Chapter 3

My soul drifted like a feather in the air, watching the mansion shrink behind me.

I felt like a ghost who didn't belong.

In the corner of the staircase, my phone was still blinking with unread messages.

Cassio's name was on the screen.

"Sera, Natalie Portman is in Swan Lake tonight at Lincoln Center. I know she's your favorite dancer. Why aren't you here?"

"Show's about to start. I'm in the VIP box. Waiting for you."

"Are you okay?"

I stared at the messages, a bitter feeling washing over me.

Cassio Romano. Heir to our rival Romano family. He was handsome, elegant, and the only man who saw me. He'd spent two years trying to get my attention.

He knew I loved ballet. He was always inviting me to shows.

But I never dared to say yes.

First, because of our families. Second, because I was terrified my sister would find out and have a meltdown.

"If you ever go out with those bad men, I'll jump from the balcony!" Chloe had shrieked at me once.

So I turned Cassio down, time and time again, missing every performance.

This time, he had bought the most expensive VIP tickets, just so I could see the ballerina I idolized.

Too bad I would never see her now.

My soul drifted toward the hospital. I passed through walls and car windows, ending up in the top-tier suite at St. Mary's Private Hospital.

Chloe was lying quietly on a white bed, her face pale but her breathing steady.

The girl who had been screaming her head off now looked as fragile as a porcelain doll.

"The sedative worked," Dr. Morrison said, putting down his stethoscope. "Her heart rate is back to normal. The sensory overload has passed."

Victor let out a long breath, his tense shoulders finally relaxing. "Thank God."

Elena held her daughter's hand, her eyes wet with tears. "I thought I was going to lose her."

I floated near the ceiling, watching the happy family.

I wanted to scream, to make them look at me, but the living can't hear the dead.

"Was anyone else hurt at the scene?" a young nurse asked as part of her routine.

Elena waved a dismissive hand. "No one important. Just Sera. She slipped. She's fine."

Slipped and fell?

I stared at Elena. If I could cry, my tears would be a flood.

They hadn't even noticed I had stopped breathing.

"Mommy…" Chloe's weak voice came from the bed.

Elena immediately leaned in. "Baby, you're awake? How do you feel?"

"My head hurts," Chloe whispered. "It was Sera… She wanted to hurt me."

"No, she didn't, baby," Elena soothed, stroking her hair. "Sera wasn't trying to hurt you. She just knocked over the flowerpot by accident."

"No!" Chloe's voice suddenly sharpened. The heart monitor began to beep rapidly. "She did it on purpose! She's jealous of me! She wants me dead!"

Doctors and nurses rushed to her side, checking her vitals.

"She's a disgrace!" Chloe shrieked, her voice sharp as glass. "Dad and Mom only love me! She's a nobody!"

I floated in the air, watching my sister's twisted expression.

Her words were like daggers to my soul. But it wasn't the words that chilled me. It was the look in her eyes. Pure, calculating venom.

"Her heart rate is spiking again. We need to administer another sedative," a doctor said hastily.

Victor looked at his daughter, his heart breaking for her. "This is all Sera's fault! That thoughtless girl!"

I thought of all the "episodes" over the years.

Every time I got a little attention, every time I tried to have a little freedom, Chloe would have a "sensory breakdown" at the perfect moment.

"Chloe said you hid her dolls."

"Chloe said you were practicing your dance moves at night just to wake her up."

"Chloe said you put something strange in her aromatherapy diffuser."

Even now, after I was dead, they still believed every word she said without question.

Just then, Victor's phone rang.

He stepped into the hallway to answer it. "Hello? Oh, it's you, Alfred. What?!"

The color drained from his face.

"No! That's impossible!" His voice trembled violently. "Are you sure it was Sera?"

The old butler's voice cracked over the line, "Sir... It's Sera. She fell onto the finial of the stair railing. There was blood everywhere..."