Chapter 2

Laughter erupted in the private room, the people clapping and whistling.

They pushed me, urging me to pick a man to take home.

I let out a long sigh, the dull ache in my heart slowly turning numb.

"No need. From now on, you can fool around as much as you want. I won't bother with you anymore."

The atmosphere in the private room froze.

Perhaps it was the first time they'd seen me act this way.

Before, to beg Mark to go home, I would throw away all my dignity.

I had licked his lovers' shoes and personally cleaned up the aftermath of their wild nights.

This was the first time I'd ever talked back to Mark.

He seemed stunned. A moment later, he frowned.

"What are you trying to pull..."

Before he could finish, my phone rang.

I stared at the caller ID silently, then walked out of the private room and closed the door behind me, cutting off Mark's probing gaze.

"Gloria, tomorrow is your sister's death anniversary. Mark still hasn't forgiven you after three years, and you haven't fulfilled our agreement.

"I'll be back in the country in a week. I hope by then you'll have everything sorted out."

I hung my head. Just a door away, inside the private room, I could hear the sounds of Mark and Wendy kissing passionately again.

"Alright, I promise you."

My sister's death anniversary is on February 8th.

Ever since my parents disowned me three years ago, they had never allowed me to visit my sister's grave.

For three years, I'd always waited for my parents and Mark to finish paying their respects before showing up.

"This is Wendy. She looks a lot like April, doesn't she?"

Mark's voice made me stop in my tracks.

When I looked up, I saw my parents looking at Wendy with teary eyes.

They even hugged her tightly in front of my sister's tombstone.

"She does, she really does. I feel as if April has come back to life..."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I unconsciously touched my own face.

If anyone should look like my sister, it should be me. After all, we're twins.

But it felt like everyone was trying their best to exclude me.

Seeing my parents whom I hadn't seen in ages, I walked out as if possessed.

"Dad, Mom..."

A single sentence completely shattered the warm atmosphere.

Mark threw me a disgusted glare, while my dad strode forward and slapped me hard on the face.

"You have no right to be here! If it weren't for you, April wouldn't have died, you scum!"

My usually gentle mother shrieked hysterically when she saw me.

After three years, their hatred for me had only grown, not lessened.

My ears were ringing, and the taste of blood filled my mouth.

"April died in that car accident, but you lived. Wasn't it all just so you could inherit the family business and the family assets?

"I don't have a daughter like you. Our family has already disowned you a long time ago. You have no right to visit April's grave!"

My dad glared at me viciously, his words stabbing into my chest like daggers.

I took a deep breath and lifted my top with a pale face, revealing a 3-inch long scar on my abdomen.

I said, my voice trembling, "I was in the car too back then. I couldn't do anything. My sister's death is not my fault..."

"Then why wasn't it you who died?! Why did it have to be your sister?!"

My mom shrieked, and a chill instantly swept through my entire body.

I stared blankly at my mother, whose eyes were bloodshot, and awkwardly lowered my head.

It turned out they had always wished for my death.

"Mark, didn't you say Gloria never visits April's grave? What is she doing here..."

Wendy chimed in next to Mark, her fingers intertwined with his. Suddenly, a look of terror crossed her face, as if she'd just thought of something.