Chapter 1

I died in what they called a detention room, though it was really just a damp and freezing cold cellar that had been abandoned for years.

Even right before I passed away, I was still holding out hope that Mom would come and let me out.

Maybe my obsession was just too strong, because after I passed, my soul drifted right over to Mom’s side.

I watched as Mom took my younger brother, Zack, to an amusement park, letting him run wild and have the time of his life. Mom held Zack in her arms on the carousel, laughing without a care in the world.

The bright, glittering lights on the carousel stung so badly that I could barely keep my eyes open.

Zack held an ice cream cone that had already melted into liquid and casually tossed it aside. Meanwhile, I had never even tasted ice cream in my entire life, simply because Mom always said money was tight and snacks like that were a waste of cash.

Yet, when Zack wasted it, it was just considered a rare moment of him enjoying himself.

This was my very first time visiting an amusement park. Even though I was only a ghost, I was still so happy. I was finally able to sit right beside Mom, riding the carousel, the bumper cars, and the roller coasters together.

Zack’s laughter and screams echoed in my ears, and Mom looked at him with nothing but doting love. But then, as she turned her head, her gaze locked right with mine.

My breath hitched. For a second, I actually thought Mom could see me. I even greedily thought that if this was the very first time Mom ever smiled at me like that, I could die content.

It wasn't until the park was closing for the night that Mom finally led Zack away.

Halfway home, Zack put on a pitiful act.

"Mom, Cody is still at home. Are we really just going to leave him be? I mean, he didn't mean to give me a fever on purpose. Cody was probably... probably just desperate for your attention."

Hearing my name suddenly brought up made my heart skip a beat. However, thinking about it now, I couldn't help but laugh at myself. How could a soul like me have a heartbeat?

Even so, I still found myself anticipating Mom's answer.

That's right—I had already been dead for three days. Had Mom even thought of me once during all this time?

However, the very next words out of Mom's mouth felt like a bucket of ice water dumped straight over my head.

"He's already so old, yet he still acts like a kid, throwing a tantrum over jealousy! If it wasn't for him, would you have ended up in the hospital? You suffered so much, and here you are, still speaking up for that brat!

"Zack, you're way too sweet. What are you going to do if people walk all over you in the future?"

I froze, completely numb all over.

That day, Mom and Dad had gone out to pick out a gift for Zack, leaving the two of us alone at home. Zack kept throwing a fit, begging for handmade pasta, insisting he wouldn't touch the store-bought stuff from down the street. So, I had no choice but to roll out the dough and make it from scratch for him.

Right after the pot started boiling, the combination of steam and the indoor heating made the temperature inside spike instantly. Zack, while playing video games, barked orders at me to open the window, shouting that it was way too hot.

I tried to reason with him calmly, telling him it was below freezing outside. Since he was wearing thin clothes and his health wasn't great to begin with, he'd catch a cold easily.

Who would have guessed that Zack would just slam his keyboard down and scream at me?

"Cody, don't you forget who runs this house! You do whatever I tell you to do! You were born to be my slave!"

I stood there in complete shock.

Even when I was really little, Mom and Dad always drummed it into me that since Zack was younger, I needed to give in to him and take care of him in every possible way. But I had never once imagined that I was actually Zack's slave, even though I had spent all these years doing slave work.

Yet, hearing those words coming straight from Zack's mouth still made my heart go cold. In the end, I didn't even have the energy left to talk back.

It was true that Zack knew how to throw fits, make a scene, and play the victim. Every time, Mom and Dad would blindly take Zack's side without ever asking questions.

So I had no choice but to obey Zack and open the window, all while trying to keep an eye on the boiling pot in the kitchen, accidentally scalding a massive blister on my hand in the process.