Chapter 5

A searing pain tore through my entire body. It felt as though every one of my bones had shattered. The agony made my vision go black as my consciousness slowly faded.

But in the next second, the pain suddenly vanished. My body became light and weightless, like a feather drifting in the air.

I slowly opened my eyes and discovered that I was floating above the ground as a soul.

There was no sadness in my heart, only overwhelming relief.

I was finally free. I would never have to return to that hell, and I would never have to face those hypocritical family members again.

But I never expected anyone to come set off fireworks near this desolate unfinished building. A young couple walked over hand in hand, each holding a sparkler. The moment they reached the building, they saw my body lying broken on the concrete below.

The woman froze for a moment before letting out a piercing scream. The guy's face went deathly pale. He grabbed her and ran, leaving the sparklers behind and not daring to pick them up.

I floated in midair, watching them flee in panic. I felt a little sorry for them.

I never meant to frighten anyone. I only wanted to leave this world quietly and peacefully. If I'd known someone would come here, I would've chosen somewhere else. I wouldn't have made them stumble upon something so horrifying on New Year's Eve.

I tried floating farther away, hoping to leave this place, but my spirit seemed tethered by invisible strings. I could only wander around the unfinished building.

Before long, I saw the same couple who had run away earlier. They were huddled beneath a streetlight by the roadside. The woman was still crying while the man held his phone, his voice trembling as he called the police.

The sound of sirens soon approached from the distance.

Police officers and forensic investigators arrived one after another. Wearing white gloves, they cautiously approached my body.

A while later, I saw Mom, Dad, and Ethan.

They had come with the neighbors. Apparently, they got wind that someone had fallen from the unfinished building and came over to see what had happened.

Ethan's face went completely pale. With trembling hands, he pulled out his phone and called me again and again.

But the only response he got was the cold automated message, saying, "The number you have dialed is currently unavailable."

He stood there clutching his phone, his fingertips trembling violently as he kept muttering, "Her phone's off. I can't reach her..."

Mom's body swayed, and she nearly collapsed. Dad quickly reached out to steady her. Her face was deathly pale, and panic filled her eyes. She stubbornly refused to believe it.

Mom mumbled, "No. It can't be Eva. Eva is such a good girl. She loves us so much. How could she possibly jump off a building? She wouldn't leave us. She couldn't possibly do that…"

Dad frowned, patting her back to calm her down.

He sounded confident as he said, "It definitely isn't her. Her phone hasn't been charged in two weeks. Of course, it's going to be dead. She probably just felt overwhelmed by the crowd and went home first. Come on, let's hurry back. She didn't bring her keys, so she must be waiting for us outside."

There wasn't the slightest hint of concern in his voice.

Clutching his phone, Ethan kept looking back at the unfinished building every few steps. His eyes were filled with panic and guilt, yet he still followed Mom and Dad as they turned and walked home.

I floated back to the rooftop of the unfinished building and looked down at the police officers and forensic investigators surrounding my body. They crouched beside me, their expressions grim as they spoke quietly among themselves.

I drifted closer and heard them clearly.

"The preliminary cause of death appears to be suicide. But the injuries on her body..."