1. The Call in Hell
As the narrator lies bleeding and mutilated, her phone rings — it’s her brother. His voice is cold and annoyed, not worried. He demands she attend Luna’s upcoming award ceremony and publicly defend her “innocence,” making it clear he cares more about appearances than her pain.
⚰️ 2. Indifference to Suffering
Even as she drifts in and out of consciousness, her brother continues lecturing, scolding her like she’s an inconvenience. His final words — “If you’re gonna die, then fucking die already” — echo as the world fades away.
🕯 3. Death and Discovery
Two days later, her gruesome death shakes the city. The brutality — torture, dismemberment, and assault — horrifies even hardened detectives. Ironically, her brother, a respected investigator, is assigned to the case, unaware that the victim is his own sister.
👁 4. Watching from Above
Her soul hovers over the scene as investigators collect her scattered remains from trash cans and canals. She feels detached yet heartbroken, realizing that even in death, she’s still “causing trouble” for her brother — the man who despised her most.
🧬 5. The Investigation Begins
The medical examiner reports that the victim was a young woman, around twenty to twenty-two, dead for about two days. The body is so damaged that identification will take time. DNA testing is ordered — results expected in forty-eight hours.
⚖️ 6. The Crime’s Horror
The autopsy reveals the depth of cruelty: the victim was sexually assaulted, and her arms were cut off while she was still alive to prevent resistance. The detectives fall silent, sickened. Her brother slams his hand on the table, vowing vengeance against the “monster” who did it — never realizing he’s speaking of her.
🩺 7. Cold Priorities
Jack Mitchell, his mentor and their father’s old army friend, offers sympathy and mentions that the timing might make him miss “Ivy’s graduation.” The brother’s face hardens instantly: “Don’t bring her up. She’s a jinx.” He insists he’ll attend Luna’s ceremony instead — not Ivy’s.
💔 8. The Forgotten Sister
Hearing this, Ivy’s spirit trembles. Her brother’s hatred wasn’t new. After their parents’ death, he blamed her, called her cursed, and cast her out. He took in another girl — Luna — treated her like his real sister, while Ivy became a ghost in her own family’s story.
🔪 9. The Ultimate Irony
The same man who once promised to protect her now investigates her murder — blind to the truth, blinded by resentment. Ivy’s ghost watches him vow justice for the nameless victim, knowing he’d abandon the case if he discovered the corpse was hers.
☠️ 10. The Final Whisper
As her brother works furiously at the crime scene, Ivy’s disembodied soul drifts nearby, whispering through the cold air:
“Brother, I’m finally dead now. You should be happy.”
Her death is his freedom… and his curse, though he doesn’t know it yet.
