1 I couldn't bear to look a second time at the monster in the mirror. The strength and resilience I had maintained all these years collapsed the moment I touched the cold glass. The artery was severed, blood dyeing a tub of warm water red. I sat painfully slumped by the bathroom window. Allowing my body to gradually turn cold and stiff. When I opened my eyes again, I had become a soul floating into the living room. The neighbors were laughing and chatting with my parents. "Your Chloe is beautiful and capable. She was promoted to lead news anchor this year, wasn't she?" "The groom comes from a good family. I heard he's a manager at a foreign company in the city. These two kids have finally ended their 7-year marathon and tied the knot." I felt strange. Didn't they know I was disfigured and had my legs amputated? Even if they mistook my twin sister, Mia, for me. But we both quit the radio station. Then who was promoted to lead anchor? Thinking of this, I felt a bit uneasy. My parents looked jubilant. They exchanged a knowing glance and stayed silent. After the guests left. My father looked worriedly toward my room and lowered his voice. "Good thing we didn't tell anyone about Chloe being disfigured and amputated, otherwise we would have lost so much face today." "But letting Mia take over Chloe's job, isn't that unfair to Chloe?" My mother suddenly threw down the broom in annoyance. She sat on the sofa with her head down, wiping her tears. "Isn't it enough that she's dragging us down? She still wants fairness? Who gives us fairness?" "We are getting old, yet every day we have to carefully feed her, give her medicine, bathe her, and empty her bedpan." "It's been five years. I've done right by her. Sometimes I even wonder why she doesn't just die. She's just torturing my old bones." My father kept nodding and sighing. I simply couldn't believe what I was hearing. Five years ago, a massive fire destroyed my career as the station's top anchor. I specifically remember my whole body being burned black as charcoal, covered in blood. My legs had to be amputated to save my life due to severe burn infections. My parents practically sold everything they owned, spending two million dollars to pull me back from death's door. My father endured the pain of skin grafts to save me. My mother and Ethan took turns massaging me day and night. But the pain of rehab and dressing changes terrified me so much that my whole body spasmed. Many times, I couldn't hold on. "Just let me die!" Whenever this happened, they would cry and kneel before me, begging me to keep going. Especially my mother. She said if I died, she would jump off the building. In order not to disappoint their expectations. I gritted my teeth and held on until now. It turns out they wanted to get rid of me long ago. Looking at my transparent body, I smiled bitterly. Now that I'm dead, everyone is free. I floated around the house in a daze for a few days. On the seventh day, Mia and Ethan returned from their honeymoon. Ethan's $300,000 car was parked at the door; my parents felt very proud. As soon as they entered, my father pulled Ethan to drink tea and chat in the living room. My mother called my sister into the bedroom. Mysteriously taking out a bank card, she gave it to her. "Mia, there's a million dollars in this card. Consider it the startup fund we're giving you young newlyweds." Mia's eyes widened. "Mom, where did you get so much money? Didn't our family incur a lot of debt for sister's treatment?" "And if you have a million dollars, why didn't you use it to save sister? That way, her legs could have been saved!" My mother quickly covered her mouth. Secretly opening the door a crack, she confirmed there was no movement from my room before breathing a sigh of relief. "Keep your voice down. The family isn't in debt at all. This is from crowdfunding donations for your sister online!" "We've already spent two million saving her; we've done right by her. But she's severely burned all over. Even if we didn't amputate, she'd be a cripple for the rest of her life!" "Ethan comes from such a good family. Your sister being disfigured can't hold onto him. We might as well keep this money to support you. Between two daughters, I have to save at least one." My spirit form trembled uncontrollably. Frantically tearing at my own face. It turns out my parents didn't try their best to save me at all. "Why didn't you save me? I became like this because I saved Mia!" I regretted it. If possible, I would rather have never saved my sister. What right did she have to steal my life? My mother fell silent for a moment, then added: "Fate plays tricks on people. We can only blame her bad luck." "Keep this card safe. It will let you hold your head high in Ethan's hometown. You've had a sweet mouth since childhood. Between my two daughters, you are my favorite. You living well is better than anything else." I looked blankly at my mother, my heart shattered into pieces. When it was time to eat, the mother and daughter finally dawdled out. At the dinner table, Ethan finally noticed something was wrong. "Mom, where's Chloe?" 