All Chapters of Trapped in a Fake Apocalypse, Dying for Real: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

I stood outside the chapel, watching the wedding ceremony. The familiar pain surged through my body, but even that couldn't mask the agony in my heart.It was all fake. Everything was a big, fat lie.While I was forced to hide out in an abandoned clinic, afraid to eat even one extra bite of food, all they could think about was how to make sure Eliza Ward had no regrets in life.I walked home in a daze, as if my soul had left my body.Once upon a time, my parents and my older brother, Owen Ward, had doted on me, too. However, everything changed ten years ago, when Eliza was taken in as my adopted younger sister.They said she was an orphan and had suffered enough, so they took it upon themselves to give her everything that belonged to me, from the toys and clothes they bought to the best education money could buy. And now, they had even given her my fiancé, Andrew Harris.When I returned to the home I knew so well, everything seemed just as it had always been. The living room was

Andrew abruptly looked back and called after me. "What you said about calling off our engagement—were you serious about it?"I stopped and turned to meet his gaze."Yes."His face immediately darkened with displeasure.Mom came out of her room and glared at me irritably. "Sophia Ward! Wasn't your phony attempt to run away from home enough? Now you're using your engagement to throw another tantrum? You're doing all this just because you're jealous of a sick person?"How on earth did we spoil you so much that you've lost even the most basic sense of empathy!"I clenched the hem of my blouse, a dull ache spreading through my heart. "I'm not throwing a tantrum. I'm serious about calling off the engagement."Suddenly, Eliza collapsed to the floor and writhed in pain while clutching her stomach."Ellie!"Mom and Owen immediately rushed over to cradle her. Andrew didn't spare me another glance either. He hurried to the storage cabinet and pulled out some medicine."It's happening ag

"Stop pretending and get up!" Andrew snapped with a frown, but his voice betrayed a tremor he didn't even realize was there.He grabbed my wrist and tried to pull me up, but my body was completely rigid. The moment he lifted me, I immediately slipped back down. My arms fell limply to my side.Andrew had read a few medical books. Perhaps that was precisely why he didn't dare touch me again."Why is it taking you so long to get her? Is she throwing another tantrum and refusing to come out of her room?"Owen walked in. When he caught sight of me lying on the floor, he sneered, as if he'd predicted this."Sophia, let me make this clear one more time—if you want us to spend time with you, just say so. Don't resort to these kinds of tricks. These fake acts of yours are only going to exhaust what little patience we have left!"He paused for a few seconds, waiting to see how I'd react, but the figure on the floor remained completely motionless."You still won't drop the act, huh?"Owen

Mom frowned. "What's wrong?"She shoved Owen aside and tried her best to pull me up from the floor. However, my body was as rigid as a rotting log of wood. My hands were ice-cold, without the slightest trace of warmth.The horrifying possibility that popped into Mom's head made her stumble backward.Just then, Dr. Fleming entered the room. He took out a flashlight with one hand and gently lifted my eyelid with the other. The light shone into my pupil, but there was no reaction.He straightened back up and sighed. "My condolences. Sophia no longer shows any sign of life. Judging from the state of her body, she most likely died sometime between 10:00 pm last night and 2:00 am this morning.""That's impossible!" As if grasping at straws, Owen shook his head frantically. "We came to her room at 11:00 pm last night. She was perfectly fine then! She can't be dead. How could she be dead..."Dr. Fleming remained unfazed. "This is just my preliminary guess. Besides, did you actually see h

Owen and Andrew immediately caught Mom and helped her to a hospital bed to get some rest.When Owen came out of the hospital room, his eyes were bloodshot, and his hands were clenched into fists."Where's Eliza?"Andrew stood beside him. "She didn't come with us. She said she was sick and needed to rest."Owen let out a laugh, his voice hoarse. "Sophia was the one who was sick. Why would Eliza need any rest?"When they returned home, Owen played the surveillance footage in front of Eliza. Her face grew paler and paler. With tears in her eyes, she tried to excuse her actions the way she always used to."I didn't mean for things to turn out this way. You both know how terrible my circumstances were. I never received any love, and it's all I long for. How could I not get jealous when I saw how much you guys doted on Sophia? I…"Sophia got to have everything she could possibly want from the moment she was born! Why did she get to enjoy such a good life? All I wanted was to experienc