Chapter 4

I emptied the bottle, and the white pills spilled onto the sheets. I counted them. There were more than 30.

I slipped the pills into my pocket one by one. I finally understood that they weren't busy or careless. They simply didn't love me anymore.

My life was trapped in this broken body, and I had nothing left to hope for.

Noise drifted in from outside the door. I could hear glasses clinking, soft piano music playing, and people offering their congratulations.

"Lisa has such a bright future ahead of her, Mr. Keller. You must be so proud."

"Absolutely. Lisa is beautiful and talented, and she's your only daughter. You two are going to have an easy life from here on out."

Only daughter.

I sat in the dark room, listening to the laughter and cheering on the other side of the wall.

It was the party celebrating Lisa's successful national tour. Mom and Dad had invited all the relatives and their business partners over.

Out there, they were mingling with their guests, basking in all the praise. Meanwhile, I was locked in a room where barely any light got in, and nobody had brought me dinner.

I heard Mom's warm, cheerful voice. "Please, everyone, enjoy yourselves. Lisa has always been such a wonderful daughter. We're so proud of her."

Not one person mentioned me. Even the relatives who had met me before pretended that I didn't exist. I was like a stain they'd erased, completely wiped from their lives.

Halfway through the party, I suddenly heard the lock click. The door opened, and Lisa walked in carrying a paper plate.

It held a few pieces of leftover cake and some cold slices of roast meat.

She was dressed in an elegant gown and smiled at me. "Naomi, you must be hungry. Things are pretty hectic out there, so Mom told me to bring you something to eat."

She set the plate on the floor by my feet, as if she were feeding a stray dog.

I looked at the scraps of food on the plate without moving.

She crouched down and whispered in my ear. "Did you hear that? Everyone thinks I'm an only child. Just stay put in this room and don't go out embarrassing yourself."

I looked at her calmly, feeling neither anger nor sadness.

"You must be very pleased with yourself," I said.

"Of course," she said, smiling. "Because in this house, I'm the only one who matters."

I kept my voice steady. "But I'm the reason you're even alive."

Her expression flickered for a second before she let out a scoff. "So what? Mom and Dad only care about me now. You're just dead weight."

"Lisa Keller, I hope you can stay this happy for the rest of your life," I said flatly.

Lisa froze in shock. She had expected me to fall apart and start screaming like I used to, but I didn't.

She lost interest and curled her lip. "Seriously, something is wrong with you."

The door slammed shut behind her.

I struggled to bend down, picked up the paper plate from the floor, and placed it on the nightstand. Then I took the sleeping pills out of my pocket and held them in my palm.

I thought back to the day a truck had come barreling toward Lisa. Without hesitation, I had rushed over and pulled her out of the way.

Back then, I thought that as her older sister, protecting her was simply what I was supposed to do.

When I woke up in the hospital, Mom and Dad had held me and cried, promising that I would always come first in the family.

But their promises didn't last forever.

They loved me because I had once been a perfect daughter. The moment I became a burden, that love turned into resentment.

I swallowed all the pills, feeling lighter than I ever had before. I lay down on the bed and pulled the covers over myself.

Outside, Lisa was playing the piece that had made her famous. As I listened to the melody, the pills took effect quickly. My thoughts started to blur.

I didn't have to worry about winning their approval anymore. And I didn't have to keep waiting for a surgery that was never going to happen.

Just before my consciousness faded out completely, I heard Mom's voice outside the door. "Lisa, go and get Naomi. Your tour is finally over."

Then everything went dark.