Chapter 2

The next day, Renee did not bring food to Andrea.

She naturally did not see that Andrea had fallen unconscious from a high fever.

Three days later, Renee finally remembered Andrea in the basement.

When the basement door was pushed open, a moldy smell mixed with a faint trace of blood rushed out.

Andrea was curled up in the corner.

Her face was flushed with fever. Her cracked lips had started to bleed.

Her breathing was so weak that the rise and fall of her chest could barely be seen.

Renee’s footsteps halted. Her brow furrowed on instinct.

“How did she end up like this?”

Just as Renee was about to turn and call for someone, Jacob Murphy’s voice came from behind her. His voice was thick with sobs.

“Andrea.”

He rushed forward, then stopped a few steps away.

His eyes were red at the corners. His body was trembling.

“It was my fault. I should never have crossed Cameron. If I hadn’t, Andrea wouldn’t have been dragged into this. I’ll go beg Cameron right now. I’ll kneel to him. I’ll do whatever he wants. Just leave Andrea out of this.”

Just as he was about to drop to his knees, Renee grabbed him.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. The one at fault is that selfish, vicious Cameron. To avoid apologizing, he even used his own sister’s life as leverage. How impressive.”

She actually thought I had made Andrea sick with a fever?

Renee snorted.

“Fine. If he is willing to go this far, why should I hesitate? Close the door.”

She cast one cold glance at Andrea on the floor, then turned to leave.

I rushed over, stood in front of her, and shouted, “No, Renee, please! Please save my sister! She always saw you as her own sister. Could you really bear to do this?”

The moment I finished speaking, Renee stopped in her tracks.

A flash of hope passed through my eyes. I thought her conscience had finally awakened.

However, when she turned around, she said in a cold voice, “Who gave her this glass of water? Didn’t I say she was not to be given anything to eat or drink?”

The maid came in from outside.

“Ms. Austin, it was me. This young lady…”

Before she could finish, Renee cut her off.

“Remember who pays you. If I ever find out that you gave her anything again, you can pack your stuff and get out.”

A trace of sympathy flashed across the maid’s eyes, but she lowered her gaze and looked away.

She kicked the glass away hard.

The water splashed across Andrea’s sleeve.

The movement stirred Andrea awake. She let out a pained moan.

A crumpled piece of paper slipped from her arms.

It was my death certificate.

Renee’s gaze locked onto it. Her eyes widened.

She froze where she stood for several seconds. She was completely motionless.

Jacob saw it too.

His face went pale. He stepped forward.

“Could Cameron have made this on purpose to trick us? After all, we never received any notice of his death.”

Renee seemed jolted awake by his words.

When she looked at Andrea again, there was only irritation in her eyes.

“I didn’t realize this idiot was such a good actress. This death certificate could have appeared at any time, but it just had to show up right now.”

She cast one last glance at Andrea, who lay gasping on the floor, then turned away without hesitation.

“Leave her in there. As long as Cameron doesn’t show up, nobody opens that door.”

I was trembling.

Even though I was dead, I still felt my heart break.

I rushed over and dropped to my knees in front of her.

“No! Don’t do this! Please save my sister! She’s dying!”

The fever had been torturing Andrea relentlessly.

They would not even let her eat or drink.

Unfortunately, no one could hear me.

I could only watch helplessly as the door in front of me closed once again.

I stood there, spinning in place with panic.

Then, I heard a faint voice.

“Cameron.”

Andrea was calling for me.

I rushed over and saw that she had opened her eyes.

She stared in my direction. Her eyes were filled with tears.

“Cameron, is that you?”

I was just about to speak when she smiled faintly.

“I must’ve imagined it. Cameron hasn’t come back yet.”

She reached out her hand.

“Cameron, I’m in so much pain. I can’t hold on much longer.”

Then, she closed her eyes again.

This time, no matter how many times I called her name, she did not answer me.

On the other side of that closed door, I heard Renee speak to Jacob in a tone of tenderness I had never heard from her before.

“Don’t be scared, Jacob. I’m here. No one gets to bully you. I promise I’ll find him and make him kneel in front of you to apologize.”

I no longer felt anything when I heard that.

My heart had gone numb from the pain.

Before our parents died, Renee and I had grown up together as childhood sweethearts.

The year our parents died in the car crash, our family company was stolen by my uncle.

In my despair, Renee had taken my hand and promised to stay by my side forever.

I had thought that she meant it.

However, after Jacob appeared, her gaze shifted away from me.

He was the impoverished student my family had sponsored.

Even after my parents died and my uncle took over the company, I still scrimped and saved and set aside money to put him through college.

However, he told everyone that I had abused him and withheld his living expenses.

I became the villain in everyone’s eyes.

Even Renee gradually began to favor Jacob.

As I looked at Renee’s profile, curiosity suddenly rose in me.

When she learned that I had died, would she regret it at all?