Our sister was struck down by his personal assistant in a brutal drunk-driving accident on her way home from school. She died in the ER after they failed to resuscitate her. I filed a lawsuit immediately, demanding justice. But on the day of the trial, my parents were kidnapped and tied up in an abandoned warehouse, their bodies strapped with active C4 explosives. My husband, Ethan Miller, stood over me, his eyes colder than ice. “If you don’t drop the charges, I can’t guarantee these bombs won’t go off. Your sister is already dead, Serena. Why do you have to ruin another young girl’s life?” “If your sister hadn’t run out into the street like an idiot, Chloe wouldn’t have panicked and hit the gas instead of the brake. Strictly speaking, your sister brought this on herself!” At that moment, it clicked. Ethan thought the girl who died was my sister, Maya. That was why he was willing to risk my parents’ lives just to force me to drop the lawsuit! I let out a cold, sharp laugh. “Dropping the charges requires the immediate family’s signature. I don’t have the right to sign that.”
Ethan was famously known in New York as an overprotective, borderline obsessive older brother. If his little sister so much as scraped her knee, he would turn the entire city upside down to find whoever was responsible. Later, terrified that some street hoodlum might trick her into dating, he sent her to an elite all-girls boarding school during high school, paying over a million dollars a year in tuition. Seeing me refuse to sign, Ethan’s face darkened instantly. “Serena, I am telling you what’s going to happen, not negotiating with you.” “Chloe just graduated college. Are you really that malicious that you want to destroy the rest of her life?” “Besides, your sister would have married into some other family anyway. Tell you what, I’ll throw in some extra cash for your parents. Consider it a generous compensation package.” He glanced at my terrified parents tied to the chairs, his eyes flashing with a menacing threat. “You better make up your mind fast. I can’t promise how much time is left on those timers!” Looking at Ethan’s smug, victorious face, my heart went completely numb. To bail his precious assistant Chloe out of a prison sentence, he was actually using my parents’ lives to blackmail me! I stared at the ticking countdown on the bombs, my chest tight with agony. “Ethan, are you even human? The girl who was crushed to death under that car was “our” sister!” Ethan’s eyes narrowed, and he corrected me in a freezing tone. “She was “your” sister. Not mine.” I stared at him and chuckled quietly. I had simply said “our sister,” and he couldn’t wait to draw a line in the sand. If he knew that the girl lying cold in the morgue was his own flesh-and-blood sister, would he still be forcing me to sign this liability waiver? Ethan’s parents passed away when he was eighteen. At the time, his uncles kidnapped him and his sister to steal their inheritance. To help Ethan escape, his little sister stayed behind to distract the kidnappers. She was tortured in their basement for three days and three nights. When they finally found her, she was barely breathing. From that day on, Ethan swore to God he would protect his sister and never let her suffer a single scratch. Thinking of the horror Lily had endured in the past, I couldn’t help but sigh. “Ethan, did you know that when she was hit, she was still breathing? It was Chloe. She was terrified of the medical bills and the legal fallout, so she put the car in reverse and ran her over a second time, crushing her to death.” Ethan remained completely unmoved. He slapped a settlement and liability waiver onto the table in front of me. “That was just a death rattle. Besides, living as a vegetable would have been torture for her anyway. Dying quickly was a mercy. At least now she can secure a nice payout for your parents.” Looking at the utter disgust in Ethan’s eyes, my heart completely shattered. “Ethan, she only went out that day to buy a birthday cake for you. That’s why Chloe hit her.”
