Left to Suffocate: My Cruel Sisters Beg My Ghost for Mercy

My stepbrother framed me for causing his allergic reaction. So, my three older sisters stuffed me into a narrow, airtight basement, locking the door with heavy chains. I banged on the metal door, begging them to let me out. Victoria, the eldest and a cold-hearted business mogul, turned her back on me. Her voice was icy as she barked: "We tolerated you targeting Miles before, but you knew he was severely allergic to seafood. You fed it to him anyway. You did this on purpose! Rot in there and think about what you've done!" Melanie, the rising pop star, and Serena, the prodigy painter, sneered in unison: "A wicked person like you still tries to play the victim. You deserve this!" With that, they shielded the shivering Miles and rushed him to the hospital. In the sealed basement, the oxygen slowly ran out. Every breath became a suffocating agony. I died in there. Three days later, when they returned with Miles, they finally remembered me. They had no idea that I had already suffocated to death in that dark, cramped space. 1. I died of suffocation in that sealed basement. When I opened my eyes again, my soul was floating right next to my three sisters. They had just brought Miles back to our family estate. Victoria and Melanie were gently guiding him, their voices filled with relief and indulgence. "Thank God we got you to the ER in time. You've recovered so well, Miles." Serena, the artistic genius, chimed in, her eyes full of affection: "The doctor said you're still weak. You need to eat well to recover." She placed a tender cut of meat onto Miles's plate. Our housekeeper hesitated before gathering the courage to speak up: "Miss Victoria... Ethan has been down in the basement for three days now. There's been no sound..." Victoria cut her off with a cold, disgusted glare: "Today is the day Miles comes home. Why bring up that pathetic loser?" The housekeeper wanted to say more, but Melanie and Serena shut her down with freezing glares. "He knew Miles was highly allergic to seafood, yet he still made a seafood dinner. That's attempted murder." "I actually thought Ethan was finally accepting Miles. Turns out it was a trap all along." Miles played his part perfectly, shrinking back with a terrified, timid expression: "Ethan is being punished because of me. He's been down there for so many days... will he be mad at me when he gets out?" Victoria patted his back comfortingly: "Don't worry, Miles. We spoiled Ethan too much in the past, which is why he became so reckless. This punishment will teach him to never bully you again." As she spoke, she instinctively pulled out her phone, refreshing her chat history with me. It was empty. The last message was from three days ago. Over the last three days, I hadn't sent her a single message, let alone called. Victoria's eyes flashed with anger. "It's been three days, and he hasn't even sent a text to check on Miles. He is incredibly cold-blooded." Miles took Victoria's hand, squeezing it as he whimpered: "Don't blame Ethan. I just wanted to be part of the family. I never wanted to take anything from him..." Victoria quickly put down her phone and stroked Miles's head. "You're too kind, Miles. Unlike him. He's nothing but an ungrateful snake." Melanie sneered, her eyes dripping with disdain: "To fight for our attention, he tried to kill his own brother. How evil can one person get?" Serena nodded in agreement. "He's been locked up for three days. Unless he gets on his knees and begs Miles for forgiveness, I'm kicking him out of this house!" I floated in the air, watching this absurd scene. I felt nothing but a hollow, tragic amusement. But as a spirit, none of them could see me. Our parents died early, and my three sisters used to be my entire world. When I was younger, I was lonely. I wanted a companion, so they went to the orphanage and adopted Miles. I treated Miles with nothing but kindness. I shared everything with him. But in return, I got framed, lied about, and slowly alienated from my sisters. And this time, they locked me in the dark basement without even asking for my side of the story. I had fought so hard. But the air in the tiny cellar grew thinner and thinner. I had banged on the door, screaming and begging them to let me out. But they only showed cold indifference. "Stop screaming! You brought this on yourself! If it weren't for you, Miles wouldn't be in the hospital!" "We've been too soft on you. You've been bullying Miles for too long. Stay in there and reflect!" Melanie had personally wrapped the heavy iron chain around the lock. Serena had piled heavy crates against the door, sealing my last hope of escape. Now, looking at Miles's fake, smug smile, I let out another bitter laugh. Sisters, the brother who loved you more than anything in this world is dead. And you killed him. 2. Miles tugged at Victoria's sleeve, looking pitiful: "Don't be mad, Victoria. It's my fault for having this stupid allergy. Ethan didn't mean to do it. Please don't blame him." Victoria's face hardened. "We've let him get away with too much. We turned him into a spoiled, malicious