A few seconds passed without any response.

Mom waited a little longer, then continued, “Tomorrow is your birthday and your little sister’s. I’ve gone a bit too far today, but you know I didn’t mean it. I’ll leave the cake by the door, so come out and eat. Don’t be angry anymore.”

The room remained silent with no response whatsoever.

Seeing this, Mom sighed and bent down to place the cake box by the doorway. She then turned and went back into the kitchen.

Bella stood in the hallway, staring at the door for a long time.

I hovered beside her, wanting to tell her I was right here.

Alas, she couldn’t see me, nor could she hear me.

That night was a torture to me as I stared all night at my favorite strawberry cake by the door.

Early the next morning, the main door opened and in came my father.

He was carrying two gift boxes, smiling as he walked in, “Ray, Bella, Dad’s here to celebrate your birthday!”

Mom came out of the kitchen, and upon seeing him, her expression fell.

“What are you doing here?”

“It’s my daughter and son’s birthday. How could I not come?”

Dad placed the gifts on the coffee table and looked around. “Where’s Ray?”

Pointing at my room, Mom said, “In there. Sulking.”

Dad frowned. “What happened now?”

Mom didn’t answer and turned back into the kitchen.

Dad’s gaze shifted and he spotted Bella’s report card on the coffee table next to him.

“Did you hit Ray again?”

Mom poked her head out of the kitchen bearing a mocking expression. “Do you think you have a right to ask me that?”

Dad’s voice was low, laced with anger as he repeated, “I’m asking if you hit him again.”

“So what if I did? I’m disciplining my own child. What does that have to do with you?”

Mom wasn’t about to back down either.

Dad slammed the cake box onto the coffee table. “Bella’s the one who made a mistake, so why is it always Ray who gets the beating?”

Mom stormed out of the kitchen with her hands on her hips and snapped at him, “Who are you to interfere? When we divorced, didn’t you say he was a burden and didn’t want him? And now you’re playing the loving father?”

“That was—”

“What was it? Do you think I don’t know what you’re up to?”

Mom sneered. “You’re afraid I’ll raise Bella well and she’ll take away your precious son’s inheritance, aren’t you?”

Dad’s face flushed red. “That’s nonsense!”

The two of them were at each other’s throats.

Bella cowered into the corner, clutching the gift box tightly, saying nothing with her head lowered.

I floated nearby and watched them argue.

I felt powerless as I wanted to intervene.

Arguments like this had never ended, from the day I was born through their divorce and all the way till now.

As I drifted aimlessly, my gaze suddenly fell upon the gap beneath my bedroom door.

A small dark red patch was slowly spreading out from under it.

Bella saw it too.

She froze. Her face was paler by the second, staring at the deep crimson puddle.

“Enough!”

Dad slammed his hand on the coffee table so hard it shook the cups, which nearly toppled over.

“I’m taking Ray with me today! You are not fit to be a mother!”

With that, he reached for my bedroom doorknob.

My heart skipped a beat, and I hurriedly drifted to stop him.

Mom and Bella would be devastated if they found out I was dead!

But the next moment, Mom grabbed hold of Dad. “Don’t you dare!”

“Watch me!”

The two of them began to struggle. Dad was stronger and shoved her aside, once again already reaching for the knob.

Bella suddenly rushed forward and stood in front of the door.

Her voice was hoarse and trembling, “Stop it, you two!”

Our parents froze.

Bella kept her head down as her shoulders shook violently, but she forced her voice to remain steady.

“Ray could be asleep. Let him rest.”

Mom frowned. “Why on earth would he be sleeping in broad daylight?”

Bella didn’t respond, nor looked at Mom. She just stood there blocking the door.

Dad looked between the two of them.

In the end, he muttered through gritted teeth, “Fine. I won’t argue with you. But if anything happens to Ray, I’ll never let you off the hook!”

With that, he slammed the main door and left.

Mom spat in disgust before storming over to my room, banging on it twice.

“Raiden Stone! Get out here! What are you playing at? Don’t want the cake. Door locked. What do you think you’re doing?”

Another enduring silence and Mom blew her top.

“If you dare, then don’t ever come out!”

She panted heavily, then turned to Bella.

“What are you looking at? Go and do your homework!”

Bella slowly walked to her room. Before closing the door, she glanced at my room one last time.

The living room fell silent.

Mom sat on the sofa, seething in anger. It was quite a while before she picked up her mobile phone to vent to someone.

I was watching it all as I was floating in the air.

I wanted to call out to them but no sound came out.

I wanted to cry, but my tears passed straight through my face, never reaching the floor.

So this was what it felt like to be a ghost.

If only I were still alive. Apart from not being able to feel pain, I could still feel everything else.

The following afternoon, Bella came home from school.

Her face looked awful. From her bag, she pulled out an exam paper.

Hearing the noise, Mom walked out of the kitchen and took a look. Her expression immediately darkened.

“Dropped another rank?”

Saying nothing, Bella kept her head lowered with her face as white as a sheet.

