April 4th was my brother, David Frost’s birthday.

While I lay alone, helpless, down on my last breath, my parents sat together at home, celebrating the birthday of their beloved son.

A sharp pain suddenly clenched at my heart, and tears blurred my vision, making it impossible to see the calendar in the lobby or the nurse’s face.

“So, being a ghost is just like being alive… you can cry, you can feel pain...” I thought to myself.

The nurse seemed as stunned as I was.

After a long pause, she gathered herself, her voice quivering slightly as she conveyed the news of my death to my parents.

“Could you please let us know when the family will come to arrange for the death certificate, claim the body, and—”

Before she could finish, a sharp voice on the other end interrupted her.

“Claim the body? We’ve severed all ties with her. She’s not part of our family anymore. Do whatever you want with her. We don’t care.

“Bury her, burn her—just don’t bother us again. You’ve ruined our day.”

The nurse, stung by the harsh words, stood frozen for a moment before she erupted into a tirade, yelling into the phone.

"What kind of parents are you? Where’s your compassion and love for your own daughter?

"Do you even know... do you know that when she was suffering through her chemotherapy, delirious and unable to distinguish reality, she kept calling for you and Mr. Frost?"

Her voice grew softer, and the sobs she had been holding back finally broke free.

But my parents had already hung up, the only sound was the busy signal on the other end.

"I guess I’ve got super-hearing now," I said as I forced a laugh through my tears.

"I definitely wouldn’t have been able to hear so clearly through the phone otherwise."

I reached out to wipe away the nurse’s tears, but my hand passed right through her. Just as I sighed, a distant, ethereal voice reached my ears.

It was hard to decide whether it was a man or a woman, real or an illusion.

The voice asked me what I wanted most in my life.

I thought for a long time, then whispered the word, "Love."

In the next moment, blinding white light filled my vision.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day I had won the lottery.

I stared blankly at the familiar yet strange surroundings, my gaze fixed on the convenience store owner, whose face had turned red with excitement.

In his hand, the ticket still bore the numbers that would change my fate.

Yet, I felt nothing.

I stood there, detached, almost absent, and asked the man, "Excuse me, could you tell me the date?"

The owner, still caught up in his excitement, looked at me in confusion. "It's January 4th, dear. You must have been so happy you’ve gone a bit daft!

"Hey, could I take a photo with you later? It’ll really promote the store. Those unlucky folks keep saying we don’t have any winners here. Well, I’ll show them! Not only do we have a winner, but it's a two-million-dollar jackpot!"

My mind was a mess, tangled like a ball of yarn.

I nodded absentmindedly, and it took me a long while to fully grasp the fact that I had been reborn.

I was at a loss for what to do when a text message startled me.

[Ms. Celeste Frost, the hospital recommends you begin treatment as soon as possible. There may still be a chance for recovery.]

I stared at the message until the screen went dark.

I had made up my mind.

I let out a long breath and immediately contacted a lawyer to draft an emancipation agreement to sever my ties to my parents.

I spent the entire evening working on it, finally printing it out with great care and tucking it into my bag.

After months of being caught between life and death, standing in front of the door to my house again, I couldn’t control the trembling that overtook me.

My parents’ words on the phone kept echoing in my mind.

It was like an unending chasm, cruelly dividing me from people I had once called family.

The hand that held the key to the front door trembled slightly.

I tried several times, but I couldn't get the key into the lock.

Just as my cowardice urged me to flee, the door opened.

Mommy's smiling face greeted me.

The moment our eyes met, I lowered my gaze. As I looked down, I saw a new pair of pink rabbit slippers.

My mind went blank.

I instinctively stepped back, but before I could move, Mommy's warm hands reached out and caught me.

"Why are you standing there? Come in and try on the slippers Daddy bought for you.

"He picked them out as soon as we went to the store. He said you'd love them. He insisted on buying them for you."