My sister and I both fell down the stairs at the same time. Pregnant, I hemorrhaged and miscarried, my life hanging by a thread. But my husband, Ethan, the hospital director, summoned all the doctors to Clara’s room to conduct a full-body examination on her—she’d only fractured a bone. I begged Ethan to save me, but he just snapped at me impatiently, “Can you stop making a scene at a time like this? Do you know Clara’s leg is broken?!” In the end, I died in a corner where no one noticed. But after learning of my death, Ethan—who had hated me the most—lost his mind. In the last three minutes before my death, my soul drifted to Ethan’s side. At that moment, he sat beside Clara’s hospital bed, his face full of worry as he murmured, “Clara, don’t scare me. Wake up soon.” My brother, Marcus, looked furious. “If that bastard Autumn hadn’t failed to protect her, how would Clara have ended up like this? Just wait until I get my hands on her!” I stood nearby watching, bitterness welling up in my heart. Marcus, you don’t need to lift a finger. I’m already dead. Dead from your indifference. The doctors formed a circle around Clara’s bed. After confirming she only had a fracture and nothing serious, one of the older doctors finally dared to mention me, asking cautiously, “Director, are you really not going to check on Autumn? She fell down the stairs, hemorrhaged from a miscarriage, and her condition seems extremely critical. She urgently needs emergency treatment.” The concern on Ethan’s face instantly turned to disgust as he shouted, “What trick is she playing now? Is she faking it? She hurt Clara like this and still doesn’t get it!” I stared at him blankly, my dead heart suddenly stabbing with pain. I was his wife, carrying his child, and he truly didn’t care about me at all? Suddenly, Ethan picked up his phone and called me. A nurse had just brought the phone to my ear when what I heard wasn’t the concern I’d hoped for, but the same old scolding: “Autumn, when are you going to get over here and apologize to your sister?” I finally felt my heart turn cold, no longer harboring any expectations. That’s right—he didn’t care about me at all. Come to think of it, when I was first brought into the hospital, I begged him to save me. All he said was, “Can you stop making a scene at a time like this? Do you know Clara’s leg is broken?!” Then he turned and left without looking back, taking all the doctors to look after Clara. Where would he find the heart to love me? The nurse couldn’t stand it anymore and took the phone. “Director, Autumn really can’t hold on much longer.” But Ethan, convinced I was making a scene, laughed coldly. “What, how much did she pay you to help her put on this act? I never thought she’d have this kind of skill!” As soon as he finished speaking, Clara, who’d been pretending to be unconscious for so long, finally woke up, putting on a weak voice. “Marcus, Ethan, how is my sister?” Looking at the “sweet and understanding” Clara on the hospital bed, Ethan’s expression became even more disgusted. “Autumn, can’t you be sensible like her? You hurt her this badly and she’s still worried about you. If you don’t get over here and apologize within three minutes, don’t bother coming to see me again!” Ethan hung up, his chest heaving with anger. Marcus stood beside him, looking displeased. “Why call her over? Haven’t you caused Clara enough misery already?” Clara couldn’t hide the smugness on her face. She lowered her head silently, putting on an expression full of guilt as she looked at Marcus and Ethan. “Marcus, Ethan, don’t be angry. My sister has always resented me for getting the house our parents left behind. It’s only natural she blames me.” I found it laughable. Even with me dead, Clara was still driving wedges between people. But Marcus and Ethan would never see through it. In their eyes, Clara would always be the more obedient and well-behaved child compared to me. It would never occur to them that during that shopping trip, it was their beloved Clara who pushed me down the stairs with her own hands. Sure enough, Ethan’s face immediately turned cold. “She’d do something this vicious over a house? Her heart’s rotten through and through!” Clara said sweetly, “Ethan, don’t be angry. Maybe my sister just hasn’t thought things through yet. She didn’t mean to fight with me over it…” Ethan’s expression softened instantly. “Clara, you’re just too kind. That’s why your sister bullies you like this.” That was Clara—always knowing exactly what to say to please them. I knew that even if I stood right in front of them and told them about all of Clara’s vicious behavior over the years, they would just slap me hard across the face and say I was talking nonsense, jealous of my sister. Over the years, I’d gotten used to it. While they were talking, my younger brother Ryan came rushing in, anxiously checking on Clara’s injuries. As soon as he learned his youngest sister had been hurt, he immediately caught a flight from out of state and rushed back without stopping. Like Marcus and Ethan, his eyes were only on Clara. After confirming Clara was unharmed, Ryan finally breathed a sigh of relief, his face full of anger. “I said it all along—Autumn is the jinx of our family. For a house, she’d even try to kill her own sister!” Clara took the opportunity to act coy. “Don’t be angry. Even if my sister pushed me down the stairs, I’m sure she didn’t mean it!”
