Stabbed by My Sister, Denied by My Mom

That kick landed with full force, making me spit up blood. I fell to the pavement, blackness claiming me.Still, Linda deemed it an act, pointing at me with furious disdain. "Fake away as you like! Rot here until you reflect. Don't come home until you're ready to apologize."With a frigid spin, she left alongside the others, abandoning me in the icy passage where resentment and torment sealed my eyelids forever.Ashley's injuries were minor scratches at best, hardly warranting hospitalization. But Linda, ever paranoid about complications, insisted on keeping her admitted.I flashed back to when I'd ventured out after dark to deliver an umbrella to Linda on her overtime shift, only to be hit by a car.Three fractured ribs had left me bedridden and fading. My situation had needed her care badly, but she had just sneered, "Such theatrics. You're breathing, aren't you? No bandwidth here. Ashley is waiting for her breakfast."Those six months had been pure hell. She'd confined me to m

If low-level officers could be bribed to lie for me, what about the esteemed chief? Why would he cover for me?Plus, the stamp on the file couldn't be faked.Until that moment, Linda, who had been self-conceited her whole life, saw the truth: the daughter she despised was really gone.The morgue was kept frigid to preserve bodies. The chill nipped at even the most bundled-up staff members, causing them to shiver involuntarily.Yet Linda marched forward like a marionette, oblivious to the cold, her gaze fixed ahead despite the goosebumps rippling her skin. She craved the truth above all."It can't be," she murmured, her voice shaking. "She's too cunning to die like this. You're all lying. Is this her latest revenge plot? If she comes out now, I'll forgive everything she's done."Her eyes glued to the doors, she yearned for me to burst through one of them with a grin and tell her it was just a prank.Only silence met her pleas, thick with the weight of finality. Death's shadow cre

After my death, Linda had only one daughter left.Feeling secure, Ashley dropped the mask, spewing filth and snapping at Linda constantly.Linda's life had become miserable. Jolted by the yell, she shrank back. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm just worried that all that screen time is bad for you. I work hard so you can spend it. Control your temper a little bit."Ashley shut down her computer. "This is how I am! Evelyn had a better temper, but you drove her to death. Go dig her up and yell at her. Leave me alone!"Her words were like a slap in the face. Linda collapsed, her gaze drifting to the family photo in the living room.I stood in the corner, grinning bitterly. Back then, I had been naïve enough to believe that the photo would make her accept me again, but it had been all a delusion.As Ashley slammed her door, Linda's last bit of strength drained away. She sat on the floor, muttering, "I drove Evelyn to her death. I'm a failure as a mother. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."I m

"And she is your daughter," Ashley retorted. "You left her bleeding out in that alley. Talking about ruthlessness, I can't hold a candle to you. You loved watching me bully her, didn't you?"She was Linda's golden child, knowing exactly where to stab. Her words struck true, though. Without her enabling, Ashley never would've dared torment me so openly. I was merely their shared scapegoat.Her darkest secrets exposed, Linda had no retort, only a quivering shake of her graying head. "No, I loved her. I just didn't want her to outshine me. She could be smart, but not smarter than me. I'm her mother, and I decided on her worth."She repeated it like a mantra, consoling herself. Parents jealous of their kids? I'd never believed it until that moment.It was pathetic and twisted. But this was the woman who had birthed me.Rain poured outside in a torrent, and her face contorted in anguish. "I never held back with you. You had it way better than her. Wasn't that enough? Why did you kill h