All Chapters of The Last of 99 Goodbyes: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

I stayed in the hospital for three days, and for those three days, my phone stayed silent. I didn't receive a single call from my family.I didn't call anyone either. I didn't scroll through their Instagram feeds like I used to, trying to keep up with every little update in their lives.Instead, I just quietly rested in my hospital bed and dragged my weak body around for checkups and payments.Even on the day I was discharged, I didn't tell a soul. I simply packed my own things, endured the pain in my abdomen, and slowly made my way home.When I pushed the door open, the laughter inside the house abruptly stopped.Everyone was gathered in the living room. My fiancé, Joel, was sitting beside Yvette with his arm casually draped around her shoulders.The moment he saw me, he pulled his hand back and gave me an awkward smile. "Soph, you're back? Where have you been these past few days?"My brother, Joshua Norton, let out a cold snort. "Where else would she have gone to? She just did

Chapter 2

My obedience caught everyone off guard. After a brief silence, Dad finally said, "That's more like it. We're family. There's nothing we can't talk about. I only say these things for your own good.""Yeah, I know." I obediently nodded with a numb smile fixed on my face.Upon seeing that I wasn't upset, they relaxed and returned to the living room with Yvette.I paused for a moment, then continued up the stairs toward my room.But just as I stepped onto the staircase, someone grabbed my wrist.Joel had come up beside me without my noticing. He leaned in close and whispered, "Are you really not angry?"His gentle tone made my eyes sting all over again. I felt a rush of grievance rise in my chest, but I could only shake my head. My throat tightened, and I couldn't utter a single word.Joel, however, looked relieved. "I knew you'd be the sensible one. You never get upset over the little things. "Actually, there's something I wanted to talk to you about…" He turned his head away, av

Chapter 3

Joshua yanked my hair so hard that I stumbled down the stairs. "Vivi's an adult now! You can't just ignore her feelings like you used to!"I fell to the floor, and pain shot through both my knees.Joel frowned. "Soph, I was the one who decided to delay the wedding. It had nothing to do with Yvette. If you're upset, take it out on me. Just don't make her feel bad."As I lay curled up on the floor, I couldn't tell whether the pain in my chest or in my knees hurt more."Don't be mad at Sophia," Yvette said, wiping the corners of her eyes. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have turned 18 so soon. If I had waited a little longer, then the trip wouldn't have clashed with her wedding."I caught the tiny smirk tugging at her lips."You're being ridiculous! You can't decide when you grow up. This happened because she picked the wrong date for her wedding. It's not because of you," Joshua snapped.He stared at me, irritation written all over his face. "You love sulking, right? Fine. Stay he

Chapter 4

At the seafood restaurant, Joshua had ordered enough expensive seafood to cover the table. It made Yvette's mouth water. "There's way too much," she said, biting her fingers. "I can't possibly finish all of this, Josh. Maybe we should cancel an order or two?""It's fine. We got all the dishes you said you wanted to try. We can just ask for takeout if we can't finish them."Yvette's lips curled upward slightly, but she pretended to protest. "Wouldn't letting Sophia eat our leftovers be a little rude?""What's wrong with that? She's never had any of this before. At least she can finally get a taste of these dishes thanks to you."The moment Joshua said that, the table fell silent.Suddenly, it hit everyone that I really hadn't tasted any of these dishes before. Despite being five years older than Yvette, they had never once taken me out for a nice meal.Joshua was the first child and the pride of the family. My parents had poured all their time and attention into him.By the tim

Chapter 5

Mom's eyes rolled back, and she collapsed. Joshua caught her just in time.Dad's face went pale as he stumbled into the house. When he saw the storage room door that had been forced open, he fell to the floor."My daughter… Sophia!"Panic flooded Joel's face. His voice trembled as he said, "No, that can't be. Soph was just fine just now! She has to be fine now too!"When he finally snapped out of his panicked state, he turned to rush outside. But Yvette stopped him. "Joel, don't go! Mom fainted! You have to get her to the hospital."Joshua was holding Mom upright as he helplessly looked at Joel.Joel gritted his teeth. "Get her in the car. We'll go to the hospital… and see Soph too." By the end of his sentence, his voice was already breaking.With that, they hurried to the hospital. The moment they arrived, Mom woke up."Sophia!" she cried out, tightly gripping Joshua's hand. "She's fine, right? She's still in the storage room. Go let her out already!"Joshua looked away.

