Envy

Rebecca was the child my parents adopted from an orphanage after I went missing.

Sebastian once explained the adoption to me. "They took her in to fill the void you left," he said. Strictly speaking, she was my substitute.

Yet, I constantly envied Rebecca since the day I returned to the Clarke Residence.

With a single word or a subtle gesture, she could command the attention of everyone in the room. Meanwhile, I, still weighed down by my rustic mannerisms, sensitivity, and timidity, could barely find my place in this family, even after years of reunion.

Even though my parents and Sebastian constantly tried their best to make up for my lack of family affection in the past few years, it still couldn't change the fact that they grew alienated from me later on.

My presence among the Clarke family seemed to have become invisible. Rebecca, on the other hand, flourished as though she were the true heiress of the Clarke family.

No matter how hard I tried, it only seemed to drive them further and further away from me.

My parents and Sebastian began to view me as jealous and petty, accusing me of bullying Rebecca.

The worst incident happened on my mother's birthday. I decided to prepare her favorite meal.

I snuck out early that morning to buy the best ingredients I could find. When I returned home, Rebecca greeted me with a kind smile and said she could teach me how to make my mother's favorite barbecue ribs.

Her warm demeanor and the way she insisted on sending the maid out of the kitchen convinced me that she genuinely wanted to help. I let my guard down.

But when I unpacked the ribs, I realized the butcher had forgotten to chop them into smaller pieces. I stared at the full rack, unsure of what to do.

Meanwhile, Rebecca took a cleaver and said she could help me.

Grateful for her help, I even humbled myself enough to ask her about other dishes my mother might like. I wanted so badly to prove myself, to show my worth in the family.

But as I turned my attention back to the task, Rebecca's grip suddenly tightened around my hand. Before I could react, the cleaver came down with horrifying precision, slicing off my left thumb.

A searing pain shot through my entire arm, and I let out a scream of anguish.

Even so, all I heard was accusations afterward.

"Naomi, it was you who accidentally cut off your own thumb. How can you blame Rebecca? Is this how you were raised all those years away from us? Manipulating our guilt to make Rebecca look bad? Do you feel satisfied now?"

Rebecca even kneeled before me and cried, "Naomi, I know you hate me for taking away Mom and Dad's love. But I swear, I never meant to steal it from you. Please, don't put yourself in harm's way like this."

Her trembling voice rang hollow in my ears. My heart, already shattered from the pain of losing my thumb, now endured the fresh sting of their cruel words.

Not one of them bothered to ask what truly happened that day. They didn't even attempt a simple investigation.

To them, I seemed to be a despicable and selfish person.

My grandmother was laid to rest in a cemetery located in the west region of the city.

Rebecca arrived, clutching Sebastian's arm. Meanwhile, my parents were already there, lighting candles and murmuring prayers at the foot of the tombstone.

As I gazed at the photograph etched into the cold stone, tears spilled uncontrollably down my face.

My grandmother was the only one in the entire Clarke family who cared about me.

Sadly, she was no longer alive.

Sebastian picked up a flower and respectfully placed it on our grandmother's tomb. After a brief prayer, he added, "Grandma, don't worry. No matter how far Naomi escapes, I will catch her back, bring her over, and make her confess her crime! No, she doesn't even deserve to stand before your grave! She's a murderer, and I'll make sure she pays for what she's done!"

My vision became blurry, and my entire body felt as if I had been struck by lightning. This was the second time I heard Sebastian accusing me of being a murderer.

'A murderer? Did they truly believe I killed my grandmother?'

"Sebastian, no!" I cried, scrambling forward. "I didn't kill Grandma! How could I, when she loved me more than anyone else? It wasn't me—it was her! Rebecca killed Grandma!"

I screamed desperately as I pointed directly at Rebecca. But no one heard me. No one saw me.

Rebecca stepped forward, her expression a picture of grief. She placed three stalks of flowers in the vase with trembling hands.