Ethan looked down at me, his eyes filled with nothing but cold indifference. “Your sister only bought me that cake to kiss up to the Miller family. I never cared about her cheap gestures anyway.” “Sign the papers. Now. Stop wasting my time!” Ethan gripped my shoulder with an iron, bruising grip, forcing me to look at my parents, who were shaking violently under the strapped explosives. I looked at the timer. Less than three minutes left. I bit my lip so hard it bled. “Ethan, if my parents hadn’t used every single one of their political and business connections to bail you out when your uncles tried to ruin you, do you think you’d be sitting in the CEO chair of Miller Enterprises today?” Ethan glanced at my parents’ pale, aging faces, his lips curling into a sneer. “They only helped me so you could secure your title as Mrs. Miller. Don’t act like it was charity.” His words stripped away the last piece of warmth in my soul. I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. “Fine. I’ll sign.” Satisfied with my answer, Ethan finally smirked and nodded to his bodyguards. “Cut them loose.” Then, he turned to me with a warning glare. “I’m releasing this signed waiver to Snapchat and Ins immediately. Don’t even think about filing a second lawsuit.” Without hesitation, he authorized a ten-million-dollar wire transfer to my account. “This is the compensation for your sister. Take it and never bother Chloe again.” I looked at the long string of zeros on my phone screen and instantly hit “Decline Transfer.” “Keep your blood money. After all, I’m not the victim’s family.” Ethan’s face turned bright red with rage. “Serena, your sister’s death has nothing to do with me. But if I catch you cursing my sister or bringing her into this, I will personally ruin you!” With that, he grabbed the signed waiver and walked out without looking back. The moment Ethan left, the adrenaline faded, and I collapsed into my parents’ arms, sobbing. My mother held me tightly, her tears wetting my hair. “Serena, you used everything we had to build his empire and put him on that throne. Was he really worth it?” A freezing coldness settled in my eyes. I looked up at her. “Mom, tell Grandpa Arthur to cancel every single contract and partnership we have with Miller Enterprises. I’m divorcing him.” The only reason Ethan survived his uncles was because my grandfather supported him from the shadows. Since he was bored of being the powerful CEO, it was time to drag him back down to the dirt. Looking at the bruises on my parents, I didn’t waste any more time. I immediately took them to the hospital for a full checkup. Thankfully, they were just shaken up and had minor bruises. They just needed a few days of rest in a private room. Right after I finished the admission paperwork, I saw Ethan walking down the hallway, supporting Chloe. Chloe was leaning weakly against his chest, looking like a fragile victim. “Ethan, ever since the accident, every time I close my eyes, I see that horrible, bloody scene. The doctor says I have severe clinical depression and PTSD. I need to be admitted, but all the private rooms are fully booked!” Ethan’s eyes locked onto the private room behind me. His face hardened. “Serena, tell your parents to pack up and give this room to Chloe.” I stared at him, unable to believe my ears. “Ethan, you kidnapped my parents and left them bruised and traumatized. And now you want them to give up their room to the murderer who killed a young girl?” Hearing this, Chloe smirked slightly before quickly hiding it behind a pout. “The car accident was just an unfortunate event! Besides, didn’t your family already take Ethan’s money? Or are you just pretending to be poor so you can extort even more money from him using your parents?” The nurses and visitors in the hallway began whispering and pointing at my parents and me.
“Oh, so that’s them! They made such a big scene online about demanding justice for their sister, but in the end, they just took the hush money and skipped the trial!” “Taking the cash and then coming to the hospital to play the victim? Talk about greedy. They probably want another payout.” “How shameless. Selling their sister’s life for a luxury lifestyle, and now they’re using their elderly parents to squeeze out more.” Ethan looked at me with disgust. “Since your family took the money, stop using your sister’s ghost to gain sympathy. Get your parents out of that room. Chloe needs it.” “Besides, if you hadn’t harassed her with that lawsuit, her depression wouldn’t have triggered. Your family owes her this.” I let out a hysterical laugh. “Chloe is the one who ran someone over. We don’t owe anyone anything!” Seeing my stubborn refusal, Ethan’s face turned ugly. “If ten million wasn’t enough, I’ll transfer you another ten million. Just get out of the room.” Chloe chimed in, “Twenty million is enough to buy your whole family’s lives, Serena. Be happy with what you got.” Ethan gave a sharp nod to the guards standing behind him. Instantly, several beefy men rushed into the room and began violently dragging my parents off the hospital bed! My heart dropped. I threw myself in front of my parents, staring at Ethan with pure hatred. “Ethan! My parents are still legally your in-laws! Aren’t you afraid of divine retribution?” Ethan sneered. “Serena, everything you have was given to you by me. Your parents are only in this high-end hospital because of the Miller family name.” I looked at him and smiled slowly, a chilling, mocking smile. “Ethan… how long has it