Chapter 3

When Mrs. MacLeod, the innkeeper, saw them return from the hospital so quickly, she greeted them with a cheerful smile. "Can't avoid altitude sickness when you're up here. It happens to all the tourists. You must be in great shape to be discharged so soon."

She glanced around, then asked, "Where's the other one? That younger girl looked awful before heading up the mountain. I remember warning her not to go, but she insisted. Is she still at the hospital?"

Isabella's expression tightened. Afraid her act would be exposed, she immediately put on a weak face and bent over, coughing violently.

"She didn't want to ruin the trip for us," she wheezed. "Didn't want us to waste time in a hospital."

Victoria reached out to pat Isabella's back, her face full of concern. But when the innkeeper mentioned me, her expression turned sharp.

"My younger daughter? She's perfectly fine, not a thing wrong with her," Victoria snapped. "She just didn't want her sister slowing down the trip with all her issues. Who knows where she's run off to now? Can't even consider her sister's condition—so selfish."

Mrs. MacLeod frowned at that. Seeing Isabella cough like her lungs might burst, she clearly made up her mind about me.

"People like that never end well," she muttered with disdain. "Don't waste your time on an ungrateful girl. You're here as a family—enjoy yourselves. That's what happiness really means."

I knew that, too, that the happiest thing in the world is for a family to be together, in harmony.

But had they ever treated me like family?

From the moment I could remember, my mother's face had always been cold. Never a kind word, never a gentle look.

I used to hide in corners, small and silent like a rat in the gutter, watching her cradle six-year-old Isabella in her arms, reading fairy tales in honeyed tones.

But even sneaking a glance at a happiness that was never mine earned me her wrath.

She'd scold me for lurking like a ghost, warned me not to frighten Isabella, and forbade me from walking freely in the house without her permission.

I was her child, too. Isabella could have their endless love, but I had to live like some outsider under their roof.

Now, they let the innkeeper misunderstand me as some selfish, ungrateful daughter. Not one of them spoke up to defend me.

Well, I'm dead now. That wretched life—consider it returned to them.

Isabella got bored after a while, scrolling through social media.

"Mom, let's go take the cable car later. I'm sick of sitting around this place."

"Sure," Victoria agreed easily.

Just then, Edward walked in from outside, a grim look on his face.

"Isabella wants to ride the cable car. Let's head out now," Victoria said, not noticing his expression. She pulled out a new coat and held it against herself in the mirror.

Edward didn't respond right away. "Someone found a woman's body up on the mountain. They think it might be murder and called the police."

"All the lodges have been told to shut their doors and stop guests from going out, in case the killer strikes again."

Victoria froze. The coat slipped from her hands and fell to the floor. Her voice shook.

"A woman's body? Did the innkeeper say how old she was?"

A woman's corpse. Had they found me?

Maybe now I could finally leave this place. No more watching them smile and laugh like a picture-perfect family. No more reminders that I didn't belong.

"I'll go ask around," Edward said.

"Mom, why are you asking so much?" Isabella grumbled, annoyed that her outing had been interrupted. She turned up the volume on her phone game, the noise grating in the quiet room.

"Isabella! Turn that off!" Victoria snapped, her voice rising in sudden fury.

I froze. That was the first time I'd ever seen her lose her temper with Isabella.

Even Isabella looked stunned. Her lips tightened.

"Mom, I was just worried you were scared because of the murder," she said, her voice trembling with false innocence. "I didn't mean anything else."

Victoria looked at Isabella's pout and softened her tone immediately. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean to yell. It's just your sister—so thoughtless. Still hasn't come back. She needs a proper lesson when we get home."

I gave a bitter laugh.

Home? What a joke.

Edward came rushing back. "They're bringing the body down. Everyone's being asked to identify her. What rotten luck to run into something like this on a holiday!"

Victoria didn't respond. She bolted for the door.

Outside, a white sheet lay stretched across a body on the snowy ground. A police officer stood nearby, holding up a pendant.

"This was found on the deceased. Do any of you recognize it?" he asked the gathered onlookers.

Victoria pushed through the crowd, caught sight of the pendant, and collapsed to the ground with a gasp.

"No… That can't be her."