Chapter 4

Someone had knocked the lottery box over, and it had fallen to the ground.

As it turned out, there were no long sticks inside at all.

I finally learned that Mom and Dad never loved me. Grandma had been right. They were only using the lottery box as a front so that it looked like they were being fair while they were secretly favoring only Anabelle instead.

I began to feel cold, despite the fact that I was supposed to be a spirit now.

Mom and Dad thought that I was still being sulky. So, when they came back from the hospital this time, they began treating me like thin air, pretending that I didn't exist.

They wouldn't set out my plate and bowls at the table for food. They stopped calling me out to draw lots. Instead, they purposely began spoiling Anabelle even more blatantly now.

It was as if I never existed in this family at all.

It wasn't until our neighbors began realizing that something was amiss and came knocking on the door.

"Mrs. Madden, our window is right next to Belle's window. Don't you think there's a stench coming from her room?" our neighbor, Mrs. Richards, asked Mom.

"It smells like something is rotting inside. Also, Belle hasn't been seen outside of the house lately. She never even went to school for days."

Mom was in the midst of peeling crab legs for Anabelle and didn't even bother looking up at Mrs. Richards.

"She's sulking. She's not even coming out for food, so forget about going to school. As for the stench…"

Mom suddenly rose to her feet angrily and went over to my door, hammering and kicking at the door with all her strength.

"Isabelle Madden! Did you or did you not poop in your own room? What the hell do you think you're doing? Are you trying to shame me by making the neighbors think that I never taught you how to behave properly?"

There was no answer even after shouting for a long time. Mrs. Richards began to realize that something was wrong.

"Could something have happened to her? Belle is still a little girl. She can't hold up if she doesn't eat or drink for a long time."

I looked at Mom from the corner where I was crouching. However, I didn't see the look of concern I hoped I'd see on Mom's face. Instead, her face was filled with contempt and disdain.

She said sarcastically, "She was the one who sent Ana to the hospital twice! How could anything have happened to her? What could possibly have happened to her?

"Ana even got a huge gash on her head because of her! Ana is the one who had had something happen to her!"

Mrs. Richards looked at Anabelle's teary face and didn't say another word.

After Mrs. Richards left, Mom dumped the dinner leftovers into the trash can.

"You're still sulking at me, aren't you? Fine. Let's see how much longer you can sulk. I'm not leaving any food out for you at all!

"Since you don't want to come out, then I'm going to tell your teacher that you're dropping out of school tomorrow! Saves me all your school fees anyway!"

My body was decomposing quite terribly, and the stench was getting worse too. Even Mom and Dad could smell it now too.

However, they didn't think that the stench was because I was dead. Instead, they thought that I'd just turned into a lunatic who peed and pooped everywhere in the room.

However, Mrs. Richards couldn't stand it anymore and reported it to the police.

When Mom saw the police officers at the door, she slapped the table in fury.

"What the hell is this? Why are you bringing a whole bunch of police officers to arrest us? Are you saying that we're a bunch of murderers or criminals now?"

"Officers, she locked her daughter up for many days without any food or drink. Isn't that child abuse?

"Also, I think that there's something wrong with her head. She has two daughters, yet she insisted on making them draw lots for everything, saying it was only fair that way. But they always end up spoiling the younger one only!

"I have a suspicion that their eldest kid has already been tortured to death by them," Mrs. Richards said.

Mom laughed loudly in anger when she heard that.

"It's none of your business how I discipline my kids! It has absolutely nothing to do with you! Stop poking your nose into matters that don't concern you!

"Officers, my daughter is alive and well! Mrs. Richards is the one who made a false police report! Arrest her instead!"

However, the police officers who entered the house had already smelled the abnormal stench in the air. They were prepared to break down my door.

However, Mom blocked them from the door and shouted, "You're illegally trespassing on private property! Get out of my sight!

"My daughter is not dead! She's just sulking and holding a grudge against us! That's why she purposely peed and pooped in her own room to make us mad!"

Dad pulled Mom away in frustration and said, "There's no use talking sense into them. Let them open the door instead.

"What a sick joke! Neither she nor I have ever abused any of our kids before! Isabelle is just being a sulky brat! How could you make such wild assumptions just because of that!

"Tell Isabelle to come out herself and show you that she's alive and kicking! This insolent brat is really getting out of hand!"

The door was finally pried open, and the stench hit the officers immediately.

At once, everyone saw my mangled corpse on the floor.

I floated mid-air, glancing instinctively at Mom and Dad.