Reviving Shadows: A Sister's Redemption

In my previous life, my sister drowned trying to save me.

By the time I woke up, she had already been cremated.

The very next day, debt collectors came knocking, demanding payment.

That was when I found out she had racked up over eight million in debt.

Thirty years later, I hunched over, sweeping the streets. I caught sight of someone I never expected to see again-my supposedly dead sister. She was laughing and chatting with our parents.

"Good thing I had your necklace. Without it, the Griffiths never would've believed I was their daughter."

She tossed me a hundred-dollar bill, got into her luxury car, and drove off without a second glance.

Right then and there, I was so furious that I collapsed and died on the spot.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day my sister drowned.

1

"You bring nothing but bad luck! If you hadn't dragged her to the water, she never would've died!"

My mother wailed, kneeling by the bed. Before I could react, she lunged at me, yanking my hair and slapping me over and over.

I was kicked to the ground, still dazed.

The sharp smell of disinfectant filled the hospital room. My parents' faces twisted with hatred. And there- lying motionless on the hospital bed-was my sister.

"She was just a little girl! And you, her own sister, got her killed! How do you still have the nerve to be alive?" My mother kept screaming at me.

Everything felt eerily familiar. And then, it hit me-I had been reborn. Back to the day my sister faked her death.

In my previous life, my sister drowned trying to save me. When I woke up, all that remained was an urn of ashes.

The next day, debt collectors came knocking. That was when I found out my sister had been obsessed with luxury goods and left behind over eight million in debt.

I was adopted by my parents, but after my sister's death, my parents blamed me for taking their only biological daughter away. They were so consumed by hatred that they cut all ties with me.

To pay off the debt, I sold everything I had. For thirty years, I suffered, scraping by just to survive.

Until that day when I saw my "dead" sister, laughing and chatting with my parents.

Smirking, she toyed with the necklace I had worn since childhood. Then, with mocking amusement, she told me the truth.

I was the real daughter of the Griffith family. My so-called mother had stolen me as a baby and raised me as her own. But as I grew up, excelling beyond their expectations, jealousy consumed them.

Using my sister's so-called "death" as an excuse, they forced me to sell the only proof of my true identity. At the same time, they bribed the hospital and funeral home to forge documents, all so my sister could take my place-paving the way for their entire family to climb into high society.

The people I once called family had been scheming against me all along.

In that moment of clarity, I made up my mind.

They wanted a staged death? They wanted to take my place?

Fine! This time, I'd make sure they got exactly what they wished for.

2

Without thinking, I lunged at the hospital bed, grabbed my sister's arm, and slapped her hard.

Everyone in the room froze in shock.

My mother let out a sharp scream and shoved me aside. "Amanda Sarratt, have you lost your mind? Wynne died saving you! Why are you hitting her?"

Tears welled up in my eyes as I launched myself at my sister again, punching and kicking furiously.

"Wynne, wake up! How many times have I told you not to go into the water? Why didn't you listen to me? Now that you're gone, what do you expect me and Mom and Dad to do?"

I caught the faintest twitch of her eyelids.

She was conscious.

I wailed loudly, pinched her hard, and slapped her across the face again and again.

My father grabbed me, his grip firm with both fear and anger. He was afraid I might actually hurt her.

"Amanda, calm down. Even though Wynne is gone, she can still feel pain when you hit her." He said, a flicker of pain in his eyes.

I stared at them, my face twisted with anguish. "Pain? Do you think she feels pain? Do you have any idea how much pain I'm in? Even if she's dead, I'll beat her back to life if I have to!"

My mother gasped and yanked me away, shielding my sister with outstretched arms. She shouted at me, "Amanda, have you lost your damn mind? If you lay another finger on Wynne, I'll fight you myself!"

The shouting was so loud that people in the hallway started gathering outside the room, whispering among themselves.

"The poor girl... She just lost her sister, and now her parents are turning on her. Imagine the guilt she must feel."

"Wait a minute... don't they look kind of familiar?"

My father's expression darkened as the murmurs grew louder.

But in the next second, he grabbed a glass of water from the bedside table and handed it to me, trying to smooth things over. At the same time, he casually suggested that Wynne's body be taken to the funeral home immediately.

Before I could react, my mother snatched the glass away, shooting me a look that said, "You don't deserve this."

I scoffed silently, dabbing at my dry cheeks as if wiping away tears.

"I want to accompany Wynne alone on her final journey," I said.

My father exchanged a glance with my mother before finally nodding.

In my previous life, after Wynne's staged death, I drank that water and blacked out. They just wanted me out of the way.

Too bad for them-this time, I wouldn't be so easy to get rid of.

3

As soon as I stepped outside, I called the crematorium.

They had already arranged for the funeral home's car to be waiting at the entrance, thinking their plan was flawless.

But my father had forgotten-before Wynne passed, she had once said she would rather have her ashes scattered into the sea than be buried underground, left to be devoured by insects and worms.

As her sister, it was my duty to fulfill that wish.

Before long, we were seated in the hearse, heading toward the crematorium.

Through the partition, I sobbed as I urged the driver to hurry.

"Please drive faster. My mother wants to take my sister's body and donate it, but I just want her to leave this world the way she came-whole."

The driver acknowledged my request and picked up the speed.

Lowering my head, I gazed at her slightly twitching fingers. I spoke all the words I never had the chance to say in my previous life.

"I know you're not dead. I know you staged this entire act just so you could take my place. But I don't hate you. And since you want to die so badly, I'll make sure your wish is granted. I know you can hear me right now. The drug hasn't fully worn off, and you can still feel pain. So, dear Wynne, take your time and savor what it feels like to be burned alive."

