Chapter 1

My stepsister, Lucy Sloven, framed me for triggering her allergic reaction. In response to that, my three brothers forced me into a cramped, airless cellar and sealed the door with chains.

I pleaded with them to let me out, pounding my fists against the cellar door.

Aaron Caldwell, my eldest brother and a powerful figure in the business world, snapped coldly, "I've always let it slide when you bully Luce. But this time, you knew she was allergic to seafood and still made her eat it. Were you trying to kill her? Stay in there and reflect on your actions!"

My second brother Bruce Caldwell, a rising pop star, and my third brother Clark Caldwell, a genius painter, scoffed together. "How dare someone as vicious as you play the victim? Stay in there and suffer!"

With that, they scooped up the trembling Lucy and rushed her to the hospital.

As time dragged on, the oxygen ran out. Every breath became a struggle until I suffocated to death inside.

Three days later, when my brothers returned from the hospital with Lucy, they finally remembered me.

They had no idea that I had already died from oxygen deprivation in that narrow cellar.

…

When I regained consciousness again, I discovered my spirit had appeared beside my three brothers. They had just returned to our house, which was a villa.

Aaron and Bruce were speaking warmly to Lucy.

"Thank goodness we got to the hospital in time. That was why you recovered so quickly."

Looking concerned, Clark told her, "The doctor said you're still weak. You need to replenish some nutrients."

He then placed another piece of meat onto Lucy's plate.

Standing aside, the maid couldn't help but speak up. "Sirs, Ms. Victoria Caldwell has been in the cellar for three days. There has been no response from her at all…"

Aaron snorted coldly and interrupted, "Luce was just discharged today. Why would you mention that jinx?"

The housekeeper tried to say more, but a sharp, warning look from Bruce and Clark silenced her instantly.

"That brat must've known Luce is allergic to seafood. That was why she prepared that seafood stew."

"I thought she had started to accept Luce, but it turned out she had been scheming all along!"

Lucy deliberately put on a terrified look and said timidly, "Vicky was punished because of me and left in the cellar for days. When she comes out, will she get mad at me?"

His expression cold, Aaron replied, "Don't be scared, Luce. We spoiled her too much and never put her in her place. After this lesson, she definitely won't dare to bully you again."

He instinctively took out his phone and refreshed our chat again and again, only to realize our last message exchange had been three days ago.

In the past three days, I had not sent Aaron a single text or called him. That merely served to intensify the fury in his gaze.

"That brat. It has been days, but she didn't even bother texting us to ask about Luce!"

Right then, Lucy held his hand and deliberately said in a tearful tone, "Let's not make Vicky misunderstand. I just want her company. I don't want to take anything from her."

Aaron quickly put his phone down and ruffled her hair adoringly. "You're too kind, Luce, unlike her. She's nothing but an ungrateful brat."

As Bruce recalled my behavior, his gaze turned cold. "That's right. How could she put Luce in danger just to get our attention? What a vicious woman!"

Clark nodded in agreement and scoffed. "Even though she's been locked up for three days, I'll throw her out of the house unless she admits her mistake and apologizes to Luce!"

As I stood there listening to their words, all I felt was irony. Yet, my spirit's every movement went completely unnoticed by everyone around me.

Ever since our parents passed away when I was young, my three brothers had poured all their attention and care into me.

One day, I wanted a playmate my own age, so my three brothers took the initiative to adopt Lucy from an orphanage. She became our stepsister.

I did my best to make Lucy feel welcome, but she kept framing me again and again in front of my brothers, driving them further and further away from me with each passing day.

It was the same this time, causing them to lock me away in the cramped cellar without hesitation.

Despite struggling hard, I felt the air in the cellar thinning. I gazed at the cellar door, begging for them to let me out.

Yet, my brothers wore cold expressions as they chided, "Stop shouting. You brought this on yourself."

"If it weren't for you, why would Luce suffer an allergic reaction? We've spoiled you too much, so you kept bullying Lucy. Stay in there and reflect on yourself!"

As they spoke, Bruce wrapped the chains around the door, while Clark piled heavy items outside the cellar door, cutting off my last chance of saving myself.

Now, watching Lucy plaster on a fake smile for my brothers, I let out another bitter, mocking laugh, disappointment washing over me once more.

My dear brothers had killed their sister, who loved them more than anything in the world!

Chapter 2

Lucy reached out, tugging at Aaron's sleeves. Sounding miserable, she said, "Don't be mad, Aaron. It's my fault for being allergic to seafood. I'm sure Vicky didn't do it on purpose. Stop blaming her!"

Aaron's expression turned cold as he spoke. "We spoiled her too much. Now, she's grown to be arrogant and overbearing!"

Fury surged in Bruce's eyes. "The older she gets, the pettier she becomes. If it weren't for her, Luce wouldn't have to suffer."

Right then, Lucy deliberately revealed the areas of her body still marred with faint red marks from the lingering allergic reaction to her brothers.

