Chapter 20 Ashes to AshesEric and Amber went to find Dexter for my ashes.Their eyes were swollen from crying.I reckoned that bonds couldn't be measured by time. I lived with Dexter for 18 years, but he never hugged me once.He never loved me for a single moment.Most of the love I received in this world came from Amber and Eric.I died on the night when I was rushing toward a new life."Give Carrie's ashes back to us," Amber said icily."Carrie wouldn't want to stay by your side. The last thing she did was leave you, didn't she?"Amber didn't curse at Dexter as bitterly as she had in front of me.She tried to maintain her dignity because she didn't want people to look down on me to become friends with someone who swore all the time."Dexter, I know how much you hate Carrie," Amber continued, staring at Dexter.Dexter's gaze was down as he held my ashes in his hands.He remained silent. What else could he say?But Amber wasn't planning to let him off. "Otherwise, why di
Chapter 21 Settling ScoresDexter investigated all the things that happened to me.Only then did he realize how much Lana had done behind his back.It turned out he didn't know.I thought he knew everything.I watched as he pulled Lana, who was in class, out of the classroom and dragged her into the girls' restroom.He copied all my experiences, calling over several people to take photos of Lana and anonymously post them on school forums.There was also the matter of her spreading rumors about me and leading people to bully me on campus.When evil rebounded, its power was greater.Lana became notorious.She suffered a thousand times more torment than I did.She knelt outside the door, begging Dexter to spare her.She couldn't understand all of this. Dexter hated me. Wasn't he supposed to be happy about my death?Why did he bother holding Lana accountable for her past actions, settling scores one by one?He acted as if he cared about me so much.Meanwhile, the rapist was
Chapter 22 Recalling the PastAs if hearing my inner monologue, Dexter suddenly looked up and gazed at the empty room, the place where I used to live. It was so empty, as if no one had ever lived there.Ironically, Lana had everything that I didn't."Carrie, are you here? I can feel your presence," Dexter muttered, lost and disoriented.He sat down in my room.Anita, the housekeeper, came up and sighed."Dexter, restrain your sorrow. Carrie cared about you so much."When you got drunk, she prepared the sobering soup and oatmeal for you."And those eye protection things on your desk, too."Your shirts and other clothes were all ironed by her," she said.Dexter suddenly remembered a long time ago, when he came home drunk and saw me poking my head out timidly from my room, looking at him. At that time, I had just entered middle school, and he was constantly busy with work.What did he do back then?He tried hard to recall."If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been so exh
Chapter 23 Forget and LiveDexter revealed a fanatical look, and I was confused.He extended his arms toward me."Carrie, my sister, I finally see you again," he said.I turned away with disgust."Dexter, I told you before," I continued. "I won't call you brother anymore, and I am not your sister."The excitement in his eyes gradually faded, and his arms slowly dropped."Would you be a little happier if I were to die?" he whispered pleadingly."No," I replied. "If possible, I hope that you..."He listened quietly, with a faint smile and nearly pathological devotion."Live a long life and grow old alone."His smile froze. "Carrie, what are you saying?""I'm saying that you can't die," I said. "Because I don't want to see you."Dexter, in this life and the next, I don't want to see you ever again."On the day I left this world, I went to see Eric and Amber one last time.They were standing in front of my grave, paying their respects to me.The wind blew over, and I watche
Extra StoryLana couldn't bear the campus violence. She jumped off the high-rise building half a year later.Standing in front of the building, she thought that the seemingly fragile me was quite resilient.After all, I had endured Dexter's emotional abuse for 18 years and suffered from campus bullying for six years, from middle school to high school.I didn't commit suicide, but I was killed in a car accident.How ironic!Upon hearing the news, Dexter just sneered."Serves her right," he said. "She got off easy."Everyone knew Dexter, the young and promising CEO of the Bell Corporation.There was a large photo hanging in his house, rumored to be his sister.Dexter searched through the house and his phone, but he couldn't find a single photo of me.Finally, he found one on my retrieved phone.In the photo, I wore a white dress and a tiara embedded with sparkling diamonds that shimmered in the sunlight.My eyes were bright and joyful, holding a birthday cake in my hands.I
Chapter 1 Sudden DeathMy brother hated me and wanted me dead.I cried and asked him, "Am I your sister or what?""I don't have a sister," he scoffed.That night, a car suddenly hit me and killed me.He went insane.I, Caroline Bell, died at the most glamorous age of 18.Intense pain invaded in an instant, and I was grateful that I died quickly.But my body didn't look good.I floated in mid-air, watching passersby shake their heads and sigh.I followed my corpse to the hospital.After going through the motions, they pushed me into the morgue.The doctor flipped through my tattered clothes, trying to find anything to prove my identity, but to no avail."Poor thing! It looks like you haven't even reached adulthood."how devastated your family will be when they find out!"My wallet and phone had been taken by a man after I ran out of the house following an argument with my brother, Dexter Bell.He had also taken something else from me, but I had forgotten what it was.Th
Chapter 2 Going HomeMy spirit wafted back home—a luxurious villa standing in the suburbs.It looked like a lurking beast in the darkness, never giving me any warmth.The light of a desk lamp illuminated Dexter's stern face. He was dealing with company matters, with his brows furrowing.He glanced at the time on his phone, showing a hint of impatience and anger.After a while, he unlocked his phone and tried to call someone.Seemingly unable to connect, he cursed and hung up.He swept everything off the table. I knew about his hot temper."Caroline, you've grown bold. How dare you block me?"He angrily smashed things around. "If you are so capable, never come back. Just die out there."My nose tingled.Even though I was dead, I still felt sad about his harsh words."Dexter, you got your wish. I really died out there."I watched as the last remnants of the setting sun faded away in the distance.It seemed to take away the last trace of warmth within me.
Chapter 3 Justified RageDexter's rage toward me was justified.As he said, I caused the deaths of our parents.Our mother suddenly had the urge to go shopping for clothes for me during the days leading up to my birth. She was hit by a car and sent to the hospital. I was saved by the Caesarean section, but she couldn't be saved.She died on the day I was born.On her deathbed, my mother told my dad, "Take good care of Carrie. Tell her that I love her."It was revealed to me when my dad was drunk.Still, he refused to acknowledge me.He would only say a few words to me when he was drunk.He had just ignored me for the rest of the time, as if I didn't exist.Recently, my dad died by his own hands.He left a letter that Dexter didn't allow me to read, nor did he let me attend the funeral.It didn't matter, since my dad didn't want to see me in his final moments anyway.