My sister ate the half plate of mango I had left on the table and broke out in hives from her allergy.

My brother stormed over, pried my mouth open, and poured the mango juice straight down my throat. "You love mangoes so much, don't you? Today you'll get your fill."

The juice flooded my lungs. I choked, fighting for air as my throat swelled in agony, begging him to save me.

Instead, he turned and locked me in the basement. "Betty suffered because of you, so don't expect any comfort. Stay down here and reflect on what you've done. Growing up without any real guidance. No wonder you're so vicious."

Two days later, my mom remembered me. "Ralph, that's enough. Let Catherine out. If she stays there much longer, she might start resenting Betty."

My dad chimed in casually, "What's the big deal? Just buy her something nice to make up for it."

My spirit clung to his back, floating along with them toward the basement. I'd like to see how they were going to compensate a dead girl.

On the first day I was locked in the basement, my brother, Ralph Stone, returned to the living room and smashed the water glass on the table in frustration.

"Is Catherine really one of us? Part of the Stone family?" he huffed. "Are you sure the DNA test didn't get screwed up? How could someone like her come from our blood?"

Our parents' faces darkened at his words. The nanny stammered, "I think she looked really bad earlier. Her face was turning purple from the struggle. Shouldn't we take her to the hospital?"

Ralph whipped around. "Shut up! You feel sorry for her? What about Betty? Girls care about their looks more than anything. Catherine knew well that Betty was allergic to mangoes, yet she left half of it right there on the table, making Betty break out in all those rashes. She's always pulling these sneaky stunts. Who does she think she's fooling?"

His face twisted with disgust. "She brought this on herself."

The nanny opened her mouth, then closed it again. Just then, a soft voice floated down from upstairs. "Ralph, don't get so worked up."

Betty Stone leaned weakly against the railing, her eyes brimming with tears.

Somehow, my tear-streaked face flashed across Ralph's mind. He shook his head to clear it and hurried over to support her. "You're still recovering from the allergy. Why did you come out?"

Pale as a sheet, Betty hesitated. "Don't blame Catherine. I'm sure she didn't mean it."

Ralph caressed her cheek, full of concern. "You don't need to defend her. She deserves every bit of this."

But Betty's sobs only grew more heart-wrenching. "It's all my fault. If I hadn't lost track of her when we were little, she never would have been kidnapped."

Betty and I were twins. At five years old, she told me she was going to buy candy and asked me to stay right where I was. Instead, she went home alone.

By the time our parents realized, I had already been taken. For 16 years, I endured beatings and abuse in a remote, backward mountain village.

One day, my foster father looked at my developing body with a leering grin and reached for me. In that moment of utter despair, my parents finally found me.

I thought I had escaped hell at last. I never imagined that in this world of wealth and comfort, even staying alive would be a daily struggle.

...

Ralph squeezed his eyes shut. "Stop taking everything on yourself. Catherine is rotten to the core. It has nothing to do with anyone else. As her brother, I'll teach me how to act like a decent person. That's the least I can do."

Betty nodded. "I'll help. Together, we'll mold her into a true heiress."

Our parents nodded in approval. At the same time, I floated over and slapped them both across the face. Yet their smiles never faltered. My hand passed straight through their bodies like smoke.

I had forgotten that I was already dead.

In my final moments, my face twisted in agony as I clutched my chest. The suffocating pain filled me with pure despair.

Even then, I still hoped Ralph would burst through the door and rush me to the hospital. I hoped my parents would save me one more time.

But nothing came. My consciousness faded, my vision blurred into darkness. Only my hearing lingered. I heard Ralph outside the door giving orders, "No food or water without my permission."

The nanny hesitated. "Won't that be dangerous?"

"What harm could a few days of hunger do?" Ralph snorted. "This is for her own good. She won't learn without a little hardship."

I smiled bitterly, laughing at both Ralph and myself. I remembered how, when Betty once skipped a few bites because she was in a bad mood, Ralph noticed immediately and cooked her favorite little cake.

When it came to me, going hungry for days meant nothing. I didn't understand. I was his sister and their biological daughter. Why wouldn't they love me? Why wouldn't they believe me?

Every time those looks of annoyance, disappointment, and hatred turned my way, I felt as if I had already died—back in that summer when I was five.

Carrying that burning resentment, I finally lost consciousness and sank into total darkness.

On the morning of the second day, my mom, Laura Stone, finally remembered me.

"Ralph, that's enough," she said. "I think Catherine has learned her lesson. Let her out. If she stays in there too long, she might start resenting Betty."

Ralph frowned. "Fine, just this once. As her brother, I'll teach her properly from now on."

My dad, Zach Stone, chimed in casually, "What's the big deal? Just buy her something nice to make up for it."

Betty chuckled, "Speaking of which, Ralph, you promised yesterday to take me shopping. You can't back out now."

Ralph tapped her forehead playfully. "Of course not. Let's go right now."

Laura looked at Betty fondly. "Count me in. Remember that custom necklace you liked? I ordered one for you. Today, your dad will drive and carry our bags."

Zach smiled at them and stood up. They had been talking about letting me out, but in the blink of an eye, they totally forgot about me.

They headed to the mall in high spirits while I drifted behind them. Betty shopped nonstop, buying whatever caught her eye. Ralph and Zach grinned, paying without a second thought.

