I died on my birthday, but neither my parents nor my husband noticed. They were too busy pouring all their attention into planning my twin sister, Esme Shaw's, birthday party.

While she was surrounded by people helping her pick out a gown, I was tied up and thrown into the basement.

With what little strength I had left, I forced my broken fingers to press in the code—9395. It was a signal my husband, Edwin Grant, and I had once agreed on. It was a straightforward way to call for help in the event of danger.

I never thought I would actually need it one day.

But when I sent it, he didn't believe me. His reply was cold, "Claudia, just because I didn't take you shopping for a new dress, you've decided to put on a show?

"You can still wear last year's gown. Stop making trouble. I'll see you at the party later."

What he didn't know was that Esme had already shredded that gown into pieces. And what he couldn't imagine was that the moment after he hung up, I was already gone.

So, when the celebration began, I never appeared. But when everyone saw the birthday gift I had prepared for Esme ahead of time, the entire room lost its mind.

I died a painful death on my own birthday, and no one in my family even realized it. They blamed me for missing Esme's big birthday celebration, not realizing I was there the whole time—just not in the way they'd thought. I was there as nothing more than a soul.

...

That evening, my family came home with their arms full of shopping bags. Everyone carried something except Esme, who happily licked an ice cream cone.

She was their little princess and was spoiled to the point where they wouldn't let her lift a finger.

They started decorating the house, and Edwin called out to me. I was upstairs. "Claudia, come down and help. Just because it's your birthday doesn't mean you get to slack off."

On any other day, I would have hurried down to join him. But now, I only hovered beside him, watching with a cold, detached gaze.

When I didn't answer, he dialed my phone—only to find that no one answered.

Just then, Esme strolled over, snatched the phone from his hand, and cooed sweetly, "Edwin, since Claudia isn't here, let me help you instead."

Edwin chuckled, ruffled her hair, and said gently, "Go sit down and rest. If you don't finish that ice cream soon, it's going to melt."

The moment she walked off, his smile vanished. He frowned and left me a voicemail. "Claudia, get back here now! The party starts in an hour. We've got a lot of guests coming today, so don't ruin the mood."

With that, he went back to decorating.

Mom and Dad noticed his frustration and sneered. "Is Claudia throwing another tantrum?"

Edwin sighed heavily as he tied up some balloons. "Yeah. The second something doesn't go her way, she disappears. She always waits for people to beg her to come back."

"Hmph! She's just spoiled," Dad grumbled. "Does she really think this party can't go on without her? How naive. The real star of this banquet is Esme. Whether Claudia shows up or not makes no difference. When she returns tomorrow, give her some leftover cake. That'll teach her a lesson."

His voice grew sharper the more he spoke.

Esme rushed over, patting his back to soothe him. "Dad, don't say that. If Claudia hears you, she'll be so hurt. It's her birthday today as well. How could we celebrate without her? I'll go look for her."

With that, she turned and left.

The whole family praised her for being so sweet and sensible, never realizing she had never even left the house.

I watched as she slipped into the basement instead. With one hard kick, she flung open the iron door. When she spotted me lying motionless in the corner, covered in blood, she laughed so hard she could barely breathe.

Striding over, she kicked me twice. "Hey, stop pretending to be dead. Get up."

But I didn't respond at all because I had already died.

She didn't notice it. She crouched and yanked my hair, but my eyes remained shut. When she finally sensed something was wrong, a sound from outside caught her attention. "Why isn't the garden gate closed?"

Startled, she let go of me and landed one last kick before leaving. "Stay put. Don't you dare try to crash my party and steal the spotlight."

Then, with a sweet smile, she ran upstairs and threw herself into Edwin's arms. "It was my fault, Edwin. I forgot to close the gate. I went searching everywhere, but I couldn't find Claudia."

Edwin's heart melted instantly. He stroked her head. "Forget about her. Today is your day. Don't waste it worrying about someone worthless."

"Someone worthless?" I thought. A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

It wasn't that I was worthless—it was that in their eyes, only Esme mattered. Although we shared the same birthday, mine was often overlooked. Year after year, I celebrated alone.

However, this year was different. This year wasn't just my birthday. It was my farewell.

A month ago, I was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I never planned to hide it. The test results sat plainly on the table.

But I would never forget the way my parents had sneered at the test results. They accused me of putting on an act and playing the victim just to win sympathy and force their attention.

The truth was, I'd never wanted to compete with Esme for their love. I never even planned on attending the party.

I had already prepared a gift for Esme in advance, and I'd intended to spend my last birthday quietly with a friend. But before I could leave, a group of men in black ambushed me. A heavy blow to the head had knocked me out cold.

When I came to, I was in our basement.

Their leader dangled a keychain in front of me—the one with Esme's favorite Winny Bear charm, and the other men clutched batons and baseball bats.

My legs trembled as I begged them to let me go. But they ignored me. They beat me over and over until I was barely conscious.

After that, they tore my clothes apart and snapped photos of me naked. Once they were done, they jingled the keys in their hands and walked away.

I lunged forward out of desperation and managed only to tear off the Winny Bear charm.

Darkness closed in after that.

With what little strength I had, I tried calling my parents and then Edwin, but none of them answered.

I resorted to a message, but my broken fingers couldn't manage a long text. So, I typed four digits—9395.

It was the emergency code Edwin and I had once agreed on. He had whispered to me once while stroking my hair, "If you're ever in danger, send me this number. I'll come for you no matter what."

Back then, I had laughed. "It's not like I'll ever be in danger. This is a civilized country."

