My Billionaire Family Pretended to Be Poor Until I Died

My parents always taught me that a girl had to be independent.

They were getting old, and it was time for me to shoulder the familys burdens.

I remember pointing at my brother, Austin, and saying naively, But we have Austin. He should learn to be independent too.

Not long after that, Austin had a terrible fall. He became completely bedridden.

I worked part-time jobs while taking care of my paralyzed brother, yet our family still survived on discarded vegetables and wore second-hand clothes rescued from the trash.

To make more money, I signed up for sketchy, under-the-table medical drug trials.

But because of that, I developed severe skin cancer. My body began to rot.

Without hesitation, I left every single dollar of that blood money to Austin. I didn't even keep enough cash to buy a bottle of sleeping pills for myself.

In the end, I pulled a plastic trash bag over my head and ended my own life.

Yet, after my death, I saw Austin playing in a high-stakes championship basketball game. When it ended, my parents rushed to hug him and gifted him the most expensive mansion in the city.

It turned out they had staged this entire tragedy of poverty. I was the only actor who took the script seriously.

But now that Im actually dead, why do they look so full of regret?

I was preparing for my second drug trial. The nurse, about to insert the needle, froze when she saw the massive rotting sores on my arm.

She gasped, her hand shaking so hard that the syringe dropped to the floor.

They rushed me in for a full medical examination.

Before I could even ask about the rotting skin, they dragged me out and threw me onto the street.

The nurse threw my cash and the medical report right at my face.

"You have skin cancer and you still dared to come for drug trials? How desperate for money are you? You signed the waiver, so even if you died on our table, its on you. Take the money and get the hell out. Don't you dare try to sue us!"

Those words hit me like a lightning bolt. I froze on the pavement.

Ever since the trials started, my skin had been incredibly itchy and flaky.

Every time Sarah struggled to sweep up the dry skin from my bedsheets, I felt so incredibly guilty.

I never imagined it was the prelude to my death.

Dejected, I picked up the report and stared at the bold letters, desperately wishing my eyes were playing tricks on me.

Just then, my phone buzzed.

Sarahs gentle voice echoed in my ear.

"Chloe, were working extra hours for some cash today and won't make it back for lunch. Remember to cook for Austin."

I swallowed my tears and choked out a quiet, "Okay." My feet felt like lead as I walked back home.

Seeing Austin lying on the bed, I immediately shoved the medical report under my wooden cot.

But looking at him, my eyes welled up with tears.

Austin looked at me and whispered, "I'm sorry, Chloe. I'm holding you back. Honestly, it's fine if I skip lunch."

I walked over and sat by his bed for a long time before I could find my voice.

"Austin, what will you do if Im not here one day?"

Austin gently patted my head, his eyes full of affection.

"What are you talking about? Id die for you before I let anything happen to you. You're going to be fine. We just have to stay strong. Things will get better soon."

But I wasnt going to get better. I stood up, wiped my tears, and did something I never didI bought some fresh eggs to boil for Austin.

As soon as the food was on the table, David and Sarah dragged their exhausted bodies through the door.

They pulled a bunch of bruised, discarded lettuce leaves from their tattered canvas bags.

David took a big gulp of cold tap water, looking excited. "Sarah was so fast today. She grabbed these from the supermarket dumpster before anyone else. They're fresher than usual!"

I looked at them, but my mind was completely blank.

Sarah pulled a gourmet cupcake from her bag and placed it in my hand.

"It's your birthday today. We can't afford a cake, but you should still have something sweet."

I held the heavy, beautifully frosted cupcake, but I couldn't bring myself to smile.

The words from the medical report kept spinning in my head.

The sweet aroma of the frosting snapped me back to reality. I placed the cupcake in front of Austin.

"Give it to Austin. I don't really like sweets."

Austin pushed my hand back. "It's your birthday, Chloe. You eat it. I'll just take a tiny taste of the frosting to celebrate."

Saying that, he dipped his finger in the frosting and licked it.

A gourmet cupcake like this cost as much as our grocery budget for a week. No matter what, I couldn't swallow it.

David and Sarah sat down at the table, gnawing on stale, yellowed bread.

They refused to touch the boiled eggs I made.

Looking at their mismatched, oversized clothes rescued from thrift store dumpsters, my heart ached with agonizing pain.

The terror of knowing I was going to die was slowly washed away by sheer pity for my family.

I wanted to beg my parents for comfort, but I chose to keep my mouth shut about the cancer.

If my death meant one less mouth to feed, and if it could make their lives easier, then I was willing to die.

I just didnt understand. We all worked so hard, so why were we always so poor?

To save money when we were kids, David and Sarah moved us to a run-down trailer park on the edge of town.

Almost every kid here came from extreme poverty. Their families put all their hopes on them.

So, the kids here were incredibly tough and studied hard.

Sarah never complained about the harsh life. Instead, she grabbed my hand excitedly.

"In an environment like this, Chloe, you will definitely grow up to be strong and successful."

I turned to look at Austin, my innocent eyes wide.

"I hope Austin will be as independent and strong as me."

But not long after, Austin fell and became paralyzed.

I was consumed by guilt. I used to sit by Austin's bed and slap myself hard across the face.

I believed my stupid mouth had cursed him to be bedridden forever.

To make up for it, I started working part-time while going to high school.

But a student could only get the most brutal, lowest-paying gigs.

In the scorching ninety-degree summer heat, I stood on the asphalt handing out flyers.

When I was dying of thirst, I couldn't even bear to spend a dollar on a bottle of water. I would pick up half-empty bottles discarded by strangers, saving the plastic bottles to sell later.