Hearing this, the whole family exploded! Marcus slammed the table. “What? She’s the one who pushed you down the stairs?!” Ethan ground his teeth in fury. “That vicious creature—I’ll never let this go!” Ryan’s eyes were even more vicious, as if he wanted to tear me to pieces. Clara’s heart jumped, as if afraid things would get out of hand and be exposed. She quickly said, “Don’t be mad at my sister, okay? Maybe I remembered wrong. No matter what, she’s still my sister. She wouldn’t do something like this!” Ryan gently patted her shoulder. “You’re just too innocent. You have no idea how evil people can be. We’re so lucky to have a sister like you. Let’s not talk about that disaster anymore. Just focus on recovering.” The setting sun’s rays fell on Clara’s hospital bed. Watching them together like this, an indescribable bitterness surged through me. In that instant, I felt even my soul seemed so out of place. As if I wasn’t their family member, just a stray dog. I wanted to escape, but my soul was tightly bound to Ethan’s side. I couldn’t make a sound either, could only let them humiliate me. A few days later, under the family’s attentive care, Clara was discharged. Ethan busied himself packing things. Marcus drove the car to the hospital entrance early, afraid she’d have to walk even one extra step. Ryan wouldn’t even let her put on her own shoes. On the way home, Ethan grumbled irritably, “Autumn’s really not worth anything. Her sister’s being discharged and she hasn’t come to visit even once, let alone apologize. Just wait till I get home—I’ll teach her a lesson!” Marcus glanced at him. “I told you, keeping her at home is just asking for trouble. Something was bound to happen eventually.” Hearing the word “lesson,” my emotions were complicated. A flood of memories rushed into my mind. Marcus’s hatred for me began with that car accident. I was sixteen that year. Our family of five was on a road trip. I got carsick and felt terrible, so Dad pulled the car over temporarily. He and Mom both got out to buy me medicine. That’s when an out-of-control truck crashed into us from behind. Dad and Mom used their bodies to shield me. I survived. They died. From that day on, Marcus believed I had killed our parents. As the only adult, he controlled our parents’ inheritance. My sister, being “the youngest and most pitiful,” received all his compensation and affection. And I became the most superfluous person in this family. On my eighteenth birthday, I hid the last intact family photo of Mom and Dad under my pillow. Clara discovered it. She tore the photo to shreds right in front of me. I lunged forward like a madwoman to grab those pieces, and pushed her. She sat on the floor, stunned for a second, then burst into tears. When Marcus burst in, he saw exactly that scene. “Autumn!” He grabbed my hair and dragged me to the living room, throwing me hard onto the floor. “Killing Mom and Dad wasn’t enough? Now you want to hurt your sister too?” He beat me while shouting, “You jinx! Why didn’t you die with Mom and Dad? Are you alive just to keep hurting people?” My younger brother Ryan stood in the doorway, glanced once, said nothing, and walked away. From that day on, I never dared treasure anything again, never dared have emotions, never dared approach my sister. I became a shadow in this house, a transparent person who should have disappeared long ago. Until now, when they’d left me in that cold emergency room.