Mom finally slammed the paper onto the coffee table, took a deep breath, and turned to head toward my room.

“Raiden, come out. Same rules. Your sister messed up again.”

No answer.

“Raiden Stone!”

Still no answer.

Feeling frantic, I paced around the door, yet I couldn’t touch a single thing at all!

If the door opened, Mom would see that I was dead.

If I didn’t open the door, however, who would take the punishment for Bella?

Seeing no reaction, Mom was absolutely livid.

“You’re getting bolder now, aren’t you, Raiden? Giving me an attitude now, huh? You think that by keeping the door closed, you can avoid the beating? I’ll show you a good lesson today!”

Fuming, Mom stepped back and was ready to kick the door down with all her might.

“Alright, Mom.”

Bella suddenly spoke. Her voice was unusually calm.

“This time, I’ll take the punishment myself. It has always been Ray taking the beating for me all this time.”

Mom froze, seemingly unable to believe her ears that these words came from my sister’s mouth—from her obedient little daughter.

Bella didn’t look up.

Mom scoffed. “Oh, so you’ve decided to play the hero now? Thinking you can go against me? What, you think I’m heartless? Think I’m biased?”

Bella remained silent and just stubbornly stood there.

That silence totally infuriated Mom.

Her face darkened as she pulled a laundry rod from the balcony and beat Bella mercilessly.

“Well then, today I’ll show you what heartless really means!”

Blow after blow, Bella gritted her teeth without a sound.

Blood ran down her arms and dripped onto the floor.

I hovered nearby, desperate to scream, to stop it, yet my hands only passed right through her. I couldn’t grasp a thing.

Bella never once looked up. She stood there quietly and endured the beating.

After a dozen or so strikes, Mom finally stopped. Panting heavily, she threw the rod aside.

“Is that enough for you? Happy now?”

Bella was still silent, though she trembled all over in pain, with not a single utterance of a cry.

My heart ached so much I wept, calling out to her to no avail. She couldn’t hear me.

Having vented her anger, Mom slammed the door and left the house.

Bella stood there for a long time, then slowly crouched down to pick up the rod and placed it back on the balcony.

I thought she would go and get the first-aid kit.

But she simply walked into the kitchen and came out of it holding a fruit knife.

She walked to my door and rested her hand on the knob. She took a pause. Then slowly, she pushed the door open.

The moment the door was ajar, an indescribable odor wafted out.

Something that smelled so foul, like something was rotting…

I looked at myself in the corner of the room. My body was already somewhat swollen and decomposing.

Bella hesitated, but went in anyway.

I watched her enter, trying to call out, but no sound was produced.

The room was dim as the curtains were drawn. Only the bedside lamp cast a faint glow.

Standing at the doorway, she looked at my body on the floor.

She then crouched down and sat beside me.

“Ray.”

Her voice was soft.

I couldn’t answer her.

Her head lowered, and her shoulders began to shake.

“Ray, I’m sorry.

“I know you’ve always been the one taking the beating for me. I wanted to take it for you, but I was too scared. Mom’s beatings hurt too much.

“Every time you were hit, I told myself I wouldn’t repeat the same mistake. But I still couldn’t place at the top of the class or get full marks…

“Ray, am I really useless?”

I hovered beside her, shaking my head desperately.

“No, you’re not.

“Having such a brilliant sister like you makes me so happy.”

No matter how much I cried and shouted, however, Bella couldn’t hear me.

Her voice choked with tears. “Yesterday, when Mom hit you, you lay there and didn’t get up. I thought you were really angry this time. Until I saw the blood under the door…

“Ray, I killed you. I’ll pay you back with my life.”

She suddenly smiled, a smile worse than her crying.

My heart was in agony as I wept, yet I was powerless to do anything.

I could only watch as she raised the fruit knife.

I rushed forward only to have my body passed through her. I couldn’t stop her.

Bella placed the knife against her wrist, looked at our photo on the bedside table, and gave a pleased curl at the corners of her lips.

“Ray, wait for me.”

With that, the knife came down.

Blood gushed out in an instant.

The blinding red quickly stained her school uniform.

Furrowing her brows, Bella gently leaned her head against my shoulder.

“It hurts so much. Ray, so this is what it feels like every time you take the beating for me.”

I knelt beside her, wanting to hold her, trying to tell her that it didn’t hurt me.

She couldn’t hear my words, and all I could do was weep.

My attempt to cover her wound was fruitless. My hands passed through her time and again, unable to touch anything.

Bella’s breathing grew shallower and finally came to a complete stop.

Unsure of how much time had passed when the door lock clicked, Mom returned carrying two gift boxes with a newly bought cake cradled in her hands.

She hesitated in the living room and called out.

“Ray, Bella, come out. Let’s celebrate your belated birthday. I've bought you something yummy.”

The place was deathly quiet. No response.

Mom frowned and set some of the things down.

“Ray, can you hear me?”

Still no reply. Growing impatient, Mom reached the door to push it open.

It wasn’t locked, only slightly ajar.

She pushed it open wider and peered inside.

In an instant, her expression froze.