"Grandma, please don't hold Naomi's mistake against her. I'm sure she didn't mean to hurt you. It was just a one-time lapse in judgment."

Sebastian's voice rose in anger, his words sharp and biting. "Don't defend her, Rebecca! I was the one who performed Grandma's autopsy. She was stabbed in the abdomen with a steel bar—a whole steel bar!

"Tell me, could a kind-hearted person have done something so monstrous? If Naomi had even a shred of guilt left, she'd turn herself in to the police instead of running and hiding like a coward!"

I stared at him in disbelief, his accusations echoing in my mind.

'Stabbed with a steel bar? A crime I never committed?'

My chest tightened as realization dawned. Rebecca had not only framed me for Grandma's murder but had also evaded punishment by making me the scapegoat.

Rebecca stepped closer to Sebastian, wrapping her arms around him. "Calm down, Sebastian," she pleaded. "I believe Naomi will come to her senses one day. She's my sister—our sister. We have to have faith in her."

However, my father interrupted her, saying, "She is not your sister! We in the Clarke family do not acknowledge a murderer who would kill their own family members like her! Rebecca, I know you are kind-hearted, but Naomi doesn't treat us like her family at all!"

My mother, standing quietly by, wiped tears from her eyes. Her voice trembled as she spoke. "It's my fault. If I hadn't insisted on finding her, she never would have come back. Mom wouldn't have died such a horrible death."

I stared blankly at the family before me. A pang of great disappointment rippled in my heart, which had long been broken thoroughly.

But I was dead. I didn't hide from place to place.

It had been five years since their favorite daughter and Sebastian's most beloved sister killed me!

Just then, I felt a twinge in my heart. Ah, it turned out that our hearts would also feel pain even after we died.

Truly Unfair

It wasn't until we returned from the cemetery that I realized something peculiar: my soul seemed bound to Sebastian. I could follow him, but no one else.

The familiar Clarke Residence remained the same as the one in my memory.

Sorrow crawled at my chest as I looked at the big family portrait in the living room, which no longer had a trace of me inside.

I thought back to my first year at the Clarke Residence and to the gifts I received upon my return.

Sebastian gave me a Toy Poodle, my first real pet. Meanwhile, my parents took me to a photography studio to create a family portrait.

At that time, my grandmother was still alive and well.

She pulled me from the back row, positioning me by her side. Her warm eyes gazed down at me as she said, "Naomi, we've finally found you. Don't worry. From now on, we'll never lose you again."

I cried in her lap, believing I really had found my family and happiness.

But never once did it cross my mind that it would be the start of my nightmare from then on.

During the fifth year after I was brought home, I was once again abandoned by my family. I even ended up dying tragically in the end.

"Sebastian, will this dress look good on me at the engagement party tomorrow?" Rebecca emerged from her room in a high-waisted mermaid dress, twirling to show it off.

Sebastian glanced at her and smirked. "What does it matter if I think it looks good? As long as your fiance likes it, that's all that counts."

Rebecca pouted in mock offense. "Oh, you're teasing me now? Fine! Just you wait—when you have a girlfriend, I'll tell her every embarrassing story from your childhood."

Just then, my parents came downstairs and happened to hear Rebecca's words. "Sebastian, don't spoil Rebecca too much. We won't want her coming back here crying when she gets married later."

Rebecca twirled in front of the mirror. "I won't. Shawn is wonderful to me."

My mother shook her head repeatedly. "My, my, listen to you! You're not even his wife yet, but you're already speaking for him. Come here—I have something to show you."

She approached Rebecca with a red velvet jewelry box in hand.

"What is it? It looks rather familiar."

Curious, I looked over as well. However, as soon as I fixed my gaze on the jewelry box, I was stunned in place.

I recognized the box. It was the same jewelry box my grandmother had left for me, one she had personally handed to me in front of the entire family.

Rebecca reached out and took the jewelry box, her eyes lighting up the moment she opened it to reveal a complete set of natural mauve jadeite jewelry.