Wynne couldn't move, but silent tears trickled down her face. I smiled and reached out, gently wiping them away. "Don't cry. Mom and Dad will be joining you soon. You'll have all the time to cry once you're reunited."

My phone kept ringing incessantly-it was them.

But right now, I was nothing more than a grieving girl who had just lost my beloved sister. Answering their calls was the last thing on my mind.

4

The driver sped recklessly, cutting a thirty-minute journey down to fifteen. However, the crematorium was crowded, and it would be at least an hour before it was Wynne's turn.

My phone kept ringing. This time, I picked up and put on a desperate act, sobbing into the receiver.

"My sister's body must remain intact! We're not selling her organs to pay off debts!"

Tears streaming down my face, I turned to the staff, pleading with them to let us cut the line.

"Please, I have no other choice. My sister was drowning in debt, and now her creditors are demanding her organs as payment. But even in death, she deserves to rest in peace."

Hearing this, the people around us sighed in sympathy.

With trembling hands, I pulled out her death certificate and handed it over.

"As her sister, I just want to preserve her dignity. Please, help me."

The staff hesitated. Without missing a beat, I discreetly slipped him three thousand.

With the cash in hand, the process sped up. Wynne's body was immediately wheeled toward the cremation chamber.

Just as the staff was about to press the incineration button, a frantic voice rang out from the entrance.

"Stop! Don't cremate her!"

My mother stumbled into the room, gasping for breath as she screamed at me.

"Get away from her! How dare you bring Wynne here? You're up to no good!"

I lowered my head, my voice choked with emotion. "Mom, Wynne told me she wanted her ashes scattered at sea. Let her go in peace."

"Bullshit!"

My mother's face twisted with rage. Her eyes burned with fury as she lunged at me.

The sudden outburst startled both me and the staff, and we instinctively stepped aside.

Unable to stop herself, my mother crashed straight into the button. The next second, flames roared to life, swallowing Wynne whole.

5

"Ah!"

My mother's scream echoed through the room, and all eyes turned to her, watching in shock and panic.

But I couldn't look away from Wynne inside the cremation chamber.

The drugs in her system should have completely worn off by now. For a split second, I thought I saw her arms stretch out-but no one else seemed to notice.

A sharp slap snapped my attention back.

My father was furious, his entire body shaking with rage. "Why did you do that? Wynne is your daughter! Do you even realize what you've done?"

He grabbed my mother's shoulders, forcing her to look at the flames consuming Wynne.

Wynne's arms were still trembling slightly. my mother staggered back, her face pale.

My mother begged the staff desperately, "Look! Look at her! Wynne's moving-she's still alive! Turn it off!"

The onlookers murmured among themselves, pointing at the cremation chamber.

"I've never seen anything like that. If this happened at night, I'd swear she was coming back to life! You think she might actually be alive?"

"No way... was she actually burned alive?"

The staff member frowned. "I understand this is difficult for you, but you need to stay calm. We've seen the death certificate-it's official. There's no mistake. Besides, this is an automated cremation system. Once it starts, it can't be stopped until the process is complete. I'm sorry."

My mother's expression went blank. She crumpled to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

6

My father couldn't completely hide his sorrow. Seeing me standing there, his voice turned sharp with anger. "Amanda, why didn't you answer our calls? And why didn't you tell us you were bringing your sister here?"

I wiped away nonexistent tears, trying hard to keep my lips from curling into a smile. Putting on a pitiful expression, I said, "Dad, all I could think about was how you and Mom would cope without Wynne. Cremation was her last wish. No matter how much it hurts, I have to honor it."

"You vicious girl! You killed my daughter! Give her back to me!"

My mother crawled toward me, clawing at my feet, her voice shrill with hysteria.

I immediately sobbed dramatically. "I'm sorry, Mom! It's all my fault. I was a terrible sister. But the swimming coach was right there with us-how could Wynne have drowned trying to save me?"

In my previous life, I had been too consumed by guilt to notice these details. I simply woke up to the news that she had died saving me.

But now? There was no way the swimming pool staff weren't involved.

My mother's voice trembled with disbelief. "If you hadn't taken Wynne swimming, she wouldn't have died! And now you have the audacity to blame the coach?"

A few voices in the crowd suddenly spoke up.

"Drowning? At a public swimming pool? What's the coach there for, decoration?"

"Exactly! My five-year-old son goes to the swimming pool alone without any issues!"

My mother's face turned ghostly pale. She turned to my father in a panic. "Honey... is that true? That doesn't make sense... how could the coach let that happen?"

Catching the embarrassed look on my father's face, I smirked internally.

My mother was the only one who hadn't been involved in the plan.

She had known about the staged death, but not the details.

My father never trusted her with secrets. He thought my mother couldn't keep her mouth shut, let alone plan something this big.

7

"We should check the swimming pool's security footage."

My father's voice was tight, almost a growl.

I forced a smile and called out toward the cremation chamber, "Wynne, rest in peace! Don't worry, we'll uncover the truth. And I promise, I'll take good care of Mom and Dad."

I would make sure you all reunite in hell.

The moment I finished speaking, Wynne's arm finally went limp, confirming she was truly gone. I let out a deep breath, as if all the suffering from my previous life had finally lifted.

"I don't have a daughter like you!"

My mother's bloodshot eyes glared at me, filled with rage and resentment.

"Amanda, you owe Wynne her life!"

I pulled out the death certificate and held it up in front of her.

"Mom, I never hurt Wynne. Everyone is saying something is off with the swimming coach. Even if I'm not your biological daughter, you can't just blame me for this. Besides, it's all written clearly right here."

My mother snatched the certificate from my hands and tore it to shreds in a frenzy. "Lies! It's all lies!"