toward Mom.

I wanted to hang up her scarf for her.

I also wanted to say the same words I used to say whenever I tried to please her:

“Mom, you’re back.”

But the hand I reached out passed straight through her shoulder.

Mom suddenly shivered and rubbed her arm.

“Why is it so cold in here?”

“Is the heating acting up again?”

I lowered my head and looked at my own translucent palm.

Yes.

I was already dead.

And the dead, of course, could no longer touch the living.

Dad glanced toward my bedroom.

“Julia still hasn’t come out?”

“She didn’t eat dinner either. Should we go check on her?”

I immediately floated over beside Mom, looking at her expectantly.

If she discovered that I was already dead, would she be frightened?

Would she regret it?

Would she finally believe that I had really been in pain?

But Mom simply took off her coat, her voice cold and indifferent.

“She refused to eat. No one forced her.”

“That bad habit of pretending to be sick just to get attention is something she was spoiled into.”

She walked to my bedroom door and entered the passcode.

The door opened, but she didn’t turn on the light.

The light from the living room slipped through the doorway, illuminating the body slumped over the desk.

Mom paused.

“Still pretending to be asleep?”

She folded her arms, her face full of impatience.

“Julia, you’re ten years old already.”

“Don’t think that putting on a pitiful face will make everyone else clean up your mess for you.”

I floated in front of her, desperately shouting,

“Mom, I’m not asleep!”

“I’m right here! Look at me!”

“I’m already dead!”

But she couldn’t hear me.

Her eyes saw only the unresponsive body and the red light flashing repeatedly around its wrist.

Sophie squeezed past Mom and raised her own wrist.

“Mom, look. My light is still green.”

“Sister’s turned red again. She must be slacking off.”

Mom stroked Sophie’s head, and a smile finally appeared on her face.

“Our Sophie is always so well-behaved.”

“Leave her alone. Let her stay here by herself.”

Dad stood by the doorway, hesitating as he stared at my body.

“Maybe we should put her in bed? It’s freezing outside.”

“Don’t let her fool you.”

Mom’s voice was firm.

“This is what happens when children are spoiled.”

“The modern parenting experts say that this is when you need to give them the cold shoulder. We have to make her realize her own mistake.”

“Look at that red light. It means her current psychological state is still ‘extremely defiant.’ She hasn’t reflected on her behavior at all!”

Dad opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing.

Mom checked the time.

“Enough. Go to bed. We’re going to Grandma’s tomorrow to celebrate the holiday.”

She switched off the hallway light and casually pulled my bedroom door shut.

Click.

The lock fell into place again.

Darkness once again swallowed the room.

I floated beside my own corpse, staring at that tiny point of scarlet light.

For a long, long time, I couldn’t look away.

Mom.

If you had only come a little closer.

If you had only touched my hand.

You would have known that my body had already gone cold, and I would never breathe again.

But you didn’t.

You believed only in that cold, heartless machine.

You just didn’t believe the daughter you had carried for ten months and brought into this world.、