In the seventh year after being brought back to my biological family, I had already followed my parents' demands, married a man I didn't love, and raised a three-year-old daughter. The adopted daughter, who was a year older than me, was still acting like a spoiled child in our parents' arms because she was "still young at heart." The bitter feud between the biological and the adopted daughter had long faded like smoke. My family should have returned to peace. So, when I was on the verge of being beaten to death by my husband, I called my family. "I'm dying. Can you come pick Lily up and take her home, just like you picked me up all those years ago?" 01 I knew I was finally going to die, so I didn't dial 911. Instead, I called my family. My mother answered the phone. She was in the middle of getting a manicure, her tone laced with impatience. "What is it now?" I covered the bleeding wound on my neck and told her I was dying. Could they come and take Lily away? Lily was only three years old. She was sleeping upstairs, completely unaware of the absolute devastation below. I couldn't stop the bleeding. Beside me lay the shattered remains of a wine bottle, and after finishing his violent rampage, my husband had passed out on the sofa, snoring loudly. "Harper, are you ever going to stop? You pull this dramatic stunt every other week!" My brother, Asher, snatched the phone and started screaming at me. "You've been married for four years! Every time you call, you're either crying for a divorce or claiming you're going to be beaten to death. Is your life really that miserable?!" I fell silent. I didn't know if I was numb from the pain or if I had just lost too much blood, but I felt incredibly tired. Looking back, I had actually been tired for years. I was kidnapped at five years old, forced to work like a slave on a remote, off-the-grid farm. I never saw the light of day, working until my back couldn't stand straight. At fifteen, I finally came home. Faced with the deeply beloved adopted daughter who had taken my place, I walked on eggshells just to survive in the cracks of my own home, crying silently through countless nights because I was so tired. At eighteen, I was forced into an arranged marriage with an abusive heir. To avoid being beaten, I humbly played the role of a perfect, submissive wife, swallowing my grievances just to keep him happy. I was tired to the point that every inch of my skin twitched. At twenty, I fell into severe clinical depression. My daughter Lily's smile was the only thing keeping me breathing. Every day felt like standing on the edge of a cliff staring into the abyss—wanting to jump, but terrified to take the step. I was tired to the point of ringing ears and a piercing ache in my heart. Finally, I was twenty-two, and a piece of a shattered wine bottle had sliced through my carotid artery. Suddenly, I wasn't tired anymore. Because I was finally going to die. I answered Asher, "I'm not acting this time. I'm really dying. Can you please come over right now? I'm afraid Lily will be scared." Actually, over the years, I hadn't "acted" that many times. I had only mentioned divorce to my family three times. When they got annoyed, I never dared to bring it up again. I had only told my family I was hurt four times. When they didn't believe me, I never mentioned it again. From the time I was brought home until now—seven years, seven cries for help. That wasn't considered a lot, was it? "Then go die. We'll pick Lily up when you're dead!" 02 Asher hung up. I knew he wasn't coming for Lily. Seven years, my eighth cry for help, and I had failed again. I smiled a bleak, tragic smile, leaning weakly against the wall. Half of my body felt burning hot. Steam seemed to rise from the fresh blood. I glanced upstairs. It was dead silent. Lily hadn't woken up yet. Or maybe she was awake, but she was too terrified to come down. She was probably curled up under her blankets, shivering. Thinking of that, my heart twisted in agony. I tried to crawl up, but my strength was completely drained. What should I do? My tiny, innocent daughter was trembling in bed, and I couldn't help her at all. After I died, if no one came to take her away, she would be left alone to face that demon. How was she going to survive? My phone suddenly buzzed. An Instagram DM notification popped up. I gasped for air, struggling to focus my eyes on the screen. It was from Mia, the girl they had adopted. [Harper, today is my 23rd birthday party. The whole family is here celebrating with me, so nobody has the time or energy to deal with you.] [Honestly, I don't get it. You've already lost so completely, why won't you just give up?] My lips moved, the metallic taste of blood spreading in my mouth. It wasn't that I hadn't given up. I just couldn't let go of Lily. I don't know where the last burst of strength came from, but I desperately pressed the microphone icon to send Mia a voice memo. I begged the person I hated the most. "Mia... I'm sorry. I was wrong... I shouldn't have been hostile to you... I shouldn't have fought for their love... I'll beg on my hands and knees... Please, just come get my daughter..." Through broken, stuttering breaths, I bled, and I cried. All the dignity I had clung to for years completely shattered in that moment, ground into the dirt by my own hands. I had never bowed my head to Mia. Because I always believed that I was the true daughter of the Bennett family, and she was just a cuckoo in the nest, a fake taking