Chapter 6: The Maze of Reflections

I didn’t feel a drop of sympathy for Avery’s disfigurement. In fact, I’ll admit it—I secretly enjoyed it.

When she woke up, Avery was frantic—she cared about her face even more than I did.

All her life, she’d resented looking just like me—never her own person.

She covered half her face, cried until her eyes were swollen, but didn’t dare call the cops, afraid her dirty secrets would come out.

Noah’s condition was still unstable, so I had the assistant tell Avery that she was especially fragile this time.

Avery clenched her fists and sobbed, shouting, “Autumn—you bitch—”

Her voice echoed in the empty room.

Noah was the one who cut her face—why curse at me?

Well, I could be even more of a bitch.

Since there was no evidence yet, I’d torment her for now.

If I wasn’t doing well, she couldn’t be well either.

I used Noah’s name to plan a reality show, inviting Avery at a high price, claiming it was compensation for her.

Avery was afraid her disfigurement would make her unpresentable, but under my threats and bribes, she still agreed.

A challenge show—a surprise I’d carefully prepared for Avery.

Everyone saw Avery show up with half her face bandaged and praised her dedication.

Avery’s tense, forced composure instantly relaxed. She still had no idea what was coming.

As filming began, Avery took off her blindfold and found herself surrounded by mirrors.

It was a mirror maze I’d designed just for her, custom-built—a real treat.

Avery never liked looking in mirrors as a kid, because every time she did, she remembered she wasn’t unique—she had a sister who looked just like her.

Once, when she had a high fever, she even broke a mirror at home.

She couldn’t tell if it was her or me in the reflection.

Every surface was a mirror, reflecting Avery’s forced calm.

The lights flickered, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, creating a tense atmosphere.

Afraid she’d be scared, I thoughtfully put drinks in every corner to boost her courage and spirits.

I was just too considerate.

Dear sister, looking at your bandaged face in the mirror, are you thinking of the sister you tried to kill?

“Seems easier than surviving seven days in the wild.”

“Haha, is the crew just letting me admire my beauty from every angle?”

“Too bad, my face is allergic right now—can only admire this side.”

Avery wandered the maze, talking to herself.

“What is this, even the bathroom has mirrors? That’s creepy! You can’t film this...”

For now, Avery was still exploring the maze, playing the innocent, lively, curious act.

But except for the Avery in the mirrors moving with her, everything was silent—no one answered her.

She gradually quieted down, sitting in a narrow corridor, staring at her reflection.

She swallowed, looked the other way—her reflection stared back.

Avery must have been creeped out, so she closed her eyes and lay down.

When she opened them, even the ceiling reflected her image.

She lay in the narrow corridor, as if in a long, narrow coffin.

I pressed the remote, and with each soft “Avery—”, the maze paths outside quietly shifted.

Hearing her name, Avery reflexively opened her eyes, suspicious.

“Avery—”

“Avery—”

Now she was sure she hadn’t misheard. Her pupils trembled, she turned in panic, searching for the voice.

She stepped forward—bumped straight into a mirror.

Stepped back—another cold mirror.

Avery leaned against the glass, slid to the floor, scratched her hair, bowing her head to calm herself.

Whenever she tried to close her eyes, I pressed the remote again, enjoying every second.

With drinks to keep her awake, Avery couldn’t really rest.

Every time she opened her eyes, she was still in the maze, forced to face her ruined face in the place she hated most.

Now Avery had dark circles, yellowish eyes, bloodshot veins like cracks in dried mud.

It was time.

With another “Avery—”, I walked to the back of a two-way mirror.

Avery could see me behind it.

In the reflection, every mirror around her now showed my image.

I looked at myself in the mirror, radiant, wondering how Avery would react.

She sat numbly on the floor, looked up, and saw the person in the mirror was standing.

Everywhere she looked, it was the same.

Avery screamed, the sound like nails on a chalkboard.

She scrambled away, and I followed her, changing positions—a game of cat and mouse.

I curled my lips in a mocking smile, admiring Avery’s panic.

She bumped into walls again and again, her forehead reddened from the impacts, shaking her head in a breakdown. “No, mom told me Autumn is dead, she’s dead...”

Funny, I didn’t know I was dead.

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