Feeling sorry for her, Clark tenderly touched her skin. "Does it still hurt, Luce?"

Lucy lowered her head, her voice trembling hard, as though she was about to burst into tears. "It doesn't hurt… at all…"

Completely enraged, Bruce shouted, "If we had gone to the hospital any later, Luce's life would have been in danger. And after all this time, we haven't received a single word from her. She still hasn't learned her lesson!"

Anger ripped through Aaron as he ordered, "Get that brat here so she can apologize to Luce! I want to see how long she can keep up this defiance without bowing her head."

Both Bruce and Clark agreed. "She's only so defiant because she's been hiding behind us. Now that she's crossed the line, she has to pay the price."

They turned to the maid and ordered angrily, "What are you standing there for? Go bring that ungrateful brat here. Also, fetch the rod. If Victoria hadn't deliberately put seafood into the stew, Luce wouldn't have suffered in the hospital for three whole days! It's time to teach her a lesson!"

The maid dared not question the order and rushed off at once to where my body was.

I laughed bitterly. My brothers had already decided I was guilty without even bothering to investigate the truth.

Three days ago, Lucy was craving for some stew. Wanting to please her, I decided to prepare it personally for her.

She even gave me a packet of seasoning, saying she wanted it in the stew. I tasted it and found it was just a simple seafood stew seasoning packet.

Who knew that this would be the source of her allergic reaction?

Even a business tycoon like Aaron couldn't see through Lucy's petty trick for attention. Didn't that just prove his favoritism?

To them, I would never be as important as Lucy. That realization caused a deep sense of sorrow to settle over me.

But none of that mattered anymore. I had already died in the cellar. My brothers were finally free to give all their love to Lucy.

"Mr. Aaron, we've been calling for Ms. Caldwell for some time, but there's no response at all. It doesn't sound like she's breathing anymore!"

Aaron immediately frowned and shot up, his face turning icy. "What is that brat trying to do now? Does she think apologizing to Luce is humiliating? Does she even realize she nearly caused Luce's death this time?"

Lucy tugged at his sleeves lightly and feigned sadness. "It's fine, Aaron. I'm just an orphan. I don't deserve an apology from Vicky."

Aaron's anger finally exploded. "Does she think I can't see through her cheap tricks? So, she thinks playing mute will get her off the hook, huh? It looks like I went too easy on her. Come on, let's drag her out. There's no way she gets to hide this time. She must kneel and apologize to Luce!"

Chapter 3

I couldn't help but drift behind my three brothers, my heart gradually sinking deeper.

Driven by their anger, my brothers soon arrived at the cellar door.

"Victoria Caldwell, do you really think you can dodge punishment by staying quiet inside?"

Yet, no sound came from within the cellar.

Bruce's expression turned grim. "Victoria, drop the act. Get out now! You have to kneel and apologize to Luce today! Hiding in there and cutting off contact won't change the fact that you hurt her."

Clark was just as furious, his eyes blazing as he snapped, "Victoria, you've really outdone yourself. You're deliberately giving us the silent treatment to spite us because you're upset we treat Luce well, right? Do you think hiding in the cellar stubbornly will make us back down?"

Yet, the cellar remained silent.

Aaron glanced at the trembling maid and asked coldly, "Why are you trembling? Did the brat bribe you to let her escape?"

Bruce let out a cold snort. "With her nasty temper, she probably couldn't stand the cellar's environment once we left and had the maid let her out."

Disappointment flashed across Clark's eyes. "You nearly got Lucy killed and still refuse to own up to it. Are you even the Vicky I knew? You're not our only sister, you know."

Right then, the maid replied fearfully, "Mr. Aaron, without your order, we wouldn't dare release her! Ms. Caldwell has been in the cellar for three whole days."

As Clark stared at the calm cellar, a flicker of unease appeared in his gaze. He strode forward and pulled the door a few times, but it didn't budge.

"Victoria, that's enough. I've already unlocked the door. Are you gripping the door, refusing to come out?"

I glanced at the cellar door twisted from within and flashed a bitter smile.

Back then, as I was suffocating and desperate to survive, I kept hurling myself against the door, driven by nothing but the instinct to live.

Alas, the cellar door was strangely solid. It wouldn't budge at all. In the end, I was left to die there, suffocating to my death.

Could they show me some love after seeing my body and bury me next to my parents? I really hoped they would.

Aaron grew increasingly irritated and began kicking the door. Because of that, the warped cellar door cracked open, and a foul, rotten stench immediately drifted out.

The maid was shaking. "It smells like… a dead body!"

Bruce and Clark stormed forward angrily.

"What dead body? She must've gotten out ages ago and just threw a dead rat in to trick us!"

"Victoria, do you think we're that easily fooled?"

The three of them grew more and more frustrated, kicking on the door together until the cellar entrance started to tremble.

Finally, the door opened with a bang. The stench grew stronger as the dark, cramped cellar was revealed to everyone.