up my space. But now, I bowed my head. I surrendered. "What?" Mia was clearly stunned, but then she laughed loudly. "No way? You... that's hilarious. You're going to beg on your knees? Seriously? Then let me hear you bang your head!" 03 Fine. I would beg Mia. I held down the voice record button, leaned my body forward, and slammed my forehead hard against the hardwood floor. Thud, thud, thud! The sound of my head hitting the floor sent over the app. I was nearing the edge of unconsciousness, crawling on the floor like a dog, gasping violently for air. Mia laughed again. "No way, you actually did it?! Haha, I have to admit, that feels amazing. Seven years, and I finally got you to surrender!" Yes, I surrendered. "Take Harper... home..." I shivered as I sent out the final voice memo. Mia's tone shifted instantly. "Harper Bennett, are you messing with me? Didn't you say you wanted us to take your daughter home? Why did it suddenly turn into taking you home? Subconsciously, you still just want to come back and steal my spot, don't you?!" I stared blankly, my mind a muddy haze. Did I say 'Take Harper home'? No, I meant to say 'Take Lily home'! I didn't have to go home, but Lily had to! But I didn't have the strength to say another word. "Harper, say something! Did I hit the nail on the head, so now you're too scared to speak?" Mia questioned me sharply. In the background of her voice note, I could hear my father's strict, authoritative voice. "Harper, stop causing a scene! I'm visiting the Montgomery estate in half a month. I'll see you then!" In half a month... my family was finally going to visit me? But I couldn't wait that long. I was going to die. Lily, I'm so sorry. In the end, Mommy couldn't help you escape this living hell. I just hoped ghosts were real, so Mommy could at least watch over you a little longer. 04 When I opened my eyes again, I was floating above my own corpse. Ghosts really did exist. The sun was up, but inside and outside the mansion, it was dead quiet. My husband, Declan, had long since fired all the maids. He forced me to be the housekeeper, which also made it easier for him to abuse me without anyone watching. So, even during the day, nobody came to the house. I noticed Declan was about to wake up. His snoring had stopped. I didn't care about him. I hurriedly floated upstairs and phased through the bedroom door. Just as I thought, Lily was curled up tight under her blankets, her eyes squeezed shut, her tears soaking the pillow. There was a large wet spot under her. She had wet the bed, but she had been too terrified to move, crying herself to sleep like that. My heart broke. I leaned down to stroke her cheek, but my hand passed right through. Downstairs, Declan let out a shout of shock. He must have discovered my body. Sure enough, he quickly started dismembering me. Even though I was already a ghost, an icy chill still ran through my soul. The pure, unadulterated evil of human nature was fully on display with Declan. Yet, ironically, he was the perfect son-in-law my family had handpicked. Originally, my parents had planned to marry Mia to Declan. The two families had verbally agreed to a corporate merger through marriage. The Montgomery Group was the leading corporate titan in the city, and Declan was handsome, sharp, and had a limitless future. Mia had been thrilled about him, and they even went on a few dates. But then, a scandal leaked. Rumors surfaced that Declan had abused an escort to death at an underground club, causing a massive PR nightmare. My parents and my brother were deeply worried. They feared Declan was a beast in human clothing, a sadist, so they decided not to let Mia get too close to him anymore. But they couldn't afford to burn bridges with the Montgomery family, so they made me take Mia's place and marry him instead. [Harper is our biological daughter. She is a much better match for the Montgomery heir.] [Our Harper is gentle and submissive. She's not like Mia, running wild all day without an ounce of proper etiquette!] [Mia still refuses to grow up. She's basically a child herself. It's better if we don't marry her off yet, lest she embarrass the family!] At the time, that was what my parents said. Every word seemed to be criticizing Mia, which ultimately got the Montgomery family to nod and accept me as the bride. Looking back at it now, every word of 'criticism' toward Mia was actually dripping with profound, protective love. I gave a self-deprecating laugh and floated into the bathroom to watch Declan chop me up. 05 Declan's face was deathly pale. He was swinging a meat cleaver, cursing me the entire time. It seemed like he was constantly insulting me just to comfort his own guilty conscience. He called me a filthy slut. He said I had been used by hundreds of men, and that I was completely unworthy of him. He said I deserved to die. I was confused. How was I a slut? Declan's frantic muttering gave me the answer: "You filthy bitch, don't blame me! Mia told me everything a long time ago. She told me how you turned tricks in that remote village, how you had abortions and birthed bastards! What right did you have to marry me?!" "You deserved every beating I gave you! You brought this on yourself!" It hit me like a ton of bricks. Mia was the one pulling the strings. No wonder when I first married Declan, he was friendly and treated me with basic respect. Then, his personality suddenly snapped. He abused me relentlessly, eventually leading to my death. Mia, you were