2 My mother glanced at my room, humming and hawing. "On the day of the wedding, her emotions were very agitated. I was afraid she'd make a scene... so I gave her a mirror." As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere instantly became oppressive. Mia turned pale with fright. "Mom, sister won't be able to handle it!" Ethan frowned slightly. "She... hasn't come out for days, hasn't eaten?" The emotions suppressed in my mother's heart exploded. She slammed her chopsticks down, turned her head, and wiped away a tear. "Even if she can't handle it, she has to accept reality. She can't keep running away. This is the perfect time for her to give up hope." "Looking like a ghost that even a dog would despise, how could she have the nerve to ask Ethan to marry her? How much longer does she want to drag us down?" My father didn't speak, just blindly drank his alcohol. Ethan and Mia exchanged a glance and chose to remain silent. Suddenly, I felt no emotion at all. Staring blankly at my mother, I just felt she was a stranger. "Mom, I'm already dead now. You can rest easy." The weightless sentence scattered in the air. My mother looked up abruptly. Glancing suspiciously at my room, she continued chattering. "These past few days, I've been at her door trying to talk sense into her every day, even kneeling and begging her to open the door, but she just ignores me." "I don't dare open the door recklessly, afraid of angering her further. Tell me, is this easy for me?" After the meal, while my mother was in the kitchen washing dishes. Ethan and Mia quietly brought a bowl of rice and knocked on my door. "What are you doing?" My mother suddenly appeared. Extraordinarily angry, she snatched the rice bowl away. Ethan felt somewhat helpless. He wanted to take the rice bowl back but watched as my mother threw it directly into the trash can. Ethan couldn't help but get red eyes. "Mom, what are you doing? When it comes down to it, we are the ones who wronged Chloe in this matter." Mia looked at my door and lowered her head guiltily. "Mom, I feel terrible. I really didn't do it on purpose." "That day the power went out, Ethan and I were drunk and lost control, accidentally knocking over the candle and starting the fire..." "Mom, sister hasn't come out for days. She wouldn't do anything foolish, would she? I'm worried and want to go in and check." My mother panicked and quickly covered her mouth. "Silly girl, you are newlyweds; you can't cry." "A huge mistake has already been made; crying now is useless. Do not tell your sister about this!" Ethan patted her shoulder gently, comforting her silently. My father looked over, then lowered his head and smoked his cigarette. I was completely dumbfounded. They all knew and kept it from me alone? Mia continued to sob, blaming herself. My mother was both angry and anxious. Walking quickly to my door, she pounded on it loudly. "Chloe Sterling, how much longer are you going to torture your sister? You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" "Don't push your luck. The more we accommodate you, the more you bully us. When did you become so selfish?" The piercing voice made my scalp tingle. How long has it been since I heard such a loud noise? Since I was burned, my emotions have become unusually sensitive. They didn't dare make any noise in front of me. I remember once my father closed the door a bit heavily, startling me. My mother was so angry she didn't speak to him for three days. She stayed by my bedside 24 hours a day, terrified I'd do something foolish. But now, my mother was venting her anger, looking like she wanted to smash the door down. "Mom, don't be like this..." Ethan couldn't bear it and quickly came over to pull her away. Mia haphazardly wiped her tears and also ran over to help. Suddenly, she pointed at my door and exclaimed. "What is that smell? It stinks!" 