Laura carefully helped adjust her clothes. They looked like the perfect, happy family.

When they passed a toy store, Ralph paused. Betty linked her arm through his, asking sweetly, "What's up? Why did you stop?"

He snapped out of it. "Nothing. Just remembered a promise to get Catherine a bunny plush."

Betty wrinkled her nose. "I knew it. You like her more than me."

She turned away, pretending to be upset. Ralph started coaxing her right away. "No way. You're the only little princess in my heart."

His phone rang, cutting him off. The nanny's anxious voice came through. "Miss Catherine Stone hasn't made a sound since yesterday. I'm worried about her."

Ralph frowned irritably. "What's there to worry about? It's just some mango juice. She is not gonna die from that."

"But there are no sounds," the nanny said. "I'm afraid she is in trouble."

Ralph grew impatient. "Ignore her. She is doing it on purpose to gain sympathy. How many times has this happened? When are you gonna learn?"

He hung up, glanced once more at the bunny plush, and walked away.

Back when I was reclaimed by the Stones, I felt dazed and out of it.

Their mansion was gorgeous and cozy. Laura had set up a comfortable bed for me, but I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Whenever I closed my eyes, my foster father's hideous face haunted me.

Ralph found out and handed me a bunny plush. "Remember this? I gave it to you when you were little. You used to hug it to sleep every night. If you can't sleep, try holding it."

Tears filled my eyes as I clutched it.

Later, Betty cut it to shreds with scissors, and I stormed over to confront her.

She burst into tears, all innocent. "It's all my fault. But you said I stole your drawing and tore up my award certificate. That drawing was mine. I just got mad and took it out on your plush. I'm sorry."

Ralph pulled her into his arms while our parents comforted her.

I ran out crying, but Ralph caught up. "Can you stop being so unreasonable? Betty has been tolerant enough."

Seeing his darkening face, I swallowed my words and whispered, "Then, can you buy me another bunny plush?"

He softened and raised his hand as if to pat my head, but in the end, he did nothing. I thought I could act a little spoiled sometimes. Later, I learned how foolish that hope had been.

...

As Laura slipped the custom necklace around Betty's neck, Zach suggested, "Let's get one for Catherine too—to cheer her up."

Ralph frowned. "How? These are customized. We didn't order one for her."

Zach shrugged. "There's a gold shop at the entrance. Get her a gold chain."

"Sure, why not?" Ralph chuckled. "She is so money-hungry anyway. She'd love gold."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Betty chimed in hesitantly. "She is vain at school. Giving her something so expensive might make her even more materialistic."

"Betty's right. We can't feed that bad habit," Laura agreed at once. "So, what do you think we should get her?"

"Doesn't she like bunnies? How about a bunny hair clip?" Betty replied. "I saw some in that lifestyle store we passed."

"Sounds good. We'll go with that." Laura nodded, but then her phone rang.

It was my aunt, Olivia Walton. Her voice was thick with emotion, making me freeze. She trembled, trying to hold it together. "Laura, where are you?"

Unable to hold back anymore, I wailed in agony, though no one could hear me.

In the two years since I had returned, only Olivia had always stood by me, trusting and loving me unconditionally. I hadn't wanted to die at all. I had wanted to grow up, earn money, and pay her back.

Life had been hard on her, but she was tough, never asking her wealthy sister for a cent, yet she often secretly slipped me money to buy things I liked.

Betty and I were both their daughters. Yet she got 100,000 dollars a month just in allowance, while I only got 500 dollars.

That had been Betty's idea too. "It's easy to get spoiled going from rags to riches. We can't let her develop bad habits."

Back then, I already felt inferior. Standing next to her, I looked like a scrawny, ugly duckling. Kids at school said all kinds of crap, calling me an illegitimate kid, the nanny's daughter, or an adopted orphan.

Betty would always look troubled and say, "Don't talk nonsense. Blood-related or not, she is my sister."

Though years of malnutrition had stunted my growth, there were similarities in our faces. Yet no one believed we were twins.

...

"Poor Catherine... She is still so young!" Olivia let out a piercing wail. "If you don't want her, give her to me! I will raise her! Why did you kill her? Hurry back! Come see her!"

My spirit touched the ground for the first time. I knelt, clutching my chest.

Ralph snatched the phone. "Aunt Olivia, can you stop playing along with her act? How many times has this happened? You're always on her side. Aren't Betty and I family too? She made Betty have an allergic reaction. What's wrong with locking her up for a couple of days?"

"Ralph!" Olivia shouted. "How can you say that? She is your sister! She died! Her whole body turned blue from suffocation. She bit through her tongue, her mouth full of blood. How could you be so heartless?"

A flicker of panic crossed Ralph's face, but it vanished quickly. "Since she is my sister, maybe you should stop interfering in our family affairs. I'm disciplining her for her own good."

He hung up and stared at the phone for a moment. "We've shopped enough. Time to go home."

Betty suddenly stumbled, pressing a hand to her forehead.

Laura rushed over. "Betty, what's wrong?"

She shook her head weakly. "Nothing. Maybe low blood sugar from shopping for so long."

Ralph grabbed her arm, steadying her. "Let's get you something to eat. Then we'll go home."