All Chapters of When Love Turns Deadly: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

In my previous life, I always knew that my sister's car accident was not just an accident. However, back then, I was only nine years old.I could not bring myself to say anything.If I did, I would be in for a world of hurt.After my sister, Aria Smith, was born, I pretty much raised her until she was seven. My parents did not make much—just twelve hundred dollars a month—and with twin boys coming after her, money was tight.One night, half-asleep, I overheard my parents talking."Did you hear about Jeffrey's bull? It got hit by a car, and they paid him eighteen thousand dollars for it.""If a person got hit, they'd have to shell out at least tens of thousands of dollars, right? We could finally build a house with that kind of money."Mom glanced at my sister, snoozing on the bed, then at me, and whispered, "So, who's worth more?"Dad paused before answering, "The older one is worth more, but she helps with the kids and lets you get to work earlier."As for the younger one,

Chapter 2

In my previous life, I was just a helpless nine-year-old, only able to give my sister warnings that then seemed so futile.On the day we said our final goodbyes to her, I confided in my Aunt Emily—the one who had always showered us with love.Tears streaming down her face, she whispered, "If only I'd known when they asked me, I would've told the truth. Your sister wouldn't have had to go through all that pain."Then, with a stern look, she grabbed my shoulders. "Joanna, you mustn't breathe a word of this to anyone else. If you do, you'll be left without parents and a grandmother. We can't afford to take care of two more kids on our own."I nodded, but inside, my thoughts were racing.In my previous life, Aria's car crash was the start of a cruel plot. They lured me back home, took my life, and harvested my organs for my brothers.When Aunt Emily caught wind of what happened, she confronted them, but they were too much for her. She died fighting them.Then, my parents had the ner

Chapter 3

Staring at Aria's photo, I could see her sweet, carefree smile.She was only seven, but she knew that Mom and Dad did not like her. Grandma did not either.She spent her days learning to do chores, while other kids her age were being coddled by their moms. She could cook simple meals, change diapers, and mix baby formula.I pulled the photo out of the trash, tears streaming down my face, and looked around at everyone before breaking down."Dad, how could you throw Aria's picture away like that? We're living in this big house because of the ninety thousand dollars we got when she died. If you're scared of her haunting us, just keep the photo in my room."I got to my feet, holding the photo close, and turned to Mom."Mom, which room is mine?"Just as I expected, my mom had a displeased look on her face.They had not even bothered to give me a room of my own.They stuck me with a fold-out cot and a flimsy shower curtain in the bathroom, even though our place had four whole rooms.

Chapter 4

James was over the moon, immediately dialing his wife to bring Rebecca over. When it was time for everyone to head home, James lingered, not ready to pull Rebecca away from her first real friend. She was having the time of her life, and I was right there with her, helping her tackle her summer homework.Ever since then, the two summer months were a back-and-forth of James dropping off his daughter at our place or picking me up to stay with them.In my previous life, I spent those summers looking after my two little brothers.When enrollment season came around, my parents were adamant—no school for me. They even turned away the teacher who came to plead my case.In my new life, they were just as determined to stop me from signing up.Standing at James's front door, I told Rebecca with a heavy heart, "Rebecca, my parents won't let me go to school. They want me home, babysitting my brothers. I can't be there to watch out for you anymore. You'll have to be strong at school and hit t

Chapter 5

As it turned out, less than half an hour after eating the pickled cucumbers, they were all doubled over, vomiting and suffering from diarrhea.There were not many pickled cucumbers, and they always made me stick to plain oatmeal.I did not touch the pickled cucumbers, so I was spared.Eventually, they could not take it anymore. They left my little brothers with me and rushed to get IV treatments at the hospital.When they returned, Dad was about to toss out the jar of pickled cucumbers, still muttering angrily about Aria."That good-for-nothing, what was she thinking with those pickled cucumbers? They've made a mess of us all, and there goes the money we spent."Grandma examined the jar closely. "These pickled cucumbers used to be fine, didn't they? Why are they making us sick now?"It was then that I stepped forward, a fearful look on my face."Grandma, Dad, I had a dream last night. Aria came to our new house. She kept saying how much it hurt to be hit by that car."Do you t

