All Chapters of How to Bury a Family: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

Sarah seemed to recall this, and a brief silence fell on the line.Before she could respond, Amy snatched the phone."God, Daniel, must you always compete with Ben? Stop embarrassing yourself! If you delay Sarah's research, can you even comprehend the consequences?"She hung up.Benjamin, with his arm around Sarah, gently patted Amy's head, soothing her, "Come on, you know what Daniel is like. Today is the most important day of my life. Cheer up."Just like that, Amy's anger dissipated, and the group disappeared toward the honeymoon suite, leaving me alone in the silent night.On my phone, I booked a vasectomy reversal, then turned and walked away.Fifteen years of loving a woman who saw me as air—I was done.By the time I returned to the city, it was late. I booked a random hotel, showered, and fell into a restless sleep.In the early hours, a shrill phone ring jolted me awake.The TV station manager's voice was urgent and excited, "Daniel, I heard there was a 5.3 magnitude

When I returned to Lavnoc City after my surgery, Sarah still hadn't contacted me. She clearly thought this was just another childish outburst.Her social media told a different story - a flurry of posts featuring Benjamin: wedding dress fittings, engagement photoshoots, even selecting her bridal jewelry.I scrolled past without reaction.At the broadcasting station, I submitted my application to join a geological expedition to Antarctica as their documentary filmmaker. Before departure, I handed over the documents the village chief had discreetly placed in my bag during that hospital ride - evidence exposing the truth behind the "earthquake."Seeing the reality of what happened extinguished the last ember of feeling I had for Sarah, leaving only cold revulsion.My final stop was the modest apartment I'd called home since college. Methodically, I packed away every thoughtless gift Sarah had given me over fifteen years, along with a USB drive containing my years-long investigation i

Sarah's entire body shook when she heard those words. A bitter smile twisted her lips as she nodded slowly."You're right. The real monsters in Daniel's life... were us. Both of us." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "We were animals."Then her eyes darkened with sudden, terrifying resolve."But we won't go down alone. We'll drag every last one of you to hell with us."At that moment, Amy came rushing back, breathless, clutching the discarded cardboard box. Seeing Benjamin's parents still protesting their innocence, she let out a hollow laugh. She raised the USB drive with trembling hands, her voice raw with pain."I remember now… Daniel was protecting me. He was always protecting me."When the school's name on the USB files became visible—Benjamin and his parents went deathly pale....Six months later.Antarctica stretched endlessly white around me as I observed emperor penguins following their ancient migration routes. My breath fogged the camera viewfinder beside me.Retu

Benjamin's mother had spent all those years like a canary in a gilded cage, fed and kept by my father, never needing to lift a finger, never learning how to stand on her own. She had no practical skills, no way to make a living.Now, with Benjamin's medical bills piling up—ten, maybe fifteen thousand dollars—she was left with no choice. She began seeking out old lovers from her youth, men she had toyed with when her looks were sharp enough to steal the breath from their lungs.But back then, she'd made enemies. Slept with married men. Stirred up more than a few nests.And now? Now that her life had fallen apart, those men didn't even give her the chance to plead. They answered her desperation with scorn and cruelty, like wolves scenting old blood. Instead of help, she was met with degradation. One of them nearly trafficked her. She escaped by a thread.Left with nowhere to go, she turned on Sarah. Demanded compensation. But Sarah had already made up her mind—if she was going down,