I died.

I died during the joyful Labor Day holiday.

The moment before I died, Allan Patton slammed my door open.

"Ada Patton! If you dare touch Leigh again, get out of this house and never come back!"

I remained calm and, with the last of my strength, pointed to the agreement on the table. "Since you hate me this much, let’s cut our sibling ties."

After a long silence, Allan’s furious and disappointed voice filled the room: "Ada! Don’t think you can threaten me with this."

"Fine, since you're so determined to leave, be gone before nightfall—don’t let me see you again!"

——

Today is the second day of the May holiday.

Only one day remains before the time the doctor predicted I would die.

But today, strangely, I felt strong, as if the illness had never touched me.

I turned over, got out of bed, applied makeup, and put on my prettiest dress.

We’ll be leaving soon, so I must dress properly—otherwise, they’ll blame my brother for neglecting me when I meet our parents.

Just then, I heard laughter from downstairs.

"Leigh, why are you so stubborn? I said I’d pick you up. Why come back alone?"

"It’s the holidays—too many cars on the road. It’s not safe for you to drive yourself."

"Brother, I just wanted to surprise you!"

It was Allan and Leigh Anderson.

I walked downstairs, ready to greet them, but their faces turned stiff and cold.

Allan looked at me, his expression darkening, a flash of disgust in his eyes.

"Who told you to wear the same dress as Leigh? She finally came home to relax, and you had to ruin it? Don’t you know she hates wearing the same clothes as others?"

"And your hair—what did you do to it? It's dry, frizzy, and disgusting."

I glanced at Leigh’s outfit, then looked at mine. Honestly, they weren’t the same.

Mine was years old.

Perhaps Allan forgot he once bought this dress for me himself.

As for my hair…

It’s just a wig I bought randomly. If he saw my bald head, he’d probably be even more furious.

"Brother, it’s not like that…"

I tried to explain, but he cut me off by shoving me back up the stairs.

He snapped, annoyed: "Don’t talk. I’m sick of hearing your voice. Go change your dress and fix your hair."

"There will be guests soon—don’t embarrass me."

I stumbled back a few steps and nearly fell.

Then Leigh’s gentle voice came from behind: "Brother, don’t be angry. You finally have a few days off—don’t ruin your mood."

"Ada didn’t mean to upset me. I don’t like wearing the same clothes as others, but it’s fine if she wears them. After all, she’s my sister."

Allan sneered. "She’s not your sister. You don’t need to keep compromising for her."

"I know what kind of person she is."

"She always wants to be the center of attention, and if she isn’t, she’ll do anything to make others miserable. Otherwise, our parents wouldn’t have died in that car accident because of her."

After a brief silence, I could clearly sense that Allan had lowered his voice.

"If it had been her who died in that car accident, my parents wouldn’t have had to lose their lives saving her."

"She’s nothing but a curse."

The voice wasn’t loud, but every word stabbed into my heart like a knife.

I had thought about this countless times over the years.

If only I had been the one who died that day. Maybe that would’ve been better.

Once, I had a happy and fulfilling life.

I was cherished by my parents and adored by my brother.

They spoiled me like a little princess, letting me do whatever I pleased.

But that kind of life only lasted for fifteen years.

Because when I turned fifteen, Leigh came into our home.

She was an orphan—someone my parents met during a charity visit to an orphanage.

There, she had been isolated and secretly bullied by others.

My mother felt pity for her and brought her home, saying she’d raise her until she turned eighteen. She promised to support her through college and until she found a job.

At first, I didn’t think much of it. Just one more plate at the dinner table.

But six months later, I noticed something had changed.

Leigh became the standard I was measured against.

My mother would touch my forehead gently and say, "Ada, look how thoughtful Leigh is. You're growing up too—don’t be so stubborn anymore."

My father would comment, "Ada, Leigh studies until midnight. You should learn to take your homework seriously too."

Even my brother added, "Leigh picked up the piano so quickly. She can play ten songs in under two weeks. Not like someone who said she’d learn and then left the piano to collect dust."

From then on, whatever I failed at, Leigh would excel in.

She became the “ideal daughter” everyone talked about.