been since you actually spoke to your own sister?” At the mention of his sister, Ethan froze for a fraction of a second, but his face quickly turned hostile again. “Your sister died because she was unlucky and stupid. She deserved it!” “My sister is perfectly safe at her boarding school. Do not compare my sweet Lily to your low-class sister!” I whispered softly, “You’ll find out soon enough who actually deserved to die.” Over the next few days, Ethan stayed by Chloe’s side at the hospital, playing the devoted caretaker. Because of this, the city morgue couldn’t reach him. In desperation, they called me. Lily’s body had been held past the limit. She had to be buried or cremated immediately. Remembering how Lily used to sweetly call me her big sister, my heart softened. I quietly organized a small funeral service for her. On the day of the funeral, I was walking with the hearse toward the Miller family private cemetery. From the opposite direction, Ethan and Chloe approached us. Seeing the black coffin, Chloe immediately pinched her nose and looked disgusted. “I just got discharged today, and the first thing I see is a coffin? Talk about bad luck!” “And Serena, why are you burying someone who died a violent death in the prestigious Miller family cemetery? Are you trying to make Ethan the laughingstock of all New York high society?” Ethan’s face was twisted in rage. “Serena! Why the hell are you bringing your sister’s dead body to my family’s cemetery? Are you trying to defile my family’s land?” My eyes turned bloodshot as I stared at the two of them. My hands trembled with fury. “Chloe, you are a cold-blooded murderer. What right do you have to speak about the dead? Aren’t you afraid she’ll crawl out of the dirt tonight and drag you to hell with her?” Chloe whimpered, looking terrified, and hid behind Ethan. “Ethan… seeing that coffin makes me relive the crash. I… I think my panic attack is starting again!”
“If she gets buried here, my mental health will be ruined forever!” Hearing this, Ethan immediately pulled her into a protective embrace, before turning to his guards with a savage look. “A dead nobody doesn’t belong in the Miller family plot. Take the coffin to the cheap public crematorium, burn her, and dump the ashes in the ocean.” Before I could react, several guards stepped forward and violently shoved me out of the way. My back slammed hard against the wooden coffin, a sharp, white-hot pain radiating through my spine. As the guards began using crowbars to force the coffin open right there on the road, I scrambled up from the dirt like a madwoman. “Ethan! Stop! You cannot do this to her!” Ethan scoffed. “Since your family accepted the blood money, her corpse belongs to me. I can do whatever the hell I want with it!” With a loud crack, the guard pried the lid open. Another guard reached in and ruthlessly dragged the body out of the silk lining, tossing it onto the grass like a sack of trash. “Ah!” Chloe screamed in terror at the sight of the pale, bloated body. She stumbled backward, knocking over a heavy ceremonial oil lantern used for the funeral procession. The lantern shattered, and the burning oil splashed instantly across Lily’s body. Within seconds, the corpse was engulfed in roaring flames. Staring at the burning body, Chloe looked up with watery, innocent eyes. “Ethan… I didn’t mean to! I was just so scared of the body that I lost my balance…” Ethan patted her back gently, comforting her. “It’s not your fault. Honestly, burning it here saves us a trip to the crematorium anyway.” I stared at Ethan, my eyes wide and bloodshot, my voice barely a whisper. “Ethan… I hope you never regret what you did today.” Ethan let out a mocking laugh. “Why would I ever regret burning your useless sister?” With that, he lifted Chloe up in a bridal carry, stepped carelessly over the burning corpse, and walked back toward his luxury SUV. I watched his retreating back, my fists clenched so hard my knuckles popped. If he had looked at the burning body for just one second… he would have noticed the silver promise ring on her charred finger. The ring he bought his sister for her sixteenth birthday. After putting out the fire and taking care of Lily’s ashes, I dragged my exhausted body back to the penthouse. The moment I pushed the door open, I saw Chloe sitting on Ethan’s lap, feeding him grapes. Seeing me, Chloe rolled her eyes. “Ugh, Serena. You just touched a dead body. Go wash up, don’t bring that bad juju into this house.” Ethan gave me a cold, warning look. “Don’t ever think about burying your family members in my cemetery again. It’s not meant for peasants.” I looked at the two of them, suddenly feeling a profound sense of disgust. I pulled a document out of my bag and threw it onto the coffee table. “Ethan, let’s get a divorce.” Ethan stared at the divorce papers, stunned for a second, before slamming his hand on the table and standing up in a fury. “Just because your sister got run over, you want to divorce me?” I nodded quietly. “Yes. Because she got run over.” Ethan sneered. “Serena, everything you have is because of me. Once you leave this penthouse, you’ll be nothing but damaged goods. No man in New York will ever look at you.” Chloe smiled like a snake. “Serena, you’ve been an unemployed housewife for years. If you leave Ethan, you won’t even be able to pay rent. Ethan is worth billions!” I looked at her and smiled. “If you want him so badly, you can have him.” Without another word, I turned and walked out of that toxic house forever.