As soon as they got home, Clara lay down on the sofa. The moment she said she was hungry, Ryan couldn’t wait to pull out his phone to order her favorite takeout. Usually so careless, he carefully studied the reviews of various restaurants on the food delivery app, afraid of letting Clara eat something that didn’t suit her taste. Marcus pulled out a latest model luxury brand handbag, saying it was a discharge gift for her, celebrating her safe return. Ethan cleaned Clara’s room inside and out, placing aromatherapy and calming essential oils, saying it would help her relax and rest better. Clara just lay comfortably on the sofa playing with her phone, yet she held the whole family’s heart. And me—my soul that had returned with them—only felt this all-too-familiar place was bone-chillingly cold. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. I saw a figure I knew all too well—my childhood friend, Derek. He’d just returned from abroad. As soon as he entered, he expressed concern for Clara’s health. “I heard Clara was being discharged today, so I specially bought some things to visit her.” Clara immediately put down her phone, acting shy. “Sorry you had to make a special trip. I’m fine now.” Derek gave her a warm smile. That face that had always been sunny and cheerful in my memory now seemed inexplicably strange to me. Suddenly, he changed the subject. “Where’s Autumn?” If he hadn’t mentioned me, the whole family probably would have forgotten my existence. Hearing my name, Ethan’s face darkened. “Why bring up that disaster? I said a few words to her and she didn’t even come home. But that’s fine—since she likes being out there so much, she should just never come back. Die out there. At least then home would be peaceful, instead of her constantly stirring up trouble!” Derek quickly nodded. “Good that she’s not coming back. At least she won’t disturb Clara’s rest.” Ryan came out carrying water, teasing, “So, are you leaving the country again this time? Clara, you’d better pay more attention, or someone else might snatch him away.” Derek lowered his head slightly. “I originally planned to visit Clara today, and also… clarify some things with Autumn.” An indescribable sourness churned from my heart to my throat. I laughed bitterly at myself, turned around, and didn’t want to look anymore. Not being loved—I’d gotten used to it long ago. After dinner, Ethan became somewhat irritable for some reason. He returned to the bedroom alone, searching for something on his phone. I walked over and glanced—he was looking for my phone number. Then he repeatedly called me, but no one ever answered. After a while, Ethan threw his phone hard on the ground. “Still dare not answer my calls? Think anyone actually cares about you?” I really wanted to tell him I was dead—how could anyone possibly answer the phone? But then he called that hospital nurse. “What trick is Autumn telling you she wants to pull? Tell her for me not to refuse what’s good for her. Get back here right now and apologize to her sister, and I’ll still allow her to come home!” The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds. “Director, Autumn died a week ago. She fell down the stairs that day, hemorrhaged from a miscarriage and urgently needed emergency treatment, but all the doctors had been summoned by you to Clara’s room. There were no doctors available to treat her…” Hearing these words, Ethan’s pupils dilated in shock. He froze in place. He refused to believe it, recalling the scene from that day, frowning confidently. “That’s impossible. She and Clara went together. Clara’s already been discharged—how could she be hurt that badly?” “Don’t think I can’t see through this little trick. Isn’t she just trying to make me care about her by causing trouble?” “I’m warning both of you—stop this endless scheming together! Or you’ll both regret it!” Seeing that Ethan refused to believe it no matter what, the nurse sighed softly and said helplessly, “Director, I’m really not lying to you. If you don’t believe me, go to the morgue and see for yourself.”
