My sister, Grace Hunt, hit someone with her car and killed them.

My mom, Amy, covered it up by using acid to destroy the disfigured body and dumped it at an abandoned steel factory.

What she didn't know was that the body she was destroying belonged to me, the daughter she despised.

When she found out the truth, she completely lost her mind.

*****

After I was hit, my body got caught in the wheels and was dragged for miles before the car finally stopped.

By then, I was unrecognizable and already dead.

Grace finally seemed to realize she had hit someone. She let out a long breath and, trembling, leaned against the car door as she made a call.

A few minutes later, Amy arrived in a hurry. She hugged the terrified Grace tightly. "Don't be scared, sweetie. I'm here. Everything will be fine. You go home, take a shower, and get some rest. I'll take care of the rest.

"Remember, don't tell anyone about this."

After Grace left, Amy finally frowned as she glanced at the mangled body on the ground. She crouched by the roadside and threw up uncontrollably.

She left for a few minutes and returned wearing a surgical mask and gloves, carrying a large container of clear liquid labeled "acid."

My heart sank, and my already weak soul trembled. "Mom, no, please! Look, it's me!"

But no matter how loud I yelled, she couldn't hear me.

Her body passed right through my transparent soul as she crouched next to my corpse.

"You look like such a young girl. I'm sorry, but I can't let my daughter go to prison. Please understand a mother's heart.

"I'll burn plenty of money for you and pray for your peace every day. Please rest in peace."

Suddenly, she froze. Her fingers trembled slightly.

Maybe she thought the body looked familiar, like someone she disliked. Or perhaps the torn, bloody clothes triggered a memory.

She furrowed her brows, a flash of doubt in her eyes. She quickly crouched down and wiped my left shoulder.

There was a red heart-shaped birthmark on my left shoulder.

My shoulder was covered in blood and debris, and she didn't see it with just a quick wipe.

If she had been a little more patient and wiped again, she would have seen the birthmark and known it was me lying there.

Unfortunately, moments later, she picked up the bucket and poured the acid over me without hesitation.

I stood beside her, just inches away. With every movement she made, my heart was torn apart.

Watching the white smoke rise, I couldn't hold back my tears anymore. They fell in heavy drops, hitting the ground.

I thought, "Mom, if one day you find out the person who died was me, would you feel even a little sad?'

After taking care of my body, Amy threw the remaining parts into an abandoned steel factory on the outskirts of town.

By then, the sky had already brightened.

She crouched on the ground for a long, long time. Finally, she wiped the sweat from her forehead, then headed to the hospital as if nothing had happened, going about her usual work routine.

"Why do you have such dark circles? Did you stay up last night?" Sophia Collins, the office supervisor, asked.

"No, just a bit of insomnia," Amy replied.

Sophia handed her a cup of coffee, then, as if remembering something, turned to grab a box from the drawer and placed it in front of Amy. "I envy you, having such a thoughtful daughter. Evelyn heard your shoulder pain flare up and asked me to give you this medicinal wine.

"With all the medicine we have here, but still, she cares enough to get this for you."

At the mention of me, a sharp look of disgust and hatred flashed in Amy's eyes.

"She cares about me? She probably wishes I were dead. All she does is compete with Grace and complain that we're unfair.

"She's a murderer. If it weren't for her, Elias wouldn't be dead.

"Even if she's dead, I'll never forgive her. I don't want anything from her."

As she spoke, Amy threw the bottle of medicinal wine out the window.

Seeing her so upset, Sophia sighed and gently patted her on the shoulder. "I know Elias' death hit you hard, but the car accident was an accident. You can't blame Evelyn entirely. It's unfair to her."

Amy couldn't take it anymore, her words laced with fury. "Don't ever mention Evelyn to me again. I don't want to hear it. I'm done for today. There's no surgery, and Grace is sick. I'm going home to be with her."

She slammed the door as she left. Watching her resolute back, I felt a painful tightness in my chest as transparent tears fell, one after another, onto the floor.

"Mom, just like you wanted, I'm dead now.

Will you really never forgive me?"

Bound by a thing called family, my soul drifted back home with my mom, Amy.

It had been a long time since I last came back.

The windows and doors were shut tight in the middle of the day, lights blazing. Grace huddled, trembling, in my brother Matthew's arms.

"Don't be scared, Grace. I'm here. I'll protect you," Matthew said.

"Mom, Grace had a nightmare. Come take a look," Matthew called out.

Amy looked at Grace trembling in Matthew's arms, her face full of concern. She held her close and comforted her softly, "It's okay now, it's all over. No need to be scared."

Grace's eyes were red, and her tears fell like broken pearls, dropping onto Amy's arm.

Even when she cried, she looked so delicate, making everyone ache for her.

Suddenly, Matthew's expression stiffened, and a deep anger filled his eyes. "Did Evelyn scare you again? If she's giving you trouble, I'll go deal with her right now."

"No, it wasn't Evelyn. She's been great, please don't go after her," Grace said softly.

Her voice was soft, her eyes avoiding his, filled with sisterly affection. She sounded innocent.

When she rammed into you, she didn't hold back one bit.

At the mention of me, Matthew's anger grew. "After all the terrible things she's done to you, don't defend her. I know exactly what kind of person she is.

"Do you think she didn't know how much pain Mom and Dad went through looking for you all those years? She's an ingrate who can't stand to see us happy.

"She's the reason Dad got into that car accident. She's nothing but a curse.

"If you hadn't gone missing, Mom wouldn't have had her in the first place. She's not half the person you are."

Matthew's voice wasn't loud, but it pierced through me.

Amy's words hurt even more. "Don't mention her. Just consider her dead."

After saying that, she held Grace even tighter.

This wasn't the first time I'd heard these words.

As the replacement, from the day the real one came back, I had become nothing.