All Chapters of Burned at the Stake: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

My soul quickly left my body and floated around the crematorium. It was a small one with a few staff members slacking off. All of a sudden, my soul was dragged back to my family.Mom sorted through Grandma's belongings and started berating me. "That damn Natalie, looks like all those years of study were totally pointless! I should've sold her off when she was young. At least she'd be of some use!"She pulled out the money Grandma had saved for my tuition from the bottom of a box and handed it to Yvonne like she was a princess."Vonnie, here's some pocket money for you."Dad frowned when he heard this, but in the end, he didn't say a word.Even in death, I was burdened with a crime I didn't commit. I stood nearby, crying with grievance.I wanted to tell everyone that it wasn't me. It really wasn't me! Grandma had heart disease, and every day I made sure she took her medicine properly. But that day, when her heart condition flared up, the pills she usually took had turned into

Chapter 2

Seeing Grandpa unconscious in the emergency room, I was nearly driven mad with anxiety.Every time Mom punished me, Grandma and Grandpa would hold me in their arms and comfort me gently."Don't be afraid, sweetie. Grandpa and Grandma are here."Now that Grandma was gone, Grandpa was the only one left. But now, even he…I kept pacing around him, desperately wanting to do something. But my arms passed through everything, a cruel reminder that I was now just a soul.Whether alive or dead, I was still useless.Finally, Grandpa was wheeled out of the emergency room. Although his life had been saved, he now had total dementia.He didn't recognize anyone. But when he saw Mom and Yvonne, he became agitated.Dad was confused, but Mom was quick to call a nurse to give Grandpa a sedative.Grandpa soon fell asleep. Meanwhile, Dad seemed to grow suspicious. The way he looked at Mom and Yvonne had turned colder."When I went out to look for Nat, only you and Vonnie were at home. Did Dad re

Chapter 3

After smashing my box and shouting threats, Mom still didn't see me. She was on the verge of going crazy and trashed everything in my room in a rage.When Dad walked in and saw the mess, he was startled."I want to see how long she can keep this up!" Mom shouted.She was sure I had no money and would have to come home to steal some. So, she pulled Dad to hide in the corner of the room and wait.Sure enough, in the middle of the night, a shadowy figure crept into the room.Mom flipped on the light, ready to lunge forward. But the moment she saw clearly who it was, her raised hand froze midair.Dad frowned. "Vonnie, why are you stealing money?"Before he could scold her further, Mom wrapped her arms around Yvonne. "Stealing? What stealing? My money is Vonnie's money! She's entitled to it!"My precious girl, if you ever need money, just tell me. Don't follow that little wretch of a sister of yours."Yvonne pouted and snuggled into her arms like she had nothing to fear. "Mom, I'm

Chapter 4

Dad's knees gave out, and he collapsed to the floor, unable to recover for a long time.Mom shoved through the crowd, cursing as she came closer. "Natalie, you damned girl, get out here!"You've been gone for days, and this is where you've been? Faking ghosts and playing tricks? Haven't you embarrassed us enough?"She shouted several times, but I never responded. Infuriated, she grabbed my skull and slammed it to the ground. "Still pretending, are you?"My ashes were scattered across the floor. The relatives who had rushed in gasped in horror and quickly tried to stop her."That's enough, Samantha! Nat is dead. Just let her rest in peace!"But Mom refused to give up. She kept yelling. "Natalie! Come out right now, or I'll make you pay when we get home!"Floating in the air, as I watched my own remains being treated this way, a fresh wave of sorrow welled up inside me."Mom, do you hate me that much? So much that you won't even leave me in peace…"Just then, the staff pulled

Chapter 5

"Vonnie, why do you have...""Enough!"Mom cut Dad off and stepped forward, gritting her teeth. "I did it. Everything! I was the one who switched your mother's medicine."Upon hearing that, Dad's vision went black. He had to hold onto the table just to keep himself from collapsing. He was so furious that he couldn't even speak.I was stunned too. I'd considered countless possibilities about Grandma's medicine, but never did I imagine the one who switched it would be Mom.Holding her chin high, Mom spoke with righteous indignation. "Your mother had heart disease. She wasn't going to live long anyway! And those special meds of hers? One bottle costs as much as our monthly expenses!"You're the only breadwinner, and there are six mouths to feed. Do you think it's been easy for me all these years?"Seeing Dad's face grow darker, Mom threw out her classic excuse, "Jonathan, everything I did was for this family!"Every time, no matter the situation, as long as she said those words, D

Chapter 6

Dad was stunned as Grandpa emerged from the shadows.Mom, on the other hand, shrieked like she'd seen a ghost. "Why are you here, old bastard? Weren't you already insane?"Grandpa let out a heavy sigh. "You pushed me down the stairs to cover up for Vonnie. If I hadn't pretended to be insane, would you ever have let me live?"Dad's eyes widened in shock. His hands trembled in disbelief. "Father, you mean… it was Vonnie who switched the medicine?"Before Grandpa could answer, Mom lunged forward. "Bullshit! I already said I switched them! You damn old man, try slandering my daughter again and I won't let you off!"Her eyes were bloodshot with fury, her posture wild, like she might tear Grandpa to shreds. It took all the police officers' effort to barely restrain her.Dad's eyes were filled with disbelief. "Vonnie, did you really do it? That was your grandmother!"With the truth exposed, Yvonne guiltily looked away.Just then, Mom broke free of the officers' grip, pushing Dad aside

Chapter 7

Seeing Mom remain silent, Yvonne snapped impatiently. "Say something! Didn't you say you'd always protect me?"Disappointment filled Mom's eyes, but she still turned to Dad and pleaded, "Jonathan, everything is my fault. Nat is already gone, but Vonnie is still so young. Her life shouldn't be ruined because of this."Please, beg the police for mercy. If someone has to die, let it be me. Just me, okay?"Dad sighed deeply and slowly pushed her hand away. "If I keep covering for Vonnie, then her life would truly be ruined. People must pay the price for what they've done."As Mom and Yvonne were taken away by the police, Dad and Grandpa began gathering Grandma's ashes and mine.Dad, wiping his tears, picked out a small urn for me. Just a few days ago, I was still sweetly calling him "Dad". But now, here I was—inside this little urn, so small, so light.Before the burial, he wanted to say a few more words to me. But urns couldn't talk back.Dad cried until he passed out and only wo

Chapter 8

Mom had once been the eldest daughter of her family. She was loved and doted on by everyone.But after her younger brother was born, all the attention shifted to him.Mom worked hard to shoulder all the household chores, including washing clothes, cooking meals, herding cattle, and feeding pigs.Yet no matter how much she did, she never earned a single word of praise from Granny.Later, in order to provide a better life for her brother, Mom was sold at a high price by Granny to marry Dad.Dad was an honest man, and life after marriage was relatively happy.Soon, Mom got pregnant.After Yvonne was born, Mom had hoped for a son, thinking that a boy might become the key to securing happiness for her daughter.But when I was born, she suffered massive bleeding and had to have her uterus removed. From then on, she could no longer bear children.She thought Grandpa and Grandma would scold her, but instead, they happily welcomed me into their arms.Seeing my confused sister standing

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