Chapter 1

On Christmas Day, when families everywhere were gathered together, I, Sophie Jackson, died.

During the day, I had worked twelve straight hours unloading packages just to meet a deadline. I hadn't even had time to take a sip of water.

When I got home, I was made to kneel for another two hours simply because my sister, Rosie Jackson, said the fish I'd cooked was too salty.

When death came for me, I thought, 'I can't die yet. I haven't finished atoning for my sins.'

In the final second before my consciousness faded, I surprisingly felt no fear.

I didn't know how much time had passed before I felt my body floating in the air.

I looked down and saw myself.

My corpse was so frail it looked like a skeleton. My eyes were sunken, my cheekbones protruded, and my face had turned a ghastly gray.

'I look awful,' I thought bitterly to myself.

Suddenly, a flash of white light appeared before me.

The bone-chilling cold vanished.

Instead, I was hit by the rich aroma of butter.

I opened my eyes in confusion.

I found myself standing inside the most expensive restaurant in the city center.

My parents and Rosie were sitting around a huge round table in a private dining room.

There was lobster, premium beef, and other delicacies on the table.

"Rosie, here. Try this lobster. It's so tender."

My mother, Sylvia Leroy, picked up a piece of lobster and carefully blew on it before bringing it close to Rosie's mouth.

Mom's gaze was very gentle, and she had a loving smile I'd never seen directed at me.

Rosie took a small bite. She then frowned and complained, "Mom, it's a little bland. I want some of the sauce."

"Okay, okay. I'll give you some with the sauce, but you can't have too much. It's too spicy for you."

Mom wasn't annoyed in the slightest. She dipped another piece of lobster in the hot sauce.

My father, Jonah Jackson, sat beside them with a flushed, cheerful face. He raised his glass and took a sip of whiskey before sighing contentedly.

"This is more like it. It's Christmas Day. We're supposed to enjoy a nice meal together as a family!"

I floated in midair and watched this happy scene unfold before me. I felt nothing but sorrow.

"Dad, Mom–" Rosie swallowed the food in her mouth and put down her fork. "We came out for such a nice meal and left Sophie home alone. Isn't that a little wrong? It's Christmas Day, and she hasn't eaten anything–"

The moment she mentioned my name, the lively atmosphere in the room disappeared.

The smile on Mom's face faded. She then slammed her hand onto the table. "Why bring up that jinx on Christmas Day? That fortune teller was absolutely right. Ever since she was born, nothing but bad things have happened to this family."

Her tone was full of disgust. It was as if just mentioning me left a bad taste in her mouth.

I vaguely recalled that when I was little, a strangely dressed person had once passed by our house and pointed at my sister and me. They said something about how fortune and misfortune balanced each other out.

I'd never realized that my parents had actually taken that statement seriously and regarded me as a jinx all these years.

I felt bitter on the inside, and tears slipped down my cheeks.

Dad snorted too. He picked up a piece of beef and put it into his mouth. "Your mom is right. Rosie, you're just too kind. That brat is downright evil. If we don't teach her a lesson, she'll never do what she's told!"

The next second, I watched Rosie get out of her wheelchair and walk normally to Mom's side before whining sweetly, "But I'm tired of pretending to be disabled after all these years."