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.

Grace put away her guilty look. Her face was buried in Amy's arms, full of satisfaction.

The first time I saw that smug expression was when I was sixteen.

That year, I represented my school in a citywide speech competition.

My dad was on a business trip out of town.

My teacher gave me three tickets. "Evelyn, I worked hard to get these tickets for you. Your family will be so proud to see your performance."

I handed out the tickets.

But by the time the competition ended, I hadn't seen a single person.

Some classmates openly accused me, "No one even showed up, and you hogged all those tickets. So selfish."

"Just because the teacher likes you doesn't mean your family cares."

I wanted to explain, but no one listened. I hid in a corner and cried for a long time.

On my way home, I saw Grace's post on WhatsApp. "I've got a fever. Mom and Matthew stayed with me all day. I'm so lucky."

The picture was a cozy shot of the three of them in the living room, along with a thermometer reading 99.5°F.

"99.5°F, such a serious fever, huh?"

I was furious.

Amy was even angrier. "I didn't forget. I just didn't want to go. It's just a competition. What's so great about it? Is your sister's health less important than your silly contest? So selfish."

Matthew also scolded me for being petty. "Grace had a fever. Don't be so narrow-minded. There'll be other competitions. We'll make it up to you."

I cried, tears streaming down my face.

But Amy shoved me out the door. "Cry, cry, cry. That's all you do. Get outside and cry as much as you want. You're such bad luck."

Teenagers are rebellious, and I was no exception.

After calling my dad, I ran to a bar to drink.

Back then, I thought getting drunk was the only way to forget my troubles.

Halfway through my drink, my dad found me. He had rushed back, pushing aside his business.

He didn't scold me. Instead, his large hands held mine tightly. "Now, who's this crying their eyes out?

"A young girl drinking alone in a bar? That's not good. It's not safe. If you want to drink, I'll drink with you."

He held my hand and we walked along the riverside for a long time. "Don't blame your mom. She's tough on the outside but soft on the inside. She went through a lot to find your sister.

"You've got me, though. Don't worry. I'll always love and spoil you, Evelyn."

But, unfortunately, lifetime promises aren't so easy to keep.

While driving home on the highway, a reckless street racer lost control and crashed straight into our car.

In the moment our car flipped over, he held me in his arms.

I survived, but he died from blood loss.

At the hospital, Amy pressed my dad's picture hard against my chest, her eyes bloodshot as she demanded, "How could you be so selfish? All over something so small, you made your dad come back. Now he's dead. Are you happy?

"Why wasn't it you who died?"

Matthew slammed the table so hard it shook. "Evelyn, from now on, you're no longer my sister. You're disgusting."

I knelt, sobbing, begging for their forgiveness, my tears hitting the ground in large drops.

At that moment, I truly felt I deserved to die. I should've been the one.

I didn't attend my dad's funeral. Amy wouldn't let me.

Matthew blocked me at the door. "Get lost. Don't come here and disgust us."

I felt like a rat tossed into the mud, struggling helplessly.

Back then, standing behind Matthew, Grace looked at me with that same smugness expression.