I'd never thought I would actually need it.

But when I sent it, praying he would understand, his reply left me stunned. "Claudia, just because I didn't take you shopping for a new dress, you've decided to put on a show?"

He didn't believe me. "You can still wear last year's gown. Stop acting like a child. Since it's your birthday, I'll let it go. See you at the party tonight."

Too bad—I wouldn't be showing up at that party. And in this lifetime, we'd never see each other again.

Once my phone went dead, the only thing left for them was my maggot-ridden body and the farewell gift I had so carefully prepared.

Before long, the banquet hall was fully set up. The dining table was covered with salmon—Esme's favorite—and the cake bore her name in delicate icing.

Just as Dad had said, the entire celebration was meant for her. There was no trace of my name anywhere.

"Mom, maybe we should order another cake. What if the guests talk behind our backs?" Esme clung to Mom's arm, her voice syrupy sweet.

"No need. Given her personality, what kind of friends could she possibly have? She's failed at her career, and she's never had a real friend in her life."

Mom patted Esme's hand, soothing her. "Think about how she has treated you all these years. You can't be too kind, or you'll just end up being taken advantage of."

How did I treat her? From the time we were little, she took everything from me, and I never once refused. I gave her everything willingly.

I used to feel lucky just to have a sister, so I would let her have her way again and again. But the more I gave in, the bolder she became.

On her graduation day, the project I made for her won her an international award.

I didn't think much of it then, as it had been one of my simplest works. But afterward, once she tasted success, she began stealing everything I'd created.

If I refused, she would have someone beat me up. And whenever I begged for help, not a single person believed me.

They all said I was just jealous of her so-called talent and that I had gone mad with envy.

That was when I finally understood. What I had lost wasn't a trophy. It was the love of my parents and the trust of my husband. To them, Esme was a genius. I was nothing but her shadow.

The memory of that scene made me turn away, unwilling to look at them ever again.

But Esme wasn't done. She stomped her foot in a show of concern. "Mom, keep your voice down! What if Claudia hears you?"

"Hmph! I don't care. If she shows up, I'll say it to her face." Mom's eyes held nothing but disdain. There was not a trace of love left for me.

And so I stood there in silence, quietly listening to them talk about me.

Time ticked on, the start of the banquet drawing near. Esme returned to her room to get dressed.

Edwin frowned at his phone, searched the villa again, but still didn't see me. "Rebecca, Thomas, I'll be right back. I need to pick something up."

Before heading out, he sent me another message, "Stop sulking. It's just a dress. I'll buy you one. Come back quickly. The party's about to start."

Watching him rush away, I felt nothing at all.

If he knew that the wife he was desperately searching for was right beneath his feet, swarmed by flies, what would his reaction be?

I sighed and let the thought go. My gaze fell on the stack of boxes in the corner. I wondered how they would look when they finally opened them.

Moments later, Esme came twirling out of her room, holding up her gown with delight. "Mom, where did Edwin go?"

Mom sighed. "He's probably looking for Claudia. He's too kind-hearted for his own good. If you ask me, he's such a perfect son-in-law, and you're the only one worthy of him."

At that, Esme's smile faltered, her eyes flashing with malice before she hurried back into her room.

Before long, Edwin returned with a dress, his forehead slick with sweat.

Just as he reached for his phone again, a piercing scream erupted from Esme's room. "My designs! Who ripped up my designs?"

Mom, Dad, and Edwin rushed over, only to find Esme collapsed on the floor. She was sobbing uncontrollably, scraps of shredded paper clenched in her hands.

"I-Isn't this the collection you were supposed to unveil tonight? How could it be destroyed? Who did this?" Mom immediately crouched down to help Esme up, her eyes full of concern.

Esme gasped through her tears. "I knew these designs were important, so I was extra careful. I even locked them up in the cabinet Claudia and I shared before I left…"

At that, a sharp laugh escaped me. With just a single sentence, she had pointed the finger clearly enough.

Dad slammed his fist against the door and roared, "Claudia has gone too far! No wonder she hasn't come home. She must have done this out of spite. When she shows her face, I'll break her legs myself!"

Chaos erupted upstairs. Edwin only sighed, sounding weary. "Enough. What matters now is figuring out how to salvage this. Many influential guests came tonight expecting to see Esme's new pieces. I'll check the basement. Maybe there are tools or supplies we can use."

He turned toward the door, but Esme quickly grabbed his arm. "Edwin, it's useless. She didn't just rip them up. She took some of the pages with her. They can't be pieced back together."

"What?" Mom gasped.

Edwin quickly comforted her, pushing the thought of going to the basement aside. He crouched down and wiped the tears from Esme's eyes. "It's okay. I'll handle this. What matters most is that you enjoy your birthday."

At that moment, he stood like the pillar of the family—someone everyone could lean on.

Esme met his gaze, and the very next second, she pressed her lips to his.

Edwin froze, instinctively wanting to pull away. But in the end, he didn't. He wrapped his arms around her waist, deepening the kiss.

Even though I had died, it felt like I was suffocating at that moment. I had thought Edwin merely admired her. I never imagined his admiration had turned into something more.

But I should have known. Every Christmas, he would carefully choose thoughtful gifts for Esme while I was overlooked. If I received anything at all, it was something cheap and meaningless.

Year after year, my jewelry box was filled with trinkets worth nothing. The only piece of real value was the diamond ring he gave me on our wedding day. Back then, his heart still belonged to me.

But that didn't matter anymore because I would be giving it all back to him at this very birthday party.