During the birthday celebration of my parents’ fake daughter, I accidentally ruined her cake. My parents and brother, without a moment’s hesitation, locked me away in the basement. “You’ve ruined the party with your jealousy,” they spat. “Stay here and think about what you’ve done!” The perfect family of four jetted off to Crystal Island to throw another birthday party for their precious fake daughter, leaving me alone in the cold, dark basement. But fate had an even crueler twist in store. A gas leak had been slowly filling the house, and I remained trapped below. When they remotely switched on the lights, the entire mansion erupted into a devastating explosion. In an instant, I was gone. Even in death, my spirit lingered, drifting weightlessly to their location. There they were, on a pristine beach, surrounding their beloved fake daughter. The luxurious three-tiered cake was wheeled out, and my parents and brother gathered around the imposter, their faces glowing with affection as they watched her make her birthday wish. The imposter put on a show of concern, asking about my well-being with false sincerity. “You’re just too kind-hearted, Clair,” they told her. “Someone like that needs to be taught a lesson by being locked up at home. That’ll make her think twice before trying to steal from you again.” Those words shattered any remaining hope I had in them. Yet, when they returned home to find the mansion reduced to rubble, my parents and brother completely lost their minds. ***** “Dad, Mom, Tommy, thank you for celebrating my birthday with me.” Clair Henderson’s eyes sparkled with joy as she gazed at her parents, Oscar and Nicole Henderson, and her brother, Thomas Henderson, aboard the luxury cruise ship. “This will truly be a day I’ll never forget.” She was a vision in her million-dollar Chanel couture gown, crowned with a diamond tiara so brilliant it could blind. Like a princess from a fairy tale, she basked in the spotlight of their undivided attention. My parents and brother gazed at her with unbridled adoration. No one could see me standing nearby, silently watching them, because I was already dead, and they couldn’t see my soul. But what difference would it make if they could? In this family, I had always been invisible anyway. “Clair is truly the crown jewel of the Henderson family. This birthday party must have cost millions of dollars at least,” one of the bystanders whispered. “And that’s not all—I saw that pink diamond necklace she’s wearing at an auction. It was worth eight million dollars.” “Clair is so lucky to have such a family who cherishes her so much.” Hearing the guests’ admiring comments aboard the yacht, I revealed a bitter smile. Yes, how lucky she was indeed. I was the true Ms. Henderson, yet she was nothing but an imposter who stole my place in the family. Yet, my own flesh and blood, my family, only had eyes for her. They had even forgotten that Clair and I shared the same birthday. But while she had a party, I didn’t even get a single present. Not even a slice of birthday cake was saved for me. Then Clair, surrounded by their adoration, suddenly brought up my name. “Oh, yes, is it really okay to leave Izzy alone at home? Even though she ruined my birthday party, I’m sure she didn’t mean to. Dad, Mom, Tommy, please don’t be angry at her because of me.” Her tone was sincere, her face etched with concern as if she genuinely cared about my well-being. Thomas let out a cold snort. “That bitch will be fine! Clair, you’re just too kind-hearted. That’s why she was able to bully you!” My parents nodded in agreement. “That’s right, Clair. Don’t worry about her. She’s old enough to know better, but she has no manners at all. We’re just teaching her a little lesson,” my father Oscar sneered. “That’s what she gets for being so jealous and ruining your birthday party,” my mother Nicole said. “She’ll think twice before trying to steal from you again!” Their words sent an icy chill down my spine. They called it a “lesson”. Their idea of a lesson was locking me alone in a dark basement after sending all the servants away. I was left alone in that massive mansion, trapped in a basement with no food or water. They called this just a lesson?
Clair’s birthday party was supposed to be held at our mansion. When they wheeled out her custom five-tier cake, I suddenly felt hands shoving me from behind. Before I could catch myself, I crashed straight into the cake. Cake frosting and fruit covered my face and clothes. I would never forget the mockery in the guests’ expressions, nor the accusations hurled at me by my parents and Thomas. They claimed I was jealous of Clair, that I deliberately ruined her birthday celebration. My protests fell on deaf ears—not a single person was willing to believe me. “No wonder the headmaster said you had behavioral issues, Isabella. You’re a complete waste of space.” Thomas frowned. “Only Clair and I were standing behind you. What? Are you going to accuse us of pushing you?” The way Thomas looked at me then—like I was something filthy he’d found on the bottom of his shoe. He yanked me violently, sending me crashing to the floor. My face contorted in pain as my knees hit the ground. My already pathetic state now looked even more pitiful. The stares of onlookers cut into me like knives, but the deepest wounds came from my own family. My parents cast one disappointed look at me before ordering the servants to lock me in the basement. Then they whisked away their “aggrieved” Clair to Crystal Island, chartering a luxury cruise ship to throw their precious princess a new birthday celebration. Meanwhile, I suffered alone in the basement. The truth was the person, who had switched Clair and me, had abandoned me at an orphanage where I grew up. No one knew that beneath the headmaster’s kind facade lay a woman who took pleasure in tormenting me behind closed doors. Whenever I made a mistake, she would lock me in a tiny dark room. That pitch-black chamber had no light whatsoever, making it impossible to tell how much time had passed. If even adults would break down in such conditions, how could we children possibly cope? I had almost managed to bury those painful memories. But the people who should have been closest to me forced me to remember everything. Terror ripped through me as I screamed in desperation, clawing at the basement door until my fingernails left bloody trails across its surface. My pleas went unanswered. That was when the crushing realization hit me—the house was empty. They had abandoned me. I pulled out my