The Black Box: A Sister's Sacrifice, A Family's Sin Chapter 2

My body felt light.

I floated in mid-air, looking down at the body curled up behind the door.

Her face was cyanotic, white foam crusted at the corners of her mouth, but her eyes were still half-open, staring fixedly at the crack under the door.

It looked so ugly.

If my mom saw it, she'd definitely frown in disgust and say I lacked the poise of a proper young lady.

My vision passed through the floorboards, and I saw the scene in the living room above.

The room was brightly lit, the heat cranked up high.

On the dining table sat the half-eaten, blind-box style New Year's gifts, beautifully wrapped.

My sister, Mia, sat on the sofa, holding a mug of warm milk.

Her eyes were red, but behind the mug, the corners of her lips were curling slightly upward.

My parents sat on either side of her, gingerly comforting her.

"Mia, don't be afraid. Dad's here."

My dad peeled a mandarin orange and handed it to her:

"That ungrateful wretch will never be able to bully you again."

My mom gently wiped Mia's face with a warm washcloth, her voice soft as water:

"We were blind, mistaking a fish eye for a pearl. We let you suffer so much these past three years."

Mia put down the milk, blinking her innocent, wide eyes:

"I didn't suffer. As long as Chloe can change for the better, I don't mind taking a little mistreatment."

"Actually, I wanted to delete that recording a long time ago. But I was afraid Chloe would make mistakes again, so I kept it to remind her... I didn't expect it to make you both so sad."

What an incredibly understanding daughter.

Floating near the ceiling, watching this heartwarming family scene, I felt absolutely nothing.

That recording was real.

But I wasn't the one who said it.

Three years ago, in the abandoned warehouse.

The kidnapper placed two boxes on the table.

"Let's play a game. I have two boxes here. One has a red ball, one has a black ball."

"Whoever draws the red ball walks. Whoever draws the black ball stays and eats a bullet."

Mia rushed forward eagerly:

"I want to draw first! Chloe, you'll let me go first, right?"

I nodded. With trembling hands, she opened a box.

Inside lay a black ball.

Mia broke down crying instantly, screaming as she threw the ball at me:

"I don't want to die! I don't want to die! You're the older sister, you're supposed to let me have the good stuff!"

"You die instead, okay?! Please, Chloe!"

The kidnapper raised his gun, pointing the dark muzzle right between Mia's eyes.

Terrified, Mia wet herself. She hid behind me, pushing me forward, and screamed:

"She has the black ball! Look at her!"

"Let her die! If she dies, all the family's money will be mine!"

"It's her own bad luck that she drew the black ball. It's not my fault!"

I looked at my sister, who had peed her pants in terror, and only one thought crossed my mind: I am the older sister. I have to protect her.

"I'll trade with her."

I said.

The kidnapper looked at me with amused interest:

"Why trade? She literally just said she wants you dead."

"Because she's my sister. An older sister is supposed to protect her younger sister, isn't she?"

The kidnapper froze for a second, then lowered his gun, giving me a deeply meaningful look.

Later, when the kidnapper was caught, he told the police that I was the one who saved my sister.

But now, she sat in a warm living room, soaking up my parents' love.

While the person who truly saved the entire family lay on the freezing concrete floor of the basement, her body slowly growing stiff.