Chapter 3

Queenie returned to her room with a skip in her steps.

I followed her into the room that was once mine.

The room that Mom had decorated for me no longer looked the same.

Queenie lay on the bed and called someone eagerly. "Hey, that old coot Benjamin Linnus agreed!"

The person on the other end said something. Queenie sneered in response. "You really didn't let that tart Yvonne out?"

A chill ran through me at those words.

…

The next day, Dad drove Queenie to her competition.

During the journey, Dad seemed distracted. He kept glancing at his phone, but he did not do anything.

I floated over and saw my name displayed on the screen.

Was Dad thinking about calling me?

As if reading my mind, he grabbed his phone and placed the call.

"Sorry, the number you are calling is…"

Before the automated message ended, Dad hung up. His expression was dark, his brows furrowed in anger.

It was probably because I'd never missed his calls before.

But I was dead now. I would never be able to answer his calls again.

This small incident did not affect his mood.

As the spotlight turned on, Queenie appeared on stage like an elegant swan.

Dad stared at her intently, admiration filling his eyes.

Aunt Caroline had once told me that Mom had been a good ballet dancer when she was alive.

I had imagined myself dancing on stage countless times as well.

However, Dad had crushed my dreams with a single sentence. He had given me a cold look. "You're never going to dance classes. That's disgusting!"

For Queenie, however, he spared no expense in hiring the best ballet teacher. He even set up a practice room just for her.

My heart ached as I watched Queenie shine onstage.

When the competition ended, Dad planned to bring her out for a grand meal as a reward.

Just as they left the hall, Aunt Caroline called Dad, her voice all choked up. "Benjamin! No matter how much you dislike her, Yvonne's still your daughter, the child you fathered with Julia! How could you beat her up?"

Dad's face twisted with fury at the mention of my mother's name. "She killed Julia. She killed her own mother! I don't have a daughter that cruel!

"Besides, she pushed Queenie down the stairs. If I didn't beat her and teach her a lesson, she might end up murdering someone!"

Tears blurred my vision. I'd always known that Dad blamed me for Mom's death, but I didn't know that he loathed me that much.

Did you know, Dad? If I could turn back time, I would choose to die in her place.

After a long silence, Aunt Caroline said between sobs, "But you can't… you can't just beat her to death like that!"

Dad froze.

I watched him intently, hoping to see a hint of concern or panic.

However, all I got was his cold rebuke. "You should be old enough to know not to play along with her schemes. She's being immature. Why are you enabling her?"

He spoke loudly, drawing glances from the people around us.

As whispers rustled through the crowd, Aunt Caroline said weakly, "Yvonne's body is in your house. Just come back and see for yourself whether we're scheming or not."

With that, she hung up.

Dad stood frozen on the spot, unmoving.

Queenie asked tentatively, "Maybe we should go back and take a look, Uncle Ben."

Dad seemed to snap back to his senses. "Sure! I want to see whether she's really dead or not!" he said impatiently.

Soon, they arrived back at the Linnus residence.

As soon as he got out of the car, Dad stormed into the living room angrily.

When he saw Aunt Caroline kneeling on the ground and crying uncontrollably, he stopped abruptly.

In front of her lay my body, so rotted that it was almost unrecognizable.