Chapter 1

As Hades dragged me straight toward the mortal world, he kept muttering, "If I find out you're lying, I'll throw you into the deepest pit of hell."

I shrugged, indicating I didn't care.

After all, in my parents' eyes, I was nothing more than a tool for making money. In fact, there wasn't a shred of love for me in their hearts. Otherwise, they wouldn't have failed to notice my death for three whole days.

I would rather they had never taken me back in the first place.

After Hades sent me back to the mortal world, he remained invisible and followed me.

When I pushed open the door, my parents were livestreaming.

Seeing me return, my mother, Flora Baxter, immediately pulled me into her arms.

"My precious daughter, Elsie Newman, is back. Hurry and say hello to everyone," she said, her eyes reddening.

My father, Dave Newman, took the opportunity to wrap his arm around us and gently told the thousands of viewers over and over about the hardships of finding his lost flesh and blood.

The comments section was densely packed with sympathy, and gifts flooded the screen nonstop.

Hades stood behind me and let out a cold snort.

"This is what you meant when you said living is worse than dying?"

Faced with his skepticism, I didn't explain. Instead, I just stood there numbly, going along with it.

Two hours later, my parents ended the live stream and the smiles on their faces vanished.

Mom slapped me across the face, her eyes filled with disgust and loathing.

"You piece of trash! How many times have I taught you to smile, wrap your arms around us when you talk, and interact with the fans?"

I fell to the floor with a thud, and a red hand mark slowly appeared on my face.

Dad soothed Mom, but he didn't stop talking either.

"What are you still standing there for? Kayla will be back soon—get cooking! She likes grapes. Remember to remove the seeds!"

Hades froze for a moment before muttering, "This is nothing in the mortal world. How is it more terrifying than death?"

I merely glanced at him and obediently went to the kitchen to make dinner.

What Hades didn't know was that getting slapped and deseeding grapes were just part of the daily routine.

After I finished making dinner, my parents' adopted daughter, Kayla Newman, came back. The moment she saw me, a flicker of surprise flashed through her eyes.

Mom pulled Kayla down to sit and kept piling food onto her plate.

I carried the freshly cooked soup over, carefully preparing to set it down. Kayla stood up and reached out with both hands.

"Elsie, let me help you," she said softly and sweetly.

I was about to say there was no need, but she had already touched the soup bowl. The corner of her mouth lifted slightly, and with a gentle push of her hand, the entire bowl instantly tipped toward me.

Scalding hot soup poured over me. Instantly, large red blisters burned across my forearm and neck. The piercing pain burrowed through my skin and flesh.

Kayla, on the other hand, fell backward with the momentum.

"I'm sorry, Elsie," she said, her eyes red. "I just wanted to lend a hand. I didn't expect you couldn't hold the bowl steady."

Seeing this, Mom rushed over and pulled Kayla into her arms. She tenderly soothed her, while Dad violently grabbed me by the hair and slammed me into the ground.

"What are you trying to pull? Kayla was only trying to help, yet you tried to scald her with the soup!"

I clutched my head, blood seeping through my fingers.

Standing nearby, Hades couldn't help but say, "Quick, explain yourself! It was obviously Kayla who did it on purpose!"

I glanced at him and said quietly, "Kayla deliberately knocked over the bowl just now—"

Before I could finish, Dad kicked me hard.

"You still have the nerve to talk back? Kayla is such a sweet girl—there's no way she'd do something like that. If you dare slander her again, I'll beat you to death!"

Mom looked up, her eyes fixed on me.

"Hurry up and apologize to Kayla now! Clean this up, and no dinner for you tonight!"

She then turned to Dad and said anxiously, "Go start the car. We're taking Kayla to the hospital to get checked out. Her fingers look red to me."

The two of them hurried out with Kayla.

I bit the tip of my tongue to suppress the pain and silently braced myself as I began cleaning up the mess on the floor.

Hades, who had watched the entire scene unfold, fell silent for a few seconds.

"Your parents do play favorites, but a miserable life is still better than death. Once you're dead, there's truly nothing left."

I glanced at him expressionlessly. I didn't say anything, because I knew that he would soon come to understand what it truly meant to live a fate worse than death.