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Chapter 2

Author: Bridges and Running Water
“Yeah, it was a good decision to adopt Jenny. I don’t know what I would’ve done if she wasn’t with us!

“Don’t even remind me about Charlie. I haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep since she killed these kids. Jenny’s been so devastated too! She keeps asking to take her sister’s place in jail.”

I knocked on the door. Mom opened it, and her smile vanished when she realized it was me.

“What are you doing here? Stay outside for a bit. We’re hosting guests today, and I don’t want you ruining everyone’s good time,” she said ruthlessly.

After she closed the door, I heard her explaining, “Don’t worry about it. It was just the garbage collector.”

I was finally allowed back into the house at nightfall, only to be slapped by my father.

“You knew today was an important day for Jenny! How could you come by and drag everyone’s mood down? You couldn’t stay at the prison for just another day? You’re the reason everyone’s making fun of us now!”

My mother looked me up and down, then quickly hid Jenny’s trophy away in fear that I would somehow ruin it.

“You chose to come back today, didn’t you? Isn’t it enough that Jenny had a bad childhood? Why must you still pick on her? Why couldn’t they have given you a few more years in jail?”

I was no stranger to these words. They had been frequent ever since Jenny was adopted.

I glared back. “Did you forget the truth while you were lying to everyone? Jenny is the real murderer here!”

Something dropped behind me.

My parents rushed over to console Jenny. “Ignore her, Jenny. What happened was an accident. It wasn’t your fault.

“If Charlie had told you how dangerous it was earlier, you wouldn’t have risked your life to bring those three kids there. I know Charlie hid it from you on purpose. It’s not the first time she’s had it out for you!

“Get over here and apologize to Jenny now!”

Jared was displeased. “That was mean, Charlie!”

Jenny grabbed his arm as he walked toward me and looked at him sadly. “Mom, Dad, Jared… It’s okay. The first thing she saw when she got out of jail was me winning the award. I can understand why she’s so angry. But Charlie, I got that award through my own hard work. I don’t need your help.

“If it makes you feel better, you can have the trophy. I can leave the house too, if that’s what you want.”

Jenny grabbed the trophy out of my mother’s hands and threw it on the floor. Then, she rushed out of the house.

“Jenny!”

Jared pushed me aside and ran out after her. Shards of the broken trophy cut into my skin as I fell onto them, and I sucked in a cold breath.

Just as I got to my feet, my father kicked the back of my knees, forcing me to kneel on the shards. Pain shot up my spine.

Red quickly stained the floor, but my parents ignored it. A bottle of glue was dropped in front of me.

“You can get up after you finish piecing it back together, or we’ll pretend we never had a daughter.”

I was strangely calm. They had never been on my side since they brought Jenny home.

She was sent to an orphanage after her parents were arrested for their crimes. Her good grades and sweet words enticed my parents to adopt her out of all the other orphans they sponsored.
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  • Taking the Blame   Chapter 10

    He might have learned the truth earlier if he had not been so adamant about sending me to jail. I wondered if the memory of how he had treated Jenny all these years would haunt his days. “How can I face my parents? How can I face you? How did I not notice that Jenny’s been lying to me for all these years? Some people are really born evil!”After watching Jenny blame my parents for everything she had done, Jared finally saw who Jenny truly was. “Charlie, I can finally see how ridiculous I’ve been all these years. Why don’t we start all over again?”I met his expectant gaze indifferently and shrugged his hand off. “Not everyone gets the chance to start over. Leave me alone. You piss me off.”Jared stood frozen in place, looking downcast. He wanted to chase after me again, but the limp from both my injured legs held him in place. He had contributed to both injuries. He had no right to barge into my life unwelcomed anymore. After leaving and settling down properly, I found a