Chapter 6

I would come home from school each day, my backpack stuffed with wild mushrooms to toss into the pan with whatever greens we could forage.Since my two little brothers came along, times got tougher, and store-bought veggies became a rarity. Grandma would shuffle through the market, scavenging for leftover leaves.Those mushrooms I gathered were just enough to pad out our meals.However, I always had just plain white bread.Gone were the days I had to wear Aria's hand-me-downs to spook them. At night, their cries from mushroom-filled nightmares would echo through the walls.Dad's fuse got shorter by the day, until a fight at work got him canned.Jobless, he turned his fists on me, no longer giving a damn about James, the man he once might have thought twice about crossing.I took the beating without a word and kept serving up those wild mushrooms.One night, the light from my parents' room sliced through the darkness. They should have been asleep, lost in dreams.However, I hea

Chapter 7

Night after night, my father was haunted by visions of my sister, a side effect of the mushrooms he had consumed. His sanity was fraying at the edges. In a sudden frenzy, he stormed into the kitchen, seized a knife, and unleashed a violent onslaught on the figure in my sister's clothes. I watched through the crack of my door, heart in my throat, before slipping out to flip the circuit breaker. Light flooded the room, revealing the horror of what he had done—his mother lay lifeless, and his eyes met mine, full of realization and horror. He dropped the knife with a clatter and stumbled away.I bolted back to my room, locking the door with shaking hands. Dad walked up to my room and slammed his hand against the door. My heart was pounding, and I could not bring myself to open it.The door, sturdy and secure, a relic from when that room was meant for my older brother, held fast.I did not know if Dad was outside, wanting to get rid of me too or if he was trying to hand me the

Chapter 8

Mom was livid, screaming at Aunt Emily."Do you realize what she's done? Your brother said she's been the one cooking lately. We're all getting these crazy hallucinations, seeing Aria in our dreams, getting all spaced out and angry. It's from those mushrooms she's been serving."Aunty Emily faced Mom with a sharp huff. "She's just a nine-year-old kid. Couldn't you three grown-ups find the time to make a meal? Now, you're sick and it's her fault? I checked the kitchen and there's no vegetable in sight. What's she supposed to cook with, if not mushrooms?"Mom kept quiet as Aunt Emily handed me my backpack."Joanna, you're off to school."However, Mom snatched it right back and snapped, "With a house like this, how can she go to school? I have to work, so she needs to stay and watch the kids."Aunt Emily stared Mom down like she was wrestling with a big decision before laying it out."Listen, I've been thinking. You can't handle three kids on your own. Bring your mother here to hel

Chapter 9

The folks at social services took their time. They knew our family was a mess and did not jump to legal action.They wanted to see our home life first.There, in their office, Mom broke down and sobbed. "I'm not against her education. I just can't do it. I can't afford all three kids."She said she had no choice but to keep me home to watch over my siblings while she worked.The staff watched, tears in their eyes, as Mom stood there, one kid in her arms, another clinging to her back. They felt the weight of her world.I could not tell them the whole truth.Mom was ready to do more than just steal my chance at an education. She was plotting to trade my life for the sake of my two little brothers. It was like history repeating itself, like what happened to Aria. If I stayed, I could end up just like her. At nine years old, who would hire me? Despair washed over me. Was it because we were girls that we did not even deserve to grow up? I would not accept that. If life was u

Chapter 10

Uncle Nelson yanked me along to our new house. I fished out the spare key from my shoe and popped the door open.Mom was at home, looking after the kids when Uncle Nelson took a quick look around the room. Without warning, he stormed up to her and started slapping her face, left and right, before exploding with anger. "You've got this huge house and you kept it a secret from me? I'm your brother, for crying out loud. I'm forty years old, and I haven't even held a girl's hand."I don't have my own place in town, so you should've given it to me so I could settle down. You're married with kids already. What do you need another house for?" Mom was in shock from the slaps before she finally snapped out of it and glared at me. She had made me promise not to spill the beans about our house to him. However, she was on the verge of trading me for cash, so why should I cover for her? Mom used to be a real tyrant, funneling a good chunk of our money to Uncle Nelson until Dad put a stop

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