Chapter 1
My younger sister died the day she turned 18.
Before it happened, she called us 99 times, and not one of us answered.
That night, I had told my parents to get some sleep so we could wake up early to decorate for her birthday party.
Just like that, I became the one to blame.
My parents grabbed me by the throat and snarled, "You're nothing but bad luck. If it weren't for you, your sister would still be alive..."
Crushed by guilt, I developed depression and gave up on studying abroad.
I tried to take my own life several times, and each time my boyfriend saved me.
He took away my scissors, installed safety rails on the balcony, and even checked on me if I stayed in the shower for more than 30 minutes.
His unwavering care made me decide to marry him.
But before the wedding, I saw the sister who had supposedly been dead for years.
She had earned a PhD and was thriving.
Beside her stood my parents, beaming with pride, and my boyfriend.
"Thanks to all of you, I was able to fake my death and steal her chance to study abroad. She may be smarter than I am and get better grades, but I was determined to beat her anyway."
My parents nodded approvingly.
"Good. You have nerve and ambition. That is our daughter."
My boyfriend smiled gently, too.
"Emma, I'll keep an eye on her for you. I won't let her threaten the future you've built."
My blood ran cold.
I had thought my boyfriend was my salvation. Instead, he had been another abyss all along.
'Fine. If that's how it is, I'll destroy Emma's life myself.'
By the time their conversation ended, my eyes were red with rage.
Years earlier, I had ranked first on an exam.
An overseas university had invited me to study there.
There was only one spot available.
Emma ranked second and could do nothing but watch as the university chose me instead.
She was miserable about it for a long time.
I never imagined that, to steal that opportunity, they would conspire to stage an elaborate fake death.
Then they made it look as though Emma had died because of me.
They made me give up the chance to study abroad, forced me to stay behind and atone, and had me visit her grave every All Souls' Day.
Despair spread through me.
So it had all been fake.
There had been no accident and no death.
It had all been a conspiracy to sacrifice my future so my sister could take my place.
The truth was so cruel that it broke me. I didn't even have the strength to rush out and confront them.
My parents glanced over at Ryan Carter. Then they turned to Emma and said sympathetically, "Emma, do you have any idea how much Ryan has done for you all these years while you were abroad? To make sure you could live comfortably, he tricked that i***t Claire Bennett into working herself ragged and putting her money into a donation box. He sent every cent in that box to you for living expenses."
My fingertips slowly went cold.
Memories of the year Emma supposedly died came rushing back before I could stop them.
On countless late nights, I had curled up in Ryan's arms, shaking as I sobbed.
"I killed my sister. If I hadn't gotten everyone to go to bed early that night, would this tragedy have happened at all? Ryan, I'm the one who should have died..."
He would kiss away my tears, pain written all over his face, and gently pat my back.
"Sweetheart, you're an angel. The ones who deserve to die are those criminals! If the guilt is eating at you, go work. Put everything you earn into this donation box. I'll donate it to underprivileged children in rural areas. It will help you atone and help your sister rest in peace."
I had seen the metal box once. It was painted black, its latch welded shut, and Ryan alone held the only key.
He told me the rule was meant to keep the donations secure and prevent anyone from tampering with the money. I wasn't allowed to touch the box or open it to see how much cash was inside.
I was drowning in guilt over my sister's death. In the fog of my illness, I desperately needed something that could ease the torment inside me, so I believed him.
After that, I worked myself to the bone.
I worked at the company during the day and delivered food at night.