At our high school graduation party, she was honored as the top graduate and gave a speech on stage.

My parents and brother were all there that night. They didn’t return until past midnight.

But they forgot something important.

That day was my birthday.

The cake I waited for had already melted.

When they finally came home, I angrily threw the cake at Leigh. "Let her go. I want her out of this house."

"Fine. If you won’t let her leave, then I will."

I shoved past them and ran barefoot into the streets, wandering around the city until my parents found me.

They apologized.

They promised they’d never neglect me again or compare me to Leigh.

They said they’d send her off to college after summer.

I finally smiled. But at that very moment, a truck lost control and sped toward us.

When I came to, I was in my parents’ arms. They were holding me.

I survived. But they never spoke another word again.

I didn’t attend their funeral.

My brother wouldn’t let me.

His red, furious eyes burned into me: "Why wasn’t it you who died? Why?!"

"Get lost, you selfish thing. You don’t deserve to say goodbye."

I sat in the chair, shaking my head, trying to force out memories like poison.

But it didn’t help. They coiled around me like venomous snakes, tightening, choking me.

After a long time, I looked at my lifeless, pale face in the mirror and smiled.

Finally, I can finally see them again and say sorry face to face.

I was hungry and wanted to find something to eat, but when I entered the kitchen, I only found the leftovers Allan and Leigh had left on the table.

Turns out, they cooked lunch—but didn’t call me.

I looked at the leftovers, and under the pull of some invisible force, I reached out.

Just one more bite of the food Allan made himself.

When I see my parents again, I want to tell them my brother was still kind to me—he even cooked for me.

Allan was always their pride. I can’t let them know he changed after they died.

Just then, I heard the fingerprint lock click open.

Allan and Leigh walked in, followed by someone else.

Leigh’s boyfriend, Glen Harrison.

Also—my ex.

The three of them entered, laughing and chatting, but I seemed to ruin the mood.

Because the moment they saw me, their laughter stopped.

Allan glared at me coldly, his eyes full of contempt.

"Ada, you timed it, didn’t you? You knew Glen would be here and deliberately sat there looking pitiful. Eating our leftovers? How low can you go?"

"What, trying to look sad, so Glen might pity you and come back?"

"Let me make it clear—Glen is Leigh’s boyfriend now. They’re getting engaged. So drop your pathetic thoughts."

I stared at him, letting his cruel words hit me like blows. My stomach twisted in pain.

After a few seconds, Glen quietly stepped between us.

"Leigh, come on, help your brother to his room. I’ll talk to Ada."

He nodded quickly, clearly trying to show Leigh where he stood—no misunderstanding, nothing left between us.

He handed me a bag. Inside was a jade bracelet.

"What we had is in the past. Let’s not bring it up again."

"Don’t take your brother’s words to heart. He’s blunt, but soft inside. He asked me to bring this bracelet from abroad—it’s for you."

"He’s just stuck on the past. Give it time. You’re siblings—he’ll come around."

I held the bracelet, and tears streamed down, splashing onto the floor.

"Does he really still see me as his sister?"

"Of course. Don’t overthink it. No matter how harsh he sounds, you’re still his sister. He cares—he really does."

"Come on, wipe your tears. My parents are taking us to dinner tonight. Let’s go together. You’ll always be my sister, alright?"

I turned away, and then I heard Glen calling Leigh again:

"Check this out—the global limited edition sports car your brother asked me to order for you. He said he wanted to give you the best, make you the happiest sister in the world."

At that moment, the bracelet in my hand felt unbearably heavy—like it might shatter my wrist.

Sister. Sister.

I kept repeating the word in my mind, and it only sounded more ironic.

Suddenly, my whole body felt deflated, like a balloon losing air.

My strength was being drained—life slipping away, bit by bit.

I knew I’d hit my limit. I used what little strength I had left to drag myself upstairs, trying to reach my bed.

But just as I stepped into my room, Leigh blocked the door.

Her pretty face twisted into something cruel. She grabbed the bag from my hand.

"Ada, you bitch. Do you think you deserve a gift from Glen?"

"Listen to me—I’m going to marry him soon. Don’t even dream about him again."