Chapter 4

A loud crash suddenly came from outside the room.

Then Lucas burst into tears.

Mom immediately turned and rushed back to his room.

He had fallen onto the floor. She scooped him up quickly, patting his back.

“I’m sorry, Lucas. I shouldn’t have left you alone…”

Her voice was full of panic and guilt.

Under her soothing, his crying quieted, though he still sniffled.

“Mom, sleep with me from now on. Don’t stay with Chloe, okay?”

Mom let out a quiet sigh.

It sounded like she had made a difficult decision.

“She’s grown up. She can sleep on her own now.”

My expression dimmed.

Every night, after she tucked Lucas in, she would come to my room.

She used to say she could only feel at ease when she heard me breathing.

I had always selfishly believed her favoritism would last until the very end of my life.

The thought made tears fall, but soon I smiled again.

Because now, someone else could love her in my place.

For a moment, Lucas even seemed a little cuter to me.

Lucas, now that I’m gone, you have to love Mom properly.

He cheered.

Mom gently tapped the tip of his nose, smiling.

“Tomorrow’s the weekend. Dad and I will take you to the amusement park.”

She deliberately raised her voice for the next part.

“Chloe’s been bad. We’re not taking her.”

Dad looked surprised.

“You’re really not bringing Chloe?”

Mom waited a few seconds, then nodded firmly.

“We can’t let her hold Lucas back from having a childhood.”

Because of my condition, I couldn’t travel far. The furthest place I ever went was the hospital.

Dad worked every day, and Mom couldn’t be in two places at once. Lucas was already three, and he had barely gone anywhere.

Dad sighed.

“Honestly, Chloe’s behavior is disappointing. Lucas fell and cried, and she didn’t even come out to check.”

Mom’s expression turned colder.

“She’s ungrateful. Just like her father.

“Let’s go to sleep. We need to get up early tomorrow or the lines at the park will be too long.”

The lights went out.

I curled up by her bedside, hugging my knees, but I still felt cold from head to toe.

The next morning, Mom glanced at my room.

The door had been shut by the wind overnight.

Dad asked, “We’ll be out all day. Should we bring Chloe? She’s light. I can carry her if needed.”

Mom shook her head.

“Forget it. Today is for Lucas. If she comes, we’ll have to cater to her mood.”

Dad nodded and drove off.

But Mom… I’ve never been to an amusement park.

Luckily, I was already dead.

No one could see me.

If I followed them just to take a look, I wouldn’t have any regrets.

The moment we entered the park, Lucas lit up with excitement.

He spotted the carousel and ran toward it.

“Slow down,” Mom called after him. “You’ll fall.”

By the time Dad bought the tickets, Mom was already sitting with Lucas on the carousel.

She was smiling.

A smile I had never seen before.

I understood then.

That was what a real smile looked like.

Mom was beautiful. The most beautiful person I had ever seen.

Without me, maybe the lines on her face and the dark circles under her eyes would fade too.

After the ride, Dad handed over two ice cream cones.

Mom seemed to be in a great mood. She even hummed the song I loved most, “Fireflies.”

As Lucas licked his ice cream, he said, “Mom, let’s come here every day. Just us. Not the bad Chloe.”

This time, Mom’s face turned serious.

“Lucas, don’t call your sister that.

“She’s very sick. We have to take good care of her.”

He pouted, trying to get away with it by acting cute.

But Mom didn’t smile.

He realized she meant it and reluctantly said, “Okay… good Chloe.”

Dad, who had been quiet for a while, suddenly looked at his phone.

“That’s strange. Chloe’s door hasn’t opened at all. Did she skip her medicine?”

Mom’s panic was immediate.

She jumped to her feet and hurried toward the exit.

“We need to go back. If she misses her medicine, something could happen.”

With Lucas still crying, Dad drove them home.

Mom rushed into my room.

“Chloe, are you trying to die by not taking your medicine?”

But the room was empty.

The entire house was empty of me.

Then, suddenly, a thunderous knock pounded at the door.

“Open up. There’s a dead child on the rooftop. Is it yours?”