so ruthless. Even when I had lost so completely, you still refused to let me go. By the time the sun set, Declan was finally done. He packed my body into heavy plastic bags and stuffed them into the large double-door freezer. He scrubbed the living room until it sparkled, leaving no trace of what happened. I didn't know when Lily had gotten out of bed. She was crouching by the second-floor banister, peeking timidly downstairs. Declan looked up and spotted her, his voice as dark and sinister as a demon's: "Lily, what did you see?" Lily was too scared to make a sound. "I said, speak!" Declan roared, terrifying Lily into furiously shaking her head. "No... nothing..." I was heartbroken and furious. I wanted to bite Declan's throat out. But I couldn't touch him at all. Declan gave a cold snort. He grabbed a few bags of dinner rolls from the pantry and tossed them up the stairs. "You are not allowed to come downstairs. If you dare come down, I'll break your legs!" Lily nodded in sheer terror and scurried back into her bedroom. Declan didn't linger. He grabbed a bag of my remains and rushed out the door under the cover of night. Lily then carefully sneaked out. She peered down the stairs for a long time, then trembling, she slowly crept down. My heart leaped into my throat. What was she doing? I watched as she walked straight to the refrigerator and pried open the bottom freezer drawer. My head was hidden right there, buried behind a pile of frozen meats. "Mommy..." Lily whispered. My ghost tears fell. She had seen everything. 06 The following days were spent with Declan disposing of the body. Every day, he would take a few pieces of me out the door. But sometimes, he would bring them back and freeze them again. In a bustling metropolis, it wasn't easy to get rid of a body. At the very least, my head remained constantly frozen in the fridge. Lily was very obedient. She only snuck down to look at me after Declan left the house, and then ran back to her room crying. She ate, drank, and used the bathroom entirely on the second floor. Her only food was snacks and stale bread. Living like this would be suffocating and despair-inducing even for an adult. My heart ached beyond words. I finally floated out of the mansion, hoping to find a way to help her. Unknowingly, I drifted all the way to my parents' house. That familiar yet foreign mansion glowed with warm light. Like I was possessed, I floated inside and saw Mia sitting on the couch, throwing a tantrum. "We agreed we were going on vacation tomorrow! I already planned the whole itinerary!" Mia was clearly a year older than me, but at home, she always acted like a spoiled child. My dad smiled dotingly. "Dad just got his dates mixed up, sweetie. I have to go to the Montgomery Group tomorrow to sign the new round of contracts. I'll drop by to see your sister while I'm at it. Dad will take you on vacation the day after tomorrow." "Yes, Mia, the contracts can't be delayed. Don't throw a tantrum now," my mom said, shaking her head, though her lips were curved into a fond smile. My brother, Asher, looked up from the documents he was flipping through. "I can go sign the contracts. Taking Mia on vacation is more important." "Right! Right! I want to go on vacation!" Mia kicked her legs and whined, incredibly demanding. To be honest, I was jealous of her. Kidnapped for ten years, when did I ever get to act like a spoiled child? After coming home, how could I ever dare to act like that? Only in my blurriest memories, when I was five, did I recklessly throw tantrums. "Well..." My dad looked conflicted. "I should go check on Harper. After all, we haven't visited her in years." Hearing this, Mia's face darkened. She crossed her arms and huffed. "Fine, go. She's your biological daughter, after all." My dad instantly panicked, coaxing her like a toddler. "That's not what I meant. I just think if we don't visit for too long, the Montgomerys will think we don't care and might look down on them." My mom chimed in to agree. "Yes, the two families are tied by marriage. We should show we care." "How about this? I'll take you on vacation tomorrow, and your dad will go sign the contracts." Only then was Mia satisfied. She smiled brightly and started eating a pastry. The family was perfectly happy and harmonious again. I floated silently in mid-air, unmoving for a long time. Suddenly, my mom glanced in my direction. Naturally, she didn't see anything. But she rubbed her chest and muttered to herself, "I don't know what's wrong. I just got a sudden palpitation." "Mom, are you okay?" Asher asked in concern. Dad and Mia also looked over. Mom waved her hand. "It's nothing. I can't explain it, I just feel a little uneasy. Probably just getting older." The whole family laughed. Mia quickly praised Mom, saying she was still young and beautiful, making Mom burst into laughter. But she kept rubbing her chest. 