“Yes, Lily,” Mary said softly, trying to calm me down. “Emily has always been a little troublemaker. I’ll talk to her next time.”

Ben turned to Mr. Wilson. “There are still two chances left. Hurry up and make her recall where Emily went.”

“Please don’t worry, Mr. Zeller,” Mr. Wilson said confidently. “Miss Lily has been very cooperative. We’ll get results soon.”

My parents and Steve said nothing more. After a short rest, they sat down again and put their helmets back on.

Mr. Wilson gently wiped away my tears and began another round of hypnosis.

“Miss Lily,” he said in a calm voice, “you and Miss Emily are sisters. Tell me, what is the one thing you remember most clearly about her?”

The thing I remembered most clearly?

My memories began to blur, and the dream twisted into chaos. I couldn’t steady it right away because there were too many moments burned into my mind, each one sharp and impossible to forget.

They surfaced in fragments, scattered and broken.

One after another, the memories began to flash before me.

“What’s wrong with me smoking, huh? If you dare tell Mom and Dad, I’ll kill you!”

Outside the school gates, Emily had been smoking when I caught her. She grabbed me by the collar and cursed at me.

I swore I wouldn’t tell anyone. She smiled sweetly, then suddenly lifted my skirt. “I believe you won’t snitch, but I still have to teach you a lesson. I’m wearing a skirt today too, so you shouldn’t be.”

Before I could react, she pressed the lit cigarette into my thigh.

There was a sharp sizzle, followed by smoke rising from my skin. I screamed in pain as she laughed.

“Not bad, huh? You’ve got nice legs. That burn looks perfect!”

*

“Hey, it’s raining outside. My nightgown blew off the balcony. Go get it.”

It was pouring that night. Emily stood by the door, smirking as I reached for an umbrella.

She snatched it from my hand and shoved me outside. “You’re just a filthy stray dog. What do you need an umbrella for? Go on, get wet.”

The door slammed behind me. I stood there, drenched from head to toe, while she laughed from inside.

*

“You little brat. I’ll give you a hundred grand if you go back to that small town you came from. I can’t stand the sight of you.”

Emily was always trying to get rid of me.

She tried threats, bribes, and even pretending to be nice, but I refused to go.

Her temper finally broke. “So you’re staying? You really think you’re some kind of princess? Let me tell you something. I’m the only princess in this house. Get on your knees.”

She loved making me kneel. Maybe it made her feel powerful.

When I refused, she didn’t hit me or yell. She just smiled, took out a stack of cash, and waved it in front of me.

“Kneel and bow, and it’s yours.”

I bit my lip, took the money, and did as she said.

She laughed loud and hard. “You little money-grubber. Looks like I don’t even need to try with you. All it takes is cash. And that’s one thing I’ve got plenty of.”

Yes. For money, I would do anything.

“Enough!”

The voice cut through the dream.

Steve tore off his headset and shouted, “What on earth is this, Mr. Wilson? You really think these memories are real? That liar is slandering Emily!”

My parents pulled off their helmets too, their faces pale with shock.

Mr. Wilson bowed respectfully. “In theory, memories can’t be fabricated.”

“Ugh!” Steve kicked a chair, speechless with rage.

Ben’s expression was hard and unreadable. After a long silence, he finally said, “Lily brought this on herself. She didn’t fight back because she wanted the money. That only encouraged Emily’s behavior.”

Mary nodded and sighed. “That’s true. Emily was young and liked to tease people, but Lily shouldn’t have let her. In a way, she’s at fault too.”

I listened to Mary’s voice, and the dream slowly began to steady. The chaos faded away.

All I had ever wanted was her love. But she never seemed to love me.

Mr. Wilson glanced at the monitor and said quickly, “Mr. Zeller, Miss Lily’s memories are still continuing. Would you like to keep watching?”

My parents and Steve exchanged a look, then hurried to sit down again and put their helmets back on.

This time, I dreamed of Mary.

She had a high fever.

She lay in bed, half-conscious, groaning every now and then. Ben was out of town, and Steve was at the office. Other than the housekeeper, only Emily and I were home.

Using what I had learned back in my small town, I brought in a basin of hot water, soaked a towel, and gently wiped Mary’s forehead, arms, and back again and again.

She drifted in and out of sleep after taking her medicine.

Emily glanced at me and scoffed. “Mom already took her medicine. The doctor said she’ll be fine. Why are you acting like it’s such a big deal?”

“I’m just trying to cool her down,” I said quietly. “Back home, a woman once had a fever like this and never recovered. She ended up simple-minded afterward.”

Emily burst out laughing. “Are you kidding me? This is a major city, not that little town you came from.”

I ignored her and kept caring for Mary.

Worry gnawed at me. I couldn’t eat or sleep, terrified she would get worse. I stayed by her side all night, wiping away sweat each time her fever returned.

By dawn, the fever finally broke. She fell into a deep sleep, breathing evenly.

