Chapter 1

I died because Martin Fitzgerald forced me to become bait to protect his new lover.

And after my life drained out of my body, it was preserved in a glass case like a specimen.

I had no idea why, but my departed soul somehow drifted to the Fitzgeralds' home down on Fitz Lane, Ocean City.

"You still can't reach Bea? But it's been days," Mrs. Fitzgerald grumbled from the couch. "She always answers my calls and could do no wrong… Could something have happened?"

I was taken in by the Fitzgeralds as an adopted daughter at eighteen, as Mrs. Fitzgerald and my mother were best friends before my parents' passing.

However, Mrs. Fitzgerald was the only person in this house who cared for me and sheltered me, treating me as if I were her own daughter.

Martin simply snorted irritably and checked the time. "Don't worry about her, Mom. She's an adult—what could happen to her? Also, I have to go. It's Yvie's birthday."

I couldn't help laughing self-deprecatingly as I watched Martin—he really didn't care if I lived or died.

We were childhood friends—I used to follow him around, and we used to hold hands.

When he told me that he liked me, I loved him like a fool for ten years.

Regrettably, youthful sentiment was shallow. When he found his one true love, all the feelings we shared vaporized.

Still, Mrs. Fitzgerald remained anxious and pleaded to her son, "Please, Martin… There's a serial killer on the loose who's hunting down beautiful women. Just knowing that leaves my heart racing for no reason, so just call Bea, alright? Tell her I miss her."

Just seeing her being worried sick made me want to comfort her, but I couldn't do that much and had to watch as it ate her up.

"I'm sorry…" My voice cracked with tears, and I spread my arms to hold her, but I just couldn't touch her.

That was when Martin snorted again."She's an ingrate whose greed knows no bounds. Even if she has a problem with me, she should be answering your calls. It's clear that she's gotten too full of herself."

There was disgust whenever he mentioned my name.

Even now, I still remembered how suicidal I was, luring those would-be kidnappers away just so that he might live.

I still remembered that before he passed out, he told me that he would do right by me for the rest of his life.

But now that the love was gone, I was no more than an ingrate to him.

Even as I stood before him now, I couldn't mock anyone other than myself.

"I'm dead now, Martin—you're finally free… I guess I was nothing but an ingrate in your heart all this time—"

Mrs. Fitzgerald sighed just then and said, "Please, Martin. I know you don't want to marry Bea, but the engagement still stands. You two were childhood friends—there's a foundation to your relationship. If you break that promise, what would I say when I visit her mother's grave?"

Martin glowered as he growled coolly, "Stop harping on the same thing over and over again. Am I obliged to marry her just because we were childhood friends? She's the one who's trying to bind me to some nonsensical promise between children. Heck, she has no sense of shame, with the way she keeps trying to tempt me just so that I'll marry her."

I shook uncontrollably, launching a punch at him. "You bastard!"

Naturally, I didn't hit anything.

Even so, the truth was that he was the one who came on to me in a moment of madness and blamed me for it afterward!

-

Nonetheless, Martin soon left the house.

My soul, tethered to him, drifted with him to Yvie White's birthday party, with his friends all jokingly greeting her as the new Mrs. Fitzgerald.

"Happy birthday! Martin really spared no expense for this one."

Martin was himself smiling affectionately at Yvie and took out his present amid the cheers.

Yvie beamed, but she soon paused as if remembering something and asked softly, "Is there still no news about Bea?"

I smirked—why was she still trying to be an angel when she was the one who got me killed?

Still, Martin frowned. "Quit mentioning that name. She's a real buzzkill."

Yvie smiled wryly. "She's still your sister. Be nice."

"Sister?" Martin snorted coolly. "And are you seriously taking her side after she almost got you killed? You're too kind for your own good."

Yvie smiled, hugging him and purring from his chest, "It's no big deal…"

"I've never once tried to hurt her! She's the one who got me killed!"

I was left crying and yelling at the top of my lungs right at Martin's face.

Even so, he couldn't hear me, while I kept yelling until I somehow felt tired.

He had never trusted me anyway.

That was when someone said, "Did you guys hear? The cops still haven't found that serial killer, but there are six bodies now—all of them with pretty faces."

"Wasn't he coming after Yvie a while ago? Thank goodness Martin knows how to protect a lady, or it would've been game over."

"Wasn't Beatrice Cox supposedly using herself as bait? Guess the killer wasn't even interested… Haha!"

"Exactly. If she can't even get that monster interested, how does she think she'll compare to Yvie?"

Martin's heart skipped a beat, and he snapped, "Quit it."

Feeling irritated for some reason, he lit himself a cigarette when his phone rang again. "Hello?"

"Is this Mr. Martin Fitzgerald? This is the coast guard. May I ask if you're acquainted with one Ms. Beatrice Cox?"

Martin sprang to his feet right then, gesturing at everyone and mouthing, "Shut up!"

He appeared clearly nervous, his fingers turning white as he said, "Y-Yes, she's… she's my sister."

I couldn't help laughing as I watched him—even in death, I was still his sister.

The voice on the other end then said, "I'm sorry, but we've found her phone and some personal effects. We will need you to come in to verify them."