brat." Melanie's eyes flared with rage: "His mind is twisted. If he hadn't targeted Miles on purpose, Miles wouldn't have suffered like this." At that moment, Miles intentionally shifted, letting his sleeve slide up to reveal the fading red hives on his skin. Serena gently brushed her fingers over the red marks, her face filled with pain. "Does it still hurt, Miles?" Miles lowered his head, his shoulders trembling as if he were about to cry: "No... it doesn't hurt..." Melanie's temper finally blew. "If we had been a minute later, he would have died! And Ethan? It's been three days, and he hasn't even called. He is utterly heartless!" Victoria stood up, her voice sharp and commanding: "Drag him up here! I want him on his knees, apologizing to Miles! Let's see if his bones are as tough as his attitude!" Melanie and Serena joined in: "We've been too lenient. He made his bed; now he has to lie in it!" They turned to the housekeeper and snapped: "What are you standing there for? Go bring him up! And fetch the riding crop. If Ethan hadn't put seafood in his food, Miles wouldn't have suffered in the hospital for three days. It's time to beat some sense into him!" The housekeeper didn't dare argue. She hurried toward the basement. I laughed bitterly. My sisters didn't even bother to investigate before accusing me. Three days ago, Miles said he wanted porridge. Eager to please my brother, I happily went to the kitchen to cook for him. He gave me a small packet of seasoning, claiming it was his favorite. I tasted it—it was just basic seafood powder. How could I have known it was his trigger? Victoria was a brilliant businesswoman, yet she couldn't see through such a basic, childish trap. Or maybe, she just chose not to because of her favoritism. To my sisters, I was never as important as Miles. My heart felt hollow. But it didn't matter anymore. I was already dead. They could give all their love to Miles now. Suddenly, the housekeeper ran back, pale and trembling. "Miss Victoria... we called out to him, but there's no response. There's... there's no sound of breathing at all." Victoria frowned, standing up abruptly. "What kind of stunt is he pulling now? Is he too proud to apologize to Miles?" "Does he even realize he almost killed his brother?" Miles pulled on Victoria's hand, pretending to be sad: "It's fine, Victoria. I'm just an orphan. I don't deserve an apology from Ethan anyway." That was the final straw for Victoria. "Does he think playing dumb will save him? He thinks silent treatment works? We've been too soft!" "Come on, let's drag him out myself. Let's see how long he can play this game. He "will" kneel and beg for forgiveness today!" 3. I floated behind my three sisters, feeling nothing but a cold numbness. Furious, they marched down to the basement door. "Ethan! Stop hiding in there! You can't escape your punishment!" Victoria yelled. Inside, there was only dead silence. Melanie's face darkened. "Ethan, stop acting! Get out here and kneel!" "Don't think turning off your phone and ignoring us will make this go away!" Serena was practically vibrating with rage. "You've really outdone yourself, Ethan. You hate seeing us nice to Miles so much that you'd rather rot in there to spite us? Do you honestly think we'll beg you to come out?" Still, silence. Victoria turned to the shivering servants, her voice dripping with ice: "Why are you all shaking? Tell me the truth. Did this brat bribe you? Did you let him out behind our backs?" Melanie sneered: "With his weak character, he probably couldn't handle the cold basement for more than an hour. He definitely paid them to let him out." Serena looked thoroughly disgusted. "He almost killed Miles, and now he won't even face the consequences. Is this the brother I grew up with? Does he think he's our only brother?" Finally, the housekeeper stammered: "No, Miss Victoria... we wouldn't dare disobey you. Master Ethan... he really has been inside for three whole days." Serena looked at the silent basement door, and a sudden flicker of unease crossed her eyes. She stepped forward and yanked on the latch, but the door wouldn't budge. "Ethan, enough! I unlocked the chain! Stop holding the door from the inside!" I looked at the warped, dented metal door and smiled sadly. When I was suffocating, I had thrown my body against that door, desperate to survive. But it was too solid. I couldn't even make a crack. I was left to suffocate in the dark. Sisters, once you see my body, will you show me a shred of love? Will you bury me next to our parents? Victoria grew impatient. She raised her foot and kicked the door hard. The warped door bent further, leaving a gap. Suddenly, a horrible, sickening stench wafted out. The housekeeper gagged, trembling violently. "That... that smells like a corpse!" Melanie and Serena marched up, still angry. "What corpse? He probably escaped and left a dead rat in there to scare us!" "Ethan, do you think we are fools?" Furious, the three sisters kicked the door together. With a loud "CLANG", the door flew open. A wave of putrid, suffocating rot blasted out, exposing the dark, cramped basement to the light.