Chapter 2

The autopsy was grueling, yet Orlando still rushed home that evening.

It was Gina's victory banquet, after all. He would never miss a chance to celebrate his beloved little sister.

When Orlando arrived, tired and dusty, Gina was nestled beside my fiancé, Leo Sawyer, giggling.

Jeremy pointed to the mountain of gift boxes stacked nearby. "Only the best for our genius sister."

Our dad, Nicolas Zimmerman, who usually looked at me with coldness and disdain, now gazed lovingly at them.

My chest ached. These people were supposed to be my family, yet I was forever the outsider.

Even sewer rats could peek at happiness, while I was locked in the basement, hearing the laughter and joy from above.

Now, even as a ghost, I had to listen to them slander me.

Gina sipped the drink Leo handed her, her eyes sparkling. "I want to call Mabel back to celebrate with us."

Jeremy's face darkened. "You're still thinking about that vixen? She only ever bullies you. Gina, you're too kind."

Orlando nodded. "She stole your designs, tricked you into going out, and pushed you. It would be best if she never came back."

"She called me a few days ago, pretending to be injured and begging me to rescue her," Leo chimed in with a sneer, his words cutting me.

None of those things were true. They were dirt that Gina had thrown onto me.

When I was first brought back home, I knew nothing about luxury. Desperate to bond with Gina, who had grown up in my place, I studied high-end brands and taught myself jewelry design.

I ended up genuinely loving it.

Gina coveted my sketches and stole them one by one. When I secretly entered a contest and won, she wept, claiming I had plagiarized her.

Jeremy grabbed a baseball bat and struck me, demanding that I apologize. I bit my lips bloody but never bowed to the real thief.

Yet in the end, I was the one branded a plagiarist.

Nicolas pressed his lips together. "Since Gina wants to see her, let her come back. But if she refuses to apologize, I will disown her."

The resolution in his words made me laugh.

The outsiders only knew Gina as the beloved daughter, while I was seen as a distant relative trying to climb the social ladder. Except for the few people revolving around Gina, no one knew I was the true daughter of the Zimmerman family.

With Nicolas's consent, Gina eagerly dialed my number. She was desperate to have the family humiliate me for leaving without a word.

Listening to the beeps on the line, she fought to suppress her smugness. Putting on a sad face, she said, "Her phone is off. Is she mad at us? She hasn't come home in days, and we can't reach her. She didn't even return for Mom's death anniversary."

Nicolas narrowed his eyes. "That ungrateful wretch! Does she expect me to beg her? She couldn't even be bothered to honor her mother's memorial. We never should have brought her back."

Jeremy slammed his fist down on the table. "The one who should have died that year was Mabel. Trash like her doesn't deserve to live."

Seeing their angry faces, I couldn't help but feel a strange amusement.

I had been kidnapped when they took me to the amusement park. My mother died in a car accident while searching for me.

They never blamed themselves for losing me. Instead, they pinned it all on me.

Orlando frowned. "Ever since she came home, she's caused nothing but trouble. If not for Mom's dying wish, we should have left her to rot wherever she was."

I felt a dazed emptiness, struggling to believe the words I was hearing.

Before I was brought back, I had dreamed of a warm, loving family. Instead, my life became hell.

They mocked my quiet personality, my lack of interest in life, and my tattered clothes. They called me timid and awkward.

Jeremy once crept into my room at night and strangled me until I saw stars, warning me never to bully Gina or dream of their love.

I had been just as cold then as I was now—dead.

Listening to their relentless insults and suspicions, I felt trapped in an icy abyss. If it were true, I would have preferred never to have returned to this so-called richest household that everyone envied.

Leo's grandfather kept saying that I was the one promised to him in an arranged marriage. Gina, with tears in her eyes, claimed she was willing to give him up to me. No one had ever asked me what I wanted.

I tried to learn proper etiquette, but they mocked me for trying to imitate others. When I bought a dress, Nicolas scolded me for being vain. Whenever Gina frowned, Jeremy would punish me.

I covered my ears, trembling and curling up in a corner, unwilling to listen to their cold sarcasm and mockery.

Just then, Gina's phone rang, interrupting their accusations. A mysterious voice came from the other end. "Gina, I saw your poor relative at the OB-GYN department!"