For ten long years, my older sister and I shared a single body. She despised me for having a physical form of my own, while her lingering spirit was forced to coil inside me like a parasite, taking control for only a brief window each day. She hated me with a burning intensity. During high school, she would steal from classmates, then retreat, leaving me to face the accusations, the screaming teachers, and the humiliation. In our senior year, during the SATs, she intentionally cheated under my name—nearly putting me behind bars and permanently ruining any chance I had at higher education. I cried. I screamed. I begged my parents for help. They only looked at me with cold indifference and said: “If it weren’t for your sister, we never would have brought you into this world.” In the entire world, only my boyfriend, Beckett, loved me. He used to hold me close, whispering softly into my hair: “You are your own person, Callie. You aren’t just an instrument meant to exist for someone else.” Until our wedding day. I overslept. By the time I woke up, the ceremony was already over. In the video recorded by my parents, Beckett and my sister, Lorelei, were smiling radiantly, wrapped in each other’s arms. I confronted him, tears streaming down my face, asking why. Beckett didn’t even bother to deny it. He just offered a soft, dismissive smile. “I couldn’t help it, Callie. When Lorelei cries and begs, she looks so much more fragile than you ever do. So I put a sedative in your drink.” He paused, adjusting his cuffs. “Besides, your parents found a way to separate the two of you for good. Once that’s done, I’ll just sign the marriage certificate with you. That makes it fair, doesn’t it?” My parents stood nearby, watching me warily, terrified I might lose my mind and cause a scene like I used to. But this time, I was completely calm. If all of you love Lorelei so much, fine. I’ll leave. But when I leave, and how I leave, will be strictly on my own terms. … The wedding dress Lorelei had worn was carefully hung in the walk-in closet, its mermaid silhouette shimmering with delicate sequins. It was her dream dress. Mine—the one I had spent three agonizing days selecting—had been tossed into the dumpster outside our villa. Beckett looked at me as I stood trembling in the hallway, his expression sickeningly gentle. He reached out, softly tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “Come on, Callie. What’s done is done. Crying won’t change anything. I promised I’d make it up to you, didn’t I? Just be a good girl, okay?” When I glared at him, he smiled indulgently. “Alright, drop the attitude. The reception is over, and you know what comes next, right?” He leaned in close. “The wedding night.” Ignoring the sheer horror frozen on my face, Beckett gave my shoulder a light shove toward the bathroom. “Go on. Take a shower and prepare yourself a little. Your sister doesn’t have much experience, and I don’t want anything to hurt her.” The hot water blasted down from the showerhead, soaking my skin, yet I couldn’t feel a trace of warmth. I wanted to cry, but my eyes were bone-dry. Water droplets washed over my face, trailing down my cheeks and splattering on the tiled floor—shattering into pieces just like my absurd, miserable life. I was brought into this world solely to be an instrument. When Lorelei died in an accident years ago, my parents were so consumed by grief they nearly took their own lives. Then, they stumbled upon an occult, fringe ritual: conceive another child to serve as a vessel to anchor Lorelei’s remaining soul. I was the unlucky soul born to be that container. For as long as I could remember, I was forced to swallow strange, bitter concoctions that made my stomach turn. Suspicious practitioners were brought into our house, conducting bizarre experiments on my developing body. Pain was my constant companion. Yet, I endured it all. I bore the agony because I believed it was my parents’ desperate hope. I couldn’t bear to disappoint the only people I loved in this world. It wasn’t until ten years ago, when the ritual finally succeeded, that the cruel reality hit me. I watched from deep within my own mind as Lorelei used my face, my voice, to embrace my weeping parents. Only then did I realize I was nothing more than a tragic shell. I was never their beloved child. My phone, resting on the vanity, buzzed repeatedly. Wrapped in a plush bathrobe, I hesitated, dreading stepping out into the bedroom. I unlocked the screen and saw Beckett’s group chat with his closest friends blowing up with notifications. “Congrats, man! You actually pulled it off. All that acting finally paid off.” “For real. A bland chick like Callie is painful to even look at. Props to you for saying all those sweet things to a literal piece of wood.” “Hey, love at first sight is powerful stuff. The second Beckett caught a glimpse of Lorelei, he was completely hooked… Wait, isn’t Callie in this chat group too?” The group went dead silent for a second. Then, Beckett sent a reply: “So what? What is she going to do about it?” The chat immediately erupted into cheers, showering Beckett with praise for being a “cold-blooded alpha.” My hand went limp, and the phone clattered to the floor. The tears that had refused to fall in the shower finally spilled over, heavy and scalding, slamming against the cold tile. I had spent years believing Beckett was my salvation—the single ray of sunlight cutting through the barren wasteland of my life. He was the one who stood up for me in high school when my classmates accused me of stealing. He was the one who used his varsity jacket to cover the word “THIEF” carved into my desk. When I missed college because of the SAT scandal, he held me, whispering words of encouragement, taking me to try new things, helping me find a reason to keep living. And now, before I could even process the reality of my marriage, the fairy tale had ripped off its mask, revealing the monstrous truth underneath. “Callie? Are you done in there?” I