  • Taking the Blame   Chapter 9

    “Jenny! Do you know that your parents were murderers?!” Jenny’s lip quivered as if she had been wronged. “I told you before that they just made a mistake. Did Charlie say something? It wouldn’t be the first time. I think she just wants to remind me that I don’t deserve all this.“She’s right. I don’t deserve this.”My parents had not gotten the chance to comfort her yet. When they rushed out after Jenny, they saw Jared shoving his phone in their beloved daughter’s face. “A mistake?! You’re really good at defending them, aren’t you?! They killed my parents! They’re the reason I grew up without my parents!” Jenny’s shifty eyes and frantic expression told Jared she knew the truth all along.I had come across this piece of information by chance, but I was locked away before I could tell Jared the truth.I finally got the chance to continue my investigation and uncover the truth recently.Since Jared wanted to be forgiving, who was I to stop him?“Let me explain, Jared! It’s not

  • Taking the Blame   Chapter 8

    After realising what I had said, my parents were furious. “Will you only stop once you’ve completely ruined Jenny’s life?” I grabbed my father’s hand before he could hit me. “She ruined her own life. What does that have to do with me?” Jared looked at me with disappointment. “Charlie, you know how fragile Jenny’s mental state is. Why couldn’t you have just stayed quiet? She made a mistake back then. Give her a chance to start over!“I’m postponing our wedding. I’ll be with Jenny until this is resolved.” I ignored Jared’s threat. I lost the desire to spend the rest of my life with him since the day he betrayed me. Once my leg was better, I arranged for myself to be discharged and rented an apartment outside. When I went home to collect my things, I found Jared and Jenny cuddling. He let go of her instinctively when he saw me. “Jenny’s not feeling very well, so I came to comfort her. You were lying that day, weren’t you? The families didn’t show up at all.”Jared was not as

  • Taking the Blame   Chapter 7

    “I care for Jenny out of pity. Every time I see her, I’m reminded of my own childhood. I lost my parents when I was young too, and I grew up with my grandparents. Knowing about Jenny’s childhood makes me want to care for her.”My head was throbbing. I interrupted him, “You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I have no plans to marry you.”Jared frowned. “That was mean. Forget it. I’ll give you some time to calm down first.”Not long after he left, Jenny came into my room. “Aren’t you lucky, Charlie? Look at you, all alive and well. It’s a shame those people let you out of there alive. Don’t they care about their kids at all?“But did you think this meant you could return home and be doted on by Mom, Dad, and Jared? They don’t care about anyone else but me. You’ll never be able to hike again, so who gave you the right to fight with me, huh?!“Oh, right! I forgot to tell you. On the day you were released, Jared was so worried it would be too much for me that we had already gone al

  • Taking the Blame   Chapter 6

    I played the recording I had prepared a long time ago to answer their confusion. It was a conversation between Jared and my parents that proved it was Jenny who was responsible for the death of the three kids. While it was not sufficient as evidence in court, it was enough for these families to learn the truth. I had fallen unconscious by the time the ambulance arrived, and when I woke up again, Jared was sitting beside my bed. “Oh, good. You’re finally awake. You’ve been out for a whole day, and I was so worried.”The dark circles under his eyes told me he had not left my side the entire time. “Are you hungry? I’ll go buy you some food. The doctor said that your body is weak and you’ll need a lot of nutrients to heal. I should’ve taken better care of you.”I looked away in annoyance. “I don’t need you. Get out.”Jared pouted and looked at me sadly. “I know I shouldn’t have lied to you, but there was nothing else I could do. Jenny can’t get triggered, or she’ll have anothe

  • Taking the Blame   Chapter 5

    A few familiar faces approached, and I heard my mother’s voice from beside me.“I admit that we hid the truth from you. Charlie wanted to beat Jenny. That’s why she took your children hiking.”My body grew cold. History was repeating itself. Jared knelt in front of me with concern and whispered, “These families forgave you because they thought it was an accident, but with the new evidence and stories surfacing online, they’re angry and came here to ask for an explanation.“They couldn’t find you, so they found Jenny instead. I was worried something would happen to Jenny, so I…”My vision blurred, and I smiled at him. “So you want me to take the blame for Jenny again?”“Enough! How dare you! You were the one who killed those kids! What does that have to do with Jenny?!”My father hit my back with the hiking pole. My mother cradled Jenny against her chest and glared at me.“These are the consequences of your own actions. I won’t let you drag Jenny down with you! I’ll never for

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