3 "The mirror!" "Mom, Chloe didn't do something foolish, did she?" Realizing something, Ethan's face was full of horror. Mia's face changed drastically; she lifted her foot to kick the door. My mother calmly blocked the doorway. Her face showed a tartness and meanness I had never seen before. "Don't go in!" "It's been so many years. If she really wanted to die, she would have died long ago!" "Maybe she's angry with me and deliberately soiled herself in bed waiting to torture me. She won't be satisfied until she drives someone crazy." The more my mother spoke, the angrier she got. She pushed them outside. "It's very late. You guys go back first." "As soon as you come back, she pulls this stunt on purpose. If you pay attention to her this time, she'll definitely escalate her fussing in the future, giving you no peace for the rest of your lives!" I have never felt such deep hatred. A weeping ghost cry echoed through the night sky. As they prepared to get in the car, Ethan keenly noticed something was wrong. After the amputation, I had always lived in fear, calling her every day to connect. But it had been three days. Not a single questioning phone call from me. Hesitating again and again, she tremblingly took out her phone. "I'll give Chloe a call." Just as she was about to dial, my mother snatched the phone and hung up. Pointing at the silhouette in the second-floor bathroom window, she snorted disdainfully. "She's fine. She's secretly watching us from the window now. Give him some time." "Alright, you guys hurry back." Everyone looked in the direction she pointed and breathed a sigh of relief. I glanced at the dark silhouette in the window. Silently crying tears of blood. They didn't know that was just my corpse. It was early summer, and my corpse had already begun to decay. Taking one last look at the second floor. Ethan found something in the driver's seat and gave it to my mother. "Mom, this is the peace amulet Mia and I asked for Chloe yesterday. A master blessed it, saying it can protect her safe and sound. Please give it to her." "Okay..." My mother nodded. Waiting for their car to drive far away. She hesitated for a moment, then decisively threw the peace amulet into the trash can. My father was pale with fright. "What are you doing? Didn't you hear Ethan say this peace amulet can protect Chloe..." My mother impatiently interrupted him. "Give it to her for what? So she can harbor unrealistic fantasies about Ethan and ruin Mia's marriage?" It turned out that in my mother's heart, my health was far less important than Mia's happiness. I cried, my soul almost dissipating in the night wind. My mother didn't return to her room but came to my door. Knocking gently, she coaxed me softly just like before. "Chloe, I know you've already seen from the window. Don't blame Mom for being cruel. Looking like this, it's already impossible between you and Ethan." "Be good. Open the door and let Mom in to help you bathe. If you don't clean yourself, your skin will rot." "Good child, consider it Mom begging you." No matter how softly she pleaded, there was no movement in my room. Until my father's sigh came from behind. My mother hastily wiped her tears and went back to their room with him. Closing the door. My father didn't know how to comfort her, jokingly saying: "I thought you only cared about Mia." To his surprise, my mother's tears fell even harder. "What nonsense are you talking about? The palms and backs of hands are all meat. I was just venting my emotions earlier." "Calling me Mom means a lifetime of responsibility. No matter how hard it is, I will never abandon Chloe." Saying this, my mother brought out the bankbook. As if making a difficult decision, she smiled bitterly. "I never thought of abandoning Chloe. I've already contacted plastic surgery experts from out of state. They'll come tomorrow to treat her. At least give her hope to keep living." My father frowned. "This is our retirement money. Chloe has already had her limbs amputated. What's the point of spending money on plastic surgery?" My mother got angry. Standing up abruptly, she pointed at my father and yelled. "Because she is the child I carried for ten months! Anyone can abandon her, but we can't!" "Chloe only has us now." By the last sentence, my mother was already sobbing uncontrollably. My father thought for a moment, then nodded helplessly. Looking at their faces full of hardship and helplessness, my heart was filled with mixed feelings. I remember when I first got my prosthetics, my mother knelt on the ground holding my feet. My father supported my body, moving step by step for rehab therapy. Every day I was in so much pain I sweated profusely. My parents were also exhausted, panting heavily. It seems that from then on, their backs remained hunched, never to straighten again. I covered my face, shaking my head painfully. Mom, keep the money. I don't need it anymore, and I will never be your burden again. The next day, the medical team arrived. My mother paced anxiously outside my door. "Chloe, open the door. The doctors are here to do your plastic surgery." Trying several times, she found the door was locked from the inside. But the putrid smell in the room grew stronger. The doctors couldn't stand it and wanted to leave. My mother panicked. Quickly calling Ethan and the others. "Ethan, Mia, come quickly! Your sister is being too unreasonable, she even locked the door. I remember you have the key." Twenty minutes later, they arrived in a rush. The moment the door opened, everyone widened their eyes in horror. 