pulled open the bathroom door. What met Beckett’s gaze was a pair of bloodshot, hollow eyes. He froze for a fraction of a second. But as his gaze flicked past me to the framed wedding portrait of him and Lorelei hanging on the wall, the flicker of concern in his eyes instantly hardened into disgust. “I know you can control it,” he said, his voice dropping an octave. “Let Lorelei out.” When I didn’t move, his jaw clenched. “Callie, for the love of God, consider everything I’ve done for you in the past. Don’t be ungrateful and ruin the happiest night of Lorelei’s life.” His words hit my chest like serrated blades. Unable to take it anymore, I retreated into the deepest dark of my own consciousness, forcing my sister’s presence to the surface. The moment Lorelei took control, Beckett’s eyes softened into a tenderness I had never once seen directed at me. Swallowing the dull, agonizing ache in my chest, I forced my consciousness into a deep slumber. … When I woke up again, it was the next morning. I was wrapped in a warm embrace, Beckett’s soft breathing brushing against the back of my neck, tingling against my skin. This used to be the exact cozy scene I had dreamed of for years. Except now, this intimacy belonged to someone else. I blinked away the moisture in my eyes and shifted slightly. The movement stirred Beckett. With his eyes still closed, he pulled me tighter into his chest, pressing a tender kiss against my forehead. “Good morning, beautiful,” he murmured sweetly. “What do you want for breakfast? I’ll make whatever you want.” His soft lips brushed my skin, leaving me stiff and paralyzed with dread. Sensuality turned to suspicion as Beckett noticed my stony silence. He opened his eyes, and in a heartbeat, the warmth evaporated entirely. “Oh. It’s you.” Beckett immediately rolled out of bed, leaving the sheets without a second glance. “I have a busy schedule at the firm today. Grab whatever you can find in the kitchen.” He adjusted his tie in front of the mirror, then paused, as if remembering something. “Don’t eat anything cold today,” he added over his shoulder. “I’ll pick up some cake on my way home tonight.” Before I could even process this unexpected bit of concern, he shattered it with his next sentence. “Your period is starting in a couple of days. Lorelei has a terrible pain tolerance. Don’t eat junk and make her suffer.” The last flicker of light in my heart went out completely. The door clicked shut, leaving the heavy, suffocating silence of the house to settle over me. I looked around the master bedroom. Pink velvet curtains. A plush cat-shaped cushion on the armchair. Fresh hydrangeas on the nightstand. Every single detail was curated for Lorelei’s taste. As for what I liked? No one had ever asked, and no one cared to know. I wandered aimlessly downstairs into the kitchen. When I reached the refrigerator, I stopped dead in my tracks. A heavy metal padlock was secured around the handles. Beckett was terrified that I might intentionally eat something cold or spoiled out of spite, just to make Lorelei suffer cramps. A wave of profound absurdity washed over me. Suddenly, footsteps echoed from the foyer downstairs. My parents had arrived. The moment they caught sight of me coming down the stairs, their faces lit up with an unprecedented joy. “Callie!” That single word froze me in place, suspending my instinct to bring Lorelei out. In my entire memory, my parents had never spoken my name with such warmth. To them, I had no identity. I wasn’t a living, breathing human being—just an organic vessel containing their precious lost daughter. And vessels didn’t deserve to be noticed. I blinked frantically, forcing back the sudden tears brought on by hearing my own name from their lips. I didn’t want them to see my weakness. I stiffened my back, my voice flat and distant. “What are you doing here?” My mother rushed forward like a loving parent, taking my hands in hers and pouring out fussing questions. “Silly girl,” she scolded gently. “Can’t your parents come check on you? You’re our flesh and blood, too. Of course we care about you.” I stayed silent. Over the years, because Lorelei shared my physical body, I had never lacked material wealth. However, ever since I learned to read, I was handed a thick, precise manual titled “Body Maintenance Guidelines”. I was forbidden from eating sugar because Lorelei was afraid of tooth decay. I wasn’t allowed to go outside and play with other kids because a scraped knee might cause Lorelei pain. Even my daily water and food intake were calculated down to the gram by expensive clinical nutritionists hired by my parents. Because Lorelei hated gaining weight, and she hated being unrefined. For twenty-five years, I ate meals that tasted like damp chalk. Yet whenever Lorelei took control, all those rigid rules magically vanished. She could gorge on her favorite greasy foods and run wild doing whatever she pleased. As if she were the rightful owner of this skin. “Callie?” my mother called softly, her voice dripping with affection. I knew she didn’t truly love me. Yet, part of me was still pathetic enough to crave that tiny crumb of maternal affection. I couldn’t bring myself to crush her hope just yet. I squeezed her hand back softly. “Mom?” She flinched slightly, an awkward flicker passing over her features before she smoothed it over. “Here’s the thing, honey,” she said, her voice faltering slightly. “Your father and I finally found a definitive way to separate your soul from Lorelei’s.” She took a breath. “We just need your full cooperation.” My eyes drifted to the corner of the room, landing on an intricately carved wooden mannequin doll resting on the side table. Lorelei’s new vessel. Being separated from her was everything I had ever dreamed of. It meant freedom. So I nodded. But I had no idea how terrible the price of my compliance would be. The pain hit instantly. It felt as though invisible, clawed hands were tearing through my muscle, skin, and marrow, ripping