07 Late that night, Mom seemed to have insomnia. She tossed and turned, waking Dad up. Dad was frustrated. "Honey, what are you doing? I have to get up early tomorrow." "I don't know what's wrong. My heart is racing. I can't sleep." Mom was distressed, completely confused by her own anxiety. Dad thought about it. "Are you worried about the contract tomorrow? We've worked with the Montgomerys for years. Nothing will go wrong." "It's not the contract. I can't explain it." Mom ran her hands through her hair. Dad frowned. "If it's not the contract, what else could it be? Harper? Did that phone call of hers scare you?" Mom froze, then started rubbing her chest again. Dad found it funny. "What's with that look? Are you actually worried about Harper? She's doing great. Who knows how happy she is, married to Declan." Mom looked thoughtful and let out a heavy sigh. "I have a feeling Harper isn't doing well. The last time she came back to visit, her wrists were covered in bruises." Dad went silent. Mom continued, "She kept wanting a divorce, begging us to help her. I could tell Declan treated her terribly." Dad stayed silent. I floated by the headboard, my dead heart giving a sudden tremor. Mom, you knew? Then why... why wouldn't you help me? Mom provided the answer. "But there was nothing we could do. We couldn't let Mia marry him. Mia has never suffered a day in her life. She couldn't handle Declan's beatings and verbal abuse." "Harper suffered for ten years. She's mentally much stronger. Taking a little beating and scolding won't hurt her. It's not like it's going to kill her." Dad nodded. The two turned off the lights and went to sleep in each other's arms. My heart went completely dead again. I turned and drifted away. 08 I floated back to Declan's house. Declan was busy moving body parts through the night. He had clearly found out my dad was visiting tomorrow. Because it was hard to dump bodies in the city, he had been moving pieces little by little, like an ant carrying crumbs, which meant a lot of me was still in the freezer. Maybe he was too nervous, or maybe he was just too busy and forgot. He moved all the body parts out, except he forgot my head. My head was tucked away in the bottom freezer drawer, hidden behind a bag of frozen sausages. It wasn't until dawn that Declan finished. After a hasty check of the fridge, he collapsed into bed and slept. Lily hid on the second floor, peeking at him without making a sound. After all these days, Lily was emaciated and sickly, her eyes hollow. Hunger and terror had tortured her until she barely looked human. I secretly cheered her on. Lily, you have to escape today! It was past noon when Declan finally woke up. He rushed to shower, changed his clothes, and with a guilty conscience, checked the fridge one more time. Once again, he missed my head. Not long after, a car pulled up outside. My dad had arrived. He came alone, carrying some gifts, a faint smile on his face. Declan forced a smile and went out to greet him, enthusiastically shaking my dad's hand. "Dad! Welcome, welcome." Dad laughed heartily and looked behind Declan. "You're too polite, Declan. Where's my daughter?" "Harper... she went shopping with her friends bright and early. Said she wouldn't be back tonight." Declan lied. Dad frowned. "Did she not know I was coming?" "She knew, she knew..." Declan's eyes shifted, making it look like he was intentionally trying to anger my dad. Dad narrowed his eyes and nodded dismissively. "Well, just take the gifts then. That disappointing daughter of mine only knows how to play around all day. I hope you don't hold it against her." Declan waved his hands, insisting it was fine. Dad asked again, "What about Lily?" "Harper took Lily with her. She won't be back tonight either." Declan continued to lie. Dad's frown deepened, casting a displeased look toward the house. "Fine then. I'll get going. I'll come back another time... You know what, forget it. I won't bother coming back at all!" Declan nodded repeatedly, respectfully seeing my dad off. Dad got into his car and didn't even look back. I was frantic. Even though I hated my father, right now, I had no choice but to beg him for help. My daughter needed him! I involuntarily lunged forward, phasing into the car. Dad was sitting in the back seat, answering a call from my mom. Mom asked him if he saw me. Dad sneered. "Harper has some nerve. She knew I was visiting her today, yet she went out shopping early in the morning and even took my granddaughter. Isn't she doing this on purpose to spite me?" "She didn't stay home to wait for you?" "Wait for what?! I didn't even step through the front door! If she's going to give me attitude, why should I bother looking at her!" Dad was still fuming. On the other end of the line, Mia giggled. "Oh my, a married daughter is like thrown-out water. Harper's wings have grown hard now. She even looks down on her own biological father." With her fanning the flames, Dad got even angrier. Mom was also displeased. "Don't leave just yet. I'll call Harper and see where she is." She hung up and called my phone. But my phone had been smashed to pieces by Declan ages ago. How could she possibly get through? A moment later, Mom called Dad back. "Harper isn't answering her phone. Her wings really have grown hard! Before, whenever we called her, no matter how busy she was, she would pick up instantly!" It was true. Before, what I craved most was a phone call from my parents. Even if they didn't call me more than a few times a year, the moment they did, I would answer immediately, overflowing with excitement. But now, I was dead. I couldn't pick up. "That Harper is completely out of line. She can forget about ever coming back to visit us!" Dad slapped his thigh in anger. Mia started fanning the flames again. "Dad, we absolutely have to teach Harper a lesson. How about this? Mom and I will skip the vacation and come meet you right now." "We'll call Asher too. The whole family will go put Harper in her place. Let's see how arrogant she can be!"
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