Chapter 1

I was pulled from my dazed state after hearing the piercing wails of my grandmother, Madeline Smith.

I could still feel the sensation of my bones being ground to nothing under the weight of that truck throbbing through me as I lifted my gaze to see three corpses draped in white cloth, laid out precisely within the mourning hall.

Grandma Madeline dissolved into a fit of inconsolable shrieking at my side. "How could you pass away at such a young age, Matthias? How could you leave me, your mother, behind?"

I almost burst into laughter at Grandma's ridiculous claim about Mom, Dad, and my sister, Jesse Cooper, being dead—they were still alive and kicking. I couldn't help but be amazed at how impressive Grandma Madeline's acting was, despite her years.

"You should stop crying. You ought to let Matthias and the others go in peace, Mom," Jacklyn Cooper, my aunt, murmured, casting me a glance as she tried to calm Grandma Madeline.

Aunt Jacklyn worked as a doctor in the hospital, so she was the one who issued the death certificates for Mom, Dad, and Jesse.

In my past life, I had been so consumed by grief at this point that I only caught a hurried glimpse of the bodies, leaving every arrangement in Aunt Jacklyn's hands. I was then left with three urns and an enormous debt the following day.

I watched them with a cold, detached gaze, thinking it was a hell of a performance—the three were perfectly alive, yet they managed to look utterly devastated for my benefit.

I knew Aunt Jacklyn had to be in on the scam, since she was the one who signed the death certificates—and yet, she had kept me completely in the dark.

In my past life, I had reached out to Aunt Jacklyn when the debt collectors arrived. I begged her for a loan to get me through my studies, promising to pay her back gradually once I graduated.

I was turned down the first time, and by my second attempt, I found out she had applied for a study program in Gavarre and had already left.

In the end, I was forced to shoulder the enormous debt due to Grandma Madeline's age.

I had worked so hard to get into Nexus Capital University, but I had to give it up and drop out. I was working multiple jobs every day to repay the debt, but the debt collectors weren't satisfied with the pace of my repayments.

I was eventually dragged to a shady factory where I was forced to work 16 hours daily. I earned 1,500 dollars a month but only saw 300 dollars of it, as the rest was funneled directly into the repayment account.

I scraped by on nothing, eating bland, meatless meals for years just to clear those debts. I thought I was honoring the dead, but the whole thing had been a setup.

I never thought Mom and Dad were still alive. It turned out they had taken out huge loans to take Jesse abroad to study dance, leaving the enormous debt to me.

I was squeezed dry just to support Jesse's future. I was nothing more than a cash cow to them—a wallet used to fund their family's happy life.

I had a front-row seat to their deception in this life, so I was curious to see how they would manage to feign death and get away with it right in front of me.

I stood invisible amidst the throng of relatives and friends as they offered their hollow consolations to Grandma Madeline and Aunt Jacklyn. It wasn't until Aunt Jacklyn shoved me so hard that I fell to my knees that others turned their attention to me.

"You worthless brat! You should have been the one who died! You're nothing but a harbinger of doom to the family!" Grandma Madeline bellowed.

It seemed my stoicism didn't sit well with Grandma Madeline, as she lashed out and hit me with her cane with such force that it practically stung me back to my senses.

"You shouldn't resort to beating, especially since she's still a young adult who doesn't know any better!"

Grandma Madeline, despite the relatives' intervention, glared at me with fury and yelled, "It was probably this wretched brat who caused the deaths of her parents and Jesse! I've always noticed how she's been gloomy and unpleasant since childhood, and now that her parents are gone, she didn't even shed a tear! I can't believe they actually raised such an ingrate in the family!"

I didn't bother to argue against the judgmental looks and whispers from the crowd. I simply rose to my feet, walked forward, and, while no one was watching, tore off the white cloth. I collapsed onto Jesse, striking her chest with my fist before Grandma Madeline could get a word out.

"You're all lying to me! Mom, Dad, and Jesse are obviously still alive and well! How could they be dead? How dare you say such horrible things about them?"

I made sure my hair was a tangled mess as I played the part of the grieving sister pushed past the brink. I kept pounding Jesse's chest, yelling, "You can't just sleep here, Jesse! You shouldn't scare me like this, Jesse!"

I put my back into every blow, hitting her with everything I had. I was just a sister driven mad by grief in the eyes of the onlookers, performing a frantic, hopeless resuscitation.

I mused that for Jesse herself, it was likely far from comfortable, though. I had to hand it to her; it must have been a real struggle to stay still and act as if she felt nothing while I was pummeling her.

Grandma Madeline and Aunt Jacklyn's expressions shifted instantly as they lunged to grab me. "You wretched brat! You'd better stop tormenting Jesse this instant!"

I had to go all the way, since I was already putting on a show. I scrambled over to Mom and Dad's side and used the exact same method, hammering my fists against their chests with everything I had.