To fight the homeless people for those plastic bottles, I was cornered in an alley. They stuffed trash into my mouth, kicking and punching me to warn me off.

With a mouth full of blood and bruises all over my body, there were times I wanted to buy cheap painkillers.

But I forced myself to save every single cent for Austin's treatment.

To numb the pain, I resorted to rubbing soot from trash fires into my cuts.

When David and Sarah found out, they gave me a huge thumbs-up. "Our daughter has incredible resilience. You already have the mindset of a successful leader."

But they had no idea how excruciating it was to rub trash ash into open wounds.

I didn't dare make a sound. Even asking Sarah for a simple hug felt like a selfish luxury.

Because every minute I wasted meant less money earned.

I looked at the sweet cupcake on the table, a dark resolution forming in my mind.

Just then, Sarah walked in, sat on the edge of my cot, and gently stroked my hair.

She looked apologetic. "Someone recommended a great specialist. We've saved up a bit of money recently, and we want to take Austin out of town to see him. Maybe... just maybe, he can stand up again."

It was such a normal farewell, but it felt like a knife twisting in my chest.

They had traveled to see doctors with Austin before, but this time, it would be my final goodbye.

I pushed my grief aside, scrambled up, and pulled all the cash from my bag, forcing it into Sarah's hands.

Seeing Sarah's shocked expression, I lied with red eyes.

"It was just Valentine's Day. A lot of rich couples got into fights and threw away expensive gifts. I got lucky, found some, and sold them."

Sarah hugged me, her face full of pride. "Take care of yourself at home. Well be back soon."

I leaned against the window frame, watching their figures slowly disappear down the dusty road.

Only then did I realize that in my desperation to save Austin, I hadnt left a single dollar for myself.

Tears streamed down my face. Through the blur, I saw the plastic bag that had wrapped the cupcake on the table.

I took a tiny bite of the remaining cupcake. The sweetness exploded in my mouth.

To have Sarah's final gesture of love was enough for me.

I pulled the plastic bag over my head and slowly pulled it tight around my neck.

The sweet smell of vanilla made me feel like I was drifting into a dream. My hands hesitated.

But I quickly forced myself to focus. This family couldn't afford another sick person.

Without me as a burden, they could focus entirely on curing Austin.

I clenched my teeth and pulled the plastic tight. Soon, the dim light in the room was swallowed by an endless, silent darkness.

When I woke up again, I felt weightless.

When I saw a stiff, pale version of myself lying on the cot, I finally realized I was dead.

I floated closer. My face was a sickly blue. Already malnourished, I looked even uglier in death.

But my only thought was: *How is Austin doing?*

As that thought consumed me, I suddenly vanished and reappeared at a basketball court.

Before I could process why my ghost was teleporting, I saw David and Sarah sitting in the VIP stands, beaming with joy.

They were wearing expensive, designer clothes. Even if our family had saved for a lifetime, we couldn't have afforded a single sleeve of those outfits.

I floated in front of them, but they looked like total strangers.

Sarah's bright red lipstick was striking, and her perfectly styled blonde waves made her look exactly like a wealthy socialite.

Confused, I followed their gaze down to the court. There, I saw my paralyzed brother, Austin, running and dribbling the ball with incredible agility.

I recognized the jersey he was wearing.

It was a limited-edition designer brand that money could barely buy.

My mind spun. Suddenly, the buzzer sounded.

David and Sarah rushed onto the court, throwing their arms around Austin with pure adoration.

"Austin! We didn't spend all those years taking you around the world for nothing!"

But Austin was paralyzed... how did he travel the world?

Even in my confusion, seeing him healthy made me ecstatic.

"Austin! You're okay? How did you get better?"

But no matter how loud I screamed, they didn't react.

Austin hugged Sarah. "Mom, I was going crazy pretending to be paralyzed for so long. Thank God I could use those 'doctor visits' as an excuse to travel and actually stretch my legs."

David and Sarah cupped his face, overflowing with affection.

"You've worked so hard, son. Today, we have a gift for you."

David pulled out a deed. It was for a luxury mansion in the city's most exclusive gated community.

I remembered that place. I had stood outside its gates once, staring in awe.

Back then, Sarah had told me, "We won't be poor forever, Chloe. If you work hard, you'll live in a house like this one day."

But it turned out they didn't need to work hard. They already owned it.

Austin seemed to remember something and looked at them.

"By the way, Chloe was crying when she got home yesterday. Did something happen to her?"

Sarah instantly looked tense and grabbed his arm. "You didn't blow your cover, did you? Our plan is almost complete. We can't let it ruin now."

Austin shook his head. "Don't worry. I've played the part this long, I won't disappoint you. But I still feel like Chloe is hiding something."

Sarah nodded, telling him not to overthink it. She said they would check on me when they got back.

Full of questions, I followed them back to the mansion.

The villa was blindingly bright, filled with maids rushing around.

Someone even held out slippers for them, and the dining table was piled high with expensive delicacies.

It turned out today was Austin's engagement party. They had invited high society's finest.

Sarah stood next to David, whispering, "Chloe has been acting strange lately. She used to be so full of positive energy. And she handed me so much cash before we left... You don't think she got it illegally, do you?"

David wrapped an arm around her, speaking patiently.

"No way. We raised her to be independent, and her morals are solid."

"Besides, Austin's career is stable now, and Chloe is graduating in a few days. On Austin's wedding day, we'll tell her the truth. Shes inheriting a multi-million dollar company right out of college. Shell probably think shes dreaming."

Standing beside them, my tears fell silently onto the marble floor.

*David, Sarah... I won't be smiling. And I'm never waking up.*

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.

"Well 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 methey 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, lets 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. Shes so fair, shell 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. Shell 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."