Chapter 5

The engagement party was a massive success, and they set the wedding date for a week later.

After waving goodbye to the guests, David and Sarah pulled out their phones, looking slightly anxious.

"We’ll be busy planning the wedding this week, so we can't go back to the old place. We should call Chloe and let her know."

Sarah dialed my number eagerly, but it just kept ringing.

I floated next to her, wanting to tell her I was right there.

But my hand passed right through her shoulder. I could never hug her again.

I recalled smelling expensive perfume on them back in the trailer park.

They had always lied, saying they just ran into some rich ladies.

I recalled the photos Sarah sent me—they were far too high-quality to have been taken on her cheap, cracked phone.

And Austin... his legs had remained muscular and toned despite supposedly being paralyzed for years.

It was all just a sick game of "poverty," and I was the only actor who didn't know it was a script.

My grief suffocated me. But looking at their happy faces, a part of me felt relieved.

If they were living well, I didn't have to worry anymore.

After a long time, I floated upstairs. At the end of the hallway was a bedroom.

I walked in. The layout was incredibly familiar.

It was decorated exactly like the dream room I had sketched in my notebook years ago.

On the nightstand was a framed photo of the four of us.

My school trophies and certificates from childhood were neatly arranged on the desk.

Just then, a cat wandered into the room.

Even the cat was the exact breed I had drawn.

They remembered every single dream I had. They had built it all for me.

This room was a beautiful fairytale, but I could only watch. I could never touch it.

Loud footsteps echoed in the hallway.

I turned around. Several personal stylists in sharp suits walked in, holding a row of gorgeous designer gowns.

David, Sarah, and Austin stood before the outfits.

"Our suits are ready. Now, let’s choose Chloe's dress. This will be our big surprise for her."

Looking at the price tags, each dress cost more than I used to earn in a year of grueling labor.

Now, a whole rack of them was mine.

Austin picked up a stunning blue gown with a long train.

"This blue one is perfect for Chloe. She’s so fair, she’ll look like royalty in this."

David shook his head. He pulled out a white tulle gown.

"No, Chloe should wear this one. When she was little, she would stare at the dolls in the boutique window for hours. She’ll love the tulle."

Austin stared at the rack for a moment, then grabbed a pastel pink gown.

"You guys still don't get Chloe. Pink is her absolute favorite. She's wanted pink things since she was a toddler."

"But light colors get dirty too easily. To save money, she always forced herself to choose dark, ugly clothes. Her classmates used to call her a cheap, dirty peasant because of it."

David and Sarah looked pained, exchanging a sad look before agreeing with Austin.

In the blink of an eye, it was Austin's wedding day.

They had been too busy to check on me all week. On the morning of the wedding, Sarah happily sent the family chauffeur to fetch me.

She whispered to the driver, "When you get there, don't tell her who sent you. We want to give her the surprise of her life."

The driver nodded and sped off to the trailer park to pick up the "secret heiress."

But after hours of waiting, I never arrived.

Instead, the chauffeur burst through the mansion doors, his face pale with horror.

"Ma'am... Sir... something terrible has happened. The trailer is surrounded by police. Chloe... Chloe is dead."