I yelled as I struck them, "I don't believe it! Mom and Dad are definitely still alive! I'll save them with resuscitation. I know they can still come back!"

Grandma Madeline and Aunt Jacklyn, unable to restrain me, hurled curses from the sidelines as relatives surged forward in an attempt to subdue me.

I figured that my outburst had gone far enough, so I calmed down and allowed them to drag me to a chair.

I then feigned sorrow and forced a few tears from my eyes while saying, "I refuse to believe this! I mean, Mom and Dad took Jesse out for fun just two days ago and even told me that I had to find a job to pay my own tuition. I can't believe that they would suddenly die today!

"You're the one who issued the death certificates, right, Aunt Jacklyn? Did you perform a thorough examination? You're absolutely sure that Mom, Dad, and Jesse are dead, right?"

I stared intently at Aunt Jacklyn while asking that, and soon enough, everyone in the room stared at her too.

Aunt Jacklyn broke out in a cold sweat. She yelled, clearly trying to steady her own shaking nerves, "Of course, Lorraine! I've been a doctor for years! How could I make a simple mistake like that? How could I possibly harm Matthias, Pauline, and Jesse—my own kin?"

I caught a glimpse of the three people lying there out of the corner of my eye as Aunt Jacklyn defended herself to the onlookers.

I had full confidence in my own strength. After all, I had been the one doing all the heavy labor at home since I was a child. I was certain that, even if I hadn't managed to crack their ribs, they were definitely going to be suffering from agonizing bruises.

I truly had to hand it to them for being able to endure all that and remain perfectly still, especially Jesse, who had been pampered and spoiled since she was a child.

In the past, if I so much as accidentally brushed against her, she would run to complain to Mom and Dad, who would beat me right after. I was curious to see just how much longer they could hold out.

"How long do you intend to keep acting out, Lorraine?" Grandma Madeline barked, glaring at me with pure hatred.

"You're just so determined to turn the whole family upside down, huh? You were a headache for your parents when they were alive, and here you are, still making a scene even after they're gone! How could you be so shameless and refuse to let them rest in peace, Lorraine?"

Grandma Madeline might not have realized it herself, but her eyes shifted uneasily for a fleeting moment when she spoke of Mom, Dad, and Jesse's deaths.

I ignored her outburst and took a slow, deliberate look at the assembly. Grandma Madeline and Aunt Jacklyn were well aware that the three were alive; every bit of their sorrow was staged. Those who were present were only there to pay their respects out of a sense of distant familial obligation.

It was truly laughable. In this entire sham of a funeral, there wasn't a single person who was actually sad.

I suddenly realized that my maternal grandparents, Frank Greene and Harper Gallagher, weren't present. Grandpa Frank and Grandma Harper resided in the rural countryside, far away from where we were.

In my past life, after Mom and Dad faked their deaths, I was so consumed by the need to work and repay the debt that I had no mental energy for anything else. I was working from the second I woke up, so I simply didn't have the luxury or the capacity to think about anything else.

It struck me as odd that there had been no news at all from Grandpa Frank and Grandma Harper. They were the ones who had actually raised me, while Mom and Dad were practically strangers.

I had only moved back in with them after Jesse's birth and when I had to attend school.

I realized then that it was highly possible that Grandpa Frank and Grandma Harper were completely oblivious to the current situation. Mom must have spun some elaborate lie to keep them away and stop them from checking in on me.

I blurted out as I thought about this, asking, "How could Grandpa Frank and Grandma Harper not be here for something so important? Did no one notify them? I'll call them right now!"

I had just taken out my phone to place the call when I noticed Mom's fingers twitching from the corner of my eye.

It was then that Aunt Jacklyn stepped forward and held my phone down, looking a little flustered. "You shouldn't inform your grandparents about this for now, Lorraine. They aren't in good health, so we wouldn't want anything happening to them, either. It'll still be fine to tell them when the time is right.

"You ought to know that the priority now is getting your parents and Jesse cremated. It's so hot out—these bodies won't last a few days before they start to smell. I've already made all the arrangements, so you don't need to worry about a thing, Lorraine."

"How could I possibly allow that, Aunt Jacklyn?" I asked as I wiped away my tears, trying to appear both vulnerable and determined. "How could I, as the daughter and the sister, not do my part?"

I continued, "I've already made the call and arranged everything. I've called for the best crematorium in the city, and they'll be here in five minutes to collect the bodies. I'll just send Mom, Dad, and Jesse over directly, so you don't have to worry about a thing, Aunt Jacklyn."

Aunt Jacklyn panicked instantly. "How could you go and decide something like this without consulting me first, Lorraine? Get on the phone and cancel it immediately!"

I looked up at her, my face a mask of confusion. "You were the one who said the weather was too warm and that we had to hurry the cremation for their sake, Aunt Jacklyn. I can assure you that the people from the crematorium, who are just five minutes away, will make sure the process is done as quickly as possible."