That very afternoon, I hired the best divorce attorney in New York and filed the papers. Ethan didn’t think I’d actually go through with it. He spammed my Snapchat with dozens of angry voice notes. “Serena, you think you’re tough now? You just dropped the charges against Chloe, and now you’re suing me for divorce?” “You haven’t worked a single day since we got married. Let’s see how you survive in this city without my credit cards!” “You want a divorce? Fine. But you’re leaving with absolutely nothing. You won’t get a single penny of the Miller fortune!” To make matters worse, Ethan started spreading rumors online. He posted on Snapchat and Ins, claiming that I had cheated on him, and that I was using my sister’s “wrongful death payout” to fund a lavish lifestyle with my secret lover. The day of the court hearing arrived quickly. Because the drunk-driving case had already gained a lot of traction online, a massive crowd of reporters and bystanders blocked the courthouse steps. “Serena! Is it true you dropped the charges against Chloe just to take a hush-money payout?” “Serena, are you really divorcing your husband to run away with your lover using your sister’s blood money?” Ethan stood at the top of the steps, looking down at me with a smirk. “Serena, it’s not too late to call this off. If we go inside, I will make sure you leave with absolutely nothing.” I looked up at him and smiled coldly. “I’ll let the judge make that decision.” I walked past him and entered the courtroom. The trial began. Ethan sat at the defense table. His lawyer presented the ten-million-dollar wire transfer record along with photos of me entering hotels with various business associates (which were actually my grandfather’s executives). Ethan looked at me with a fake sigh of pity. “Serena, this should have been kept private. You forced my hand. I hope you don’t blame me.” “If your sister knew you were using her death to hook up with other men, she wouldn’t be able to rest in peace.” I looked at his hypocritical face and whispered, “I’ll ask her if she’s resting in peace. But as for your sister… I don’t think she is.” Suddenly, a young, vibrant girl stood up from the spectator gallery. “I’m literally standing right here. Who exactly died and left behind blood money?” Ethan froze. His eyes widened, and his pupils dilated in pure shock as he stared at the girl’s face. “M-Maya?! You’re alive?!” “Then… who died?” The entire courtroom erupted into whispers! “Wait, isn’t that Serena’s sister? She’s alive?” “What the hell? Is this a ghost story?” “If Serena’s sister is alive… then who was the girl crushed under the car? Didn’t Ethan have a little sister around the same age? Oh my god… could it be…?” Hearing the murmurs, Ethan began to tremble violently. He glared at me, his voice shaking. “Serena! You told me your sister died! What is this trick?!” I glanced at Chloe, who was sitting next to him, and smiled. “Whether my sister is dead or alive… shouldn’t your assistant Chloe know best?” Ethan stiffened. He turned his head slowly, staring at Chloe with a terrifying gaze. “Chloe… tell me. Who did you hit that day?” Chloe shook violently under his gaze and grabbed his arm in a panic.
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