On Diana's birthday, a woman who was my husband's first love, I became the special guest without knowing what was in store. My husband Zachary Brown personally selected me to perform a high-altitude bungee jump. "I can't do this..." Before I could finish, Zachary Brown pressed down on my shoulder and called two people over. "You don't get a choice." Just like that, I was forcibly dragged onto the high platform and strapped into crude bungee equipment. Looking at the crowd below, I trembled all over, my legs too weak to support me. I begged pitifully: "I'm afraid of heights. Please let me down." But all I saw was Zachary Brown with his arm around Diana, laughing so hard they could barely stand. "Lily, you're quite the actress. You used to climb trees to rescue cats. Now you're playing the coward?" With that, he pressed the switch without hesitation. I screamed in terror. My heart raced faster and faster from the stimulation, then a sharp pain shot through me, and I plunged completely into darkness.
When I regained consciousness, I found myself floating in mid-air. I looked down wordlessly at everything below, including myself. Instantly, I realized I was dead. But Diana still wouldn't let me go. She leaned against the railing, her face full of mockery. "Why'd you stop screaming? Did Xincheng call you out and now you're too embarrassed?" Zachary Brown sneered: "She definitely feels humiliated. She's playing dead." "I want to see how long she can keep up this act. Turn up the intensity." But I wasn't pretending. I'd truly had a heart attack and died on that platform. The corpse on the bungee cord showed extreme terror---eyes wide open, face blue and purple. The mockery continued below. They laughed and joked, but no one was willing to come closer for a look. No one noticed that the person who'd been crying for help moments ago had already stopped breathing. Zachary Brown was right. I had climbed a tree before, just to rescue a cat stuck in its branches. But that was because the cat was a keepsake from my grandmother. Perhaps because I'd been silent for so long, Diana grew impatient and shouted at me: "Stop playing dead!" "If you ruin my birthday mood, can you afford to make it up to me?" Hearing this, my spirit form showed a sardonic smile. Whenever I didn't do what they wanted, Diana would mock me like this about my poor background and lack of money. Zachary Brown quickly chimed in: "Stop this act. If you don't move, you'll spend the night up there!" As the machine operated, my corpse swayed with the rope, looking utterly pathetic, yet remaining completely silent. I floated beside everyone, shouting loudly that I was dead, but no one could hear me. Perhaps angered by my silence, Zachary Brown sneered and gave an order directly. "Set it to maximum power. Since you want to play, I'll let you play to your heart's content!" I wanted to stop Zachary Brown. I reached out, but my hand passed straight through his body. "This is such a buzzkill. I don't want to watch her swing around on my birthday. Let's find another place." Hearing this, Zachary Brown put his arm around Diana's waist and headed out. Seeing the main players leave, the others dispersed as well. Only a corpse remained, hanging from the high platform, mechanically swaying up and down under the machine's operation. Watching Zachary Brown's retreating back, my heart grew colder inch by inch. My eye sockets were empty---nothing could flow from them. That's right. How could a soul have tears? Just as I thought I'd rot here until I scared the cleaning staff into screaming and the police would take over... An invisible force suddenly grabbed my soul. I couldn't break free at all. I could only be forcibly dragged away from the terrace, floating in the direction Diana and Zachary Brown had gone. I was like a puppet on strings, involuntarily following their car through the streets and alleys, stopping outside the home Zachary Brown and I had lived in for five years. The house was Zachary Brown's premarital purchase, but the decoration was all my work, done bit by bit with my own hands. Having lived here for five years, every corner held memories of him and me, and our son Ethan Brown. At this moment, I watched helplessly as Diana held Zachary Brown's arm, chatting and laughing as they walked through the front door. Zachary Brown casually tossed aside his coat, rubbing his temples and complaining: "Today was fun, but Lily playing dead really killed the mood." Diana naturally leaned against him. Her tone was gentle, but I could see the malice hidden in her eyes. "Don't worry about her. If she's in a bad mood, let her be. She'll probably come back tomorrow. Don't let her ruin yours." Zachary Brown didn't comment either way. He turned and went into the bathroom, not avoiding this childhood friend at all.
