All Chapters of Too Late to Love Me: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

My soul drifted from the cold basement floor at midnight. The door of my bedroom was flung open, and my brother, Xavier Laith, barged in. He scanned the empty room and laughed mockingly. "Winona, aren't you sick of playing hide-and-seek? You're too old for this nonsense," he said. Usually, I would have snapped back. However, I could only float past him in silence. Xavier tried to call me, but no one answered. He rubbed his hair frustratingly, then flipped open the diary on my desk. There was a number on there: 99. That was how many times they had disappointed me over the years. Xavier did not understand. He frowned and tossed the dairy to the floor. He muttered while recording a voice message, "Stop throwing a tantrum. Winnie is still waiting for the blueberry cheesecake you promised to bake. It's her sixteenth birthday, so you better be home in an hour, or else…" He put his phone aside and went to the living room. "Winona is not in her room, and she won't answer

Chapter 2

My soul curled up in the corner of the living room as I silently watched. My dad, who usually went to bed early, stayed up in high spirits. He helped Winnie unwrap her birthday presents. Meanwhile, my mom sat on the sofa and browsed online shopping sites, mumbling about buying Winnie a new wardrobe so she would shine at summer camp. "Mom, my closet is full as it is," teased Winnie, her voice soft and sweet. My mom smiled and said matter-of-factly, "We should clear out your sister's room. Winona never cares about these things. She's always busy with work and hardly ever home. She doesn't have many clothes anyway, so she doesn't need the space." "But…" She blinked and pretended to hesitate. "Wouldn't that upset her?" My mom paused and frowned. She replied, "Don't overthink it. Your sister is sensible, so she won't hold it against you." My dad said nothing and kept his head down. He peeled pistachios for Winnie. Xavier sat nearby and casually passed the pistachio nuts to Wi

Chapter 3

They immediately rushed to her side, and they panicked when they saw the red mark on her palm that looked like a burn. "Everyone at the party was someone we knew. How could anyone give such a dangerous gift?" A scorpion got out of the box and Xavier crushed it under his foot. All eyes turned to the open gift box. "Was this… from Winona?" my mom asked as she frowned. Winnie immediately looked like she was going to cry. She said, "Please don't blame Winona, Mom. The gift was on my nightstand this morning. I was happy that she wanted to give me a present." My dad and Xavier looked angry and disappointed. "I knew it! That's why she delayed coming home. She wanted to hurt Winnie on purpose!" my dad exclaimed. "How could I have such a vicious sister?" asked Xavier. "Enough! Shut up and take Winnie to the doctor first!" said my dad. He kicked away the gift box that Winnie had stolen from my room, furious as he slammed the table. "The bandage is finished. I'll get more from t

Chapter 4

My soul followed Winnie to a private clinic. Soon, my fiancé, Ian Zander, rushed in. He went straight to Winnie and grabbed her hand. He anxiously examined the scorpion sting on her palm. He was full of worry. "What happened? What did the doctor say?" he asked. Winnie choked up but forced a smile. She replied, "Don't be like this, Ian. It wasn't Winona's fault. She only wanted to surprise me. She must have grabbed the wrong gift. You know she's a medical researcher and keeps many small animals for experiments…" She pretended to be understanding, and Ian looked angrier. He looked up and asked angrily, "Where is Winona? Where is she hiding now? Don't be scared, Winnie, I'll make this right for you!" 'You don't have to look for me, Ian. I'm right next to you. You can't make this right for her because I'm dead. Of course, you can choose to discard my body and refuse to buy a grave to punish me,' I thought. Ian called me after leaving the clinic. No one answered, so he left

