Chapter 4

Evelyn’s birthday party was lively. My parents had gone all out, renting a banquet hall to celebrate. The room glittered with chandeliers, laughter filled the air, and the guests—most of them wealthy and influential—sipped on expensive champagne, smiling as they mingled. I floated through the crowd, unnoticed. Unseen. But I wasn’t surprised. I had spent my entire life like this. From the corner of the room, a familiar face caught my eye. Caleb Martins. He was here. Evelyn’s former classmate. One of the only people who had ever shown me kindness. I remembered the last time he attended one of her birthdays—last year. "Sis, I want a seafood feast for my birthday." I had spent hours preparing a lavish spread for her, making sure every dish was perfect. But when we went grocery shopping, she wrinkled her nose. "The market's selection is disgusting. Go to the supermarket instead." And I had listened. I always listened. Because my father had said, "You've been working for years. Can't you spend a little money to make your sister happy?" That year, I had paid for every single expense. But Evelyn never even acknowledged my efforts. It was Caleb who had noticed. When she cut the cake, she handed him the second slice. But instead of keeping it, he had placed it in my hands. "This should go to the one who worked so hard to make tonight special. Let’s thank her together." He had been the only person who ever truly saw me. When I was rushing around, drowning in tasks, he had helped. And later, we had exchanged numbers, keeping in touch through quiet messages. But then Evelyn had smashed my phone. "Sis, don't be ridiculous and try to pursue Caleb!" I never had. But she had already decided I wasn’t worthy of even speaking to someone like him. "You? A middle school dropout talking to someone from a prestigious university? Have some self-awareness!" After she told our parents, they hadn’t hesitated to take her side. "If you want to get married, we'll find you a rich man. You'll be set for life." A week later, my mother dragged me to a blind date. The man was older than my father. I had fled the city after that. I never thought that the next time I returned… I would be nothing but a charred corpse. The shrill ring of a phone cut through the party’s music. "Hello, your daughter's body—" My father hung up immediately. "What a terrible omen! Today is Evelyn’s birthday, and you're talking about my daughter’s corpse? Are you cursing her?" The phone rang again. I wanted him to answer. To acknowledge me. But he silenced it once more. My death meant less than a murderer’s birthday. In his eyes, I was already gone. Irrelevant. I hovered near my mother, listening as she sighed. "I feel a chill, dear." "You must not be wearing enough layers." She had no idea I was standing inches away, watching her. The phone rang again. This time, she hesitated before picking up. "If you don’t come handle your daughter’s body in River Creek Village, we’ll dispose of it ourselves," the voice on the other end warned. My mother’s response was instant, her voice detached. "Handle it yourselves. I’m busy." Then she turned, beaming at Evelyn. I wanted to scream. To grab the phone and beg the person on the other end to bury me. I didn’t want to be cremated. I had already burned once. I didn’t want to go through that agony again. But when I reached for the phone— My hands passed right through it. I was nothing. And yet, they were smiling, laughing, moving on as if I had never existed. "Mom, Dad, this is my boyfriend, Caleb Martins!" I turned sharply. Evelyn clung to his arm, her eyes sparkling with feigned innocence. Caleb? Her boyfriend? A strange feeling twisted inside me. I didn’t know what it was— Only that something inside me cracked. I looked down at my hands. They were fading. Then re-forming. What was happening to me? I lifted my gaze, watching my parents glow with pride. The same parents who once shamed me for even talking to him. "You? A toad trying to eat swan meat?" But now that Evelyn was with him, they adored the match. "They’re perfect for each other," my mother gushed. "A match made in heaven." And then— Caleb looked around, frowning slightly. "But where’s Evelyn’s sister?" For the first time that night— Someone remembered me. _________