Diana, perhaps out of shame, didn't follow him in after all. Instead, she walked over to my and Zachary Brown's wedding photo. Back then, I believed Zachary Brown and I were truly in love. Holding his hand, I smiled so happily, my eyes full of hope for the future. Diana's fingertips traced across my face, creating a grating sound as they rubbed against the glass protective cover. "Lily, you thought marrying him meant you won? Turns out I've been playing you like a dog." From her resentful words, I learned everything. The "sister" was just Zachary Brown's excuse. Diana was his first love. Unfortunately, after the SAT exams, the Brown family faced bankruptcy, so the two broke up and Diana went abroad. That's when Zachary Brown and I met and got to know each other, going from rags to riches together. "You're just a girl from the slums. What right did you have to marry him and bear Ethan Brown? But now that you're dead, everything will return to its proper course." Hearing this, I felt thunderstruck. So I'd been naive all along. Everything today was actually a carefully orchestrated murder plot by Diana! Everything today was never an accident---it was a kill scheme Diana had carefully set up! I knew Diana didn't like me. From the moment she returned to the country six months ago, she'd been making things difficult for me at every turn. Because of my background, I was already unpopular in their circle. Her targeting made things even worse. Now everything was clear. She didn't want Zachary Brown, but she couldn't stand someone inferior to her taking him away. So she used the birthday party to set up the bungee jump, deliberately provoking me and driving me to my death. She had indeed succeeded. I was dead. "You thought Zachary Brown truly loved you?" Diana's lips curled into mockery: "Back then, you were already his best option." Learning that Zachary Brown had told Diana these things in bed as pillow talk, sadness swept over me like a violent wind. Over the years, countless people had told me he chose me because of my ordinary background---that I was obedient and easy to control. But I firmly believed Zachary Brown and I had love. Now with the fig leaf torn away, I thought of how Zachary Brown's parents had shown disdain from the very beginning. They'd never accepted me. I couldn't help but think of my son Ethan Brown. Did he also despise having my blood running through his veins? The bathroom door opened. Zachary Brown came out in a bathrobe. Seeing her staring at the wedding photo, he frowned. "Why are you staring at that photo?" Diana's expression changed in a flash. She immediately hid the hatred on her face, took his hand, and said with a coquettish laugh that she wanted to take matching wedding photos. "If my parents hadn't forced me onto that plane abroad, we'd be the ones in that photo." At her words, Zachary Brown's eyes flickered. He turned his head to avoid her gaze, his tone dismissive: "Don't be ridiculous. I have a wife." Then he pulled away from Diana's hand and sat on the sofa to scroll through his phone. But he deliberately avoided looking at the wedding photo, making him appear both guilty and hypocritical. Watching this scene, I found it utterly ironic. I was already dead, and I now knew the vows before marriage and those five years of affection were all fake. Zachary Brown wanting to play the devoted, loyal husband now---this hypocrisy disgusted me even more than Diana's malice.
Just then the door lock turned. Ethan Brown, awakened by the noise, walked in rubbing his eyes, calling out sweetly for Daddy and Aunt Diana. For the first time since becoming a soul, I felt this excited. I desperately floated toward him. I wanted to hold him. I was calling to him. But he couldn't see me or hear me. He ran straight to Diana, hugged her legs, and asked: "Aunt Diana, where's Mom? Why don't I see her?" Diana, who usually had no patience for children, crouched down and coaxed him gently. "Mommy went to a friend's house to play. She'll be back in a few days." Ethan Brown nodded like an obedient child. But I watched as he leaned close to Diana's ear and asked softly: "Aunt Diana, now that the obstacle is removed, can you be my mom?" The obstacle he mentioned---was that me? No one knew how I felt at this moment. It was like a knife tip stabbing into my heart, then twisting back and forth. I never imagined my own son would wish for my death, see me as an obstacle between him and Diana. Diana smiled and nodded in response, then kissed his forehead. "Good boy. From now on, I'll always be with you and Daddy." Ethan Brown clapped happily: "That's great! Mom always embarrasses me. I've wanted Auntie to be my mom for so long." Zachary Brown heard everything clearly but remained unmoved, still looking down at his phone. I also recalled why I'd gone to Diana's birthday party in the first place---thanks to my dear son. He'd begged and pleaded with me, saying I didn't fit in with the other parents, which