my very soul away from the flesh it had grown around. A sharp, agonizing scream tore from my throat. My mother instinctively clapped her hands over her ears, her face contorting with a flash of guilt—yet she didn’t say a single word to stop the ritual. Because to her, the end justified the means. Ten years ago, my parents had pushed past their discomfort to perform dark experiments on me, successfully bringing back their favorite daughter. Now, all they had to do was endure a few minutes of uncomfortable guilt to have her fully restored in the physical world. “It worked!” someone shouted in the room. At that exact moment, a violent tremor shook the foundation of the house. An earthquake. Without a second thought, my parents lunged forward, scooped the wooden doll into their arms, and bolted for the front door without looking back once. They completely forgot that behind them, their younger daughter was lying on the floor, paralyzed by unimaginable pain, unable to move an inch. I lay there, watching their retreating backs through blurred vision, tears slipping quietly from the corners of my eyes. That fragile drop of motherly love I thought I had just gained dissolved into ashes. I really was abandoned, wasn’t I? … When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a sterile hospital bed. Outside the glass partition of the room, Beckett was locked in a heated argument with my parents. “…You two were completely out of your minds!” Beckett snapped, his voice trembling with rage. “Forcing a soul separation carries an eighty percent mortality rate for the host vessel! You knew that!” I froze under the thin hospital blanket. No wonder my mother had looked at me so strangely. No wonder she was willing to lower herself to speak to me so softly. No wonder she hadn’t given me a single glance when the earth shook, cradling the doll as she fled. From the very beginning, she never intended for me to survive the ritual. She only needed Lorelei to live. My life was entirely disposable. “It’s a miracle she didn’t die!” Beckett shouted, pacing back and forth. “She only broke a leg in the collapse! If she had died, the consequences would have been catastrophic…” I stared blankly at Beckett’s furious face. He had always been polite, refined, and calm. I had never seen him yell, let alone disrespect my parents like this. For a split second, a pathetic swell of hope rose in my chest—until his next words shattered it completely. “Callie is a month pregnant!” Beckett hissed, pressing his knuckles against his temples. “That is my child with Lorelei! Even if you want to separate them, it can’t happen until she gives birth!” My parents, who were about to argue back, instantly went pale. The realization that they had almost destroyed Lorelei’s unborn child crushed them. My mother broke down, sobbing hysterically as she pounded her own chest in remorse. “It’s my fault… God help me, I almost killed Lorelei’s baby…” Beckett and my father quickly rushed to comfort her, surrounding her with gentle reassurances. In the midst of their chaotic family unit, no one noticed me lying on the bed, feeling as though I had been plunged into an abyss of ice. A child. They had only been married for a day. How could there be a month-old pregnancy? Unless… Long before the wedding, while I was still blissfully unaware, they had already been sleeping together using my body. A violent surge of nausea hit my throat. I suddenly remembered all the unusual fatigue and morning sickness I had experienced over the past month. Beckett had casually brushed it off, telling me I had just eaten something bad. And I had trusted him blindly. It turned out… it turned out that all those years of salvation, romance, and shared memories were nothing more than my pathetic, one-sided delusion. I had lived on this earth for twenty-five years. I had no real family, no true lover, and no friends. All I had to show for my existence was a unwanted, cursed seed forced into my womb without my consent. I was entirely, utterly alone. Wiping away my tears, I waited until their attention was completely consumed by my mother’s hysterics, then quietly swung my legs over the edge of the bed. Dragging my broken, cast-bound leg, I stumbled out of the room and began walking aimlessly through the hospital corridors. I didn’t know where I was going, or where I even “could” go. In this vast, crowded world, there wasn’t a single inch of space that belonged to me. Before I realized it, I had reached the top floor. As if drawn by an invisible force, I pushed open the heavy metallic door and stepped out onto the hospital rooftop. The cold wind whipped against my hospital gown. Behind me, frantic footsteps suddenly burst through the doorway. Beckett, along with my parents, froze in terror the moment they saw where I was standing—right on the edge of the ledge. “Callie! What are you doing?! Step back!” Beckett screamed, his voice cracking. For twenty-five years, this was the very first time I had looked down at them from above, taking in the raw expressions on their faces. Panic. Horror. Desperation. They held out their hands, reaching toward me, shouting frantically—yet not a single one of them dared to take a step forward. Because they knew, deep down, I was truly ready to jump. “Callie, please, just calm down!” Beckett begged, tears streaming down his face. “Whatever it is, we can talk! Don’t do something stupid!” My parents joined in, their voices frantic with despair. Yet I knew the bitter truth. They weren’t terrified of losing me. They were terrified of losing the sister living inside my body, and the baby nestled in my womb. A sharp gust of wind swept across the roof, gently pushing against my shoulders like an invitation. Before their horrified eyes, I let go. I tipped backward, falling through the air like a weightless, dying leaf. “Lorelei!” In the final second before darkness consumed me, a faint, peaceful smile touched my lips.
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