phone with trembling hands, calling my parents and Thomas countless times, even sending desperate messages begging them to release me. But they had blocked my number, and my messages disappeared into a void, never to be answered. They were determined to punish me. Their hearts hardened against any plea. Just as I was on the brink of breaking down, a distinct smell hit me—like rotten eggs permeating the air. The realization struck immediately—gas was leaking throughout the house. With the doors firmly locked, there was no escape. I could only huddle in the corner, pressing clothing against my nose and mouth in a desperate attempt to breathe. Then, at the worst possible moment, the mansion’s lights flickered on. In the next instant, the entire house was obliterated, reduced to nothing but rubble on the ground. I couldn’t escape the blast. The explosion threw my body several feet, tearing it apart so completely that not even an intact corpse remained. Yet my family remained completely unaware. Thomas pulled out his phone and dialed my number impatiently. But my old flip phone had been destroyed in the blast, and his call went unanswered. This had never happened before. I had set unique ringtones for each family member and always answered their calls instantly. This was the first time I had ever failed to respond. Thomas furrowed his brow slightly, showing signs of unease. Noticing this, Clair quickly moved closer to him, her face filled with concern. “Is Izzy angry?” she asked softly. At her words, Thomas’ unease immediately vanished. “She’s the one who did wrong. What right does she have to be angry? “If you ask me, she should be begging for your forgiveness! This is your 18th birthday celebration, for heaven’s sake!” A flicker of sadness crossed Clair’s face, but she still managed a smile. “It’s okay, Tommy. You’ve all made it up to me already. I’m sure Izzy didn’t mean any harm.” Her words, so mature and understanding, only made Oscar, Nicole, and Thomas feel even more protective of her. Of course, their disgust towards me only grew stronger. I overheard Nicole muttering under her breath, “Why couldn’t Clair be my biological daughter instead?” “Isabella is just so…” She clicked her tongue in disapproval. Perhaps because I had already lost all faith in them, these words no longer hurt me like they used to. There was just one thing I couldn’t understand. If they never loved me, why did they go through all the trouble of bringing me home in the first place?
My confusion was soon answered. After Clair’s birthday celebration, everyone retired to their rooms. With nowhere else to go, I followed my parents. Oscar sank into the sofa, wearily massaging his temples. Nicole pulled out various medications from her suitcase and laid them out in front of him. “Oscar, you need to get admitted to the hospital soon,” she urged. “The hospital just sent word that Isabella’s compatibility results are back—she’s a match. Now that we have a kidney donor, you can finally get the surgery.” Oscar let out a heavy sigh. “But what if Isabella refuses to donate? She’s always been selfish.” Nicole let out a cold snort, slamming her glass down on the table. “What right does she have to refuse? It’s just one kidney! After the donation, we’d take care of her for the rest of her life. Isn’t that enough? “If it weren’t for your condition, I wouldn’t even want to see such an ill-mannered girl in our house! Ever since she came back, look at all the grief she’s caused Clair!” The mention of me set off a torrent of complaints from Nicole. Oscar’s expression darkened. “That’s enough,” he said. “She is still our biological daughter, after all. If it hadn’t been for Clair’s birth mother, she wouldn’t have ended up in that orphanage. “Though she might not have suffered there, she still had a hard time.” Nicole rolled her eyes. “What’s there to feel sorry about? Didn’t you hear what the headmaster said? She treated Isabella like her own daughter, and Isabella nearly killed her in return! “Such a cold-hearted woman deserves whatever suffering comes her way. Besides, how can we blame Clair for what her mother did?” Oscar seemed to agree with Nicole’s reasoning. He took his medicine from the table before speaking again, “Alright, I’m not blaming Clair. If anyone’s to blame, it’s that girl’s fate. “Like you said, dear, after she donates her kidney, we’ll buy her a house and support her for life. That should be enough.” Nicole finally seemed satisfied. “That’s more like it. Clair is the only daughter in my heart. You should buy a house far away from here. I don’t want to keep seeing her. Who knows? She might try to harm me next.” After chatting for a while longer, they turned off the lights and went to bed. No one saw me standing there, frozen in place for over half an hour. So that was how it was. They only brought me back because they needed my kidney. Their coldness towards me was because they believed the lies of that cruel headmaster who always bullied me. So, they never loved me at all. I suddenly found myself laughing at the absurdity of it all, doubling over and clutching my stomach. But as I laughed, tears began streaming down my face, beyond my control. Why did it have to be this way? I truly believed I was finally about to be loved. But it was all just an elaborate deception. After calming myself, I walked to my parents’ bedside and gazed at their sleeping faces. They looked just like the parents I’d imagined as a child. Oscar was tall and handsome, while Nicole was beautiful and gentle. But now, they were monsters to me. They weren’t my mom and dad but Clair’s. They would never protect me, only Clair. From beginning to end, they had never once believed in me. As bitterness spread through my heart, I found my hand reaching out, fingers brushing against Nicole’s delicate neck. But in the end, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. There was a saying that rang true. While parents might have many children, a child only had one set of parents. No one ever taught me how to stop loving my parents when they didn’t love me back. I curled up in the corner, trying to find some comfort in myself. But suddenly, the silence of the night was shattered by Oscar’s ringtone. He answered the phone in a drowsy haze. Then, I heard the voice on the other end. “Is this Mr. Henderson? There’s been an explosion at your home due to a gas leak. We’ve found a female body at the scene. Would you be able to come back and assist with our investigation?”
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