When my grandmother handed me the box, she told me that my grandfather gifted her this set of jewelry when he was still alive.

Even then, its market value exceeded 200 million. Now, years later, its worth had likely soared even higher.

"Isn't this Grandma's gift for Naomi?"

Browned off by her question, my mother reprimanded her, "We've told you before, Rebecca, to forget Naomi ever existed. Since we acknowledge you as our daughter, this jewelry set naturally belongs to you."

Rebecca's eyes gleamed with happiness, but she still pretended to hesitate, masking her excitement with an air of consideration.

"What if she comes back one day?"

"Even if she dares to come back, she has no place in this family! And if she dies, she is not worthy of having a spot in the Clarke family's memorial hall!"

As always, the mere mention of my name sent Sebastian into a rage.

Before Rebecca could protest further, my mother picked up the necklace from the box and placed it around Rebecca's slender, swan-like neck.

Rebecca, already strikingly beautiful, now radiated even more elegance with the jadeite necklace glinting against her fair skin.

I looked at myself in the mirror coldly.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't attain her elegance and beauty. As long as Rebecca was present, she would attract everyone's attention.

She was the brightest star in the entire Clarke family, whereas I was just a boorish girl they plucked from the streets.

The engagement party was held the following day at the city's grandest hotel.

The hall was adorned with luxurious decor, every corner glowing with joy and opulence.

The guests mingled with bright smiles, their laughter filling the air. Life seemed to have been happier for everyone in the five years since my death.

I drifted through the crowded hall, a silent observer as Sebastian greeted guests and Rebecca clung to her fiance, Shawn Hall, her sweet smile never faltering.

Suddenly, someone among Shawn's group of friends brought up the topic of me. "It's a good thing that hideous Naomi ran away. Thanks to her absence, you lovebirds can finally get engaged."

The people around Rebecca and Shawn immediately chimed in, eager to flatter.

"That's right! A disabled woman like her, daring to dream of marrying into the Hall family? Becoming Shawn's wife? It's laughable! Pure wishful thinking!"

Upon hearing their remarks, Rebecca said hypocritically, "That's not a nice thing to say. After all, she is my sister."

Shawn, who stood beside her, scoffed disdainfully. "A murderer like her isn't worthy of marrying into the Hall family. Rebecca, you're too kind for your own good, defending someone like her even now."

"Rebecca, Shawn has a point. Naomi should be shot on sight if she's ever found!"

Upon hearing that, Rebecca pursed her lips and leaned against Shawn.

I gazed icily at the deeply loving couple.

Back then, my grandmother thought of obsequiously bequeathing favors on my behalf and begging the Hall family to agree to the marriage between Shawn and me while she was still hale and hearty.

However, Rebecca was defiant toward the proposal. She had loved Shawn for years and had dreamed of marrying him one day.

When my grandmother suggested the marriage, she saw it as a threat—a theft of the life she believed she deserved. Her hatred for me solidified that day.

Thus, in order to stop the marriage from proceeding, she grabbed a cleaver and chopped off my finger.

Although Shawn didn't mind marrying a woman he didn't love, he couldn't stand having a disabled woman as his lawful wife.

Because of this, he stormed to the Clarke Residence and insisted on calling off the engagement.

And so, time passed. Rebecca's dream became a reality, and I became nothing more than a skeleton.

Rebecca inherited everything that should have been mine—my parents' love, Sebastian's loyalty, and the blessings of friends and relatives.

And now, she stood here, radiant and adored, married to the man she had always desired.

God was truly cruel. How could someone who had destroyed me so completely be allowed to live such a happy life?

My heart felt as though it had been sliced to ribbons, and the ache suffocated me.

As the party came to an end, Sebastian's phone rang. It was a call from Riley.

Sebastian excused himself from the crowd and found a secluded corner.

"Mr. Clarke," Riley's voice stammered on the other end. "The craniofacial reconstruction image… it's ready. I've sent it to you. You should… check your phone. From my observation… the person in the image… looks a lot like… Naomi Clarke."