Chapter 5

Xavier froze. My name trembled on his lips, but he never said it out loud. My father reacted the fastest. His shock instantly twisted into rage. "Winona! Are you out of your mind? What are you up to? Did you go as far as to pull a ridiculous stunt like suicide to gain attention?" he yelled. My mother shrieked in agreement, "Get up! Do you realize how embarrassing you are right now? I can't believe you would pretend to be dead just to compete with Winnie!" My soul hovered beside them. I watched as they shouted at my cold, dead body. They refused to believe that I was dead. They would rather think it was another ploy for sympathy and attention. Xavier finally snapped out of shock. He strode over and impatiently nudged my arm with the tip of his shoe. "Stop faking it! Get up!" he exclaimed. My body shifted slightly from the kick, but remained stiff and still. His panic deepened. "I said, get up!" he roared. He kicked me hard enough to flip me over. The wounds on the ba

Chapter 6

My family was in chaos, but Ian had no idea I had passed away. He was with Winnie at that moment, carefully rewrapping the bandage on her injured hand. "Does it still hurt?" he asked. His voice was gentler than I had ever remembered. Winnie shook her head softly. Her eyes were shimmering with tears as she said, "It doesn't hurt anymore. I'm not scared of anything as long as you're here." Ian gazed at her with pity, anger clouding his face. He said, "Winona was out of line. I'll make her pay when she shows up again!" "Don't blame Winona," said Winnie. She lifted her hand and gripped his fingertips tightly. Her voice softly sobbing as she spoke, "She only wanted attention." The more understanding she sounded, the more his pity for her grew. "You're too kind, Winnie. She hurt you so badly, but you still defend her," he said. "I… worry about her," mumbled Winnie. Tears dripped on the back of his hand. She said, "Winona has always been lonely, she just… wants to be loved."

Chapter 7

Ian sprinted home. My father was sitting in my room when he pushed open the door. He was gripping an old diary. He opened the first page, and his fingers trembled. "Everyone forgot my birthday when I was ten. Only the butler remembered and bought me a small cake." "I had a broken bone for a month when I was fifteen. No one came to visit me. Winnie only had a paper cut, but mom and dad stayed up all night with her." "I won first place in an interschool science competition when I was twenty, but my parents went to Winnie's piano performance instead." The diary was filled with loneliness and disappointment with each page. There were 99 entries in total, each with dates and details. Every line pierced their hearts. My mother cried with her hand over her mouth. My father had a breakdown as he muttered, "What… What have we done?" Ian picked up the diary with shaking hands. "She remembered every time we neglected her, every moment she was ignored… We never thought about ho

Chapter 8

My father found a voice recorder hidden deep in my drawer while going through my belongings. He hesitated for a moment, then pressed play. A hysterical and panicked voice came out. It was my voice during the final moments of my life. "Who are you? Why did you barge in?" "Relax, Winona. We're only here to pick up a few things," the stranger said. "Winnie said if we rough you up a little and take some photos of you with men, she can finally show everyone who you really are," another man added. "Remember, guys. Don't kill her. Just ruin her reputation." The recorder captured my desperate struggle and the sound of heavy blows. Then, there was a scream. My father could almost smell the stench of blood through the recorder. Only ragged breathing and faint cries for help followed. "Help me… Please… Someone…" Then, silence. My whole family froze. My death was not an accident, but it had been a planned attack. The recorder played on. It was filled with the sounds o

Chapter 9

Her life fell apart after being cast out of the family. She could only stay at the cheapest and most broken apartment in the suburbs. Soon after, rumors about her murder schemes spread across her entire social circle. "Anyone who could harm her family will never be worthy of stepping into this family again," concluded the elders sternly. Winnie tried to find support elsewhere, but no one wanted to accept a woman branded as a killer. She lost her identity, her place in society, and became an outcast. Hunger, cold, and loneliness consumed her every day. Her figure wandered the streets like a ghost with no home. She was forced into shady transactions to survive, and she sold her body for a meager living. Three months later, during one of those transactions, she first touched the forbidden substance. It was a narcotic strictly banned in high society, a poison to the soul once tasted. She knew the danger, but she still swallowed it. Only in that fleeting haze could s

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