Chapter 6

Mom and Dad hurried forward. The moment they saw the body, their eyes widened. "It's Mr. Jones, the butler. What happened to him?""Wait, where's Sophia? If she isn't here, where could she have gone?"Yvette was disappointed when she realized the dead person wasn't me. A mocking smile appeared on her lips. "She's probably hiding somewhere, laughing at us. She knows how worried everyone gets, so she's pretending to be dead just to see all of you cry for her!"Dad's face flushed red. He let out a snort. "Ridiculous! Sophia's gone too far this time! Doesn't she know how worried we'd be?"Joshua's and Joel's faces darkened as well, their earlier embarrassment now mixed with a renewed resentment toward me.Joel immediately pulled out his phone to call me. When the line wouldn't connect, he tapped the screen in anger. "That's enough, Sophia! Do you think this is funny? How could you play such a cruel prank on us? You'd better come back and apologize right now, or I'll cancel the wed

Chapter 7

By the time the paramedics broke down the door, I had already passed out in the storage room.Fortunately, they were professionals. One of them immediately administered an epinephrine shot, dragging me back from the edge of death."Miss, your throat swelled up due to a severe allergic reaction," the doctor said as he helped me onto a stretcher. "The swelling's gone down now, but you should still go to the hospital for a full checkup."Just then, Alfred came running in from the backyard. The sight of the paramedics crowding the house made him freeze. "What's going on here? How did you get in?"He turned and saw me lying on the stretcher with a swollen face. Immediately, his breathing stopped, and he clutched his chest before collapsing to the floor.The doctor was shocked. "Quick! Get him into the ambulance!"After a moment of chaos, the doctor turned to me and said, "I'm sorry. That man just went into cardiac arrest. We have to rush him to the hospital right now. The ambulance ca

Chapter 8

"Me? No way, I've never performed on stage before," I said, shaking my head in panic. But my mentor simply patted my shoulder and confidently smiled. "Don't underestimate yourself," he said. "You're my most gifted student. Your tone is pure and has a rare quality to it. There's also something in your music that tells stories, something that moves people to tears."He looked at me with a deep gaze. "I don't know what you've been through to write songs filled with such sorrow, but let me tell you—every bit of suffering you've endured will become part of the path that leads you to success. "Believe in yourself, Sophia. Show them what you can do. You deserve to shine."Instantly, my tears fell.So, someone really could hear my pain through my music. They could feel my story just by listening to it.That was the power of music, and that was the reason I was willing to dedicate my life to it.…The concert was a huge success. I performed an original piece of mine and stunned the au

Chapter 9

I stared at Joel until he looked away in guilt. Only then did I nod and say, "You're right. I should make room for her. That's why I decided to give you to her. Isn't that the perfect outcome?"Joel opened his mouth to respond, but I waved him off. "My feelings for you faded a long time ago when you'd repeatedly told me to step aside. I don't love you anymore, and I'm done sacrificing myself for you. "No one cherished me, but I learned to cherish myself."Joel felt as if something had struck him in the chest. He stumbled back a few steps, unable to bear the blow.I didn't spare him another glance and started walking toward the backstage exit.But before I could leave, the others blocked my way.Joshua looked at me with a conflicted expression. "You've really made something of yourself over these past few years.""Sophia, we read your diary. We had no idea you had gone through so much pain," he said, sighing deeply.I remembered tossing that diary into a corner before I left. I

Chapter 10

My eyes stung as memories of being invisible for years resurfaced. I'd thought I had already made peace with it, but my chest ached just as much as it'd used to."You had expectations for Joshua and affection for Yvette. But what about me? I was just there. Joshua was your pride, and Yvette your precious darling," I said, pausing to take a shaky breath. "If you never wanted me, why did you bring me into this world at all?"My voice softened to a whisper as I said, "I left you. I'm far away from all of you now. Isn't it better this way?"By then, Mom's tears were streaming down her face. "Sophia, we were wrong! We all were! You're our daughter too. Blood ties can't be severed just like this!""I'd rather not be your daughter at all!"With that, I turned and walked backstage without looking back at the family now sobbing behind me.Maybe my words had cut too deep, because the Nortons never appeared before me again for a long time after that.But somehow, my past got dug up. The in

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