All Chapters of After I Was Gone: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

Before I even had the chance to explain, I saw Bobby take hold of Audrey's hand and disappear from view.As they turned, that smug little smile on her face sliced right through me.I walked the streets like a ghost, strawberry cake in hand.It was always like this. Every time Audrey and I fought, Bobby would take her side.And me? I would end up buying strawberry cake from the south end of the city to bring home as an apology.Not because Audrey liked it—she didn't. She just liked watching me drag myself across town, transferring between subway lines and buses for four or five hours, exhausted and humiliated, standing in front of her with a cake and a sorry.Only then, when I looked sufficiently beaten, would Bobby forgive me for whatever I had supposedly done.When I opened the front door, Bobby was in the kitchen, preparing Audrey's favorite dish.From cleaning the fish to slicing it into paper-thin pieces, he did it all himself.The same brother who once never touched anyth

I set down my fork and fled in a hurry. The happiness between the two of them felt like an arrow—cold and precise—aimed straight at me.When news came of our parents' deaths, Bobby had held me close and promised, "Bella, don't worry. I'll protect you for the rest of your life. I'll take Mom and Dad's place. I'll walk you down the aisle someday."But after Audrey came into our home, I became a girl without a family.I spent the night at the hospital and didn't return. Not a single message showed up on my phone—not a word of concern from Bobby. He didn't care.Before we left, the director reminded us to say goodbye to our families. If there were things we couldn't say out loud, we could write a farewell letter instead.After I wrapped up the paperwork at the hospital, I had to head back home to pack a few documents and clothes.In my room, I held my housekeeper, Marie—the woman who had raised me—and told her goodbye.She was the only one who knew I was leaving the country on a rescu

I didn't go to the hospital. Instead, I followed Adam to his office.He was supposed to deliver some documents to Bobby and me at our house today.Back then, a few of my father's old colleagues, along with Adam, had investigated the cause of the fire. Recently, they discovered something new.When my parents rushed to the seventh floor to save Audrey's family, the flames had already died down significantly. According to the rescue plan, they should've made it back safely.But the second explosion was triggered by the presence of toluene inside Audrey's home.From the charred remains preserved over the years, they deduced the source: nail polish. There was a lot of it."Bella," Adam said, "we talked to some of the survivors. They mentioned the family on the seventh floor—the mother used to work at a bar. The father would hit her and their daughter often. One survivor said she saw the little girl lock her parents inside the bedroom and knock over her mother's vanity table."The cos

Audrey lost our parents' medals.That day, it was as if Bobby had lost his soul. He retraced every step he'd taken, searched every place he could think of, but they were nowhere.It was only then that he began to realize Audrey wasn't as fragile and pitiful as she appeared.Over the past six months, she'd ruled the household like a tyrant. She even tried to sell off my belongings from our house. If Marie hadn't told Bobby in time, everything I left behind might've been sold off too.That day, he snapped at her again.The sweet, obedient Audrey he used to know had turned into a selfish, arrogant brat.'Bobby, how I wish I could tell you—Audrey is a devil straight from hell. She didn't just bring about the deaths of her own parents; she dragged ours down with them,' my soul muttered sadly.Since I died, Bobby had been spiraling. Sometimes, when Adam visited, he would talk with him briefly.Audrey, unused to being ignored, started looking at my photo with venom in her eyes."Bell