Exhausted but relieved, I cleaned up the basin and towel, then lay down on my bed.

It was barely morning when Steve stormed into my room and yanked me up.

He dragged me to the foot of the bed and slapped me hard across the face.

“How dare you sleep like nothing happened? Mom was burning up all night! Where were you?”

Rage filled his voice. “And you told everyone she didn’t need looking after because she took her medicine? What do you think she is, made of steel?”

My face throbbed. I was too stunned to speak. “I… Mom…”

“Shut up, you worthless thing. You only show concern when money’s involved.”

Steve turned to leave. “Emily stayed up all night taking care of her and almost fainted this morning. And look at you, sleeping like a baby.”

That was the first time he ever hit me. He had disliked me for a long time, but that day, his hatred finally broke loose.

Tears streamed down my face, and the pain burned deep inside me.

I ran out, desperate to explain, but stopped when I saw Emily holding Mom’s arm, laughing softly as they walked down the hall together.

I looked at Mary. She met my eyes for a moment, and for the first time, I saw nothing but coldness there.

The motherly love I had longed for all my life shattered completely.

Then a voice cut through the dream.

“Wait… it was Lily who took care of me that night?”

I slowly opened my eyes.

My parents and Steve had removed their helmets and were staring at me in shock.

My thoughts were hazy. I couldn’t tell if I was still dreaming or awake.

Mary’s eyes were red as she hesitantly reached out to touch my face. “Lily, why didn’t you say something earlier? I misunderstood you.”

I said nothing.

Those memories were too painful. They numbed me more than anything.

Ben let out a long sigh after a heavy silence. “Lily really is hopeless. She never speaks up about anything. By keeping quiet, she only encouraged Emily’s behavior.”

“As her older sister, you hold a lot of responsibility for letting Emily behave that way,” Ben said coldly. “Of course, I’ll punish her too. Once we find her, I’ll make sure she’s confined for three days.”

Steve frowned. “Dad, there’s no need to punish her. It’s not like she did something unforgivable. I understand her. She’s told me more than once that she’s scared of losing us, scared of being replaced by Lily. She just wasn’t thinking clearly.”

Yes. She just wasn’t thinking clearly.

I closed my eyes again, a dry, bitter smile tugging at my lips.

Why could I still smile?

It was strange.

Even now, they still loved Emily.

And me? I had never been loved.

“It’s almost funny. Who grows up never knowing what love feels like?” I thought bitterly.

Mr. Wilson glanced at my condition and spoke carefully. “Mr. Zeller, shall we continue? Miss Lily’s memories have already been extracted twice. She’s been cooperative, but her mental state seems unstable. I suggest we pause for now.”

“Pause? Emily’s missing! She’s been gone for five days. She’s never suffered a day in her life, and now she could be in danger. I need to find her right now!”

Ben’s voice thundered with fury, and Mr. Wilson immediately fell silent. He turned back to the controls and continued the hypnosis.

This time, I dreamed of the day Emily disappeared.

Three days before she disappeared, Ben bought me a piano and told me to practice.

It wasn’t because he cared about me. He just thought I didn’t act like a daughter from a wealthy family.

I felt like a beggar who had suddenly moved into a wealthy family, completely out of place.

Whenever guests came over, he made me hide so no one would see me. He only let Emily, the talented and graceful one, appear in front of them.

But that couldn’t last forever. Rumors started spreading outside that the Zellers’ oldest daughter had been sent back to that little town she came from because no one had ever seen her.

So Ben, feeling the pressure, decided it was time to “fix” me.

The piano was just the first step.

He bought it, hired a teacher, and wanted to see if I had any talent.

To everyone’s surprise, I did. The teacher kept praising me over and over again.

Ben was pleased and told me to keep practicing.

He even smiled at me.

It was the first time I had ever been praised by my family. I hid in the bathroom and cried for a long time.

After that, I poured my heart into practice.

I wanted to become a pianist. I wanted to belong in this family. I never wanted to go back to that small town again.

That place terrified me.

But after only two days, I sliced my fingers on hidden razor blades wedged between the piano keys.

Almost every gap had one.

Blood poured down my hand the moment I pressed a key.

I screamed in pain as Emily came rushing over, her face twisted into a fake look of concern.

“What happened, Lily? Did you slice your finger open?”

There was no doubt in my mind that it was her doing.

Shaking with anger, I shouted, “Dad told me to practice! Why do you always have to be so cruel?”

Emily grinned. “That’s right, I am cruel. I don’t like you playing the piano, and I don’t like Dad praising you. Got a problem with that?”

Blood dripped from my fingers as I clenched my teeth, ready to tell on her.

Emily followed lazily behind me, then suddenly leaned close and whispered in my ear with a strange, chilling laugh. “Go ahead, Bunny Girl. Tell on me.”

A shiver ran through my entire body. Terror spread through me like ice, and the world around me seemed to darken all at once.

I fell to the floor, trembling, staring up at her. “You… how do you know about that…?”