4 A smell of blood mixed with a rotting stench hit their faces. Everyone present couldn't help but run to the door and dry heave. My mother pushed through the crowd and entered, instantly collapsing onto the floor. The bloody water flowing from the bathroom deeply pierced her eyes. She rushed into the bathroom like a madwoman. Ethan frowned in disgust, supporting Mia as they quickly followed. The corpse had already reached the state of bloating. Eyeballs protruding, lips turned outward. The skin was bloody from the maggots gnawing on it. My mother trembled and grew cold all over, kneeling on the ground in a breakdown, howling in pain. "Ah, Chloe, my child!" "Chloe..." Mia covered her mouth in terror, hiding in Ethan's arms with a pale face. Ethan stood frozen in place like ice. My father realized something was wrong and also rushed in in a panic. The cigarette in his hand fell to the ground the moment he saw my corpse. It was very light, but very heavy. I suddenly wanted to laugh. Didn't they think I was a burden? Now that I'm dead, what's the meaning of putting on this show? The people present helped call the police. The house was already in a chaotic mess. Even the neighbors gathered around, whispering to each other, looking at them with changed expressions. "What's going on? Didn't Chloe just get married a few days ago? Whose corpse is this?" "Look at the woman holding Ethan. She has a mole on her ear, seems only their younger daughter Mia has that." I stared straight at my mother, waiting to see how she would explain. She just kept crying, completely afraid to look up. The police arrived quickly. The medical examiner preliminarily determined I had been dead for more than three days. My mother stood up abruptly, gasping. "So, it was on the day of Mia's wedding that she..." The medical examiner noticed the mirror shards by my feet and couldn't help but frown. "I heard the deceased is your eldest daughter, severely burned, disfigured, and amputated. Why did you put a mirror in her room? This is very dangerous!" "For someone who worked in radio, being disfigured is equivalent to losing half her life. You didn't put the mirrors away, but brought one out to deliberately trigger her?" Seeing the mirror again, I felt a wave of dizziness. Actually, I knew I was disfigured, and must be very ugly. But when I saw my hideous face, and that the two misplaced holes were actually my nostrils. My psychological defenses collapsed. In utter despair, I took the path of no return. The moment I cut my wrist hurt, but for me, it was an unprecedented relief. My mother knelt heavily on the ground again, crying and beating her chest. "I gave her the mirror. It's been five years, I thought she should be able to accept it by now..." "Chloe, Mom didn't really want you to die. Those were words spoken in anger!" The medical examiner looked at my corpse, a look of pity in his eyes. Turning his head to reprimand: "For her, this kind of emotional trauma lasts a lifetime. It's highly likely she struggled between life and death every day." The emotions that had been blocking my heart burst because of the medical examiner's words. He was right. Just staying alive had exhausted all my strength. I wasn't being manipulative, nor was I pushing my luck. I just couldn't control myself. My father looked at the bloodstained mirror in the medical examiner's hand in shock, unable to hold back his tears. Ethan's heart was enveloped by an immense guilt. He couldn't help clenching his fists. Actually, when he helped me change my prosthetics, I had seen the disgust on his face countless times. I proposed breaking up; he was the one who disagreed. That day I rushed out just to ask clearly. I really never thought of dragging anyone down. But later, when emotions took over, I despaired. The medical examiner sighed helplessly, preparing to carry my corpse away. Just then, Mia pointed at my hand and exclaimed. "Look, sister has something in her hand!"
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