made his classmates ignore him too. If I didn't go this time, his classmates would definitely laugh at him. It had all been a trap. He'd personally pushed me toward death. Hatred instantly engulfed me. My soul felt like it was being torn apart in pain. Perhaps my desire to leave had reached its peak. A powerful force suddenly erupted from within, and I actually broke free from the invisible control. The next second, my soul plummeted, returning to the area around my body. Inside the swaying garbage truck, I lay among piles of trash and discarded props that gave off a pungent stench. The driver's conversation reached my ears: "This model prop looks so realistic, just like a real person. Let's take it to the landfill and dump it." So they'd mistaken my corpse for a discarded prop. No matter how much I screamed and shouted, no one could hear the sounds I made. I could only let the truck drive toward the garbage landfill. An hour later, the vehicle finally stopped. My corpse was roughly dragged out of the truck and thrown into the garbage pile. Flies swarmed around. Stray dogs prowled nearby. A huge garbage truck slowly approached. Trash poured down, completely burying the body. My consciousness fell into darkness once more. When I woke again, my soul was dragged by that force back home. In the living room, Zachary Brown and Diana were arguing, both looking terrible. "This is all your fault. Now Lily's missing, and I won't have a date for tomorrow's banquet. Everyone will laugh at me!" Recently, he'd been busy with a new project. The client who could finalize the deal was a female CEO. Zachary Brown had told me this CEO always chose partners who were devoted family men. Not being able to attend this banquet would definitely leave a bad impression on her. No wonder Zachary Brown was so irritated. Diana retorted indignantly: "How was I supposed to know she'd get down from the platform herself and run away? How about I go with you?" "No way!" Zachary Brown flatly refused: "Not bringing anyone, I can still explain. But if I bring you..." He cut himself off, but I understood. He was afraid people would say he was having an affair.
Diana's tears came instantly: "For you, I've become a mistress who can't see the light of day. We even have to hide just to hold hands, and now you're blaming me for venting my emotions..." Zachary Brown was always one to feel sorry for women. He didn't last three seconds before surrendering. I floated nearby. For some reason, strong unease welled up in my heart. Time moved forward silently amid my anxiety. Until this day, when Zachary Brown's phone rang. After taking the call, his expression changed dramatically. He grabbed his coat and rushed out. "Lily actually dared to kidnap Diana. I absolutely won't let her get away with this!" He was certain I wasn't dead. He was convinced the person the kidnappers on the phone called "Miss Li" was me. Zachary Brown frantically dialed my number, but it kept going to voicemail. "Since you're so vicious, don't blame me for punishing you." He slammed the accelerator. The sports car had already sped far into the distance. I desperately chased after him, screaming at the top of my lungs for him not to go, but he couldn't hear me. In the old residential complex, Zachary Brown kicked the door open and severely questioned my father who'd come at the noise. "Where's Lily? Did she kidnap Diana? Hand her over!" My father looked completely confused, not understanding what he was talking about, but still tried to explain. "I was going to ask you where our Lily is. We haven't seen her all day. Today's my birthday. Every year she comes to spend it with me. How could she possibly have time to kidnap someone?" My mother looked worried, convinced I must have run into trouble. "That's right. It's this late and Lily still hasn't come home. Something must have happened!" Unfortunately, Zachary Brown didn't believe them. He shoved my father aside and rushed inside, ransacking the place, convinced my parents were harboring me. But he found nothing. In his frenzy, he grabbed my father by the collar and slammed him against the wall. My mother tried to stop him, but he pushed her away too. Her forehead hit the corner of a table, blood seeping out. "If you don't hand her over today, I won't be polite!" Zachary Brown, consumed by rage, had his bodyguards beat my elderly parents. Even as they were beaten black and blue, my parents refused to tell a single lie. They insisted bitterly that I could never do such a thing. "Don't you know what kind of person our daughter is?" I floated nearby, watching them endure such torment while I could do nothing. My soul felt like it was about to shatter from the pain. I could only watch helplessly as my father, driven to desperation, pulled my mother to the window. "Zachary Brown, we're not hiding Lily." I screamed with all my soul not to, but they couldn't hear me.
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