My fingertips had just brushed the edge of the warding charm when the door to my room suddenly swung open.

"Ella, what are you doing?" Lilith leaned against the doorframe, tilting her head with a smile on her lips, though her eyes were icy cold.

My heart skipped a beat, but I kept my expression neutral. "Just clearing out some old things."

She strolled in slowly, her gaze wandering over my face. "Ella, I heard you've been able to smell ghosts and supernatural beings since you were little. Is that true?"

I clutched the charm in my palm and jumped down from the chair, brushing the dust off my hands to hide my nerves. "How could I possibly have that kind of ability? They're just joking about it. By the way, why aren't you downstairs with Mom and Dad?"

Lilith suddenly stepped closer, and that stench of decay washed over me as she asked, "Then, Ella, why do you seem… so afraid of me?"

I forced back my disgust and stepped away. "Why would I be?"

"Well, then why do you keep avoiding me?" she asked, her eyes instantly welling up with tears. "Do you look down on me because I grew up in an orphanage?"

Here we go again. Alarm bells went off in my head right away. In my past life, every time she played the victim, I would end up in serious trouble.

"You're overthinking it," I said, carefully circling around her to grab my suitcase.

But she suddenly seized my wrist. Her hand was ice cold, unlike a living person's, and it felt like there was something writhing beneath her skin.

I yanked my hand free reflexively. "Let go of me!"

"Ah!" Lilith let out a shriek and fell backward, the back of her head hitting the wardrobe with a thud. But before anyone could see it, she flashed me a triumphant grin.

The next very second, the door burst open. "Lily!"

Tristan rushed in, and when he saw Lilith on the floor, his face turned ashen. "Elara! What did you do?"

He shoved me aside and gathered Lilith into his arms. The others hurried in at the commotion, and their expressions darkened at the sight.

Lilith leaned weakly against Tristan's chest as tears streamed down her face. "Tris, this isn't Ella's fault... I just lost my balance."

My mother rushed over to embrace her. "Lily, don't be scared. Mommy's here."

My father glared at me furiously. "I am very disappointed in you, Elara Ashbourne!"

I looked around the room at all these people, and the corners of my mouth curled into a mocking smile. More than a decade of family affection had turned out to be nothing but an illusion. I was probably the only fool who had taken it seriously.

Not wanting to waste my breath, I grabbed my suitcase and headed for the door.

"Stop right there!" Tristan barked. "Apologize to Lily!"

I turned back to look at the childhood friend I had grown up with. All I saw in his eyes now was unfamiliar contempt.

"Apologize?" I scoffed. "What for?"

Then, a loud crack was heard as my father stormed over and delivered a hard slap across my face. The force of it was so strong that blood immediately seeped from the corner of my lips. "What kind of attitude is that, Elara?"

He trembled with rage as he demanded, "Lily is our real daughter! You're just an adopted child. How dare you speak to her like that?"

My mother quickly stepped in to hold my father back. "Let's talk this through calmly. Ella just needs some time to come to terms with things…"

She turned to me, her tone softening a little. "Ella, Lily has just come home. Can't you be a bit more understanding? She's been through so much all these years—"

Looking at her feigned expression of concern, I felt my heart turning cold. In my past life, this was exactly the kind of gentleness she showed me while hurting me terribly.

"Mom," I interrupted her. "Are you saying that I'm the one to blame for all her suffering out there?"

My mother faltered, and her eyes darted away. "That's not what I meant..."

"Elara, you are vile!" Tristan shouted. "Lily already said she doesn't blame you, and here you are still being so aggressive!"

All my other childhood friends chimed in one after another.

"Exactly! She usually acts so gentle, but it turns out that was all fake."

"See how kind Lily is? She even spoke up for Elara."

Amidst their combined condemnation, Lilith shot me a smug look.

The stench of decay coming from Lilith grew even more pungent. I knew she probably felt she had them completely under control and would soon close in on them.

The torrent of accusations against me continued without end.

Unable to take it anymore, I slammed my suitcase onto the floor. "Enough!"

The entire room fell silent in an instant.

My father's face turned ashen, and my mother clutched her chest as she staggered back a step. All eight of my childhood friends stared at me as if I were insane.

"Elara, have you lost your mind?" Tristan barked. "You're throwing things in front of your parents now? What a lack of manners! As expected from someone of low birth, indeed. You're not even close compared to Lily!"

Lilith shook her head and tugged at his sleeve. "Forget it, Tris. Ella must have just lost her head for a moment..."

"No!" Tristan said firmly. "This time, she needs to be taught a lesson!"

After some discussion, they decided to lock me in my room to reflect. Once they had dragged me back inside, Tristan confiscated my phone and all my electronic devices.

"Think it over," my mother said, giving me one last look, her expression complicated. "Think about why things turned out like this."

The door slammed shut, followed by the sound of a lock clicking into place.

As I stood in the empty room listening to the footsteps fading down the hall outside, I suddenly laughed out loud. Why had things turned out like this? That was a question they should be asking themselves!

…

Late that night, I was curled up in bed pretending to be asleep when I heard muffled sobbing just outside the door, deliberately kept low.

"Lily? What's wrong?" Tristan's gentle voice came from the hallway.

Lilith's voice was thick with tears. "It's nothing. I just feel terrible knowing Ella hates me so much."

I sneered silently. Such lousy acting, and yet there was always someone falling for it every single time.

Sure enough, Tristan's tone turned cold at once. "Did she bully you again?"

"I went to bring Ella a late-night snack earlier, but I overheard her cursing me in her room. She said she hopes I die soon, and that she should have been the only daughter of the family."

Lilith cried even more miserably. "She also said you've all been bewitched by me…"

Then, the door was kicked open. Tristan stormed in, furious, with a tearful Lilith trailing behind him.

Tristan yanked the blanket off me. "Elara Ashbourne! How dare you curse Lily?"

I sat up slowly. "I've been sleeping the whole time. When did I ever curse her?"

"You're lying!" Lilith suddenly pointed at my bedside table, excitedly. "Tris, look! What is that?"

I turned to look and saw a voodoo doll, stabbed through with needles, sitting on my bedside table. It had Lilith's name scrawled crookedly across it.

"That isn't mine! She's the one behind this! Snap out of it, Tristan!" I realized what was happening and tried to defend myself, but it was too late. Tristan was already blinded by rage.

He kicked me hard in the stomach, causing me to double over in pain. Next, he slammed his fist into my back. "This is for hurting Lily! How dare you curse her!"

I heard the clear crack of my ribs breaking. Then, I spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed limply to the floor.

"Tris, stop hitting her," Lilith said with feigned pity, pulling him back. "Ella has learned her lesson."

She crouched down, leaned close to my ear, and whispered in a voice only I could hear, "I guess you can't help them now, Ella. Want to guess who dies first tonight?"

My eyes widened sharply. She had finally dropped the act.

After Lilith left, I slipped out of the Ashbourne residence under the cover of night. Since they liked her so much, they could rot away in the coffin with her. I wasn't going to stick around.

The next day, the police pounded on the door of my apartment.

"Ms. Ashbourne, a massacre took place at your family's home yesterday. Do you know anything about it?"