Ethan became somewhat nervous, pacing back and forth in the room, his footsteps heavy and urgent. “You liars, ganging up to deceive me—you really don’t know your place!” Without waiting for the nurse to say anything more, he angrily hung up the phone. Seeming to have heard Ethan’s outburst, Marcus opened the door. “Derek’s still here. What are you shouting about in your room?” Ethan clutched his phone to his chest with both hands, looking helplessly at Marcus. “The nurse from the hospital just said Autumn is dead. It can’t be true, can it?” Marcus rolled his eyes dismissively. “How are you so gullible too? If she was really hurt that badly, someone as scheming as her would have dragged Clara down with her. How could Clara still be standing here perfectly fine?” Derek also came over to comfort Ethan. “That’s right. Autumn… she’s got nine lives. She’s not that easy to kill.” Ryan said dismissively while playing on his phone, “Wouldn’t it be better if that annoying pest died? What’s there to worry about?” Although I’d long known everyone favored my sister, I never imagined I’d be so worthless in their eyes. After all these years, even if they didn’t like me, they should have understood me somewhat. With my personality, how could I possibly do something so despicable, or joke about my own life and death for attention? Under everyone’s “reassuring” words, Ethan straightened his back and resumed his usual arrogant manner. “First thing tomorrow morning I’m going to the hospital to expose them! If Autumn’s not in the morgue, I’ll break her legs! And that nurse—I’ll fire her too!” Light rain suddenly began pattering outside the window. Their casual words were like loud slaps across my face, but I couldn’t make a sound from the pain. By now, I clearly understood—everyone had been hoping for my death all along. Early the next morning, Ethan rushed to the hospital without even eating breakfast. Marcus, worried, went with him. On the way there, Ethan was still complaining to Marcus about having to make another wasted trip. But when they arrived at the hospital morgue and saw my corpse, Ethan staggered back in horror, stumbling to crouch against the wall, hugging himself tightly. “How could this be? How did this happen? That day I clearly saw she wasn’t badly hurt. Her mental state was clearly fine too…” I indeed didn’t look badly hurt, just some scrapes and bruises on my body. But it was because my abdomen had been struck during the fall, causing hemorrhaging and miscarriage, urgently requiring surgery to stop the bleeding. The reason my mental state seemed fine was because I was losing so much blood I was nearly gone—my adrenaline had peaked. As hospital director, Ethan would have noticed with just a little care. But unfortunately, he only cared about Clara. From beginning to end, he never looked at me even once. Marcus also reached out to touch my face. Perhaps because my death was too gruesome, his outstretched hand stopped in midair. After learning the news, Clara and Ryan rushed over. Seeing Ethan and Marcus looking devastated, Clara realized something was wrong. As soon as she entered, she rushed to my bedside and knelt on the floor, shouting, “How could you be so foolish! Just because I got the house Mom and Dad left behind, you resented me that much? To get revenge on me, you got yourself killed!” After crying dramatically, Clara crouched on the floor pretending to blame herself. “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be like this…” Then she started slapping herself hard in the face. Seeing this, Ethan, Marcus, and Ryan couldn’t care about being sad anymore and quickly pulled Clara away. Ethan held her tightly. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault. Her own greed killed her. This is all her own doing!” At the mention of that house, I froze for a moment, my thoughts pulled back to a year ago. I was four years older than Clara. After Mom and Dad died, they left behind a house in a very good location. I had just found out I was pregnant then, full of joy planning for the future. I discussed with Marcus about transferring the house to my future child. But the good-for-nothing Clara heard about it and threw a fit, saying Mom and Dad’s things were hers too, and she wanted it. Marcus knew perfectly well she didn’t even have a boyfriend and had no use for it, but still agreed to appease her. For this, Marcus specifically talked to me, spending the whole evening saying how difficult my sister had it. “Autumn, look—you’re pregnant now, you have Ethan taking care of you. Clara is still alone, and she’s so young… Why don’t we give her this house first? It’ll be a safety net for her. You still have your whole lives ahead of you.” I put down my water glass and fiercely objected for the first time. “This house is what Mom and Dad left for all of us to share, and isn’t it most appropriate to give it to my child now? If we give it to Clara, she’ll probably just sell it and squander the money!” Seeing me actually dare to argue back, Marcus slammed down his cup. “Autumn! We’ve supported you plenty over the years! Can’t you just give in to your sister? She’s simple-minded—what if she gets scammed later? Having a house is always good!” “She’s simple-minded?” I almost laughed coldly. “Can’t you see that she—” “Enough!” Marcus cut me off sternly. “I still have authority in this house! The house goes to Clara first. That’s final! If you keep making trouble, don’t call me your brother anymore!” Perhaps because I still cared about that pitiful bit of family affection, or perhaps seeing Marcus’s exhausted yet firm expression, I ultimately compromised. I heard my numb voice say, “Stop being angry. The house… just give it to her.” But now I somewhat regretted that softness. If I had insisted on fighting for what my child deserved, perhaps I would have seen through their true faces earlier and wouldn’t have ended up like this today. A few days later, out of guilt, Ethan held a fairly decent funeral for me.
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