After my mother passed away and my stepmother brought Halle into our home, everything changed.

I felt more out of place in the house, and even Matthew, who had grown up with me, seemed to prefer Halle over me.

The death of my kitten left a hollow ache in my heart.

I knew no one would believe me if I spoke up.

No one would believe that the sweet, understanding Halle could be capable of something so cruel.

That night, I cried for hours. When Dad asked me what was wrong, I couldn't help but tell him everything I had seen.

He told me not to overthink it.

I was heartbroken and reluctant to return home, using the excuse of staying over at a friend's house.

I never expected Dad to come looking for me that night.

He told me he believed in me, gently patting my head as he said, "My little princess has grown up.

"You're even stronger than I imagined.

"Whatever you want to do in the future, I'll support you!"

That night, we talked openly for hours, and both felt better.

None of us could have predicted that tragedy would strike on the way back.

If I had known this would be the outcome, I would have never been so reckless!

Our brakes failed.

To avoid a large truck ahead, our car crashed into a roadside utility pole. In my daze, I felt a pair of warm hands lifting me, followed by a deafening explosion.

"Boom!"

When I woke up, I was met with the devastating news: Dad had died, and my stepmother had taken her own life.

Matthew was like a wild lion, his eyes blazing with rage, as though he wanted to tear me apart.

"Why didn't you die? Why are you still alive?

"It's all your fault!

"If it weren't for you, Dad wouldn't have died, and Halle's mother would still be alive. Why did it have to be you who survived?"

At that time, I shared his anguish. I, too, wondered why it wasn't me who had died.

The guilt was overwhelming. Matthew wouldn't let me near him, nor would he allow me near our home.

He declared that from now on, Halle was his only family.

And Halle, even then, still wore that same cold, calculating look in her eyes.

Maybe in Matthew's eyes, his real sister had already died.

That was just as well; he wouldn't be too upset when he learned the truth.

I did die on the day he watched Halle's fashion show.

No one knew what I'd been up to these years, let alone that I became an undercover agent for the police.

Before the bust, I came face to face with the backstage boss, Vincent Kent's mysterious girlfriend.

The moment Halle appeared before me with her nose in the air, I knew I was probably a goner. She smiled at me, said "long time no see," and showed me a video of cat abuse.

"So, you've become a police informant. Just as stupid as your father!" she sneered. Then, she pointed to a location on the map and said, "If you want to know the truth about our parents' death, go there yourself.

"You know how much Matthew loves me as a sister," she added with a mocking smile in her eyes. I knew she was using Matthew to blackmail me. I had to go; I didn't dare not to.

It was an abandoned slaughterhouse. Halle dismembered a sheep in front of me.

The sheep only died when the knife finally pierced its heart.

The sheep's head was right in front of me, its eyes filled with despair and horror.

Just like me now, knowing my fate.

Halle wiped her hands and tossed the tools to a nearby henchman.

Vincent stood on the second floor, watching leisurely with a glass of red wine in his hand.

His deep voice echoed in the empty warehouse: "Cate, huh? You've been deceiving me for so long. Tell me, what evidence have you gathered? Give it to me, and I'll make your death quick and painless."

I remained silent and engaged in a fight with the men present.

A bullet unexpectedly pierced my scapula, and as I was pressed down on the chopping block, my feet struggled to kick against the ground.

Halle smiled at me and hooked up a bag of drugs to my IV.

"What are you waiting for? Let's begin," she ordered.

I watched in horror as these maniacs slowly dismembered my body.

Although I couldn't feel the pain, the sight was more agonizing than death itself.

After a while, Halle adjusted her hair and said smugly, "I have to go. Matthew's expecting me at the fashion show."

She blew me a kiss, and her eyes were full of triumph and satisfaction.

As they cut open my stomach, Vincent bent down and offered me his phone. "Cate, Matthew's on the line. Quick, ask him to come and save you."

Predictably, the sound of the disconnected call echoed through the warehouse.

He laughed wildly and took away the anesthetic.

The pain started to return to my body, intense and unbearable.

Indescribable agony.

In my final moments of consciousness, only one thought crossed my mind. Matthew, I'm dead now? Are you happy?